Apartment living - Tips and Tricks.

Renting your first apartment can be exciting and frustrating. You have worked all summer saving your money, you and your friend have decided to move in together. Now you just need to find a place. It is that simple right? Here are some things you need to consider that most people don’t tell you about:

Before you start looking for an apartment you need to sit down and figure out your budget. What can you afford? Roommates help with splitting expenses, but roommates move out, can you afford an apartment on your own? You also want to factor in utilities – Electricity, trash, gas, water, and sewer. Some utilities are included when you rent an apartment and some are not. Most often Internet and Cable are not. You need to consider Deposits also. A deposit is usually a sizable amount that the property owner or property manager hold in trust for you until you move out. It is used to cover any damages you may cause to the unit. The utility companies are going to want deposits also to establish new accounts with them. Usually, after a year of good solid payments, they flush these deposits back to you through your account.

Most places you apply for are going to require rental references and good credit. Since this is the first time you have rented you may lack references and you probably have not started establishing any credit history either. Therefore, you may want to line up a possible co-signer for the apartment. Keep in mind, this person is doing you a huge favor, they are putting themselves on the line saying you will care for the apartment and pay your rent. If you fail to do so, you will injure the co-signer as well as yourself.

Taking Possession
Once you have found your apartment, you have agreed to all the terms of the rental agreement, paid all your deposits and you are ready to move in. Take some time to walk through the apartment while it is vacant, take pictures, take notes of the condition of the property, keep a copy for your records and provide a copy to the property owner or property manager. You are setting the foundation for when you move out and the return of your deposit. (To read more on the return of your security deposit /2015/06/12/return-of-security-deposit/)