this post is so helpful - and timely too! thanks.

My last apartment was the same way - old, gorgeous built-ins, big windows, front balcony, back porch, etc. etc. I didn't notice that they'd *painted over* the sockets and light switches and let the balcony roof develop a leak. The cute kids downstairs turned into wannabe gang-banging teenagers while we lived there (graffitti in the halls, school day parties, kids making out in the stairwell - lovely). Anything that needed fixing got about the same amount of care as they put into the paint job. The cheap-o tile floors in the kitchen? Impossible to keep clean. Those nice hardwood floors? Make sure they're properly cared for and varnished. Ours were creaky and not super smooth, so everything stuck to them and you had to wake everyone up to go to the bathroom because they were so loud.

I got compliments on the place whenever someone came over, but I couldn't help but cringe and point out its gross flaws.

A landlord said a prospective bad-smelling carpeted apartment had had toilet trouble that was repaired and that the apartment just needed to be aired. It turned out that the toilet hadn't been repaired. After I moved in, the toilet overflowed onto the carpet, again. The landlord refused to do anything, falsely claiming I must have done something wrong to the toilet. I called and paid the plumber as needed in order to keep the place livable until the lease expired. I should have heeded my nose.

I made this mistake a couple of years ago in central Florida. The place had so much charm I completely ignored all the warning signs- but it's just so hard to find a place with wood floors in Florida. I should have known something was up when the rent was so reasonable AND included all utilities. The first week it rained the roof leaked all over some of my books starting a mold problem; the fridge had a peeing problem; I was attacked by wasps (there was no seal at the window and they were living in the window), ants (they swarmed around any light source around 10pm nightly for weeks at a time), and then roaches (and palmetto bugs). Also, I found out toward the end that the drain for the bathroom sink emptied directly out of the side of the building onto the grass. It was like I was living in a cabin. So glad I'd only signed a 6 month lease. I moved out a month early and never looked back.

When I was living in Boston, I ran into all sorts of strange apartment problems. Thankfully, none of them ended up causing me any aggravation!

The first place I lived in had really terrible maintenance. After digging through the files of a girl that had moved out, we discovered a document from the city (from 2 years earlier) detailing a list of items that weren't to code. . . and remained unfixed!

The second apartment I lived in had oil heat (I will NEVER DO THAT AGAIN), and we lucked out because out of 3 apartments in the building, 1 had a heater that was super-old and broke all the time -- not ours. Fortunately, our property manager also did all the maintenance on our heating system for free! I didn't know it, but that could have added up to hundreds of dollars!

I just completed an apartment hunt in Chicago and I realized that despite the fact I normally look extremely closely at other people's homes (just because I love interiors and design), I GLAZE over the potential rentals I look at. I think it's because I feel kind of uncomfortable being in somebody else's house and I feel almost like it's snooping to look so closely.

I'm actually a little fuzzy on the floorplan of the place I'm moving into.

My very first apartment ever...super cheap, on a bus line, next to my school...and I should have run screaming. The "Landlord" was a total scumbag, never fixed anything...including our walk=out patio door. Should have seen the signs on move-in day, when I asked to see the place one more time, walked in to see 4..."non-English speaking workers" hanging out in my soon-to-be livingroom, "fixing" the door. When brought up to the landlord, I was told to "get over it and stop being so racist"...oh my...but, it was only a 6 month lease, so I left most of my things packed up, and got the hell outta there ASAP.

I agree with all of this.

I also would say pay attention to what kind of person your landlord is. Do they seem a little cuckoo? Do they seem like a jerk?

I once had a landlord who I thought was just "weird and quirky" - and he turned out to be quite a pain to deal with - and would text me about everything ("don't forget tomorrow is trash day"...."i can hear your dogs barking").

Most times, landlords are hands-off, but if you get a bad one, they can make you quickly despise a really cute place!

If it's little things like a pane of glass loose from a buffet, and the landlord doesn't fix it before you move in... DOCUMENT IT.
DOCUMENT, DOCUMENT, DOCUMENT.
It's your very best friend.

The only real problems in my current apartment are that we're on a southwest corner, and air doesn't move at ALL in our apartment. There's no vent fan anywhere - bathroom or kitchen - to get rid of bad smells or minor grease fires.
But we have a fantastic landlord and maintenance guy, so it makes up for the fact that all the rooms have independent heating and cooling systems.

These are all excellent points for renters, but the problem in some markets is that you take it or lose it with an apartment (Northeastern cities). I'd check out neighborhoods of interest before looking at actual apartments just so you know if you can deal with it before you fall in love with a place.

I would also add, although it's not possible or practical in many cases, to see what the landlords are like when it comes to returning that security deposit.

When I lived in a college town, it would INFURIATE me to clean an apartment within an inch of it's life and only get half my deposit back for nonsense that is the landlord's responsibility. I got docked for "carpet cleaning" when no major stains were added and "damage" to the oven - which was an ancient thing that was already stained and had burnt crud on it when we moved in - and "misc. cleaning fees".

If possible, make sure your landlords aren't money-grubbing jerks; you'll be happier after you move out!

OooOo a couple of things I wouldnt have thought of.. Super Helpful!

My current apartment is exactly as you describe. "Cute" old casement windows with turquoise trim... that do actually open but don't close (and they LEAK AIR... duh). Black widows, cockroaches, dead pigeons in the chimney, no central AC (and this is Phoenix)... I don't know what I was thinking when I signed the least, honestly. Probably exactly what you were, "It's so cute!". I have learned my lesson.

Also, if it's an older home, how much insulation is in the attic? If you live in an extremely hot or cold climate it may make your bills extremely high. Also, if it's on a corner lot you really might want to check it out at various times of day as there is no other house to block the noise, people squabbling, unsupervised kids screaming, etc.

Take pictures before moving in and do your punch list. it can help with any landlords, nice and not-so-nice.
I used the pictures to have my deposit back when the landloard said that I ruined her apt.

We take a good look at the people coming in and out of the rental -- do they look happy, or do they look like they are just ... enduring until they can move out?

We passed over a place when we ran into a tenant, and the tenant said everything was wonderful but whispered "beware of THAT apartment." They were too scared to say it out loud!

A variation on #8:

We never moved into the place, but my ex-husband and I went and looked at an apartment in a building, and the moment we stepped out of the elevator, there was an overwhelming and lingering odor of stale curry. I love Indian food, but having to smell it all the time, having it permeate the entire floor of the building, and having the smell linger just made me really queasy. It was basically an immediate deal-breaker for me.

This was also one of those places where they wanted you to rug or carpet a minimum of like 80% of the floor, at your own cost. Hidden costs like that are worth paying attention to.

It's also worth finding out what your state laws and things are about tenants' rights and landlord's obligations. Find out what you're entitled to, what they're supposed to do or fix for you, and the types of time frames things like repairs are supposed to be made in. My boyfriend mentioned that certain laws regarding having functional heating/electric etc. were very strict in his home state, and you can make a lot of trouble really quickly for an uncooperative landlord.

My biggest issue with my current place is not having the ability to change the heat settings.

It's an old house, divided into 2 living spaces, and the upstairs tenants control the heat. They're supposed to keep it at 68F in the winter (and admittedly I don't mind it a touch warmer in the frigid NY winters), but they'd routinely keep it at something that felt like 85+F, and never turned it down at night.

This was a huge problem when I found out that most radiators had knobs that didn't function properly. I couldn't turn the heat off at all in the master bedroom, and only turn down one of the radiators a little bit in the living room. Thankfully my landlady sent out plumbers/heating guys to fix that, but I had an awful time of it before then. Nothing gives me a headache faster than trying to sleep in a hot room.

Beyond that, my landlady is pretty awesome. She has a monthly pest control service that comes by, and lawn care who mow every other week, and do snow removal in the winter. If you end up in a place with a yard, it'd be worth finding out whether you need to do that maintenance yourself.

Oh, I'm right smack in the middle of a mold issue that I didn't overlook, but I overlooked other warning signs out of desperation (lease about to end, not sure where to live).

I knew about the smoke smell. I checked around and found out how to combat it, so I took the place anyway. Fine. The smoke smell only covered up the mold smell. I overlooked the fact that the landlord was a bit batty...and overlooked the tiny dead bugs (baby smoky brown cockroaches, it turns out). Turns out the landlord has dementia, the maintenance man is their registered sex offender son, he wants me to remove the mold myself, and the pest control plan isn't getting rid of these bugs. Reminder to self: NEVER make a decision out of desperation. I'd wanted a fenced yard for my dog, which I do have, but now I need to break my lease because of this mold (sent petri dish to lab this morning) and move again at great financial cost. I should have known that when the landlord said they didn't smell smoke or see bugs that I needed to RUN FAST away from this place. Sigh.

I'm a landlord. We fix anything that breaks in the 1892 brick house immediately--that's part of the reason it's still standing! And we keep out of our renters' personal business. All we ask is that our renters let us know if there's a problem so that we can fix it before it becomes damage. So many renters will ignore a teeny problem until it becomes a major inconvenience for them and a massive repair bill for the owner.

For example, a leaking hose spigot would have cost $100 to repair had we been told about it. Instead, if cost us $2,000 in foundation damage (on a home this old, the foundation is quarried sandstone, not cement).

We have also had renters lie about the number of adults in the home. I've learned that liars tend to be the most abusive renters. We've discovered all kinds of damage from split window frames caused by massive nails that were used to hang blankets over the windows, to broken deck railings, to burned a burned out motor on the evaporative cooler because the water wasn't turned on.

The point is: Maintenance goes two-ways. Rent from someone who cares for the home, and be a responsible renter so that the place stays in good shape.

I'm terrible at judging apartments, I see the potential in everything. A few things I've learned. Turn on the shower and check the water pressure and that it can get to a decent temperature (my current shower has only two temps: scalding hot and freezing cold). Generally if a landlord says something "just broke" they are full of it. When they show the apartment are they respectful of the current tenants or do they drop by without notice? Get everything in writing, if they promise to paint or fix something before you move in, get it in writing. If possible ask for references. Ask if smoking is allowed in the building.

1st apt - thought it would be so convenient living right next door to the laundry room! while it was convenient, laundry-wise, it also made our entire shared wall shake everytime anyone did their laundry! we were constantly picking up items that fell off our dining room shelves.

most recently - thought we scored big-time to find a house with the washer/dryer on the main floor (rather than the basement). only problem was, the landlord didn't vent the dryer to the outside, so whenever we ran a load of laundry our entire house steamed up (really awful during the recent heatwave!).

It was inevitable that an apartment in my rent range as a poor student decades ago would have poor insulation, noisy, inconsiderate, fighting neighbors, initial gross dirtiness, and similar problems. My shopping around and searching out each prospective apartment's shortcomings was to pick the least bad option rather than to find one without them. I was reluctant to rent an apartment with no apparent problems because I preferred not to be surprised later!

ohhhhhhhhh, I am a victim. Twelve years later, still there, the place is cuter than ever. New building owners who are such a pain in the neck, won't fix anything. Finally had to call the building inspector to fix the MOLD in the bathroom. The new owner said to me, "why don't you just move". REALLY, awesome neighborhood, adorable bungalow, and you seem to have no problem cashing my rent check. Why don't you just fix the problem. So many little things happen in a 1928 bungalow, but you couldn't blast me out of there! Keep in mind, the city inspectors will look at things that are a health hazard, which in my case it was. The other things I try to fix myself. Home is Home, whether you are on the title or you sign the rent check each month.

Treat a rental agreement just as you would for a car rental where they go over the car and mark off current damage. I use a checklist so I don't forget to look at the important things instead of getting sucked into a "cute" place and glazing over. I also take photos of every room, including all damage and these are printed out and dated. Some landlords will go over the condition of a place with you but if they do not, provide them with this information and ask them to sign off on it. If they are unwilling, walk away.

After having rented in Boston and NY for years--my one piece of advice is--if you are on the hook for any utilities--call them before you sign anything! The utility companies will cheerfully give you prior monthly billing amts right over the phone (you have to supply the address and unit #). I have done this while the anxious realtor/landloard hovered over me with their hand out for a deposit...swearing that 'the electric bill never goes over $30 a month!' ...only to find that the prior winter it was routinely $250. Cute isn't worth that kind of dough!

Yep, we're living it now :) We are in a pseudo-Arts and Crafts style house built in 1908. It's so lovely... $1850 for 3 bed, 3 bath+extra small bedroom, plus french doors of dining room lead to large deck and another set of living room lead to mud room/entry way... not bad for close to U district of Seattle...

I had to take a leap of faith when I signed the contract because I had only seen 7 photos on Craig's list and it was an expedited move across the country (5 weeks). Even if we had seen it before, I think we would make the same choice, because of price and proximity to everything. BUT...1 bathroom has a claw-foot tub that is extremely old with profuse peeling (just doesn't seem healthy for my kids and their developing brains)... the second, pristine bathroom is downstairs in the otherwise moldy basement (we were instructed to NOT spend much time down there, HA!)...So really, we have 1.5 bathrooms, not 3.

The french doors are great... for now... but you can see rays of sunlight seeping in between the doors, which means I'm going to have a cold house come October! (which I'll remedy with plastic and drapes).

All the appliances were from 1980's or earlier (but my landlady was a real sport and replaced the stove last month after 2 burners went out.).

And get this... there are only 3 vent ducts from the furnace to the entire house...seriously! No vents in the kitchen, bathrooms or upstairs, just one per bedroom and one in the living room. Earlier this spring when we moved here we had to use the heat for a few mornings and heat would BLAST into the bedroom (the room is right above the furnace). It's pretty funny.

But to me the best part is how much the house sinks. Most rooms of the house have a slant in one direction or another. The kitchen is so bad that when my sons play with marbles, they keep rolling and when a liquid falls, it runs. Most days I contemplate earthquakes because I'm confident that if the "big one" hits, this whole house will collapse upon us. But no doubt it is super cute!

Our biggest red flag was a really weird landlord -- we'd been working with an agent right up to the last-minute, and the owner's final requests led us to back out just hours before meeting to sign the lease. Good thing, too; once we finally had the owner's name and did some investigation we found she was known as one of the city's problem landlords. Having a good landlord makes all the difference between a good and a bad rental experience. Another time the agent warned us that the downstairs neighbors had a pattern of domestic abuse issues; we skipped that place, too. Utilities bills are the other big one for us. We've been hit with huge heating bills in two places.

Another warning sign: the rent is much lower than a comparable unit in the same neighbourhood.

I'm managing some apartment buildings right now and that's the one red flag that potential tenants notice, the rent is much lower than anything around us. I explain that this is because of the reputation of the buildings, from which we are getting rid of the problem tenants and moving in 'quality' tenants. Some still run away, others are happy to move into an upgraded and clean space at a bargain price.

Just a comment about windows... my last place, a large Colonial with lovely wood floors and (non functioning) fireplaces in every room had replacement vinyl windows. Sounds good, right? Well, these were 25 year old replacement windows that were crammed into the out-of-square old window frames and therefore did not close fully, and had no storm windows. Major heat leaks, very frustrating.

I then moved into a "newer" (post WW1) apartment that has origional windows. They are wood but fit well, and the landlord replaced all the cracked glass before I moved in. The ropes and weights were removed at some point so they have to be held up with sticks but 90% of them actually close tight and lock. There are old steel storm windows that work quite well.

So just cuz its old doesn't mean its bad!

Just thought of something else: my brother and his wife live in a great apartment in Davis Square Somerville MA. Awesome location. Great eco-concious landlords live upstairs. Brand new renovation, new appliances, W&D, solar panels on the roof = free electricity, the works! BUT they ran into a surprise snag- the fairly wide bedroom closet is not deep enough for regular clothes hangers. Luckily my sister in law is quite tiny and was able to put most of her clothes on kids hangers in there. Her suits had to go in the hall closet with my brother's clothes. So it might not hurt to measure the closets when you look at a place!

It really does go both ways. There are a lot of tenants who, as urbancricket mentioned, are pretty irresponsible, actually causing the problems that many people are complaining about. I see it all the time in my condo building in which many units are rented out to tenants who just don't care about the building in the same way as owners. On the other hand, I do blame landlords for not doing due diligence on tenants and not always maintaining their units in impeccable condition. The better the condition of the apartment, the better the tenant, in my opinion.

These are even more important if you're thinking of buying and not just renting.

I would add on to what one commenter said about checking out the other tenants/owners. If it's possible, visit the apartment building a few times, and ask people coming in/going out if they like living there. People tend to be honest about that stuff. When I was looking to buy a co-op last year, I found one really cute apartment. Unfortunately the people living there did not like it much. "Worst management company ever!" Glad I asked.

Urbancricket is right - I suspect much of the damage in my house had to do with the previous tenant not reporting things. She lived there four years and didn't report that the kitchen sink clogged. How she dealt with it I have no idea. I reported it, and it turned out there was now a major clog in the pipes under the house, along with several leaks. This I'm sure has partially led to the mold that is in my AC ducts, which also run under the house. I feel bad reporting things but it's got to be done. Minor things I can take care of myself.

A landlord friend of mine specifies no smoking, "inside or out." This is crucial because if they do all their smoking outdoors, there's an even greater chance it'll affect the neighbors!

Also: if I understand contract law, there's always a 2 or 3 day period after signing when either party can break the contract without losing anything. So if you move in after signing a lease and suddenly find something that will make the place unlivable (domestic-abuse neighbors, cockroaches that were in hiding during the day, whatever), at least check into the law and possibly you'll be able to get out of the contract. Chances are you'll have an obstinate landlord but at least you can sue them for a refund and, while you're at it, ways they're neglecting landlord obligations.

This is a weird one...but I lived in a really cheerp place once with some electrical wiring on the outside of my unit. Two months after living there, my electricity went from $15/month to $250 a month. Electrical company would do nothing. The month after my next door neighbors moved out, it went back to $15! I am sure they were somehow tapping into my wiring and I was paying for their electricity, too. This is the same place that, the day I moved in and went to order a pizza for my friends for helping me move, I found out that the pizza places wouldn't deliver to my neighborhood because it was to dicey :/ I moved out the day my lease was up!

definitely become familiar with your state or province's landlord-tenant law. i've saved myself a lot of resources (including grief) by expecting the minimum to be done. and as mentioned above, document everything.

I second the suggestion of phoning the utility companies for accurate monthly bills. I was told utilities in my apartment would average around $75 per month, but I'm paying an average of $150.

I'd also consider what is above, below, or next to the unit. We have an open garage and storage units below my apartment, but that means the floors are always freezing cold. I'm sure the unit above me does not have this problem.

As someone who is currently living in one of those fell in love with it turn-of-the last century rowhouses, I will now and forever pay attention to the number, type and location of electrical outlets. Charming, older homes didn't need that many outlets and I had to make a very quick run to Home Depot after we moved in to get power cords, two to three prong converters and extension cords so that the cable people would be able to get us hooked up for cable and internet and we're still trying to make do with one outlet per room.

I looked for 4 months, every day, and had to pay more than I should have to find my current house. I lived in my last rented loft for 36 years, and it was the first place I moved to out of college, so I didn't have much experience. The landlords were a darling Korean couple in their late 70s who spoke somewhat broken English, but they had their daughter with them....an artist who teaches at a local university....who said she would also be available if there were any problems and offered to introduce me to other artists in the neighborhood. The house was freshly painted in lovely colors (No navajo white !) she had chosen, and they even went with my furniture ! The hardwood floors looked recently refinished and there were numerous windows with beautiful light throughout. There were 2 holes in the kitchen ceiling with mylar ducts protruding, and an ugly raw wood plank nailed in place at the top of one wall....they said they had removed a dropped ceiling and weren't done yet, but all would be fixed before I moved in three weeks hence. They agreed to remove the grody old fridge, as I had my own, and repair the broiler on the old gas stove, which seemed to be missing a part. There was a new dishwasher, so I assumed the stove was ok and actually like the older models for cooking, and there was a new hood. They agreed to replace the shed in the back yard that contained the washer-dryer, as the door was buckled and coming apart....and to remove the very old and dirty equipment there, as again, i had my own. The water pressure was good, but I couldn't check the stove, as the gas seemed to be off. I met the female neighbors in the two other houses on the large lot and they seemed very nice...a little compound of women. A large concrete pad out back for my instant garden...2 cube vans full of plants to be moved in, as I design gardens. Excellent ! That was hard to find, even though I should have paid more attention that the actual grounds were in shabby disrepair. I was told I could do "whatever I wanted" with the almost vacant side yards, so I figured we would work together and I would have a project for my portfolio. 2 parks within blocks, one with a farmer's market! A library 2 blocks away ! A college with a pool with an inexpensive resident's program ! A great neighborhood market with a butcher shop and a good yoga studio within walking distance ! SOLD !

My first clue that things were amiss was when I came over a week later and found the old man hammering away at the door of the shed trying to straighten the metal door. I said that he had promised to replace the shed and he said " No no no no, we cannot find. I will fix." The sheds were available through Home Depot. Little did I know that this would be his theme song. He also suggested that I should store the myriad cans of paint, obviously left over from the new paint job, that were also inside the shed. I said that I couldn't do that but that since the house had 8 different colors inside, he should probably store them somewhere himself, or at least keep a list of the colors. His response? "No no no no. I cannot store." LESSON #1: If the landlord starts weaseling right away, that's the way he's going to be. I should have listened to my gut and asked for my deposit back right then, but I was desperate to move. As it is, the shed roof leaked in the first rains and my washer and dryer are now rusted. And every time he needs to repaint, I have to try to match the colors from paint chips.

I love this place but the landlord is a nightmare. When I arrived with the moving van, there were still holes in the kitchen ceiling. " No no no, those look industrial, other tenant want to rent she say she like." said the landlord. I pointed out that the holes led directly to the attic with vents at both ends and in the winter, wind would blow straight into the house. It took 4 months before they were (badly) repaired. The floors were filthy...I guess the windows had been left open and workmen had been walking through, in any case they hadn't been washed or swept so my movers set my stuff down on other people's filth. There were kitty footprints in the bathtub and all over the bathroom floor. The windows hadn't been washed, were dirty, and it turned out the screens were screwed into the old aluminum sliders. ("These windows old, we cannot find how to put screens. This ok." Well no, not if you need to get out if there's a fire. And not if you want to wash your windows. And not according to Building and Safety.) The kitchen sink was filthy and had obviously had paintbrushes cleaned in it.(" We clean before you move in. Now we use. Will be ok later.") It took my girlfriend an hour of hard elbow grease to get it clean enough to use, and turns out the finish is mostly gone. The fridge and the old washer-dryer ?? Still there. Where was I supposed to put mine, which were in the moving van ? I had the movers put the old ones in the yard, where they sat for months. The stove ? Not fixed. The garbage disposal ? Clogs, because the pipes are too old. I am told not to use it too much. The dishwasher ? No workie...turned out they hadn't plugged it in under the sink, but it took weeks for him to figure that out. The new GFI outlet near the sink ? No workie, put in backwards and not wired right. Stove ? Not fixed, not cleaned, didn't work and parts no longer available. After a month, he finally bought a new one, which was installed un leveled. Interiors of cabinets? Not washed, and in some cases painted over things like jelly. And the beautiful new paint ? Too bad the painters didn't think to prime the woodwork before they painted latex over enamel...the paint peels right off every time I touch it and all my stuff sticks to it on the shelving. LESSON #2: Be sure to do a final inspection of the place right before your actual move-in date. And get those promises in writing.

It has taken 2 years of this old man coming over to my house, sometimes unannounced, to try repair my leaking roof, the peeling paint, the leaking water heater (YES, take a look at it before you sign the lease, as others have suggested, and the moisture caused a silverfish invasion) the defunct and noisy A/C unit (apparently installed without a permit) and to replace the duct work, full of holes, that left me with hideously high gas bills and freezing for 2 winters, mostly by himself. (" No no no, this old building. Nothing to do. You better move to new condominium. Ok ok ok, I try to fix." Never mind how much my moving expenses had been.) After weeks of fiddling and no success, he brings other Korean men over here to try...and these guys are obviously NOT professionals. I cannot communicate with them and have no idea what they are saying amongst themselves as they try to jerry rig things, often asking to borrow my tools and standing on my patio furniture because they haven't thought to bring a ladder. (Get DOWN from there !) Oh, and did I mention that after I had the utilities changed into my name, I discovered that the back house was actually a garage and they were sharing my utilities ? The landlord suggested we just split them ! NOT. LESSON #3 Ask to see the licenses of contractors for anything, like roofing, that requires a permit.

Long story short, because he kept fiddling, rent control could do nothing to give me a rent rebate ("We have to assume he's trying.") and advised me that when everything was finally fixed, to take him to small claims court, which I must now do. And the advice to ask your potential neighbors DIRECTLY about your new landlord is a good one. they were delighted to have me move in as the former tenants were a nightmare, so my new neighbors didn't tell me until after I moved in that he was the WORST, cheapest landlord ever.....they said they hoped I would have better luck with him than they had. Right.

I did do SOME things right....like driving to potential rentals at various times of the day and night and spending time reading in my car to get a feel for what the neighborhood was like and how noisy it was and what the traffic flow (in Los Angeles) was like. Checking the walk-ability of the neighborhood and the ease of getting to my usual places by car. Documenting the state of the unit as soon as I moved in and providing a copy to the rent control board. Keeping all copies of notices to repair and every letter I sent the landlord, as well as documenting his visits in my desk calendar. it's good to hope for the best but prepare for the worst and keep good records. Renting is just a crap shoot, no matter what, and unfortunately in the current economy, more of us will be renters for the rest of our lives. Good luck.

I found a beautiful 1,100 sf, 2-bedroom apartment in an Edwardian building with a balcony overlooking downtown Denver (the building was rumored to have been a haunt for Jack Kerouac during his On The Road days too, which I saw as a bonus). I was going to have the place to myself and I thought the $900 a month was a steal. After I moved in, I began to notice the presence of quite a lot of fire trucks passing outside my building - my apartment was on the second floor so the trucks were RIGHT outside my windows. I came to realize that there was a fire station two blocks north of the building and the trucks used my street to get to Colfax (a large East-West thoroughfare) on their way to fires or cats stuck in trees. I was serenaded between half a dozen and a dozen times a day by the screaming sirens, and after a year of having to put people on hold while on the phone or pause the tv and wait for them to pass, I'd had enough.
My advice is similar to other posts - don't get so caught up in the beauty or coolness or beatnik provenance of a potential new home that you forget to investigate your surroundings. $900 would have bought a lot of earplugs.

I found a beautiful 1,100 sf, 2-bedroom apartment in an Edwardian building with a balcony overlooking downtown Denver (the building was rumored to have been a haunt for Jack Kerouac during his On The Road days too, which I saw as a bonus). I was going to have the place to myself and I thought the $900 a month was a steal. After I moved in, I began to notice the presence of quite a lot of fire trucks passing outside my building - my apartment was on the second floor so the trucks were RIGHT outside my windows. I came to realize that there was a fire station two blocks north of the building and the trucks used my street to get to Colfax (a large East-West thoroughfare) on their way to fires or cats stuck in trees. I was serenaded between half a dozen and a dozen times a day by the screaming sirens, and after a year of having to put people on hold while on the phone or pause the tv and wait for them to pass, I'd had enough.
My advice is similar to other posts - don't get so caught up in the beauty or coolness or beatnik provenance of a potential new home that you forget to investigate your surroundings. $900 would have bought a lot of earplugs.

I found a beautiful 1,100 sf, 2-bedroom apartment in an Edwardian building with a balcony overlooking downtown Denver (the building was rumored to have been a haunt for Jack Kerouac during his On The Road days too, which I saw as a bonus). I was going to have the place to myself and I thought the $900 a month was a steal. After I moved in, I began to notice the presence of quite a lot of fire trucks passing outside my building - my apartment was on the second floor so the trucks were RIGHT outside my windows. I came to realize that there was a fire station two blocks north of the building and the trucks used my street to get to Colfax (a large East-West thoroughfare) on their way to fires or cats stuck in trees. I was serenaded between half a dozen and a dozen times a day by the screaming sirens, and after a year of having to put people on hold while on the phone or pause the tv and wait for them to pass, I'd had enough.
My advice is similar to other posts - don't get so caught up in the beauty or coolness or beatnik provenance of a potential new home that you forget to investigate your surroundings. $900 would have bought a lot of earplugs.

My first experience with renting was a fairly good one in some sense. I was able to meet the tenants before they moved to a house they were buying. I got to tour the place and ask them questions about how the Landlord was and how bad the utilities were.

I signed the papers. I go to the apartment on the day that I was supposed to move in to find that the previous tenants' stuff was still there! I called the Landlord directly cause I didn't know what to do and he was a nice Southern Gentleman and he was shocked. I also called the Realtor involved who also advised me to talk to the Landlord.

So I get prorated a few days...so I was pushed back about two weeks thanks to the idiots. I go back to check the place and apparently they decided to smoke while in the apartment those last few days. It reeked! It didn't even have a smoker smell when I visited prior to that moment. They still left some stuff there *sigh* so I took pictures of everything. Broken laundry door lock, it was outside in the carport, the messed up sink with a clog, the cigarette burns all over the carpet and the general nastiness of the place.

The Landlord once again apologized and couldn't believe that this happened. He had the previous tenants pay for the carpet cleaning, the plumber showed up and found out what the source of the clog was. It was straws....a bunch of straws...our hypothesis was they dumped their drinks and neglected to check the straws.

Despite all of this, he was a great LandLord. He actually sounded upset that I was leaving but I was moving in with a boyfriend and his dog and dogs weren't allowed at the duplex I was staying at for the moment. But my roommate stayed so that worked out well. I got my half of the deposit and it was awesome.

Boyfriend managed to sign a lease where his Landlord (now mine) could kick us out at any moment. The house has no central heating or air and is in a decent neighborhood but we stick out like sore thumbs. There's a mold problem, the kitchen is sinking for some reason, but we won't get kicked out since we are one of the few tenants who actually pay consistently and on time. Sadly, boyfriend wants to continue to rent from the guy. The landlord is nice enough but none of his properties (we've checked out a few) are well kept. So far, other than the tree he removed from our backyard a few months from one of his heart attacks, we've performed all our own repairs and just give him the receipt and he cuts our rent down a bit.

I would also add to be wary of month-to-month leases, extraordinarily small deposits, or landlords that are just too relaxed during the leasing process. (Relaxed can mean - "I will fix it when I get to it.")

I am currently running into a landlord-tenant issue right now. I moved into a 2-bedroom that my bf already lived in for a year. The issue we are having he actually has had since move in day, but was too nervous to say anything- I am NOT nervous ;-)

The issue? All I want to do is watch tv while toasting an english muffin clear across the apartment. IS that too much to want?

And I would add that you should check the water pressure of the shower- not just peak in the bathroom, but walk in- turn on the water as if you are getting ready for a shower and observe the pressure and how long it takes to
heat up.

I also suggest that you ask if you can go into the apartment at different hours of the day- to check out the building once all the other people are home- makes a big difference the sounds @ 10am or 3pm vs 6pm or 8pm.

And if you have a breaker box with 6 switches and a combined 7/8th one that says "AC" that they actually work. Turns out we have a 2-bedroom apartment with no AC and 3 working breakers. jeez

Oh and one more- see if you can maniuplate the landlord away from the rental while you are doing a second walk-through. Sometimes, especially for new renters, the property managers can make it feel like you are not supposed to check the windows and water, as if you are just suppose to peak inside and say Yea or Nea.

Oh and for college-area rentals do not take pictures- take VIDEOS with the smart phones- you get the whole 3d effect. Shoot the inside of the oven and the back of the fridge. Shoot the video as if you are a rat with a camera on your head- get into every nook! very few landlords in college areas are ideal- most are nuts or rude or schetchy.

Always check every single faucet, light switch, and window. Look in the oven and lift the top of the range to look underneath the burners. I onces encountered so many rodent droppings in an oven that it looked like someone spilled a box of black Rice Krispies.

I have only ever lived (by myself) in two apartments.

I lived in the first one for about 2.5 years. $610 rent+utilities included. A STEAL. The actual apartment though... there was nothing interesting to look at. It was dull. Then came the bugs in the kitchen (ick!) and neighbors who "serenaded" me every night. Maintenance never came back to finish repairs; they left the jobs half done. I moved out only 2.5 months ago after there were gunshots outside of my bedroom. I found an apartment the next day and moved a month later. Sayanora, crappy apartment!

The apartment I have now is a one bedroom townhome. Friendly neighbors. Good rent price. Good location. Great rental office people. The apartment is a lot more updated and just nicer to be in.

When apartment hunting, bring along a friend/parent/someone with you who will point out the good and bad things that you may overlook. Drive past it at night -- are there lights? Strange people lurking about? Noise? Parties? Check for bugs in the kitchen cabinets.

If I were to move again

Can I just add to 2) SMELL!!!!

One other tip when moving into a new apartment is to never move in before the apartment is finished. Mine was being renovated when I saw it, was supposed to be finished a week before I moved in, and unsurprisingly (in retrospect) was "finished" the day I moved in. Where "finished" meant that the malt liquor drinking stoners who rehabbed the apartment left many things undone.

I also should have taken a closer look at the filthy, stained, smelly carpet in the building's stairwell, which has only gotten more disgusting, to the point where I can smell it in my own apartment. And I shouldn't have assumed that the myriad construction junk in the garage would ever be disposed of. It's been a year and a half since they finished renovating the building, and still the junk remains.

At this point, I've given up on finding a landlord who will take care of a property half as well as I would were I an owner.

My husband owned an old two flat and lived downstairs. His upstairs tenant never complained about anything. Apparently, her toilet had been leaking for several weeks or months, but she never said anything. She kept the water shut off until it was time to flush. Two days before he was supposed to close on the sale, his kitchen ceiling fell in from all the water that had saturated the plaster. I wish she would have said something because we would have fixed it right away. It turned into an expensive, inconvenient mess.

Watch out for apartments that are close to nightclubs, bars, and restaurants that keep late hours. They're great if you go out a lot, and terrible if you have to get up for work in the morning. Two friends of mine learned this the hard way in two different cities.

Be careful when renting near schools and universities. Living near an elementary school was never a problem. However, a LOT of middle school and high school kids like to spit, litter, or worse (the respectable-looking housing tract across the street from my middle school was a frequent target of gang taggers). And do NOT rent near a college with a party-school reputation - unless you really like noise, vomit, beer bottles, and cigarette butts.

If possible, make sure there's more than one way out of the garage or parking lot (obviously, this isn't applicable if you park on the street). My parking space was blocked by fire trucks at least once a month because an elderly neighbor required emergency medical attention on a regular basis. This made me late for work more than once, and it's a miracle I didn't get in trouble because of it.

This reminds me so much of one of my college apartments. The unit the leasing company showed me was fabulous- great location, beautiful view. However (when I got there) the put me in a totally different apartment with a view of the maintenance garage where creepy characters were hanging around (even when it was not business hours).

The way this apartment was situated and facing, you could always catch a lovely whiff of the water treatment plant nearby. When mmy friend came to visit, she immediately asked about the sewer smell you could smell from the balcony and breezeway.

However, I'd just driven accross state with all my stuff in a UHaul sitting in the parking lot and school was starting in a couple of days.

Now that I know my rights, I would not have stood for it. "Renter's Rights" should be required reading for anyone thinking about signing a lease.

I learned the hard way to be wary of smells. It was a month or so before I started grad school and I didn't have a car, so I had to find something close to campus. That neighborhood was notorious for high rent and terrible maintenance in historic homes that were clearly fire hazards, so when I found a studio in a newer converted hotel for a decent price, I went for it.

First, the place was disgusting. The landlord was a local guy who owned that condo and maybe 2 others, and had rented that one to his son. His son painted half a wall a splotchy blood red, nicked and scratched the walls, and, AFAIK, never cleaned. The stove was covered in sticky crumbs, the bathroom was nasty, and there was a terrible musty smell. Well, after scrubbing and scrubbing and scrubbing that musty smell never went away. It just kept getting worse and started making me sick. I finally called in a mold inspector and discovered that the underside of my entire bathroom cabinet was covered in mold--as in, I literally could not see a centimeter of actual cabinet underneath it. There was also mold in the dry wall throughout the kitchen from where a previous roof leak had been improperly fixed. In a space that was 350sq ft, this was a huge deal.

I called the landlord and sent him a written complaint along with the report and photos of mold in the apartment and his was response was, "I don't trust these guys. They're clearly just out for money." Well, considering their service was free and they didn't do repairs AND they provided photographic evidence of mold, I can't say I agreed with that statement. Finally I convinced him to come down and atleast look at the place. His only repair was to pour some bleach on the mold in the bathroom--didn't bother putting in an exhaust vent, which was clearly how the problem started. Nor did he even bother to look at the kitchen, stating he didn't think it needed any repairs. The mold quickly returned.

I finally said enough was enough and asked to break my lease, citing health issues caused by mold. I got a letter from a lawyer specializing in rental law and a statement from my doctor and sent them along with the request. He let me out of the lease--though not without cursing me, acting unprofessional, and saying he had done everything he could to help me and the only reason I was leaving was because I was ungrateful.

I found a one bedroom in a neighborhood nearby for cheaper than that rental within a week. 400 more sq ft, hardwood floors, great pet policy, and not a single maintenance issue. I loved that place.

Sunlight -- visit the place in the morning and in the late afternoon. Our apt is alright but can be depressing with the minimal sunlight in the winter.

Cell reception -- I get no cell reception in the apt! well....barely

Who pays for installing locks, a/c, curtains etc...list everything out and just ask. There are a lot of hidden expenses.

Internet service provider! Ask what is available, Time Warner had a monopoly in my last building and we had to suffer much higher fees because of that.

I've found that when it comes to cheap rent, the tenants tend not to take care of the property very well. Apartments just seem to be one of those things you're better off paying more for.

I recommend driving through the complex, if there are several buildings. The first place I lived, the buildings right near the rental office were in good shape (hallways, doors, landscaping) but not so much for buildings farther away.

I also take a look at the cars parked. It's a generalization, but if they are decent cars that appear to be taken care of, it seems to be true that the tenants also take care of their apartments.

I've also inquired what type of people live in the apartments: young, older, students, families, etc. Again, you're making a generalization, but with students/families there tends to be more visitors and noise. My current complex has mostly older residents, and they're pretty respectful.

Our city's newspaper publishes a crime report each week with a map. I imagine other larger cities do the same, so I'd check that out for info like burglaries.

I agree with the landlord issue, my boyfriend and I came across many agents and landlords, one stood out the most as he asked every single questions... and I mean every things, how old are you? do you have children?, are you married?, What are your jobs?, How long have you been together?

I understand that if you are a landlord and have a nice place you would screen your tenants, but some questions were just too personal to ask.... no matter how nice the place was we would never take it.

Great advice, and I agree with the person who mentioned cell reception. We lived in an apartment for a year that didn't get cell reception due to a taller building right next to ours blocking it.

I'm super lucky on this one! My first apartment was a brand new building. Nine months later, I moved into a bigger unit in the same building.

Then, I moved into a house that had been owner-lived in (the housing market crash meant he couldn't sell it). New appliances, newly finished basement...
BUT my luck isn't always going to be this good! So, I'm glad to know what to look for.

flying saucer,

Really envy you your house. If the house has cripple walls and is bolted to the foundation, it is probably reasonably okay in an earthquake. A lot safer than many.

I don't understand why people complain about window air conditioning units? I have always had central air or no air at all so I am ignorant about this issue.

Good post. I just moved into a new apartment today. The prior tenants were, by all accounts, pigs. Plus, they spilled ink and bleach (or tried cleaning with bleach) all over the wall to wall carpet in one bathroom. The super told me he knew all about it when I told him that I thought it should be marked, but now I'm going to go take photos before furniture gets moved into place, just in case when I leave it's a new super who doesn't believe me saying "it wasn't me!" I'll send them to the rental management company and the super, just so we're all on the same page...Other than that, it's a great building in a great neighborhood, so...fingers crossed.

I'm both a long term landlord, and once again after 15 years a renter again myself. Here's my list of things to look out for:
1. Loosey Goosey leases. If it's just a standard couple of page template from legal.com or something there's an awful lot of things left off there that clearly outline existing conditions of the space and what the landlords and tenants responsibilities are. I have an actual checklist both parties sign (yes, checked out by my lawyer) during a walk through inspection that notes existing conditions room by room and outside. This protects the tenants and it protects me. Honestly, I'm surprised most landlords don't do this.

2. Beware if a landlord does not provide you with a copy of the federally mandated lead disclosure pamphlet and give you the waiver to sign (if the space was built before 1970) stating the landlord and tenant have no knowledge of existing lead paint hazards in the place and that the tenant understand the risks of living in older buildings. This is federal law. If they don't provide this, What other laws are they skirting?

3. Carpeted bathrooms and kitchens - seriously in my college town (that had really lax property upkeep and laws), landlords would cover over holes, mold and other severe damage with carpet. It could be deadly: some students actually fell through a floor and injured themselves because a landlord simply put some thin plywood and carpet over a rotting floor. tsk-tsk.

3. The toilets. Janky plumbing is the worst. Test 'er out if you can before signing a lease.

4. rotting porches and balconies: not only unsafe, can be deadly

5. slippery, not to code stairs and steps. See above.

6. Thin walls. I'm currently suffering bigtime because of a landlord that decided to divide a unit into two in an old house with a shared air vent and no insulation between walls. I'm just going to buck it up and get it soundproofed myself, but that's going to be about $500 out of pocket.

Now, as a landlord I will also weigh in. I can not tell you the number of times tenants will not let me know of problems such as a small pipe leak, or broken outlet, etc. These things are small, but if I don't know about them I can't fix them, and I can't always magically detect them by osmosis - so they lead, as others have pointed out, to making the problem worse and more expensive.

However, I do have to point out a lease holder is a lease holder, not the title owner. There's a huge difference in rights and in responsibilities. If I have a problem tenant I can always boot their asses out as per breaking terms in the lease or other legal rights (have only had to do this once). However, a tenant is pretty much stuck with that landlord unless they want to move out or sue them for negligence, etc. That's why it's important to pick a good landlord if you can.

Something we missed/forgot to ask about is water. The water here is so hard that the dishwasher doesn't work very well. The warning sign I missed: The heating elements at the bottom are crusted with hard water residue. The other issue is that the water tastes terrible. Worst cup of morning coffee EVER!! We're looking into easy-to-install/remove water filtration systems. Had I known, I'd have asked the landlord to provide one for us. As it is, we may ask if they'll reimburse us for installing one.

missing or not working smoke detectors?!
That's just plain illegal. Report them. And don't sign any agreement

I too was taken in by vintage charm. I looked in all the cabinets to check for bug details, it wasnt until we moved in and replaced the landlord's fridge with my own that I found a roach motel...and eventually they came out of hiding. Ortho home defense took care of that however the big picture window in our living room with views of the mountains unfortunately was a calling card for condensation during winter and now there is mold all over the wall under the window behind my couch. The rooms dont have enough outlets and our landlord has never gotten around to repairing our front door knob which falls off if you pull to hard on the knob. It was my first time moving out on my own and it had to be done in a hurry so my pickings were slim, I will not be making the same mistake twice when it comes to scrutinizing my next home.

These stories are great.

My last apartment was like this - it was reconfigured from the parlor and dining room of real honest-to-god mansion and had original hardwood floors, huge windows, period light fixtures, 12 foot ceilings, a fireplace... I fell for it instantly and didn't ever totally regret moving in but... It leaked heat like a sieve, only one window had a screen, no washer or dryer in the building, it took 15 minutes of letting the water run to get the water heater to squeeze any warm water out of the basement, and bats came down the chimney. The topper was when the heat was broken for a full week - in January. (The landlord, who was actually okay, got me a little electric heater immediately, but there was no way that thing could put a dent in the cold with 12 foot ceilings and no insulation.) I wore three sweaters and worked really long hours in my office that week.

My current place was built in the 1960s and has all the charm of a parking garage. The kitchen and bathroom fixtures are hideous, the porch has industrial gray plastic instead of railings, and the ceilings are barely 8 feet. But I have lived here for four years and have no regrets at all because it is run by the best management company I have ever worked with or heard of. Everything works, or is fixed within hours, the place is immaculately clean, and I get a check for the interest they've earned on my security deposit every 6 months. They get a thank you note with my rent check every month, and I put up with the ugly.

For my first post-grad school rental I wanted to live in a house, so I showed up at one that read well on paper. The first thing I saw, though, was the For Sale sign outside. The elderly owner was waiting on the steps and told me she was only renting month-to-month and I would have to tolerate people coming in any time the realtor wanted to show it. I didn't even go inside -- just got in my truck and left.

Part One...Where to begin? Should have realized when landlord wasn't at his store at the time of appointment to see apartment, that things would be super lax. An employee called landlord's wife who has business nearby and after much struggling with keys, she showed apartment. The "cute" was there in the 19th century home converted into two units-wood floors, two fireplaces, beadboard walls & ceiling in kitchen. However, was told the fireplaces couldn't be used. (No biggy). Asked about the water damage on kitchen ceiling which ran the whole length of where 1st floor kitchen ell juts out from main house. Was told a leak was "fixed." Asked about the extreme sloping of floors and was told, "That's part of the charm."

Desperate to get out of my current apt. which had a baby upstairs that cried for two years straight,(a crack baby, but that's another story), I swiftly decided to take the cute place.

The day after I moved in landlord pops by, which was a good thing because a pane of glass had just fallen out of a window I was washing. He did replace it that day, also said his son would paint kitchen ceiling (never happened) and that he would clean his wood and junk out of shed/garage (never happened).

That first week there was quite informative. Had to get the phone co. to come out there so I could actually figure out which jack actually worked. There were numerous out-dated ones that were never removed. Realized there were only one or two electrical outlets in each room. (Making popcorn on toilet tank is fun)! Have to hold outlet cover to wall to keep some outlets from coming out when unplugging.

Part Two...
Discovered doorbells to both apartments did not work, as well as outside lampost.

Once heating season began, I realized the bad fumes and blackish streaks along baseboards and corners of rooms were caused by an old, failing furnace supplying heat to the upstairs apartment.

Eventually, my hot water heater, which is in a pantry, started leaking and causing a faucet-like flow of water into the basement. I called the landlord and he said he would take a look at it THE NEXT DAY. (It was replaced).

One day I noticed a green thing coming up behind one of the baseboard heaters. It was A VINE growing into the house by a bay window.

Another time while pulling my bed away from the wall to change it, I noticed a half-inch slit of DAYLIGHT in the corner where the baseboards should meet.

Despite vinyl replacement windows,the wind blows through the place in the winter and up from the dirt cellar/crawlspace which I literally have to crawl through with a flashlight to check my oil tank's level.

When it rains, standing water accumulates on a concrete slab where an ancient, old furnace sits. I have mold growing on the back of dressers and inside kitchen drawers. My couch-the only piece of furniture I purchased new-smells like it's been stored in a basement.

Oh, and did I tell you about the time a bat came down from the attic into the 2nd floor apt? It disappeared into the bathroom, nowhere to be found. Turns out our large, winged rodent friend crawled down through a nasty, unfinished space under bathroom sink cabinet into kitchen closet in MY APARTMENT. That was the night upstairs tenant and I slept in our cars.

So now there's a loud drunk living upstairs. I've asked landlord to choose between the two of us. He refuses, says he'll talk to the guy.

Why would a person put up with such a situation? Because my rent hasn't been raised in the 11 years I've put up with this misery! I'm afraid if I make demands, my rent will go up.I'm a tenant-at-will, which eases the burden of having to find another apt. by a certain date. I earn considerably less money than when I moved in. Cannot finance a move, cannot afford typical, present rental rates.I am a HOSTAGE.

The first apartment was very new and the unit seemed to be in great shape. It did smell a little stale at the viewing, but I figured it just needed to be aired out a bit. The landlord had the windows and balcony door all wide open during the viewing. I signed the lease and when I moved in a couple weeks later, after the apartment had been all shuttered up for that length of time, the place now reeked of stale cigarette smoke. I tried leaving the windows open all the time but winter was coming and the smell wasn't going away on its own. It wasn't until I began searching the internet for a solution that I realized how invasive cigarette smoke is. I had scrub down all the walls with a solution of ammonia, dish liquid and hot water to get the smell out. After that it was fine, but I agree with the previous comments that SMELLS are not to be ignored.

I did a lot of research leading up to where I currently live (an apartment) best one for the price and space in town, trust me...I know just about everything in my area with the apartments, I've been to all of them more then once! Well, I came across this place. 775sqft for a 1br/1bth, carpets were a fluffy pure white (uh-oh!) yucky tiles in the kitchen and bathroom (will not stay clean), and those stupid tile kitchen counter tops. Other then te place being very outdated, it seemed like the best option. We've been living here for over 1 1/2 years and now the problems start to pile up. Water heater is broken (so no hot water for 4 days now), our A/C does not work (with that hot SoCal weather, awesome), the toilet over flows (finally got them to fix that), dishwasher sucks, the stove is ancient and stops working when the oven is on. The landlord is my neighbor fortunately, so the maintenance man comes when I need him, but he sucks so the problems never fix! One of my neighbors complains A LOT and got a new stove and dishwasher, guess I got to start nagging for him to fix it. But since I'm...just a tenant...and not best friends with everyone who works and lives there (suck ups who can't pay their bills, kiss everyone's butt at this complex), my landlord favorites people so I'm not so high up on the list.

I just want to pay my bills have have a place to live, so, I think it's time to consider moving since he's not willing to fix the place up a little bit.