I would never rent an apartment that...didn't have some sort of appealing view from at least one of the windows....

I absolutely have to have adequate natural light. I can deal with small kitchens, carpeted floors, tiny rooms, and zero storage space but if the place feels like a dungeon, no thank you! Natural light really does wonders for making a space feel and look good.

Decent water pressure! I forgot to check that before I signed a lease once and really regretted it.

...has no personality or charm. I can deal with no natural light (in fact, I have no natural light or view whatsoever), but there's gotta be something interesting going on somewhere in the architecture or details. Good closet space and counter space is also pretty much a must-have.

Lack of natural light would be a dealbreaker for me.

I would never rent an apartment that felt moist. I live in San Francisco and have seen a bunch of "in-law" apartments and rooms for rent that feel absolutely disgusting because of all the moisture in the air. The carpeted floors and lack of properly insulation did not help either. The place I live in now is not an in-law, but seems to have poor insulation and the high levels of moisture in the air causes food to grow mold super quick. Mold especially loves to grow in the bathroom as well even though we turn on the ventilation during and keep it on after each shower.

pest problem. i've gone to places where i see lines of ants going along the walls. total dealbreaker.

That wouldn't allow pets

There has to be a window in the bathroom & kitchen or it's a deal breaker for me.

1. wouldn't allow pets
2. didn't have a gas stove
3. didnt let me paint
4. didnt have a fan or a window in the bathroom

now these are 'optional', but i've grown so accustomed to them that i probably wouldn't go back, even if i had a house

5. didnt have radiator heat
6. didnt have recycling
7. didnt have some type of outdoor space (we don't have a deck, patio or balcony, but we do have a communal grill area)

I won't rent an appartment without : hardwood floors, a balcony, natural light, some charm, place enough to entertain. Pets must be allowed, it must be pest free, I must have the right to paint, and there are neighbourhoods I wouldn't live even for free... Besides that, I don't mind tiny bathrooms, lack of storage, a certain nevel of noise, bad heating or cooling.

I live near a college campus, so I can say without question that I woudn't rent in a building that allowed college students to rent. Also, with my allergies, I cannot live in a building that allows pets.

SMELLS.

Only once in your life will you move into an apartment and think, "It just needs to be aired out; then it won't smell like cats anymore." After that, you know better.

ha, in NYC, I wouldn't be able to find a BR with a toilet seat a comfortable distance from anything. They are generally 32 -40 sq feet, everywhere I 've looked, apart from the rare exception in a pre-war where the WC is separate from the toilet/bath.

I've learned to have low expectations, and am happy if there is no mold, and no leakage!

A building that won't allow cats, has speckled granite countertops, has too many units (I prefer duplex, triplex, fourplex living so I don't have to have an apartment number [is that crazy?]), won't let me paint or put holes in the walls. Everything else can be fixed and/or tolerated.

That didn't have a bathtub.

A dishwasher. I've been spoiled.

I also need 2 rooms with doors--my husband and I both work from home now, and he sometimes likes to swear loudly at his work. Since I talk to clients on a regular basis, this completely rules out one of those adorable two-person offices that some couples have.

I can't deal with a gross bathroom, dark spaces, odors, and out of the city center. I always ask about the what the tenants are like are too

Must have a top floor apartment! Can't stand hearing people walking around above me in the middle of the night.

1) must have bathtub
2) no disgusting carpet (clean carpet okay)
3) safe walking neighborhood

and someday... not right now, but someday...

4) must allow dogs

Gas stove, good water pressure, and NO ONE living above me. I can (and have) deal(t) with everything else.

Must have good natural light or I get depressed (my bird, too.).

And I will no longer live someplace with people above me. The nightmares I endured in two apartments nearly cost me my sanity. No exaggeration.

Natural light, not bottom floor, at LEAST 2 closets, hardwood or laminate floors, and a kitchen that's at least somewhat open to the living area.

Hubs and I are about to look for a new apartment and our "nevers" are...
1. No one living BELOW us. We can handle elephants dancing on the ceiling, but don't want to be the ones scared of bothering the people below.
2. A complex w/more than 25ish units. I'm hoping beyond hope for something w/less than 10 units, but will settle for less than 25.
3. We share a car so we must be w/in a couple of blocks of a bus line.
4. Some sort of laundry on site (of course in-unit hook-ups best of all.) I'm not schleping laundry to a laundromat!!

A window in the bathroom.

I can't stand wall to wall carpet in the kitchen or the bathroom. Seen it done a few times, always a bad idea.

Must allow dogs. I have no idea why landlords seem more inclined to rent to cat owners. When I move out, there's no way the next tenant will say "Smells like dogs in here".

After that, must have parking. I will not endure Canadian winters parking on the street.

I own my own house now, but if I'm ever back in the rental market, I would never again rent a basement apartment. I did once, thankfully only for a summer, and it was dingy and dark and infested with the giant "spider crickets" that I've since learned almost every house in the DC area gets in the basement.

Sorry I meant to say I would never rent an apartment that didn't have a window in the bathroom.

Now that we are renters again, I could not live with...
1. A place that didnt allow pets.
2. Somewhere with shared walls. I have two wild kids, it wouldnt be fair to a neighbor.
3. No laundry hook-ups
4. A garage/laundry room. The garage is the cat's "safe place" to hide from the kids.

I will NOT live in:
1.)An apartment complex (more that 4 units)
2.)A bad neighborhood(no matter if the rent is $5 a month)
3.)A place without natural lighting facing the sunrise.
4.)A place with a horrible paint job (like our current: crown molding painted beige/with white walls)
5.)A place without doors to separate the rooms.
6.)A place with an ugly kitchen.
7.)A place with original 1800's bathtub/sink... IMPOSSIBLE to clean.
8.)A place with college-age tenants.

I know, It sounds picky, but if you're going to make someplace a home, you shouldn't have to settle. For anything. Period.

Things that automatically take an apartment out of the running for me are an electric stove, low ceilings, lack of outdoor space, and dog unfriendly. In addition, it's got to have character - no crappy box-like spaces from the '60s, and a reasonable landlord.

Never again :

Carpeting ( I have bad allergies/asthma and am in the process of replacing carpets with floors, at mown expense, with landlord permission.)

High utilities for heating/cooling

On a busy street/ bad neighborhood, location is everything

Without outdoor space ( I have kids)

No laundry on site

I'm like Kitt'n, I'd never ever live in a bad neighborhood no matter how low the rent is. Natural light is a must! But, aside from neighborhood issue, I would not live more than 15-20miles away from work.

This makes me very grateful for my place.

Hardwood or other hard surface flooring- no carpet.
Natural light and windows I can keep open without a lots of noise outside and safe to do so at night.
W/D or a hook up
Tub
Descent kitchen and appliances- gas stove
Freestanding or no more than four units
Allows dogs
Nice neighborhood to walk in with trees and greenery
Some character
High cellings

I won't ever rent in an apartment complex that allows dogs ever again. As a (well behaved) dog lover but non-dog owner I've had my fill of barking, lunging, peeing, pooping animals. I first thought having dogs around was fun and often its a pleasant surprise to meet a friendly pooch in the hallway... after a year of it though (and a fair share of not-so-fun encounters) I'd had enough. Now I have a new rule: if they allow dogs I just move on.

Where the toilet is right next to the shower/tub. Also wood cabinets with a white laminate front. I know it's petty a cosmetic, but no.

We're now happy homeowners, but if we went back to renting it would have to have to be somewhere with an in-building, and preferably in-unit, washer/dryer setup -- I do NOT want to have to haul laundry around town ever again. It'd also need to allow cats and not have bugs or mold. Beyond that, we're fairly flexible.

When house shopping, though, we were fairly picky -- we were looking for a place to own, after all, and plan to stay here for quite some time and are responsible for the whole shebang. I guess I'm willing to compromise more on a relatively temporary place.

Where pets aren't allowed. Where you can't walk to anything. Everything else is negotiable, although apartments with those terrible early-eighties off-white melamine kitchen cabinets, aluminum-frame windows, vertical blinds and god-awful mushroom/taupe/pinkish colored carpet get shuffled to the bottom of the list.

I would never rent an apartment that didn't have:

1. Outdoor space
2. Natural light
3. Charm
4. Lots of cabinet space
5. Wasn't urban
6. Closet space

Oh yeah and didn't have a bathtub!!!

idk. this post strikes me as incredibly bourgeois. there are people that still shit/piss in holes in the ground. like really?!

After reading these comments, I realized I'm not as picky as I thought I was. It may be Honolulu but if I had waited until I found a place that had hardwood floors, a nice view and interesting architecture, I'd still be looking a year later or be paying rent I couldn't afford (& I have a pretty good occupation).

My no can dos were...
-unsafe neighborhood
-no guest or street parking (don't believe the rental ads, yeah there technically may be street parking but take a swing by after work hours to see how crowded it is, certain areas like Makiki are near impossible unless you're there a minute after the allowed parking times).
-no laundry room

Well I have everything I want in my place and for a good price for the city.

After evacuating for Katrina and becoming a renter for a while. I will never again live where the comings and goings aren't monitored in some form. (i.e. guard or scan system or password controlled).

Instant turnoffs:

1. Low ceilings. We've got five 92" tall bookcases and we walked away from an otherwise wonderful apartment (top floor, central heat & air, in-unit washer dryer, tons of character, sunny & huge deck, new kitchen, hardwood floors, fantastic location) because there was no wall space for book storage.

2. More than four blocks to groceries. We're carfree and grocery shop on foot. I'm also a lazy person who doesn't like to go outside for very long in the winter. That means we need a grocery store very nearby. I also like having a farmer's market within four blocks.

3. No cats allowed. I won't even look at an apartment that doesn't allow cats.

4. No outdoor space. We like to grill a lot. We even like to grill in the winter (and in Chicago, that's really saying something). So at a minimum, we need someplace to put our grill.

5. Cookie-cutter. Rental stock in Chicago is plentiful right now, so there's no need to settle for boring, cookie-cutter units.

6. More than four blocks to a train station. Again, we're carfree, so easy L access is essential.

I'm sure there's other turnoffs I'm forgetting right now, but these are what spring immediately to mind.

I would never rent an apartment with carpet. In any of the rooms. I had a landlord who put in cheap, new carpet (an awful peach color to boot) that would fuzz up and shed no matter how hard or how often it was vacuumed. My roommate developed a respiratory infection the whole time were were there. Total nightmare. Plus, I don't feel carpet is ever really clean, and when you have a dog that sheds like mine does, having carpet just doesn't make sense.

I will never again rent an old house with no insulation. Literally, the one I used to rent in college had brick and then drywall (the electrical wiring was outside the wall in casings).

amazing natural light in my current apartment (due to large windows and skylight in my kitchen/living area) is the only thing that kept us staying there, despite the repeated ceiling leakage issue (not at the skylight, but directly over our bed), mice, broken fridge and dishwasher and the neighbors that i swear blow the smoke of their joints under our apartment door...

NO-
bathtub in the kitchen
1/2 size fridge
color bathroom fixtures
window a/c-must have sleeve
kitchen in main room area

Yeah Marcella, that's why I said it might be Honolulu, some of the features that other commentors can't do without in other cities can be really tough to find, unless you're going high end.

a no smoking policy!

a stinky apartment is the worst... musty or smokey or cat uriney.. either way, that smell transfers to YOU and then you're the stinky one!

Having lived in several apartments in nyc, I've come up with a list that some realtors have found strange/difficult to work with. Thankfully.. I've found a gorgeous gut-reno'd Victorian building.

Must have:
1) Cross ventilation
2) 90-degree walls
3) Outlets
4) At least 2 closets
5) More than 2 cu. ft. of kitchen counter
(I once lived in a 6th floor walk up on the top floor, no ventilation, 1-2 outlets in each room, and a curved wall)

Thankfully I've made a significant upgrade. Chef's kitchen with gas range, Lieberr fridge, and dishwasher. I even have a washer/dryer!!

We just moved into an new apartment this week. I'd never rent a place that didn't have:

1. big kitchen/lots of countertops
2. washer/dryer

Be thankful you can make choices.

I would never rent an apartment in an unsafe neighborhood (I'm very little-white-girl-from-the-suburbs - basically everything makes me nervous) and I have to have a reasonable amount of kitchen counter space to hold my small appliances and frequently used tools - if I don't have open storage I'll just leave everything out and it'll be a terrible mess.

I feel like I have to weigh in in case anyone who is a first time renter is reading this. Renting can come with a ton of problems, this list comes from expirience.

1. I will not live anywhere where they have had vermin or bug problems. This is my number one.
2. You need to feel safe in your house, so choose a location wisely. You can be accosted right up to your front door.
3. Take a critical look at the condition of the house, odds are if the house is in bad condition (crooked floors, broken walls or doors, etc) then your landlord will not help you with complaints.
4. Old. Row. Houses. Old houses in general can be wonderful, but they need to be properly restored. Especially in the college town I live in landlords will not care about this and just do the miminal to make the place liveable. This makes for an awful place to live.
5. MOST IMPORTANT: a resonable, communicative landlord. I was also evicted and sued by my last landlord over a disagreement. It made the last few months of my lease a living hell. Do your research on an individual landlord or renting company.

The hobby I'm most passionate about is cooking. So I need a good kitchen, and an area for a dining table where I can feed my family and entertain friends. If I cannot have adequate room to cook, bake, and entertain people by feeding them, I am SO unhappy. I love our new apartment, because we have lots of room for me to cook and entertain! :)

I would never rent a place that didn't have good light - it's not just a matter of how big the windows are, it's the direction they face! I just moved out of an apt with huge north-facing windows that felt like a cave. This is in Seattle - it would be a different story if I lived in Arizona or something.

Other things I would rule out most/all apartments for lacking:

hardwood floors
at least some architectural detail
no-smoking policy
urban - can't be outside the city proper, sorry blegh
poor sound-proofing - either from ceiling/floor or walls

Another thing: I won't live on the first floor (see: urban) and I really love living on the TOP floor now. And we juts got a dog, so pet-friendly is a must in our apartment searches future.

As for places allowing painting and holes in the wall - just do it anyway!

What is a must for a deal, by priority order:

1) have a washer (dryer optional)
2) have a sunny window in every rooms (even the bathroom)
3) cats allowed
4)top floor only (after 3 appartement on the first floor, I can't stand it anymore + top floor have more light)
5) have a private outdoor area (balcony, backyard or terrasse)
6) can reach everything I need inside a 15 min walk or less
7) allowed to paint
8) fit in a realistic budget

After 5 moving in 7 years, I now can say that i'm lucky enough to have find an apartement how offer me all this and even more. Plan to stay there many years.

Those kind of perfects apartements usually come from a friend who is leaving after many years of renting and offer his lease.

I am lucky to

I live in a medium-sized city, so I can be pickier than others while staying in my price range.

- My current apartment is on a concrete ally. Never again. The dumpster-divers start early, sometimes at 4 am, are usually still drunk, and wake me up at least four days a week.

- After having lived with a washer and dryer in my apartment, I never want to share laundry with more than one other unit again, and coin-operated laundry is absolutely not happening.

- If the apartment has painted-over hardware or a million layers of thick paint, I take it as a sign that the landlord doesn't give a shit about his or her building, or about hiring quality repair and maintenance people. And I move on.

- Nothing bigger than a fourplex, and no downstairs apartments.

- No hipster or frat boy neighbors in their early 20s.

I once stayed with friends who didn't have enough room to turn and "clean up" on the toilet as it was so close to the wall on one side and shower on the other.

I'll never rent an apartment that:
- is in a building built with sticks above the ground level. What a noisy mess with neighbours stomping around all day and night.. they and their dog never sleep.
- is near a food establishment that caters to the drunk crowd
- has a parking lot next to it
- has a gravel parking lot next to it (a few floors above ground still massive dust issues)
- is handicapped accessible. 400 square feet sounded perfect until I got here and realized that the bathroom and kitchen with their massive walkways made to fit wheelchairs take up more than half of that. The main room is only 12ft x 16ft.
- lacks windows that open. I have a beautiful window that can't be opened, the only thing that opens is a large sliding door.
- without a balcony for me to put plants on
- somewhere that is noisy until after 3am, every day (no option to close the window as it's Seattle so there's no a/c)
- isn't within walking distance of absolutely everything I would ever want to do in the city. I had to qualify that because I love hiking and that's why I still have a car
- in-unit laundry

I'm not that picky though. I can deal with carpet (I'd prefer wood), can deal with bland modern buildings, etc.

I'd actually prefer a place with a tiny kitchen (half-size fridge, don't need a stove or oven, etc) so I could have a little extra square footage for living space.

Im onto my third rental apartment and this is what Ive learned:

> pick your room mates carefully, dont just jump on a place because your feeling stressed and a friend offered you a room

> 20 year old carpets are super unhealthy and even worse if they look exactly like the ones from your high school.

> patching mismatch paint will annoy the hell out of you

> check water pressure

> check that apartment is properly sealed. My current place lets in the cold and looses heat thanks to an unsealed door and diy job by the owners

> natural light is a must

> gas heating! you waste so much money on electricity bill heating your place without it.

> Make sure its in your budget!

> & be flexible & open minded, just because a place doesnt have a fancy new kitchen doesnt mean it wont serve you as a lovely home.

I would never rent an apartment that wasn't close to work. LA traffic is miserable and I'd rather walk than have to sit in traffic for hours.

I would never rent an apartment if it didn't have a washer and dryer or at least hookups. Also, I prefer something without carpet floors.

Aw, hiwelder and Kitt'n, we're not all bad, I promise! Some of us enjoy good design and quiet nights, too. (But if they're anything like some of my classmates... agreed.)

My requirements, in order of priority:

1) Safety and hygeine - no mould or pests, no strange smells (including cigarette smells) or stains, electricity that isn't going to short out and burn the place down, not somewhere where I'll be murdered if I step out the door at night... and quiet neighbours would be nice!
2) It has to be near public transport. This is non-negotiable - I don't drive!
3) It's got to have a decent shower.
4) I've got to be able to do laundry there.
5) I've got to be allowed to have cats.
6) I've got to be allowed to do stuff around the place, especially painting.

I will never again rent an apartment with carpet! It's a dirt trap and it wasn't until I started sleeping in my hard-floored living room in the summer (due to the heat) that I realized the carpet was making my asthma worse.

My last rental completely dispelled my myth that I couldn't live without tons of light. What I did realise is that I can't live in a place that doesn't have cross-ventilation, a kitchen w/ tons of counter space & storage in the bedroom & no pests. Everything else I can compromise on.

I agree with JJwyatt37's comment. Let's all be thankful that we have the liberty of choosing, where and what place we call a home. No one wants to live in a shady neighborhood (skinny, white and suburban or NOT), even people who live in sketchy neighborhoods don't want to live in those neighborhoods.

I would never live in an apartment:

- with out a solid bedroom (as my boyfriend stays up way later than I).
- that didnt have easy access to public transport
- with out a washer and dryer in the building (does not have to be in the apartment itself)
- that was in a neighborhood I didnt feel safe in.

Other than that, Im easy to please!

threebirdsblog.wordpress.com

There is nothing wrong with being picky on what you want and what you don't want. I'm glad I am afforded that luxury and you best believe if I am working to pay for what I want then it's on.

My list includes, covered off the street parking, small complex, closet space and no carpet. With butt scooting cats, no carpets would be best.

I've lived in some fairly humble places and didn't suffer unduly so I'm hesitant to say there's anything I absolutely have to have or won't tolerate. At a bare minimum though I'd have to say:

-No bugs, ants, cockroaches or rodents. Never again!
-No funky bathroom layout where there's not quite enough room or things are at a weird angle or badly placed. Same for the kitchen.
-Must have some kind of entry space and not just a door in the middle of the wall opening into the living area.
-Must have a hallway that separates the entrance to the bathroom and bedroom from the living room.
-Preferably no ceramic tile at all, anywhere. But if there is, absolutely no signs of mold, mildew or any kind of gunk in the grout.
-Must take cats.
-Must be smoke friendly

Some standards that I'm fortunate to be able to have at the moment:

-Must have balcony
-Must have covered, gated parking
-Must have elevator
-Must have w/d hookups
-Must have fitness room

Also, the tile in that bathroom above makes me dizzy.

In a recent apartment search I looked at almost 40 units (before deciding to stay in my current apartment) and discovered that hardwood floors are an absolute must, as is a decent kitchen. One apartment I saw had twenty foot ceilings, 12 foot windows, beautiful architectural details, stunning floors, the list of positives goes on and on... but the kitchen was literally crammed into a hall closet and there was less than 2 feet of counter space- I know that there are people in the world with serious problems, but for me this was heart breaking.

I have some of the usuals - must allow cats, no pests, has to have access to washer and dryer somewhere on site, must have dishwasher. But my kind of odd one is that it has to have "enough" bathrooms, and by enough I mean that for my husband and I it has to have two. I just fear us both getting sick and both needing a bathroom and only having one (I have an acute fear of vomiting which is part of that). We actually looked at some fairly nice and cozy three bedrooms when we moved here, but they were only one bathroom so I didn't want to go with them. We ended up with a two bed/two bath instead.

(I'm in the midwest and had a small choice of apartments when I was moving; I know if I lived in a larger city I might not be so lucky.)

1. A landlord/manager that you can talk to and is reasonable. We left a nice place because of a horrible landlord who was quick to accuse us when anything in the apartment went wrong.

2. Heat included. We're in Minnesota and this isn't too uncommon, but it's a must have for me. Until I own or have more control over insulation, I don't want to pay s heating bill.

3. Off-street parking. I don't mind brushing snow off my car, but I hate moving my car during snow emergencies and risking tickets and tows.

4. In the same wintery vein: no shoveling! All lawn and snow care should be included.

5. On site laundry, at least in the building. I was anti laundry room for our new larger building (I never seem to have quarters) but they have a card machine that you can load up with value ahead of time and recharge on site. Excellent!

I'm only on my first apartment, but having moved several friends in and out of several apartments, there are a few things:

1. No bug problems. A dear friend of mine used to wake up to centipedes above her bed.
2. Good light (otherwise I get depressed and DH gets annoyed).
3. Good air flow; windows, fans, whatever.
4. No unbearable smells.

I'm not real picky so far; my current place is tiny, it's the top floor of an old old old building so the heating in the winter is a nightmare, and there are lots of awkward angles and corners to deal with. However, I love the old charm, we ripped up the carpets and refinished the wood floors underneath, and we have a fabulous landlord! So really I'm a happy camper.

I don't think I'm too picky - we're living in a place now that has carpet on the walls, we're not allowed to paint and there's a severe humidity problem that leads to mold growth on anything stored on the floor in our closets, and the back of our furniture that's against outside walls. I'd say those things along with any kind of pest problem are now on my "no thanks" list. Can't wait for the next move!

One and only- NO BEDBUGS. Fought them before- never again.

Also, prefer to have wood floor, bathtub, good light, more than one window, separate kitchen, walkup below fourth floor, hallways wide enough to bring existing furniture, multiple line subway access.

I would never rent an apartment with carpets. I'd rather live with a concrete floor!

--lack of natural light. been there, done that, depressing.
--would never rent a NYC apartment with windows that face walls.
--cockroaches.
--mini fridge
--outside of NYC, I need outdoor space (I live in NC now- outdoor space)
--outside of NYC - no dishwasher (my standards for NYC are different)

Agreed with kwhoa- if they're even next door to a place listed on bedbug registry, I'm looking elsewhere.

Also, I will never live in an apartment again, period. I'd rather have 2+ roommates in a house. I am miserable without the outdoor space for a garden!!!

I lived in an apartment that had just enough room for the toilet to fit between the bathtub and the wall. it was very strange.

I would never rent any place that didn't have:

a dishwasher
electric stove

Gated communities are a huge turn-off for me. My only caveat to this is if there are TRULY security problems in the area. Otherwise, I prefer to actually be part of the so called real world, complete with the unwashed masses.

I live in NYC, and can put up with a lot, however, my must haves.

No carpet- hardwood floors are preferred, but I could deal with linoleum, but no carpet.

An old toilet. I.e. that classic nyc tankless tolit that can swallow a small child. All these new fangled things get clogged to often, and I hate dealing with it.

I've never had a clogged toilet with those old ones.

Everything I'll put up with, but the toilet is a dealbreaker.

Strange but true.

Oy. Reading some of these I feel like I have gotten off lucky with some of my rentals!

However, I will never again put up with:
- NO pantry. I cook WAY WAY too much, and when there is no space to put food never mind pots and pans: we are going to have issues.
- NO cover parking. One hailstorm, a golfball looking car and a cracked windsheild later...

I am in Dallas though. A lot of NYC issues are (thankfully) not issues here!

1- NO carpet!
2- Natural Light
3- NO bugs!
4- Nice view
5- Balcony
6- Cats allowed
7- Amenities for my child

I would never AGAIN (if possible) rent an apartment that...

1) has carpet in any room other than the bedrooms
2) has only 1 bedroom (we have a kid now)
3) outdated appliances (stainless if possible)
4) does not have a microwave
5) is less than 1000 sq ft
6) does not have a balcony or decent sized patio
7) no bathtub
8) no washer/dryer IN unit
9) smell (smoke smell in our current place)
10) does not do a walk through BEFORE handing over the keys
11) on the 1st floor
12) more than 2 floors & no elevator (unless its super nice)
13) has no natural light (tired of cave living)
14) does not have a clean playground
15) no pool or dirty pool (you can tell a lot about a place by how they keep their pool & gym/playground)

My list is long cause I've learned from experience. Some stuff you can't control but my standards are higher now. You should get what you pay for. (and we pay a lot in Miami!!!)

Just picked up my keys yesterday. I seem to have found the only apartment in my city with a large kitchen and a gas stove. I feel like I won the lottery. These were such deal breakers for me that it has taken years to find.

I agree with JJwyatt37 too. I fully support not wanting vermin or mold in your house (and animals, if you're terribly allergic) but after that it all seems like cake. Look at these pictures for a dose of reality, please.

I have rented probably 10 different apartments, houses, duplexes in 4 different states. My only deal breaker is pretty simple.

Privacy

I will never again rent a place with shared walls or ceilings. I just moved from the city to the "burbs" and finally have a (very) small house with no shared walls. I have had my fill of nightmare neighbors- so bad once, I had to move. Now I can vacuum at 3am, play music, watch TV, yell at sports- and not have to worry about neighbors! The peace of mind of all that is worth every cent of my rent.

I can deal with no laundry- I now bring it to the "wash dry fold" it is a luxury I afford myself.

No closets, storage- all solvable problems- but peace and quiet you can not buy.

I wouldn't even look at a place that didn't accept cats.

Actual deal-breakers for my last apt hunt:
No stove, no full-size appliances, weird smells, visible bugs, carpet, unsafe location

Things I thought were deal breakers that ended up not being:
Living in a studio, only one closet, no dishwasher, teeny tiny bathroom and kitchen

Late to the game, but here are mine. I would never rent an apartment that had..

1. little to no natural light (made this mistake a while ago, and won't do it again)

2. no-pet policy. No-dog is fine, but no pets at all? Dealbreaker.

3. was in an unsafe neighborhood. This is just a given. Never live in an unsafe neighborhood. You save money living in the crap part of town, sure, but how does that compare to your safety?

4. Didn't have controlled access gates. I know what someone else said about being out in the world...but I LOVE having controlled access doors, and wouldn't give it up. I don't WANT the world being able to come right up to my door.

5. Didn't have central air. I like my modern amenities like air conditioning.

Absolutely will not live anywhere that allows children. Will not live on the ground floor. Will not live without AC and control of the heating. Will not live without a decent freezer. Would prefer not to see my kitchen from my living room as I am a messy cook. Must be in close proximity to transit. I have owned my own place for ten years now but if I ever went back to renting these would be the "never again".

I can put up with a lot but I would never rent in an apartment that ... allows people to leave their personal crap in the hallways (like shoes, umbrellas, baby carriages, etc.).

I want to live like a grown up and not have to weave through clutter, smell dirty feet or push stuff out of the way to get to my apartment door.

Is furnished. I can't live with another person's design sense.

I'm moving into my 6th apartment. This will be my first 2 bedroom (without a roommate) and also my first apartment without doors! True loft style, I guess.

Musts (here in Chicago):
1. Allow cats and dogs. I have a cat and dog and I don't care if I had to live under a bridge with them -- I'm not giving them up.

2. Within half a mile of the grocery store since we are carless.

3. Allows us to walk to work. I HATE public transit in Chicago. Whoever says its convenient has probably never owned a car. It's a pain in the ass and I will do anything to avoid it. So this basically rules out most neighborhoods for us, at least for now.

4. Hardwood floors, at least in the living room. Luckily, our current and new apartment has hardwood all over.

That's really it. My fiance thinks I'm super picky, but I don't think that's too much to ask for!

My dealbreakers are: inadequate natural light, unsafe neighborhood, pests, and, perhaps most problematic, open plan kitchen/living rooms. I absolutely refuse to cook in my only living room - preparing food in the living area is just totally vile. I do not want my living room to be full of cooking aromas and grease.

There has to at least be a separate kitchen area, and ideally it will be eat-in and have a door to separate the kitchen off. I cannot understand why people think open plan living is so marvellous, and it is frustrating to see so many landlords adopting it so they can cram more people into a space. You can't get away from anyone you live with and have a quiet moment by yourself, it stinks of food and it's incredibly noisy if you have kids.

Ground floor with shared patio ! I'm just leaving one like this promising myself not again!!

ONLY HAS ONE WALL SOCKET in the entire room.

I lived it, I learned it, and never ever again will I.

hahaha I spent many of my first days in my first "living alone apartment" taping down extension cords to the ground, which I'm certain now that I'm older, was a great fire hazard. Oh well!

I'm AMAZED at how many of these deal-breakers I am currently putting up with:

-Basement Apartment with NO natural light
-Bugs. Tons of em'. I got bit by a spider in bed just the other day.
-No washer/dryer
-No dishwasher
-No oven
-No stove (well... I have a unit with 2 burners that plugs into the wall...)
-No pets
-Crappy window AC unit that doesn't work
-Baseboard heating that it (so far) untested

On the other hand, I have GREAT water pressure! (I love living in high-rent cities and not having much money....)

I've been exploring renting. Other than the obvious clean and safe everybody wants, I guess I need:
- A window in the bathroom and kitchen.
- Separate kitchen (and dining) from living/bedroom; I like to cook and clean up thoroughly
- No funky/damp smells
- Pets allowed (I hv 2 rabbits)
- At least one view with some trees.
- Some grocer/cafe/supermarket within 5-10 minutes walk.

A nearby park would be nice, but I can jog in quiet neighbourhoods too.

Granville: Housing discrimination based on familial status is illegal.

If you plan on upgrading beyond a studio or tiny one bedroom that isn't in a senior community, be aware that your landlord or realtor is lying to you if they say the building "doesn't allow children." They do.

I don't think there's anything wrong with having some wishes if you have the choice. I'm not going to choose vermin etc. just because someone else might want me to have a guilt trip of being part of a community that thrives more than other places on the planet. Housing is not the place I will ever down-prioritize for the sake of others, but this on the other hand doesn't mean I don't give when and where I can to others who have less.

My list off the top of my head:
- No bugs of any kind other than my kitty (and dog in the future)
- No single glassing
- No non-functional radiators in the middle of the cold winter
- No mold or smell
- No carpets
- No badly treated floors that give you splinters when you walk barefoot
- No broken kitchen machines when the contract says they should work
- No half-size fridges with a ridiculously tiny freezer compartment; my back doesn't like this either
- No walls thin as paper
- No university-related buildings anywhere near mine, no high density of party animals either
- No bars that keep open late near mine
- No a**hole landlords/ladies who don't pay back my gigantic deposit; can't deal with another legal process

It is my home and I want peace and quiet with no huge amounts of social problems. I especially want to sleep at night.

"No bars that keep open late near *my building*" obviously. I don't keep a bar.

That have carpeted bathroom floors.

Has a coin operated heat system. I kid you not.

It was a studio apartment. Beautiful tall (12'? 14'?) windows, a walk-in closet I could have put my bed in, a little 30" x 16" box on the wall with a coin drop to heat that space with all that glass.

Oh, and no plumbing hooked up in the kitchen - just a bunch of pvc parts laying on the floor.

I walked, but I *still*, three decades later, dream of those windows.

Hmm... I turned down a super cheap apartment because the neighbors gave me an uneasy feeling. The entryway was really hidden and as a single woman, I try to trust my gut about those things.

Also, I try to avoid places that have smokers for neighbors (no offense smokers). You can't always control who your neighbor are, but I'd prefer living next to a drummer over an indoor smoker... And I've had both as neighbors.

it is so hard to find an apartment with a good price..but now after living in an apartment with animals..I think i want a place that does not allow animals. They bark!!!

Must haves (in approximate order of importance):
-Must be dog and cat friendly
-No infestations or recent history of infestations
-Wood floors (no carpet of any kind)
-Excellent light/ large windows
-Second floor or higher
-An eat-in kitchen
-I have to be able to see the sky when I look out the windows (preferably all the windows)
-Must have understanding neighbors (I play the accordion)

Living in New York, these make me laugh!
All I ask for is:
- A view of sky without standing next to the window and craning my neck
- A door on the bathroom and the bedroom.
That's it!

I own my condo (loft), and absolutely love it...but I do advise buyers and renters alike to check out your building's management company and cable/Internet providers if they're part of your assessments. I've had a nightmare of a time with our cable provider, but luckily a good management company helps mitigate that.

I'm in the natural light camp. I feel that nearly everything else can be fixed.

I would never rent an apartment that...had a creepy landlord. Did that once, never again. I know you can't always tell right away, but if you can tell, just run!

RE: not enough room in the bathroom around the toilet. That doesn't go away once you're out of apartments. Our 3/2 house has 2 bathrooms that have that problem. I had to remove both toilet paper holders from the vanity next to the toilet because there wasn't enough room to keep a new regular roll from rubbing against the toilet, and a double roll couldn't fit at all. yuck! I fantasize almost daily about knocking down the shared wall and having one regular-sized, appropriately planned bathroom.

I'd never again rent an apartment that gets afternoon sun and doesn't have more than 1 window. I practically suffocate in the summer from the hot afternoon sun and lack of air circulation.

my apartment pet peeve is...

entering the only bathroom through the bedroom! grr... its the worst when you have over night guests! never again!

had carpet

I've been a renter for 13 years now, in big cities, college towns, and rural communities. My top turn-offs are:

*Carpet (rental carpet is just gross, no way around that)
*Dogs (no matter how cute they are, way too many of them bark ALL NIGHT. At everything.
*Unsafe neighborhood
*Off-site laundry (I swear I won't be hauling baskets of laundry across town anymore)
*Windows that don't open (lesson learned last year)
*Sharing walls/floors with college kids (do guys under the age of 25 ever say anything but "WOO!"?
*Air conditioning (not necessary when I lived in the midwest, but in southern Louisiana, I think I'd keel over without it)

Other things I've made my peace with: ugly wallpaper/paint, small closets, lack of character, electric stoves, tiny kitchens, ugly cabinetry, bad insulation (nothing in Louisiana seems to be insulated much anyway). These things suck, but they're not deal breakers.

Oh yeah, and bugs. Louisiana is full of bugs (i.e. roaches).

From apartment life to condo life, and I've learned to absolutely only rent or buy a place that has:

- A fuse box within the walls, not down in the basement
- enough electrical circuits, at least the refrigerator on its own circuit
- some method to independently control the heat/cooling
- an assigned off-street parking space for each unit
- outdoor space, even just outside stairs in the back.
- laundry in the building

Things that make it pleasant:
- window in the kitchen/window in the bathroom
- enough guest parking
- regular all-building pest control
- as little carpet as possible
- cross-ventilation

I will not, repeat, will not rent a place that has:
1. roaches, or other critters
2. nasty hallways
3. old, dingy-looking carpet
4. high-moisture (mold problem)
5. is in a dangerous neighborhood (working-class is definitely acceptable)
6. super-greedy landlord
7. no laundry facilities.
I can live without:
central air
granite and modern kitchen
balconies
fire place

I won't rent a place that

a) has no bathtub
b) has no parking (I commute to EB by car)
c) has a landlord that seems problematic
d) has nasty carpet (prefer hardwood anyway)
e) has no natural light

Sad thing is, it feels like I can't afford to be picky anymore, with 50 applicants appearing at even the most unimpressive open houses ...

I'm still in college at the moment so I haven't rented my first apartment yet but I have stayed with some friends in their off-campus places and learned a few things and decided on some deal-breakers.

1. Do not rent an apartment next to a lengthy construction project. For the entire year my friend was in her apartment she was dealing with construction right beside her that lasted from 7am to 9PM Mon-Friday and 7 to 6 on Saturday. She tried hanging black-out curtains and thick drapes on every window, put down thick rugs and pads to help absorb sound, wore ear plugs, and had white noise machines running constantly, and yet the construction sounds were just oppressively loud. Her whole unit would shake so much things would fall off the walls. Plus, the builder was a misogynist lunatic. He actually hired someone to live *on* the construction site to protect it and had huge stadium-style lights on all night. Imagine dealing with all that plus finals. It was still going on more than a year later after she'd moved out.

2. Badly installed hardwood floors. From an aesthetic point of view, hardwood floors are more appealing than carpet, but if you've ever spent time in a building occupied by college students you'll realize that carpets will help maintain your sanity. There would be guys skateboarding and playing basketball in the unit below my boyfriend's at all hours. It felt like living on top of an earthquake. And my ex-boyfriend was noisier than intended too. He plays the drum and the guitar, and though he tries to be respectful it's impossible to contain the noise. You can actually *feel* the noise as you're going up the stairs.

3. Light. I can't live in a basement space or a ground floor that has little natural light.

4. Parking. There needs to be at least one assigned, covered parking spot. This is just mandatory in a city like LA where there is limited street parking and the parking enforcement officers look for every reason possible to cite you.

5. On-site laundry. Preferably, more than one washer and dryer for the building.

6. A decent management company / landlord that will promptly respond when repairs are needed. My friend went for over a week without being able to take a shower because it took that long to get anyone to show up and make the needed repairs. She also got locked *in* the laundry room for hours because the lock had been broken for weeks and the door slammed shut from a gust of wind while she was inside. You can find reviews about a lot of management companies and buildings online.

7. Don't live in a place without rent control. There are a ton of rent-controlled buildings that are nice in LA. Maybe when you're more into adulthood or living in an area where you didn't have to pay $1400 + for a small one bedroom it wouldn't make as much of a difference, but for a young person a 10% spike can ruin your budget.

deal-breakers:
1. doesn't accept pets
2. moisture in the air without proper ventilation

I wouldn't rent a place that: doesn't come with a parking space, smells like pets, has a carpeted bathroom, has ugly walls that we're not allowed to paint, OR has an itty-bitty kitchen.

I would never rent an apartment that:
~didn't have a bath tub
~looked out at parking lot
~didn't allow dogs
~faced north
~didn't have en-suite laundry
~was right next to the elevator

What an amazing post - read and loved all the replies! I will not live
-on the ground floor or in a garden unit
-with north facing windows
-in a cookie-cutter modern unit
-with carpet
-more than a 10 minute walk from an El stop
-without a dishwasher, or sufficient space to bring one in

Must haves:
-Pet friendly (and I mean REALLY pet friendly, charging $50 a month pet rent isn't all that friendly).
-NO smoking policy. The smoke smell gives me terrible headaches!
-Laundry on site
-Covered parking and guest parking
-Controlled access or security of some sort
-No major pest problems
-Not a total shit hole?

And those are really all my non-negotiables! Everything else are just things I'd LIKE but don't need.