fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #3181 ]

⌈ Secret Post #3181 ⌋

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My situation is that I'm looking for an apartment, but it seems like nearly every place has terrible reviews. Or they range from "It's like living in heaven" to "There's rats and criminals on every floor".

I've visited a few places and they seem nice enough to me, but I'm wary about ending up in some terrible place. Any advice for apartment hunting?

This is my frickin' curse, I hate apartment hunting. I've apartment hunted a lot.

The two things you can do is first, keep your salt shaker handy when reading reviews online. Like anything else, you're going to hear the negativity the loudest. Look for trends over a period of time - if it's just a one off, a couple people with varying issues, then things might be okay. Learn to look for context. If someone complains about bugs outside and the complex is NEXT TO A FIELD then yeah, that's not the most valid complaint. But if you don't like bugs... at least that's info.

If you've got like ten people over three years telling you the landlord is Cthulhu, then yeah, move on.

The second thing is always go take a look at the place yourself. Peek around, get a tour if possible. Some places get flaky about that and want money just to tour, ask your local community (reddit, wherever) if that's even legal.

Always know your renter's rights. They vary by state/country.

As mentioned above, definitely take a tour. It'll give you an idea of how well-maintained the place is. Also, it might be a good idea to drive to the apartment complex at varying times, especially on nights or the weekends, just to see how folks behave during those times. If it's party central and you're the silent type...that apartment may not be best for you.

Know the areas of your city, which neighborhoods/communities are shady as hell. Definitely stay away from those.

You can ask folks if they know anything about the place, or if they know anyone who lives there and if they like it or not.

There's no such thing as a perfect apartment though...even if it runs pricier.

People who review, I think, tend to be skewed negative. Not that you should ignore reviews, but don't freak out because of one or two bad reviews.

Anyway, take a tour yourself. Often, you're gonna get what you pay for. It's not always clear cut, but if you want a place that's more "respectable", you'll probably have to be willing to pay a little more. But there's really no way to know for sure, just do as much research as you can and ask as many questions as possible, and try to get a sense for the typo of place it is.

Every place does have terrible reviews, but you have to read between the lines on them. Instead of a resident claiming there are criminals, google the last 5 or 10 years of police reports for that neighborhood, for example. "Bugs" can mean anything but actual reports of cockroaches or bedbugs should hold more weight for you - and what the management did about them.

"Bad neighborhoods" show up on city crime reports and some rental websites will also link you to the same records Zillo uses for housing sales, showing how many and what type of police calls occur in a neighborhood. You can see whether the worst to happen is a noise complaint or "suspicious person" walking down the sidewalk, or whether drug arrests, murders, burglaries, etc are common. Also, pay attention to those noise complaints. The more often the cops get called to handle noise complaints, the less likely management is going to do shit-all about everything from noisy neighbors to a leaky faucet.

Be critical when you visit. Don't just look for aesthetically pleasing locations - and for the love of god if they show you a model, ask to see THE ACTUAL APARTMENT before signing anything. We were bait-and-switched on a townhouse, they insisted the prior residents would not let us walk through their home (lies, it's legal for the landlord to give 24 hours notice and request access to your unit) so we got shown a model with nice new windows and everything in tip-top shape only to be rented a unit with 1970's-era windows that lacked weatherstripping, a front door with a 1" gap between the frame and the door, and a kitchen half the size of the model, among other things. We spent more on heating bills that winter than our actual rent.

Moreover, look to see how well the hallways and grounds are maintained, as well as the unit itself. If it's empty when you see it, look to make sure everything from baseboards to ceilings to doors/handles and appliances are in working order. Look for cracks, gaps, broken anything - a cracked window that hasn't been replaced, gaps in the caulk around plumbing, window seals and screens, places where carpet and linoleum should be tacked down properly and aren't, etc. If they've had time to replace carpet and paint walls, there shouldn't be any other major repairs to be done - and if there are, it's a red flag that they just want the unit rented out ASAP and don't care to vet their tenants well.

do not just go by reviews, check the apartments out yourself.

Echoing everyone else who says to walk the area first, as well as get a look at the place first. That's the only way to be 100% certain yourself. If the landlord won't let you see the place, run. Walking the area will give you a feel for what amenities are around, ALSO do a "test commute" during rush hour in the morning, so you're not unpleasantly surprised by a 45min drive that turns into 3 hours of hell, depending on what time in the morning you leave.

Scope out the facilities IN the building as well, most importantly the laundromat. Always look for how well-maintained the building is; if the hallways have peeling paper/unpainted walls that look like it hasn't been painted in at least a decade, you'll pay less, but it might not be worth it.

Visit the neighbourhood in the morning, the afternoon, and at night, to get a feel for whether or not it's a bad area.

[ SECRET POST #3181 ]

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