questions you should ask when apt hunting?

[shopbruin]

i'm moving in a few months (rent way too expensive where i am now... and no owning a house is not an option.)

what are some questions i should definitely ask when i look at places?

1. i look at the bathrooms usually, and check out the fixtures to determine age of bathroom/apt
2. i usually check out carpet, and look at that
3. what utilities are paid for?
4. is fridge included?
5. rent/security deposit costs
6. noise in building/types of people who live in building - i.e. students, families, etc
7. parking (this is LA...)

anything else i should ask about? i'll probably sign a one year lease... but i'll ask if there are other lengths also.

 

[minendo]

Do you employ your own maintenance crew or is it outsourced? 24 hour maintenance emergency numbers?

 

[Turkish]

take a lot of pictures.

seriously, this is the best thing you can do to prove yourself when they try to keep your security deposit.

 

[ky2pip]

Shouldn't be a problem in LA but just to be sure, check if DSL/Cable is available and if your cell fone gets reception.

 

[TitanDiddly]

Heh... at first, I read the title as 'ape hunting'.

Apartment tips

 

[Huz]

Originally posted by: Xiety
take a lot of pictures.

seriously, this is the best thing you can do to prove yourself when they try to keep your security deposit.

Excellent excellent idea. This once saved my roommates and I $250 each a few years ago. Our landlord was conviced we had "destroyed" the house after an impromptu - and illegal - walk-through a few days before we were set to move out. She gave us back the whole deposit and told us she'd "see us in court". Not only did we clean the place to sparkling status, we had dated pictures to prove it, and we never heard a peep more from her. Crazy old hag.