I'm looking to get a new place either this summer or fall and it's the first place I'll be renting since I've been back in the U.S. I'm kind of rusty on my apartment game, so I turn to hubski for knowledge gleaned from the rental game.
What do you feel is important to remember while looking for a new place to rent? Any tips on dealing with realtors, rental companies, landlords, etc.?
#1 piece of advice I have: Look up. Water damage, smoke damage, a lack of a fan in the bathroom etc. A look up at the ceiling (especially where the ceiling meets the walls) is a good way to save yourself lots of heartache.
After the landlord gives you the grand tour knock on some doors and pick your potential neighbor's minds. Before you move a single piece of furniture take pictures of each room to secure your deposit. If you see even one bug, the place is swarming with them, run. If you can help it, get the top floor.
humanodon, this is the best advice you could get. Talk to others that currently rent from them. Get the top floor. If you are capital rich, see if there are discounts for multi-month payments at once. Through negotiation, I once saved over $1000 by paying my year of rent in one lump sum.
Have you ever run into potential neighbors who were unwilling to talk to you? I was thinking about taking pictures of everything too. Is it worth sending those pictures to the landlord to confirm? Why the top floor? In my experience that's the worst in the summer, though I guess it would be good in the winter.
Definitely take pictures of everything the day before/the day you move in. That's good advice. That's making sure that you have your back if the landlord comes back and says something was damaged through the course of you living there. I wouldn't send those pictures to the landlord to confirm, necessary, but I would make sure they have a time/date stamp. If you send them to the landlord to confirm, you would also have a record of when you took those photos, but it could come off as potentially aggressive? That's just how it feels to me though. It might not be a bad idea to let your landlord know you're on top of your shit and as Jay-Z has said, "know your rights."
Take Video. Walk through each room, narrate and document EVERYTHING. Talk about the outlets, smells, spots on the carpet, stains in the kitchen. Open cabinets, open the stove, turn on fans, flush the toilets. If the video ends up being 40 minutes, so be it. Now, the important part. UPLOAD IT TO A VIDEO HOSTING SITE THE DAY BEFORE YOU MOVE IN. Make it private. If anything comes up, you have a time/date stamp, and video is harder to mess with. This has saved a few of my friends' security deposits when they had to break a lease. As for sharing with the landlord, eh. Definitely mark up concerns on the lease, get everything in writing etc. But I don't think you should share the video, keep that in case things get testy.
My only concern is that pictures can be easily manipulated, so I was sort of toying with the idea of getting photos notarized (can I even do that?) but it might be more expensive than I'd like. I definitely need to brush up on renter's rights in Boston though.
This was mentioned vaguely by others, but try and get a sense for the type of people that rent in a particular place. For example, if you want a somewhat quiet, "family-friendly" place, then you probably want to avoid the area filled with college students. On the other hand, if you want a more lively place, then you should avoid the areas filled with gomers like me. Beyond that, use common sense. "If it's too good to be true, it likely is" is a good adage to follow. But then again, you can occasionally get excellent deals. Just do your research and don't rush into anything if you can avoid it.
Have money saved up for a deposit. If you're looking for anything more than a few-questions-asked, dirt cheap place on craigslist, a lot of renters will expect a credit history and ~2 months rent worth for a security deposit. Be prepared with references from previous renters or employers. I'll reinforce the talking to neighbors. Depending on the city and neighborhood, people generally like being of help and also like to do their part in supporting their neighborhood. I talked to a neighbor before moving into my place a year ago, and he was incredibly helpful. Best of luck, don't be discouraged by a long search because some things are worth the look.
Thanks for the well-wishes, I think I may need it! I am saving up not only for first, last and security, but hopefully for at least two months worth of rent plus utilities. I'm still trying to find a steady gig in Boston before I make the move, but it's not going so great . . .
A little trick I learned the hard way: check out the cars in the parking lot. If they are all Honda Accords or Civics, go elsewhere, because the thieves will be there shortly to steal them. On the other hand, if they are nicely-kept, respectable vehicles, (or really cool sports cars), count it as a good indicator of the residents. If the parking lot looks like the yard in a small Texas town named "Junkit," (and I'm from Texas so I can say that), keep on driving. Apart from that, my three rules for apartment living are clean, safe, and quiet- "quiet" referring to people whose bass in their car is so loud you expect some Thrash band to jump out of it. And that's my four cents, (inflation).
My strategy is to illegally sublease from people I know as often as possible. Sorry that doesn't help you much. Location is the only thing I've ever looked for. I can live in squalor if there's a sweet bar or three next door and a lot of trees.
To add onto your question: I'm gonna need a place to stay when I go to Canada this fall. How's the rental game in North America like? I've been tipped to go on sites like rentfaster.ca but if the rental game there is anything like here, the best places to stay aren't on those sites.
If you plan to be staying for a year, you should start looking close to the university right now. Public transit is not bad in Calgary. Find a place on the train line if not walking distance to the campus. I'm not sure people use real estate agents so much when looking for a rental. A lot of people go to kijiji.com for listings.