RENTING 101: A GENERAL GUIDE

Foreclosures have reached an all-time high which has forced many of us to become renters. Finding the right place to live can be exhausting, but it can be even more exhausting if you find the wrong place to live.

I’ve rented many apartments and houses throughout my life and oddly I keep making mistakes in judgment when it comes to my place of abode. Some mistakes have been repeated which have cost me a fortune in money, wasted my efforts and energy, and caused a plethora of aggravation. Not doing your research may cause you to make several unwanted and costly moves per year or decade. Your credit can be ruined for vacating a rental before the lease is up, should you find a serious need to move. The court may award a landlord the balance of rent due for the duration of the entire lease even if you have vacated the property. Usually the landlord has to make an effort to re-lease the rental property by advertising in the newspapers, Internet, signs etc., and if the property does get re-rented you should only have to pay rent for the months it was vacant.

It is difficult to break a lease or rental agreement even if you are with good cause. Leases are binding contracts which are supposed to protect you, the renter, and the landlord as well. It would behoove you to read over every paragraph of your lease, preferably with an attorney, just to make sure there are no misunderstandings and to ensure yourself that the lease has covered all areas of your concern.

~ Finding The Right Apartment ~

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

First decide which area of the city it is that you would like to live in. Do you want to live near your place of employment? Do you want to live in the heart of the city near convenient shopping and entertainment? Be sure to consider transportation. If you do not drive a car, make sure that you will have easy access to public transportation. Note that public transportation has extended lines into the suburbs in many cities. Buses are not just for the heart of the city anymore. Make sure that your location is near a freeway system if you plan to drive yourself to most places. Driving miles just to get to an expressway can be quite time-consuming if you commute to work, school, etc.

If you have school age children, you will want to consider the school district that will be in your prospective area.

If it’s the country that you prefer, keep in mind that gas prices skyrocket without warning if you do a lot of driving to and from work, or take the kids to their many after school activities. Also, in the winter months, the snow plows and salt trucks may be slower getting to rural areas.

If you do a lot of traveling, you may want to consider being in an area near an airport.

Being near an expressway or an airport is wonderful, but some locations can be very noisy. Always consider the quietness of an area if noise bothers you or interferes with your sleep.

FINDING THE RIGHT NEIGHBORHOOD

· Check the crime statistics. Call your local police department to find out what neighborhoods have the least amount of robberies, muggings, break-ins, rapes, murders, car thefts, etc. You can do a search on the Internet. Try calling your local newspaper for answers. Newspapers report most crimes, so they should have some statistics available or they might be able to direct you to a web site or other agency for help.

· You have a right to know if there is a registered sex offender in the area. This could be vital information if you have children of any age, or a wife.

· Find a neighborhood that fits with your personality. If you are the studious type, you may want to live near a college campus where research material is readily available. Fortunately, almost all areas have libraries, but if you want to live in the country, you may have to drive into a nearby town to get to one. This isn’t the wisest choice for avid researchers. If you are in the medical field, such as a doctor or nurse, you will want to explore neighborhoods near the hospital. Professionals who work downtown have many opportunities to find adequate rentals in the downtown areas. Many new apartments and lofts have been built in the inner cities. These rentals may be pricey, but if you shop around, bargains can be found. Is parking included? Is there space for visitors to park? If not, pay attention to the availability of free, on-street parking.

· Drive through your desired neighborhood in the daytime around four o’clock when school is letting out to see if it’s a kid-friendly area if you have children and again late at night to see what kind of activity is going on. If you see guys standing on corners or walking the neighborhood without a dog at 1, 2, or 3 a.m. chances are drug-selling activity is going on. This is especially true if these guys are stopping to talk with people in cars. Also, they could be casing houses to rob. Walking around at those hours randomly usually indicates that someone is up to mischief. The random walkers could be innocent, but personally, I’m not willing to take that risk.

· If you like peace and quiet, try to avoid a neighborhood that has bars in it. I have experienced living close to a bar that had a loud blaring jukebox playing until 2 in the morning. They also attract traffic and in some cases late night drug dealings. It can be dangerous if you have to take a pet outdoors at all hours of the night or if you work odd shifts. Single women who come home late at night should always be on guard because criminals watch for patterns of comings and goings.

INSPECT YOUR DESIRED APARTMENT

· Inspect your immediate neighbors first. Introduce yourself and let the prospective neighbors who are available give you information concerning the other neighbors. Normally they will tell you any and all complaints they have against the landlord. You can filter out what may apply to your situation in the future. If the landlord is lax in maintaining the property or in doing repairs, the neighbors that rent from him will usually give you that kind of information.

· Don’t always trust the landlord to give you all of the negative facts about his property and his responsibilities. Remember that he is trying to get you to rent from him and he is looking for profit, so he may omit some truths about the property that kept others from leasing this apartment or house.

· Landlords always require references from us as prospective renters. How about the renter getting references from previous tenants as to what kind of a landlord he or she will be?

· Ask if there have been previous or current problems with rodents or bugs. You may not be able to detect evidence of the creatures when an apartment has been vacant. They look for food sources and they will become obvious quickly once you move in and cook a meal. I might remind you that bugs and rodents are very hard to get rid of even withprofessional exterminators if you live in an apartment building. If there has been a problem with bugs, make sure the landlord has an ongoing professional treatment in effect. Do-it-yourself-ers are no good to bugs and rodents in communal living. They travel back and forth.

· If you are on a budget, it is good to rent a place that has the utilities included. Gas bills in the winter months can be devastating. Be sure to ask the landlord if trash removal and water is included with rent or if it is your personal responsibility. If your utilities are your responsibility, call the utility companies to get an estimation of what your bills will be. They can give you a summation based upon previous tenant use.

· Inspect every window in your perspective dwelling. Make sure that all windows open and close easily and lock. Believe it or not, I rented an apartment and didn’t do this. It was in the fall season and when I looked at the apartment all of the windows were open. They had just put a floor treatment on the wood floors and said that they were airing the place out. When I moved in, I discovered that the cranks on the windows were not attached and I could not close the windows. I couldn’t lock them either. I ended up with pneumonia when winter arrived and I also got robbed. The landlord failed to mention the window situation and I just assumed windows were supposed to work in all rentals. My landlord had no intentions of fixing the problem and I suffered greatly because of it.

· Don’t assume anything. Ask if the rental comes with appliances. If you see a stove but no refrigerator, don’t assume the landlord hasn’t gotten around to putting one in yet. Ask if he or she will provide you with a stove, refrigerator, microwave, dishwasher or washer and dryer. If he or she doesn’t provide a washer and dryer, at least ask if there is a washer and dryer hookup available or a nearby laundry facility.

· Make sure that all inner doors shut properly and have locks on the bedrooms and bathrooms. It sounds silly, but again, I rented a place that had bedroom doors that would close but not latch. My dog would jump on the door constantly and push it right open. Privacy is important for bedrooms and bathrooms. This is especially true if you have children or roommates.

· If you have pets, make sure that you are allowed to have them in the rental. Most landlords have a weight limit for dogs and cats and will limit you to one or two animals. They usually will charge an extra nonrefundable deposit for pets and add an extra $20 to $50 extra per month per animal toward your rent. Get clear on the pet policy. Inspect the area for walking your dogs. Are there grassy areas? Sidewalks? Parks? You may be required to be on the bottom floor of a building or duplex.

· Always have freshly-painted walls, newer or cleaned carpets, and cleaned out stoves, ovens and refrigerators. If none of these things have been done, don’t assume that they will BE done by the landlord. Usually, by the time a landlord is showing a rental, he or she has done all that they intend to do. You could get swamped with cleaning work if you don’t ask. You could also ask the landlord to take some money off of the first months rent for cleaning up the place if the landlord has no intention of doing it himself.

· Always have a checklist of problems and conditions of everything in the apartment or rental. Landlords go through a checklist when you move out and you will be charged for anything that has been damaged. If there is a broken mirror in the bathroom when you move in and you don’t have it marked on the checklist upon moving in, you will be charged for it. Get picky and get detailed. Landlords that oversee many units throughout the year will never remember what was wrong with the apartment or house that you rented. It is YOUR responsibility to write these things down beforehand and both you and your landlord should sign it.

· This may sound trivial, but make sure your landlord doesn’t mind holes being drilled in the outer wall and floor for cable and Internet. Again, this was a problem in one of my rental experiences. My landlord didn’t want any holes drilled anywhere for cables to be ran through the rental. Internet was a must for me as a reporter. I had already signed the lease and now you see the dilemma I was in. Don’t take any modern convenience for granted. Some people still live in the dark ages and have petty quirks about them.

· Inspect and test the furnace and air conditioning. Even if it’s in mid-summer, make sure the furnace works properly. If it’s in the dead of winter, make sure the air conditioning works properly. I lived in an apartment complex that was old and nobody had a working furnace or air conditioner. It may take a whole season for the maintenance crew to fix your problem so test first. I almost had several heat strokes that summer waiting for my air conditioner to be fixed.

SIGNING THE LEASE

Get everything in writing. Make sure that you understand all of the legal terms written in the lease. Most leases are standard, but you can add amendments that are agreed upon by you and your landlord.

Make sure you both agree upon the duration of the lease. Most are for one year and some are for 6 months. You can also have a month-to-month agreement but you may get charged extra rent for any term under one year. Most leases go on a month-to-month basis once the 6-month or one-year term is up. Always give a written 30-day notice in the month prior to the expiration of your lease if you plan to move from the rental. If you plan to renew your lease, give a written 30-day notice of that prior to expiration as well.

Understand how much your deposit is going to be. Usually it equals a month’s rent. Your lease may require you to have carpets and the whole apartment professionally cleaned in order to recoup your full deposit upon leaving. Otherwise they may deduct these costs. Pet deposits may be non-refundable.

The lease should state what utilities you and the landlord are responsible for.

Get clear on late charges. There are guidelines as to how much a landlord can charge you if you have to be late paying your rent. Find out what the guidelines are for your state. Most landlords give you until the 5th or 6th day of the month to pay. After that, they normally will charge a flat fee of $10 to $50 and then a charge per day until it is paid in full. (Typically $3 to $10 per day.) This can get quite expensive, so try to pay your rent on time.

Make sure to list all people and animals that you know will be living with you. If you have a large family, be sure to list all their names. If you intend to have a roommate, list his or her name. Make sure the lease provides you to have roommates even if you don’t have one now. You never know if in the future you will need one.

Some leases have a list of rules for the tenant. Make sure you read and understand them.

Beware of some rental complex specials. I rented an apartment that had a $99 deposit and a special discount for a two-bedroom per month. My rent was $569.00 per month, but my lease stated $699.00 per month. I was not informed that if I was ever late on my rent, the rent goes to the original price stated in the lease. Get all negative and positive information when specials are offered. Also make sure the lease price is the same as the verbal price.

If possible, get in writing a time limit for any maintenance work to be performed. As I stated earlier, my air conditioner didn’t work and I waited all summer for them to fix it.

DO's AND DON'Ts

-- Don’t take the first apartment or house for rent that you look at. Visit more than once at different times of day.

-- Do price compare.

-- Don’t engage in gossip with the neighbors regarding your landlord or other residents. Keep your business to yourself.

-- Do join a neighborhood crime and block watch program.

-- Don’t ever move into a duplex or apartment that has your landlord living in it with you. If you’re renting a house, Don’t live next door to your landlord. I lived in a building with 3 apartment units, one being occupied by the owner/landlord. This was the most uncomfortable situation I’ve experienced. I felt he was watching my every move and he was. Landlords living as a tenant can feel entitled to be intrusive and domineering. My landlord knocked on my door frequently to ask for rent and bog me with questions. Also, if you do run into hard times and are late on your rent, the landlord most likely will stare you down every time you enter or exit your apartment. Verbal harassment will inevitably occur causing you to never want to leave the apartment for work, never want to come home, and cringe every time there is a knock at the door. Since the landlord usually owns the property, they are in the power position, or at least they can make you feel that they are. When your landlord is loud and obnoxious, who do you report him to? Certainly not the landlord. Involving the police can cause even more problems. My landlord was always doing some kind of outside noisy repair right at my bedroom window which made me feel very uncomfortable. It, in my opinion, is best to keep landlords at a distance and correspond through the mail. Otherwise, you may realize that you have moved away from your parents home only to discover that they have been replaced by a landlord, which is even worse.

-- Do get all agreements in writing. Landlords are people too and they are capable of making promises that they don’t intend to keep or never get around to keeping.

-- Don’t assume anything or take any convenience for granted.

-- Do know your rights as a tenant. You can obtain a brochure with the rights and responsibilities of you , the tenant, and the landlord from your local government housing authority.

-- Don’t forget that a lease is a binding contract, so make sure you find the apartment or house that you can afford and live in for the duration of the lease.

-- Do take advantage of low income housing and rents that go according to your income. A great many apartment complexes are now being subsidized by the government. There are guidelines as to the amount of money you make and the amount of people in your household. You may encounter a waiting list, but at least you will reap the benefits when it becomes your turn.

.......................................................

For the most part, apartment or house hunting can be an exciting time but you can encounter many headaches and regrets if you haven’t done your homework. Make lists, lists, and more lists. Take notes on every rental that you look at. Start a month ahead of time collecting your boxes and rounding up your moving crew including finding a friend with a truck if you cannot afford to rent one. You can still get boxes from the supermarkets when the stockers are unloading the merchandise to the shelves. You can also look behind the store in the dumpster area. Let store clerks know that you plan to move and most of the time they will save boxes for you if you pick them up in a timely manner. You will be surprised at how helpful people really are.

If your moving crew is going to be family and friends, make sure that you all agree on the dates and times to meet in advance. Communicate directions, instructions, meeting spots and the times with everyone to avoid conflict and hurt feelings. Show appreciation for everyone’s help. Invite all of the crew over for a big cookout or dinner and offer the friend with the truck gas money. Be good to the people who help you. You never know when you will need them again.

Moving is stressful, but remain calm through the experience. You think better if you are calm and getting upset will only cloud your judgment. Take out time to relax and sleep. Do not go without eating when you are trying to juggle apartment hunting with work, the kids, and your regular activities. You will need your strength. Most of all, have fun. Allow yourself to enjoy the experience.