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Things To Know While Renting An Apartment
By admin | June 23, 2008
If you are renting an apartment for the first time or the tenth time, it remains one of the most important decisions. Here are major points discussed while renting an apartment.
Searching: Ask colleagues and friends for where to look for apartments. You can also approach a professional real estate agent or a realtor or an apartment locating service to find out a suitable apartment for you. If you have the tenacity and time, you can go through the classifieds in your local newspaper or journal.
Financial matters: Keep in mind that the apartment should be comfortable to live in but not expensive enough to break your bank account. The thumb rule is that the monthly rent of your apartment should not be more than 25% of your income per month.
Location of the apartment: Look for an apartment that is close to your workplace and the neighborhood is safe and facilities like a good school, a church, store, bank and post office and a public transport system should be nearby.
Take precautions: Before signing an agreement, make sure to inspect the house carefully for any physical damage or safety concerns. If there are any, take their photographs, date them and get them signed by the landlord. Some other items that you must evaluate include mail boxes, outdoor lighting, smoke detectors, appliances, locks on windows and doors, fire extinguishers and emergency exits.
You can also look for other disturbing elements like neighbors with animals or nasty children. Upon your visit, if you head sound of loud music from other neighboring apartments, keep in mind that these elements can make your living very uncomfortable.
Lease: The lease of the apartment must contain the landlord’s name, your name, the apartment address, rent amount and payment schedule settled. You can also include in your lease the rules for sub-letting, rules regarding pets, which is responsible to carry out utilities, heat and other repairs, what appliances are provided by the landlord and what will happen if you happen to break the contract.
Topics: Real Estate Tips |