You’re at the step of apartment searching and you want to find the right place to call home.
While you are touring you want to make sure that you notice the signs of a bad apartment and a bad landlord. In this blog post, we are going to dive into some red flags you need to look out for when apartment hunting!
What Are Some Red Flags When Apartment Hunting?
1. Pest Activity history
You can find this information online when you search “Pest Activity at (name of apartment complex or property management). See when the last pest was found and what kind of pest (mice, bed bugs, cockroaches, etc).
2. Google Reviews
Yes, previous tenants will leave Google reviews on the living conditions of the apartment building, landlord response time, and the area.
Google reviews helped me when it came to moving out to see if the building was okay or not.
3. The Rental Ad Has Been Up For Over a Month
When you are searching online for an apartment and notice the rental ad has been posted for over a month. Can cause some red flags.
We tend to get curious as to why the posting is still up and the unit is available. Does the unit match the picture in the ad? Or are the landlords lying about something in the description?
If you are reaching out to a rental ad that is over a month old, ask them why the unit hasn’t been taken.
4. Wanting You to Sign the Lease Before Seeing the Apartment
This is a huge red flag and a legal no-no. You never EVER want to sign a lease before seeing an apartment.
You want to make sure the unit you are seeing in person is the unit you will be living in. Not the showcase room, photos, or videos.
Make sure you do a walk through the unit before signing anything!
5. The Unit is Not Fully Clean
Seeing the rental unit empty and clean shows that the property managers took the time to do a deep clean before doing any tours showing how they will treat the entire building.
6. Not Showing you The Actual Unit You’ll Be In
You’re paying a lot of money to leave here month to month. You want to see what you are getting. Make sure the leasing agent and landlord show you the EXACT unit you’ll be living in.
7. The deposit is not going straight to the landlord or company
Let’s say you found an apartment you love and it’s time to give your deposit and credit information to see if you’ll get approved. If the leasing agent mentions that your information and deposit will not be going straight to the landlord or property management.
Then that’s a red flag. This means it could be a scam and the unit is not for rent. They are just finding ways to steal people’s information and money.
8. Asking For More than Last Month’s Rent Deposit
Legally the landlord is only allowed to ask for the first month’s and last month’s rent as a deposit.
It protects them if you break your lease early and for you if you are moving out and need to use the money for an extra month. Most of the time they give the last month’s deposit back.
If you have stumbled upon a property that is asking for more than the deposit. Ask questions!
9. No Background Check
All properties should do a background check on their potential tenants. See if you are a good renter, and pay your rent on time. Noise level.
NOTE: if this is your first time moving out, you can use your parents as your “landlord”.
If you are not asked for a background check that means anybody and I mean ANYBODY lives there. This could be a rough neighborhood or loud and annoying tenants.
10. Condition Outside Apartment
I know this one is random but trust me on this. Before stepping inside for your apartment tour. See what the outside looks like.
Is the grass neatly cut in the summer? Or is the snow shoveled in the winter? So you find trash everywhere? You’ll know you stumbled upon a good apartment building when the outside is clean and tidy.
11. Landlord Lives In Another Country
One of my friends had this problem. Where she rented out a place and the landlord lived in a different country.
He hired a leasing agent to take care of everything. However, it was hard for my friend to get any repairs done because the leasing agent had to get approval from the landlord each time.
It was such a hassle because it would take days or even weeks to hear back a response, due to the time difference. If you don’t want to take that chance. Ask if the landlord is local or abroad.
12. Only Showing Photos of Certain Parts of The Property
You probably stumbled upon these times of rental ads. Where it only shows you the outside and maybe one photo of the inside?
Yeah, that’s a major red flag. It means the landlord is hiding something in the unit or not being honest.
13. Way Cheaper Than The Other Apartments in The Area
Yes, we all want to save money on living however sometimes getting the cheapest apartment in the area is not always the greatest.
The rent could be cheap because there are no amenities, or the landlord doesn’t invest their money in proper maintenance of the building.
You want to make sure that if you are looking for an apartment on a budget, ask what’s included in the price.
14. No Security Cameras On Site
This is one of my preferences but I feel like an apartment complex is good to live in when you have security cameras on site. Inside and outside of the building.
This means that the property management is making sure your safety is a priority and watches over things happening around you.
15. Dead Bugs In Light Fixture
Seeing dead bugs in the light fixture means two things. 1) They have a pest problem to the point where they are going into the light and 2) the unit was not cleaned out well.
16. Outlets Don’t Work
Pro tip! Bring a charger with you and check every outlet in the apartment. Can you charge your phone in each room? Or does one outlet not work?
You want to make sure that ALL outlets work.
17. The Parking Lot is Small
Going back to my first apartment, we had so many problems with parking because of the lack of parking space.
We had a designated number but it seemed that because the parking lot was small. Our parking space was unavailable. It got to a point where we had to park on the side street.
18. Lack Of Fire Safety
While you are going on your tours. Take a look around for fire extinguishers and ask your landlord if they perform monthly fire alarms.
19. Vague Answers or Cannot Answer Your Questions Properly
Come with a set of questions to ask your landlord. If you notice they are stumbling avoiding some questions, or giving vague answers then that could be a red flag.
This means they are hardly on site or just want to rent off this unit.
20. Signs of Mold
Living in a unit and/or building with bold can hinder your health. You can develop breathing problems or be sick a lot.
While you are touring, if you notice ANY signs of mold then it’s best if you move on to the next apartment building.
21. Doesn’t Require Credit Checks
Following up on no background checks. This also goes for credit checks. You want them to check it!!
This means they are serious about taking you on and like I said, they just don’t take anybody!
22. Window Inside Bathroom/Poor Ventilation
My first apartment had a window inside the shower (the building was old and didn’t have any ventilation) but if the window was open, many other tenants could have seen me in the shower.
Check the bathroom for no windows in the shower and proper ventilation. To prevent mold.
How To Make Sure The Apartment Is Good?
- Try to have a conversation with the tenants
- Ask lots of questions!
- The landlord sees open and friendly
- The unit you are seeing is the one you are living in
- Communication right off the bat was good
Overall…
Apartment hunting can be stressful. By asking the right questions and noticing red flags, you’ll be able to score the partner you are meant to live with!
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