Let’s be honest — apartment living is awesome. You get your own space, your own rooms, your own bathrooms, and if any of the appliances break, someone else has to fix them! What could be better? However, when looking for local apartments for rent, there are a few things you should be aware of. With all the advantages of apartment living, there are still a few minor annoyances that might make your 12-month lease less-than-pleasant. Here’s just a few to check out beforehand.
Outlets. Not all electrical contractors are created equal, and sometimes they don’t put outlets where you expect them to — or in the right quantity. Ideally, there should be at least two outlets per room, on opposite walls. If you’re viewing an apartment that still contains the outgoing tenants’ furniture, be sure to ask before you start shifting it around to inspect the walls. And don’t forget to ask the landlord if any of the outlets are controlled by light switches.
Cell Phone Reception. More and more people these days don’t even have a landline in their apartment, so the question of cell reception becomes very important. After all, you don’t want to have to pop out to the fire escape every time your phone rings. Studio apartments and efficiencies are pretty straightforward, but once you start looking at one bedroom apartments and two bedroom apartments, you’ll want to wander from room to room while looking at your bars, or even talking to a friend, to make sure the reception is serviceable throughout the apartment.
Water Heating and Pressure. Every day will be bright and shiny in your new apartment if you can start it off with a strong, hot shower. During your walkthrough, step into the bathroom and turn on the bathtub faucet and showerhead to check the pressure. Try the sink, too, and be sure to flush the toilet (though maybe not all at once, for scientifically accurate results). See how long it takes the water to get hot, and whether or not it gets hot enough for your tastes. Make sure the kitchen sink can be successfully stopped, and then see how fast the water drains back down.
Local apartments for rent can have varying degrees of all of the above criteria, even apartments within the same building. Keep these apartment hunting tips in mind, and you can be assured you’ll enjoy every day in your new place. To see more, read this.
