5 tips on how to rent your first apartment

The first place I moved into with an actual landlord has been the bane of my existence. I have had a terrible experience with it. So I wanted to help out new comers to the renters scene, and even existing renters!

My Must Do Apartment Rules!

1. Don't ever put down on a deposit on an apartment you have never seen

Seriously, don't do it! It is the sketchiest feeling not knowing what your home will look like and you've already put over $1000 down on it. It is really uncomfortable. This happened with an apartment I was going to rent but then gave up on (due to sketchy management check #2) LUCKILY, the manager sympathized with us and shredded my check. PHEW. Also, never sign anything without thoroughly looking through the paperwork. 

2. Examine how the management operates

We found a beautiful 2bed/1bath home with all hard wood floors, huge balcony, etc, etc. But the management was a nightmare. They were very inconsistent with what they needed from us. They harassed my manager where I work at least 8-10 times A WEEK. They would call her excessively, they called both her and I liars. It really was not good business practice. Also, just from my experience, do not rent from a low income facility, unless you are low income. You will constantly have to prove *low wages and paystubs and if you start to make more, they are aloud to evict you. 

3. PET INSPECTIONS, PET RENT, PREVIOUS TENANTS
Do not even get me started on the nightmare of pet deposits in apartments. It will be the death of me and I am still fighting it. Pet rent, another way to screw someone over. Never pay pent rent over $50, it will eat your soul and your bank account. Also never pay a pet deposit over $300. That is also the bane of my existence. If you have a roommate that has a "service animal", anything that animal destroys, pees on, or does comes out of YOUR pet deposit. I cannot stress this enough. I had a cat and my roommate had a "service dog", if the dog pees on the carpet that would have came out of my deposit. Her dog isn't considered a "pet", so don't let that happen to you. (side note, I do believe in service animals full-heartedly, but I do not believe in my roommate's case that it is was valid.) Now, check with your apartment to make sure the tenant before you didn't have any animals, or that they have already thoroughly tested the apartment. This just happened with me. We wet-vacuumed the carpets and it activated a very old pee stain that was blamed on my animal. Which it wasn't. But I legally cant prove that.

PLUS!!! Evangeline is too adorable to pee on floors(not to mention a dresser covered that spot from the day we moved in until the day we moved out. Which would have made it impossible.)

4. Investigate the apartments at all hours
Check out your future neighbors! But don't be a creep. Check and see if they are crazy party animals that will paint your cat their college colors. Also check to see for any sketchy behavior. I found out that at least 2 people on my floor were drug dealers right after moving in. To add on to this, when you are doing your over view before moving in, write down every single tiny baby thing that is wrong with the apartment. If a little hole in the carpet gets bigger by the time you move out, that's on you.

5. Picking your roommate(s)
When picking a roommate, do so with extreme caution. I would NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER recommend craigslist. Even after interviewing my old roommate I found out so much VERY unfavorable behavior. Find out peoples cleaning habits, how they feel about their home, and create BOUNDARIES. Like do not use my f-ing razor blade that is unbelievably uncool. I also wouldn't recommend rooming with your best friend. I love my best friend, but if he left his beard trimmings in our sink one to many times, he would be one dead B-snatchhh.
(Pardon the language)

Those are my absolute must but BuzzFeed has so many more. These are my personal experiences in this situation. Just don't get too excited about an apartment and lose sight of things that might go down when you have to leave.