Tips for a More Successful Apartment Rental
There are several factors that you consider when you are on the hunt for the right apartment to rent. Based on your personal preference and needs, you may look at price over amenities or a larger walk-in closet instead of a reserved covered parking spot. To help you out and make some of the more important details more simple, here are some tips to help you in the search for your next apartment rental.
How Long to Lease
When you have found an apartment to rent, one of the details you need to pay attention to is the length of the lease contract that you sign upon renting the apartment. Apartments can come with different lease lengths and also different details that vary the specifics of the lease. This can be important to you if the time you live there is a factor, such as if you are planning to move again in six or nine months and need to be able to get out of your lease contract. If you were to sign a contract for a twelve-month lease, for example, you will still owe the rest of the monthly rent at the six or nine-month point.
Discuss the lease length with the property manager to see what options are available before you sign. Will you want to sign a twelve-month lease, or is a shorter contract a better option? If you plan to stay in the apartment for a longer period of time, ask about an eighteen-month lease, which will lock you into the rental rate for eighteen months before the rent can increase. If you need to sign a month-to-month rental agreement, you will be open to moving out at nearly any time, but there may be an additional rent premium added to your monthly rent rate to have the flexibility of a monthly contract renewal.
Consider the Pet Policy
Anytime you have a pet that is part of your household, you need to check an apartment's pet policy before you sign the lease and look into moving in. Some apartments are pet friendly and allow cats and most dog breeds with a weight or size limit, and usually birds, such as parakeets. But, if you have a different type of pet, such as a fish, lizard, or tarantula, you will want to ask the property manager about their policy regarding the pet.
Many apartments don't allow fish in their units because of the hazard and damage the water in the fish tank poses to the property. For example, if the tank begins to leak or cracks and drains water all over the apartment, it can damage the unit and any unit below as well.
