Looking into renting an apartment for the first time? Feel overwhelmed by how many choices and steps there are?
I felt like I was getting stabbed with a tiny stabby thing over and over each step of the process. The frustrating thing is that the pain was avoidable if I had simply known what to expect when I was looking to rent for the first time.
Helping you avoid needless pain is what I’m here for. So let’s do just that with everything you need to know to make your apartment hunt easier in the following renter’s guide.
1. Know what you’re looking for – including how much rent you can afford
I can hear you now. “I already know what I’m looking for, Andrew. You didn’t need to tell me that.” Fair point, and I’m glad!
I don’t just mean that you want a 2 bed, 1.5 bath with around 900 square feet within a 3-mile radius of work. Though, that is certainly important to know.
Sites like apartmentlist.com ask you preferences on amenities, price, location, and more to help find the perfect apartment for you. This can give an amazing starting point for cost and clarity on preferences to make renting your first apartment much easier.
A few examples of things you’ll need know before touring an apartment:
- Where do I want to live? (Location, location, location is the real estate motto for a reason. The area where you live determines a lot of things about your life. The suburbs feel a lot different than downtown. If you need some help, just ask your friends and co-workers what areas they like and why. Public transportation at a location might also be something to consider.)
- What is my price range? (Don’t apologize for being frugal or living within your means.)
- Do you want roommates? (They can bring the price down, which is nice. Make sure you can peacefully coexist and that you trust them. If they leave and you can’t afford rent anymore, it can have some serious financial repercussions.)
- How many bedrooms and bathrooms do I want? (This will likely be determined by your price range and roommate situation.)
- What kind of laundry setup do you want, and how important is it to you? (I used to think in-unit laundry was a non-negotiable. Then I realized that walking a bit and paying $15 per month to run the machines was worth not having an extra $75 in rent costs. If laundry outside your apartment freaks you out, I have an article here designed to take the stress off.)
- What kind of general layout do I want? (Do you want a large living room and tiny kitchen or a small living room and lots of kitchen space? Does bedroom size matter? You may not ultimately have a lot of choices here. But considering the possibilities will make deciding much easier when it comes time to actually tour the apartments.)
- Do I want to live in a large or small apartment complex? (There can be a really cozy and private feel in smaller apartment communities.)
- Do I need a pet-friendly apartment? (It’s likely that you’ll have to pay an extra fee to have pets, also called pet rent, but some places will go out of their way to welcome pets, like having mini dog parks.)
2. Do your research upfront – know what you need to rent an apartment
You’re already doing great at this step!
And now that you know what you want from your first-time apartment search, it’s time to see if the perfect apartment unicorn exists. There are countless apartment listing sites with basic filters that will help you as you look to try renting an apartment for the first time. They help you narrow by location, bedrooms, and price to give a starting point.
A few apartments will likely catch your eye at this point. Check out their websites to get a few more specifics (like the cost of rent). Look at a few apartment floorplans, find their list of amenities, and see if they have a portal for residents. If they are missing any of these things, that should be a red flag.
Technology’s important and rather accessible these days. You don’t need to spend time calling or visiting them for specifics when basic information should be easy to find.
Note: Looking at reviews on Google or other sites can be helpful. But people tend to be passionately negative on such matters. So take many of them with a grain of salt until you see patterns emerge that could be used to make more informed decisions. That being said, you may find patterns with apartments that are run by the same larger property management group. For instance, DTN is one such group I’ve seen in multiple states and have a few opinions about through my experience with them.
Found a few places that catch your eye after a good once over? It’s time to start touring apartments!
3. Everything you experience before signing the apartment lease is important
Everything you experience when renting an apartment for the first time during the leasing process gives little hints about how living there will be. That includes the website, how easy it is to submit the apartment application, and the energy and communication of the people in the office.
First Apartment Experience
For example, my first apartment’s leasing process and the people who walked me through it were cold and rigid. This made things efficient and impersonal, which I felt in every interaction I had with the management.
The technology did its job, and things got fixed. But I usually walked away feeling like the process was needlessly complex and that I was an inconvenience.
Signs were posted everywhere about rules to uphold, which made knowing the standards easy. But there was very little warmth in the community, not just among the staff but also among the tenants.
Second Apartment Contrast
I am now in my second apartment, which was a much smoother process. This is because I knew what I was looking for and had proper expectations. It’s also because of the friendliness of the staff. Signing forms seemed like more of a formality than a strict and revered requirement. And getting help has been more personal each step of the way. I feel like we’re on the same team.
On the flip side, the technology often acted a bit glitchy. It’s been difficult at times to file an application and process payments online. This has been reflected in my other experiences. I did not have the proper cabling run to my apartment for internet upon moving in.
And paying for laundry is not the most intuitive process. Fortunately, the warmth and teamwork present in times when I need help keep me content. I can work with suboptimal technology much more patiently than suboptimal service.
Everyone has different preferences and tolerances. So just make sure that the hints of problems you see before signing the lease are the kinds you can live with because there will be problems eventually.
4. Touring apartments as a first-time renter can feel weird
As with anything new, when renting an apartment for the first time, some of what you encounter will seem foreign and take some getting used to. Knowing what to look for will hopefully take the edge off to help you focus on the things that matter.
Many apartments will throw you a one-two punch of “Do you have an appointment?” and “I’ll just need an ID.” This can make you feel unprepared for not making an appointment. And when you finally get them to give you a tour, they strip you of your ID, holding it over your head until who knows when!
While not every apartment requires you to give them an ID until you get done with the tour, many do. So be ready and not confused. They will likely ask if you had an appointment as you walk in asking for a tour. I have never had anyone refuse to give me a tour for not having an appointment. And when I made appointments, they lost track of them anyway. So I find it easier for everyone not to.
As a result, they may not have a unit available to tour, especially with the bedroom layout you were hoping for. But you can still get a feel for the community and service, which is often a better indication of how satisfied you will be anyway.
Often, the units you tour are fully furnished, which is nice for bringing the space to life. But you likely do not have the means or desire to replicate the apartment furnishings, which leads us to the next key to keep in mind.
5. Your first apartment is what you make it
When you move into your new apartment, it is a blank canvas that can be a bit overwhelming or disappointing if you aren’t prepared for it.
It’s okay to get things in pieces that fit your style slowly over time. So don’t get frustrated with the in-between where you have moved in, but the place doesn’t feel quite filled. I didn’t have a couch until someone gave me one because they thought my place looked too empty from my apartment social media updates.
Picture the kinds of things you want that make you excited to be in the space. If that means a bean bag chair, LEGO sets everywhere, a loft bed, an impractically large bookcase, a giant wok for your kitchen, or anything else that brings joy to you, regardless of how odd it may seem to someone else, get those things.
The joy of having lots of little things you love is worth not being seen as normal by the people who see your apartment. If you have roommates, make your bedroom a capsule of small joyful things. And see if it catches on and can spread to other areas of the apartment.
6. Money Things and Other Oddities to Watch Out For (application fee, renters insurance, etc.)
When going through the rental process, a few things can catch you by surprise. While usually rather small, I try to avoid the straw that broke the camel’s back. And here are some things to keep in mind to help.
Credit Check
- When renting an apartment, the office or landlord will check your credit score after you submit the rental application. If you have a good credit history, you should have nothing to worry about! If you’re not sure, you can get a personal credit report online.
Base Rent
The monthly rent is not your final price. They usually call it base rent.
You’ll probably need to pay a security deposit, which ranges from a couple of hundred bucks to a month’s rent.
Other expenses like utilities (most apartments have a flat rate for water, gas, and trash), internet, and renters insurance are not included in the prices you see online.
- These will often add $150-$250 to your rent payment as a tenant, so budget and ask for specifics about internet providers (to look up prices online later) and utility or other fees.
- Landlords often offer their own renters insurance. But usually only require $100,000 in personal liability, which sounds like a lot, but is quite inexpensive. You can get policies online through places like Lemonade for around $10 a month.
Always be sure to pay your rent on time, as late payments will not only cost you more money but could affect your credit score.
Fortunately, you should be able to pay rent in the form of automatic payments through a portal with your bank account or credit card, making on-time rent payments a breeze.
Money order/cashier’s check
Most landlords ask for a money order or cashier’s check to get things finalized, often either as the first month’s rent, a security deposit, or something similar.
- If you’ve never used either of those, like me before my first apartment, fret not, as getting a money order is fairly straightforward. Take your debit card to a money services desk at your local supermarket (most have one) and get a money order in the requested amount. It usually costs less than a dollar and only takes a few minutes. Take that money order to your apartment and they’ll take it from there. If you want to look into money orders, you can check out this article from Nerd Wallet.
Pets
If you have a pet, you’ll want to make sure you know the fees and others rules associated with them.
Lease agreement
There will likely be a lease agreement for you to sign before moving in, mostly to protect your landlord from liability.
Move-in check-off sheet
They will give you a check-off sheet to fill out and turn back in within a few days saying that the apartment is in good shape. Upon arrival, open and look at everything in your apartment and note anything that seems a bit out of whack. This should make it easier to get your security deposit back, should there be any issues come move-out.
Budget for moving expenses
When moving into your first apartment, there are expenses that come with that. You’re going to need to figure out how much you can pay to get your stuff to the apartment. I wrote this article to give some ideas on how to do just that.
Congratulations! You are ready to go out there and complete your quest of renting an apartment for the first time. You got this!
First-time apartment renter checklist
- Figure out what you want and how much you can afford to pay. (spend no more than 30 percent of your gross income on rent)
- Investigate apartments online (and in-person as necessary).
- Notice patterns in your interactions for a taste of how living in your first apartment can feel with a given landlord.
- Tour and ask questions about the apartment with confidence. (you can prepare a checklist or list of questions if that’s your kind of thing)
- Add your personality to your apartment.
- Know and budget well for extra expenses.