The apartment hunting season for next fall is in full force. You may not need a license, boots, birdcall, thermos or R.V., but you’ll be shooting blind if you aren’t properly prepared for the experience. Here are precautions you can take to ensure the dwelling you desire is worthy of your expectations.

Many questions about the apartment should be asked and answered before you sign a lease. If your questions cannot be answered by your own observations and your prospective landlord seems reluctant to answer, ask the present tenants or others in a position to know the answers. Besides questions about the amount of rent and security deposit required, consider the following:

Is there a resident manager? How does one contact the manager or owner for repairs?

Are laundry facilities available? Are there enough washers and dryers for the whole complex? (Consumers’ Union suggests a ratio of one washer and dryer for every 10 apartments.)

What is the condition of the hallways and stairways? Are they well lit at night?

Have there been many break-ins in the complex? Is there sufficient security? Do the exterior doors lock securely?

Are there bugs and/or rodents?

Are plumbing fixtures adequate?

Is the heat adequate in winter? Do you have your own thermostat to control the temperature? How well are the premises insulated?

What utilities are to be paid by the tenant? What is the average monthly cost for these utilities?

Is there a charge for parking, utilities, television antenna or cable hook-up, or late payment of rent?

Do the windows open easily? Do they have screens or storm windows? Are they in good operating order? Do the windows have locks on them?

Is the flooring solid? Are the rugs, if any, worn out? Has the landlord agreed to replace them?

Are the ceilings clean? Are there any water stains indicating leaks?

Are the walls decent? Are you permitted to hang paintings or plants?

Can you hear everything that happens in the adjacent apartment? Is the building sound-proof?

Is there adequate storage space? Are there enough cabinets?

Is there adequate ventilation? Exhaust fans in the kitchen, in the bath?

Can you find a place to grill outdoors that is convenient?

Are there restrictions on guests, parking, pets, etc.?

Is there adequate parking? What condition is the parking lot in? Is there space to put your bicycle/motorcycle?

Are parking lots and sidewalks well-lit at night?

Do mailboxes lock? Is there a place where packages (Parcel Post, UPS) may be dropped off?

If there is a shower, is there a shower curtain or provision for one? Are there towel rods in the bathroom?

Are there enough electrical outlets?

Is there enough counter space in the kitchen?

Is the dwelling on or near the Huskie Bus route?

Negotiation is an art in itself, or a science, depending on whose best seller you’ve read lately. A few tips _

It is worth knowing who you’re dealing with. Check with current tenants and other persons who had previous dealings with the landlord.

Inspect the actual premises you intend to lease, if at all possible. If you are shown a different apartment, insist that the lease provides that the premises you rent are equivalent in all essential respects to the model you were shown, i.e., in square footage, condition of carpets and drapes, number of closets, etc.

Don’t be afraid to negotiate with the landlord, even on fundamental issues such as rent, payment of prepaid rent and interest on prepaid rent and security deposits. Terms the landlord might refuse to accept in February he may be willing to accept in March or April.

Ask for a copy of the lease so you can review it in detail. There is no good reason for a landlord to refuse to provide over a lease. If there is an addendum to the printed lease, obtain and review it before signing anything.

Most importantly, realize the lease is the document which is presumed to express the final agreement of the parties. Get ALL promises the landlord makes to you in writing or you stand little chance of being able to enforce them in court.

Compare housing and read the Tenant/Landlord Handbook available at the Students’ Legal Assistance Office and the Student Association, both in the Holmes Student Center.

Don Henderson

Lynn Richards

Students’ Legal Assistance