Finding a new apartment is hard work!
There are so many things to consider when looking for a new place that it often feels completely overwhelming, and it seems like no one is really looking out for your best interest.
So, I asked the good people of the BuzzFeed Community to share the red flags they look out for when hunting for a new apartment. Feel free to use this as your cheatsheet the next time you're looking for a new place.
1. "Trust your senses! Smell: If it’s musty, there’s probably rising damp or a leak. If it smells like garbage, maybe your neighbors are going to cause a rodent problem. Sound: screaming neighbors/loud music/clicking shoes from the flat above/traffic or train noise/flight path (it’s up to you what you’re willing to compromise on). And then the sixth sense: Sometimes, you just get a good or bad vibe."
2. "KNOW YOUR RIGHTS as a tenant BEFORE getting into any agreement. If your lease says you have access to an amenity (laundry, parking, backyard, etc.), they are NOT allowed to restrict/remove it after the fact. Shady landlords take advantage of people not knowing their rights and do crazy shit. Pay attention to the terms in the lease, make sure you get everything you agree to IN WRITING, and if they try to get you to do anything different, RUN."
3. "Look at how the office treats their tenants/if the tenants have a lot of complaints. While waiting to tour my last place, there were several people waiting in the office with grievances, and the manager who was going to give me a tour was very short and dismissive with them while giving me a '5 star' experience. It was my first time living by myself, and I moved out of state, so I didn’t know any better. Turned out as bad as you’d expect. I had an insect infestation that I reported multiple times, and it was met with poor attitudes and even worse service. Learned my lesson the hard way."
4. "Always check the electrical outlets. I didn't pay attention to them before I moved into my current place, and not having an outlet in my bathroom is such a pain. Also, the majority of the outlets here are for two-prong plugs, so in order to use a surge protector, I would need a converter."
5. "VENTILATION! Affordable apartments in Seattle (where I live) are crazy competitive, so when one came up after the original applicant fell through, I jumped on it. I did a three-minute tour; it was barely more than a studio anyway. It was on the fourth floor of an old building, all the apartments had the same layout, and there was zero ventilation from the bathroom or the kitchens. That meant that the bathrooms were constantly moldy, no windows, and I got the heat from the four kitchens below coming straight up my floor."
6. "Listen for dogs when you're touring the apartment. I love dogs, and my new place has lots of them, but the walls are thick, and I've literally only heard them when they're in the hallway on their way outside, or once through the walls during a thunderstorm. But not all apartments are like that."
7. "Inspect windows, doors, framing, flooring. Look closely where floors meet walls, walls meet ceiling, inside of appliances (if applicable). Open drawers, closet doors, medicine cabinets. Listen to the water run through pipes. Look under sinks as you run water. Watch for water drips on faucets. Smell the water. Flush the toilet, listen to the tank refill, watch for any water drips. Turn lights off and on. Inspect meters, breaker boxes, etc. Lastly, never, ever sign a lease without reading thoroughly. Get your copy immediately, and start a rental file."
8. "If they won't answer your questions with straight answers, RUN. I was moving because I wanted to adopt a rabbit, and my current building wouldn't let me have one. I emailed an apartment building and asked directly, 'Can I have a rabbit in this complex?' and they responded, 'We welcome dogs of all breeds!' I responded back, again asking about rabbits, and they never responded. It was minor, but just really rubs me the wrong way because it feels like they were trying to say whatever they could to get me as a tenant without directly lying. The building I moved into has pet rent and an expensive pet deposit, but they told me that upfront when I was touring the complex. You can't make a good decision if they deliberately evade questions."
9. "If you have a friend who offers to rent to you, say no. Even if it seems like it would work out okay, it won’t."
10. "Google the complex and look at the reviews. Some places like to make it seem much nicer than it is, and give great customer service to prospective tenants to get them in, but once you’re in, the issues appear, and then you’re ignored. Reviews at least give a somewhat honest perspective. Also, try and look for a complex/building that has a landlord/property manager on site, or at least is local. My complex was bought by a PM company that owns several complexes and is based in a city 50 miles away. Now, when there’s an emergency, I’m stuck having to leave a message."
"You should always look at reviews, but I would like to point out that a lot of large leasing companies and developers fudge them. My community does a monthly drawing for a $500 gift card that they encourage the residents to enter; its called the 'Resident of the Month.' Guess how they enter? If you guessed 'Leave a five star review on all our social media websites!' then you are correct. They even forced my bf to write a five star review just so he could use the media room we pay for as part of our amenities."
11. "Ask to look at the apartment you’ll be renting before you sign anything. Many places will show a display unit, then rent you something that isn’t even close to as nice."
12. "Be on the lookout for newly 'renovated' kitchens in old complexes. They often put in pre-fabricated cabinets which look great but aren’t practical. When touring apartments, I was always sure to open all drawers and cabinets, as well as the oven and dishwasher, to make sure they can actually open all the way. Found a surprising number where you can’t open the drawers or appliances fully."
"Yes on the cabinets — mine were renovated, and whatever they used instead of paint got super puffy and bubbled from the steam from cooking."
—pbbt
13. "Don't be afraid to over inspect. Make sure you document EVERY imperfection and take pictures, so the day you leave, you have proof that the damage wasn't you."
14. "ALWAYS drive by where you would be living at night. It is a lot easier to hide an unsafe and/or scary area during the day than it is at night. Check that the street lamps are bright and working; make sure any entrance intended only for residents actually locks and secures AND is well lit. I learned this the hard way, and I wish I hadn't. Had I just sat in my car outside my current building for 30 minutes, I wouldn't have moved in there. ALWAYS GO AT NIGHT!"
15. "Be wary about any complexes that allow smoking in the units. You will be sharing walls with people who are constantly handling lit cigarettes, and it only takes one moment of carelessness to set the building on fire."
16. "Consider the space available to be sure that all your stuff will fit because without furniture, many places look bigger. If you are moving with pets and an apartment allows pets, think about where your dog can go to the bathroom, or if you have a cat, think about where the litter box can go."
17. "Walk hard on the floors, and knock on the walls, to see if you hear an echo or any sort of reverb. If you do, know that the walls/floors are thin, and you're going to hear everything that goes on above, below, and around you. Open up all cabinets/closets and look for small black flecks that look like bits of pepper — if you see any, know it's a clear sign of roaches. I had a landlord paint over roach poo instead of, you know, actually trying to get rid of them."
18. "Any repairs or modifications (anywhere in the building!) that are done in a slapdash, unprofessional way are often a bad sign. Not only do they imply that you may have trouble getting anything that breaks repaired properly while you are living there, but it could also indicate that there are much worse problems being hidden (for example, mold that is just painted over). Proceed with caution, if at all."
19. "Check the amenities. If you like to swim, check the pool. If they have laundry onsite, take a peek in the laundry room. If it's clean and decently maintained, they at least care a little more. Also, go to any area you're interested in during the weekend to see two things: how loud it can get and the overall mood of the people living there. I wish I had done this. The last place we moved to had people working on their cars at 2 a.m. and people living there just looked miserable. We soon came to learn WHY: The complex was horrible."
20. "Turn on the shower. Check the water pressure and how long it takes for the water to heat. Also, check the apartment’s water tank. The one in my apartment is so small that the best I can hope for is a quick, five-minute shower."
21. "Any bug/mouse/rat traps in or around the unit or just the building itself. Even if they’re empty, it means that there’s an ongoing problem that’s bad enough they couldn’t get rid of them for the showing."
22. "Construction addendums are always bad. You're either gonna be bounced out of your apartment whenever they feel like it, or it means you're gonna have the people around you under construction."
23. "Pay attention to where you'll have to get your utilities, groceries, and other regular stuff. I once thought I was brilliant for moving into a place just a few blocks from my office, but the closest grocery store was about 20 minutes away."
24. "AVOID NEWLY BUILT BUILDINGS! If you're the first tenant to live in a space, any flaws in the construction won't have been found yet. We had a leaky ceiling that wasn't fixed for months, water inside the walls that shorted out our electrical conduit, faulty lights, etc. We also kept having contractors come 'inspect' our bathroom because the people below us had water leaking into their unit. And the people next door to us had to MOVE OUT because their shower drain DIDN'T CONNECT to the pipes! It was just leaking water into the floor!"
25. "REALLY long leases and 'arbitration agreements.' AVOID."
26. "Make sure you have everyone's contact info the day you sign and get keys. I rented a place, and the landlord fired the leasing agent the day I got the keys. The landlord lived in New York, and we were in Arizona. I did not have that man's phone number for the first six months I lived there and had to wait until he reached out for something before I got his number. Anything that broke was just my problem."
Anything we missed? Tell us any of your red flags or apartment hunting tips in the comments!
Thank you to everyone who submitted their advice! May you soon find your dream homes. :)
Note: Submissions have been edited for length and clarity.