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We're moving in the next month (hopefully) and I've started our apartment search. I found that some well priced apartments actually had astronomical fees attached or didn't even have a living room. Some are not necessarily dealbreakers and many don't even apply to me but here's a list of questions I gathered for those renting an apartment to ask.
Is there anything missing you'd add to it? Hope this helps someone!
1) Is there a fee?
2) When is rent due and what type of payment methods do you accept?
3) How long is the lease?
4) What are the terms of the lease and/or subletting? (in event you relocate for job, etc.)
5) Are pets allowed? What type? Extra fees?
6) Is there laundry in building, W/D hook ups or a laundromat within 1 block?
7) How is parking? Is it available off street, street parking or is there a parking lot for a monthly fee within a block or two of property?
8) Income qualifications? Based on last year's tax return or last 3-6 months of paystubs? (How many times the monthly rent are you requiring? Ex. yearly salary must = 35x the monthly rent)
9) What credit score is needed? Is the credit check a hard or soft inquiry? (If landlord cannot answer this then it's probably going to dent your credit and you're going to waste a bunch of money in application fees)
10) What's needed to move in? Deposit and first month rent or deposit + 2 month, etc.?
11) Is there a living room in addition to stated number of bedrooms?
12) What floor is the apartment?
13) What's the process for maintenance repairs, etc.?
14) Are there any additional fees outside of stated monthly rent whatsoever? Is the deposit refundable or non-refundable?
15) Which utilities are covered/not covered? Would we need to get these in our own name or pay through landlord?
16) What are the nearest public schools? (Ask so you can see the rating if you have kids because some are very bad)
17) What's the exact address with zip code? (You can enter this into city data to see demographics and what type of area you'd be considering living in and also how far of a commute it is from work, etc.)
18) How far is the nearest train station and/or bus stop?
Last edited by morgan333; 08-03-2018 at 01:00 PM..
LOL, you go to a landlord in a hot area with those list of questions he'll get annoyed after the 4th one and will tell you to take a hike. Most of those questions you should be able to figure out on your own. Like "what floor is the apartment" and "how far is the nearest train station"? Really?
6) I wouldn't really ask where the nearest laundromat is. I'd do due diligence and search. The closest may not necessarily be the better or cheaper option. My building has a laundry place in it but it's $1.15/lb. On the same block with about 10-15s of walking, there's one at 80 cents/lb. 3 blocks away is 75 cents/lb. Landlord may not even know these existed.
11) I wouldn't rely on the landlord telling you this. I've seen junior 4's that were nothing more than glorified studios. See the apartment yourself and make your own judgement. If you do get a somewhat straight answer for this, great, but my experience tells me not to bet on it. Knowing the neighborhood where the apartment is helps to assume here too. LES 1bd? Hah! Washington Heights 1bd? Might even have a dining room.
12) I'd also include asking if there's an elevator. Maybe just ask if it's a walk-up. Seems like a common metric here.
17) Address also allows you to see what has been wrong with the building. Bedbug issue last year? Hot water was off for a month? Faulty fire alarm? Apartable has been useful for me.
18) I wouldn't ask this. It should be easy enough to look at a map. There's also a website that lets you know where the exact exits are for each station. You'll need to map it out anyways when you go to see the apartment.
I generally don't ask so many questions. We all live a busy schedule. I picked my current apartment on the spot because it was a cheap rent stabilized apartment in the party area of Manhattan and I was 23. No regrets and I'm still willing to deal with its issues. Housing lottery tho.
90% of these questions you don't need to ask and you should figure out yourself. If you go to the landlord with all these questions they will most likely see you as a "problem tenant" that they don't need any headaches from later down the line.
All you need to ask is how much is rent? when is rent due? is there a pet policy?
Last edited by SoullessOne; 08-03-2018 at 03:40 PM..
LOL, you go to a landlord in a hot area with those list of questions he'll get annoyed after the 4th one and will tell you to take a hike. Most of those questions you should be able to figure out on your own. Like "what floor is the apartment" and "how far is the nearest train station"? Really?
If so, then pretty much myself and any other NYer can find a competent landlord who includes these details in their listing. A SMART person would include as many details as possible. Not only to save the prospects time but to save themselves time. So yes.. "REALLY" buddy ;-)
If the landlord is an idiot and gets annoyed at legit questions coming from prospective tenants, he can rent to trash. Ya know..the kind who jack up the place, blast bachata until 5 am on work mornings and pay their rent late
Half these questions I really don't care about..the other half I do. Many don't apply to me. It's just a nice list for people searching.
I'm so sorry that you feel asking legit questions makes someone anxious. If landlords actually provided details, prospects wouldn't have so many questions to ask.
This is standard in most other areas of the country. I'm sorry you are all used to accepting less and don't feel you have the right to ask lol.
6) I wouldn't really ask where the nearest laundromat is. I'd do due diligence and search. The closest may not necessarily be the better or cheaper option. My building has a laundry place in it but it's $1.15/lb. On the same block with about 10-15s of walking, there's one at 80 cents/lb. 3 blocks away is 75 cents/lb. Landlord may not even know these existed.
11) I wouldn't rely on the landlord telling you this. I've seen junior 4's that were nothing more than glorified studios. See the apartment yourself and make your own judgement. If you do get a somewhat straight answer for this, great, but my experience tells me not to bet on it. Knowing the neighborhood where the apartment is helps to assume here too. LES 1bd? Hah! Washington Heights 1bd? Might even have a dining room.
12) I'd also include asking if there's an elevator. Maybe just ask if it's a walk-up. Seems like a common metric here.
17) Address also allows you to see what has been wrong with the building. Bedbug issue last year? Hot water was off for a month? Faulty fire alarm? Apartable has been useful for me.
18) I wouldn't ask this. It should be easy enough to look at a map. There's also a website that lets you know where the exact exits are for each station. You'll need to map it out anyways when you go to see the apartment.
I generally don't ask so many questions. We all live a busy schedule. I picked my current apartment on the spot because it was a cheap rent stabilized apartment in the party area of Manhattan and I was 23. No regrets and I'm still willing to deal with its issues. Housing lottery tho.
Yeah, I edited some out after I realized asking for the address would allow me to figure out the rest. Laundry isn't totally important to me as I have a portable W/D I can hook up anywhere.. No pets..etc. Just creating a comprehensive list to help others.
Thanks for the tips on #17.
I'm not willing to move somewhere I'm absolutely miserable. I don't expect a lot but I'm moving from a place where the neighbors routinely blast party music through mega speakers until 4am on work mornings straight through October (I'm talking LOUD speakers) and a few other things ...
We have a family so it's a bigger deal when we move.
Yeah, I edited some out after I realized asking for the address would allow me to figure out the rest. Laundry isn't totally important to me as I have a portable W/D I can hook up anywhere.. No pets..etc. Just creating a comprehensive list to help others.
Thanks for the tips on #17.
I'm not willing to move somewhere I'm absolutely miserable. I don't expect a lot but I'm moving from a place where the neighbors routinely blast party music through mega speakers until 4am on work mornings straight through October (I'm talking LOUD speakers) and a few other things ...
We have a family so it's a bigger deal when we move.
Sounds like you have Hispanics next door to you LMAO. I had some move in next to me in my previous place. The moment they did I was hellbent on moving out lol.
careful with that portable W/D as some places don't allow it.
Sounds like you have Hispanics next door to you LMAO. I had some move in next to me in my previous place. The moment they did I was hellbent on moving out lol.
careful with that portable W/D as some places don't allow it.
Lol...welp..yep.. I sure do. Europeans, Asians and Hispanics.. The ones who blast their **** until 4-5am on work mornings I'll leave out
THIS is probably the most major reason I'm hellbent on moving out. My expectations aren't too high.. it's NYC...but the inability to live in peace or even get reasonably uninterrupted sleep is unacceptable to me. We need sleep to function. That's just standard. I accept noise pollution in NYC but to this degree is obnoxious. Best part is that I live in a moreso upper middle class area and I'm still dealing with this. Just our luck, I suppose.
Half these questions I really don't care about..the other half I do. Many don't apply to me. It's just a nice list for people searching.
I'm so sorry that you feel asking legit questions makes someone anxious. If landlords actually provided details, prospects wouldn't have so many questions to ask.
This is standard in most other areas of the country. I'm sorry you are all used to accepting less and don't feel you have the right to ask lol.
What kind of response was that? He was being genuine and you crapped all over it. I was going to respond by giving you some useful information since you obviously don't have much of a clue. Now I won't bother.
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