Red Flags to Avoid when Choosing an Apartment

Finding an apartment can be an overwhelming experience. This is especially true if you have never rented a home or apartment before. If you are looking for a place to rent, here are four signs that you should look for that should tell you to stay away from the place.

1. An unmaintained parking lot - This is one of the easiest things to look for when you are doing your apartment search. Does the parking lot look like it is well maintained? Are the parking lines clear or are they barely visible? Are there broken down cars in the parking areas? These are some red flags that show that the apartment complex does not maintain other areas of the building as well.

2. Cluttered balconies and apartments - From the outside of the apartment complex you should be able to several things. For instance, if people are storing things on their balconies or on their patios, this may indicate that the complex does not offer much storage space for its tenants. But it may also show that the complex does not care about the clutter. If the outside looks like it is run down, the inside is going to be just as bad or worse.

3. Appointment only showings - If an apartment complex will only show you an apartment during a certain time, there may be a reason why. They might want to hide all of the things that would make you not want to rent an apartment in the complex. Walk around the complex on your own to see how it looks so you can get an honest idea of the thing that are wrong (and right) with the apartment complex.

4. Signs of illegal apartments - Some landlords will rent out homes or other buildings even though they are not legally allowed to do so. If the landlord will not give you an address until you meet him or if he insists on paying utilities and asking you to use a P.O. box instead having mail delivered, it's a huge red flag that the landlord is renting the unit illegally.

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