Each time you move to a new apartment home, it's important to establish a good relationship with your new landlord or property manager from the start. That means knowing what you are entitled to receive from the landlord as well as what they expect from you. When you think about it, it's a partnership where each of you contribute something to the apartment living experience.
Before comitting yourself to a new apartment home, do you homework. Most landlords are pretty committed to providing quality housing for their renters. Here are a few tips for weeding out the good landlords from the "bad apples."
Laying The Groundwork
When you finally settle on an apartment that you like, take time to research the landlord or management company before signing on the dotted line. Make sure the building manager will be responsive to your needs and will take care of any problems as soon as they occur. While it's hard to tell from your initial meeting and brief tour of the building what kind of landlord you are dealing with, here are a few tips for doing follow up research on your next potential landlord.
1) Get referrals. The best promotional technique is word of mouth. So if one of your friends, colleagues or relatives had a positive experience at a particular apartment community, get the details. How responsive was the landlord when repairs were needed? How did the manager handle the leasing process? Did your friends get their security deposit back on a timely basis? Answers to these questions will give you an idea what kind of experience you are likely to receive.
2) Visit the apartment website, if there is one. Many established apartment communities have their own website, and you can generally find the web address in advertising guides, newspaper ads and promotional materials. The site will likely give you information about the location of the corporate office, the expertise of the management staff, and the management's philosophy. While the site itself will not give you details about how they resolve rental problems, it will at least give you an overview of the type of management organization you are dealing with.
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