Friday, December 17, 2010

Tips On Renting Apartment






There are many apartments available for rent, it can be difficult to find the best one, but once you do.. you'll realize it's all worth the effort.

Exactly where do you start? What do you ask? How will you know if it's actually the perfect Grants Pass apartment? To begin with, it's advisable that instead of hunting "Apartment Finder" publications or even hiring an individual to help you look, consider local classifieds, Craigslist and even Google Maps. This will make you locate much better deals and even more variety. Often, the apartments listed in those publications are either large or pricey. If you are seeking for the sort of an apartment with a swimming pool and other fitness facilities, and can afford to cover it, those publications are helpful. Or else, classifieds, word of mouth, and simply driving or walking around the area where you might like to reside may suffice. Here are some things to consider in renting Grants Pass apartments.

Size - Figure out what size of apartment you need. Generally, you would like to have one bedroom only per individual, although partners or children may share. Students often think they will be able to cut costs by splitting a room, but often there is not adequate space and landlords do not allow this practice. Also consider the size of the other rooms. Does the bathroom have enough space? Can there be a space for a dining table or other musical instruments? Another thing to consider is the kind of building the apartment is in. Is it a house divided into several apartments? A two-story complex? These factors can affect the noise level. Ask yourself if you would be comfortable with these factors.

Prices. Take a look at classified ads to find what typical rent prices are for your area. Also, some parts of town could be more costly than others. Make a decision on a price range that you can afford, and remember to think about the cost of utilities and gasoline off to work and school. The typical rule is that rent shouldn't be much more than 30 percent of your income a month. Don't forget that you will possibly need to pay the first (and often last) month's rental fee and security deposit, along with start-up fees for utilities, shortly just before or shortly after moving in.

Utilities - Determine if you are in charge of utilities, and which ones. Ask how much the utilities usually are per month. Also find out if you have gas heat. This could get very costly in the winter, and many rental homes are inadequately insulated.

The landlord - You will be depending on this person to accomplish maintenance promptly, return your security deposit, and not allow any individual to enter your apartment without your permission. While you are taking the tour at the apartment, get a feel for whether your landlord can be trusted. Also, carefully read the lease contract. Say your first lease has a whole page that stated what the landlord might and might not do, then the second lease had only 2 items that the landlord mentioned as his/her obligation. The first lease seems like more secure. You can also ask current renters if they like the landlord.

Eventually, if the apartment is good and it's rent fee is low, a jerk of a landlord may be worth it, but most of the time you must ensure you can trust your landlord. There are many available for rent, it can be difficult to find the best one, but once you do.. you'll realize the efforts are all worth it.

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Can You Rent an Apartment With Bad Credit?


For some reasons, some people have neglected one of the most important areas to consider in many financial transactions. This is the need for a clean credit history and high credit rating. If the situation is already there, some think that their hands are tied and can no longer make big moves like buying a house or renting an apartment. The good news is that there is a way for you to be able to still rent a home or an apartment even if you do not have that clean credit record. Below are some tips that you can follow to still be able to rent the apartment that you like.

Tip #1: Ensure that credit check is not a requirement.

You can find many available apartments for rent online or in your local classified ads paper. You will see that you have many choices and you can consider the location, configuration, price, and area as parameters of your decision. You can list down all the apartments that interest you and start inquiring about the requirements. You can do this online or you can visit the place and ask the landlord about what you need to prepare to process the rent transaction.

You will find that a credit check is one of the requirements but there are also owners or landlords who do not consider this as long as you are ready to give a good deposit and advance payment. In avoiding credit check, you might end up paying more upfront but this would be the trade off. Those that require a credit history will have to be crossed out and you have to go to the next item in the list until you have a short list of those that do not have the requirement. From there, you can go on with the usual assessment of the property on whether it is the one you like or not.

Tip #2: Get a Recommendation

In case you really want the area or the apartment in particular and a credit check is necessary, you can ask the landlord if he or she can accept a recommendation from somebody who can vouch for you as a financially responsible person. Sometimes, this is accepted and as a replacement to the credit check, the recommendation can help you get that apartment.

Tip #3: Get a Co-Signer

You can also get a co-signer or co-maker to be equally responsible for all the obligations that you will be agreeing into. If your credit history is not good, some owners would accept a guarantor or co-signer who has a good credit rating. This gives the assurance that when you become irresponsible, there is another person to go after to pay for your obligations.

These are ways to handle the processing of apartment rental. Although these tips can make you get the place that you like, it is still best to start cleaning your record and paying off your responsibilities. There is no better way to enter into future financial transactions but to have a clean credit record and be free from all the hassles of credit investigation and the like. When your resources can allow, you can start paying your responsibilities and eventually have yourself cleared and free from financial obligations.

For now, you can do the above tips to have the apartment that you want to live in.



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How to Rent an Apartment or House

The rental markets in many cities are cyclical: a few boom years with renters scrambling for any available studio followed by a glut in availability. In either scenario, the most desirable rental units are snapped up the quickest. Do your homework, then hit the pavement

    Conduct the search

  1. 1
    Be prepared: Create a renter's re'sume' with your current and previous five addresses and landlord phone numbers, your employer and length of employment, your current salary and other income, personal references, among other information. Include a copy of your credit report. You want to look as good on paper as possible to stand out from other applicants.
  2. 2
    Look in the newspaper classifieds, apartment hunter publications, college campus bulletin boards, and online for available units to investigate. Ask friends about openings in their buildings.
  3. 3
    Consider how much you can afford to pay. A good rule of thumb is no more than 30 percent of your take-home monthly income.
  4. 4
    Enlist a rental agent to narrow your search. Depending on the market, this service may be free (paid for by landlords) or cost you a percentage of your rent when you land the apartment.
  5. 5
    Turn to a roommate service if you're looking for cheaper space to share. Be clear what qualities you desire in a roommate, as well as types of people or habits you'd prefer to avoid, such as smokers.
  6. Case the joint

  7. 1
    Inspect the property carefully. If there's any damage, you not only want to ask that it be fixed, but don't want to be blamed for it later. Make sure such problem areas are addressed in a lease, either by your agreeing to live with it, or the landlord agreeing to fix it by a certain date.
  8. 2
    Check out common walls (walls shared with adjoining apartments). The more walls in common, the greater the chance of noise from next door. Also consider a common entrance in terms of how much privacy you may want.
  9. 3
    Ask about amenities such as enclosed parking or a garage, a yard, storage, laundry facilities, pool, tennis, gym or concierge services.
  10. Negotiate the deal

  11. 1
    If you find an apartment you love but is a stretch financially, ask if there are responsibilities you can take on to lower your rent, such as cutting the lawn, sweeping common areas or taking deliveries. Or if you find a great apartment but it lacks services such as utilities, laundry facilities, cable TV and Internet access, ask the landlord to throw some in at no charge. Many newer buildings will. Or offer to sign a longer-term lease or give a higher security deposit in exchange for more services.
  12. 2
    Examine your lease in detail: How much notice is required prior to moving, how large a deposit you have to make, how much cleaning is required upon leaving to get your deposit back, and other provisions. Some agreements require first and last months' rent plus a security deposit--a significant chunk of change. Is the lease month to month, or a 6- or 12-month period?
  13. 3
    Find out what kinds of cosmetic changes you can make, such as painting walls, or structural changes, such as adding shelving.
  14. 4
    Ask for a lease with an option to buy if you'd be interested in purchasing the property down the line.

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