10 things I wish I knew before I started renting an apartment

My roommate and I didn't spend a lot of time apartment hunting or researching for places or areas to live when we first decided we wanted to move in together. The four weeks that we spent looking for places were pretty quick because we thought we knew exactly what we wanted and when we wanted it.When my roommate found the building we now live in, we were both smitten immediately by the attractions, features, and glam of living in an old high-rise building in the middle of Center City, Philadelphia. As our lease agreement comes to an end in about two months, we've both spent time reflecting on how we can enhance our apartment hunting experience this time around. In our search, we narrowed down ten things we wish we knew before we began our journey a year ago.Make sure you understand exactly what you're paying for.As it appears online, our apartment building has an abundance of luxury features that were advertised to us when we first decided to sign on. In our rather expensive monthly rent, it is said that the following amenities are included in our check: 24-hour emergency maintenance and front desk coverage, central laundry facility with oversized equipment and waiting area, controlled access entry, package and dry clean receiving, fitness center with a cardio theater, and on-site management, among others. Alongside those luxuries, we also pay for utilities which includes heat/air conditioning, water and electric. All of these concepts seem pretty standard, right' Except, when our bathroom ceiling is leaking at 9 p.m. on a Monday night, and we call the front desk, nobody answers for the first half hour of our incessant calling. And second to that, when we ask for our "24-hour maintenance," the man on-call has to travel from New Jersey to our apartment to even "take a look." My advice' Read the reviews, and ask for a specific breakdown of your utility use every month. Be realistic.Although my roommate went and saw the place before we moved in, I didn't have the chance. The only view of our apartment I looked at was the blueprint. I did most of my planning according to that little box that was labeled "bedroom" without even accurate measurements of what would fit in that space. On move-in day, I had the misfortune of learning I couldn't squeeze my queen-size bed and my childhood dresser into the same living space. Make sure to plan accordingly and go and see the place if you can. Measurements are one thing but seeing the place is a whole other story.If something is broken, tell someone immediately.It took my roommate and me about four months into our vacancy to figure out that our thermostat was broken and we were overpaying for heat via our utilities bill. It took my roommate and me about three months of overpaying to actually do something about it. If something in your apartment is broken, especially when you first move in, tell your landlord or open a service request so they can look into it and fix it. You never know how long it can take to get fixed and waiting will almost certainly make things worse.See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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