Happy Home - The “Big 24” Checklist for Renters (Don’t Tour an Apartment Without It)

 Insights from Jonas Bordo, CEO and cofounder of Dwellsy, and coauthor along with

Hannah Hildebolt of Everything You Need to Know About Renting But Didn’t Know

to Ask: All the Insider Dirt to Help You Get the Best Deal and Avoid Disaster

(Matt Holt, August 2023, ISBN: 978-1-6377439-2-8, $21.95).

 

            Picture this: You’re walking through a prospective apartment. As you move from room to room, your thoughts go something like this: I love all this natural light. The paint color will look great with my furniture. Granite countertops—that’ll be an upgrade over my last place. The living room looks really spacious. Oooh, nice view! Etc.

            If this scenario seems familiar, you’re doing apartment tours wrong. While these are all useful things to notice, you shouldn’t just be breezing from room to room, taking in whichever features catch your eye. Instead, this is your chance to proactively investigate each nook, cranny, and detail of the rental. Think of the tour as a fact-finding mission with important stakes: your future comfort and happiness.

            Here, separated into the rooms you’re most likely to see, are 24 things to check out during your next apartment tour.

 

General:

• Do the locks work, and are the doors secure?
• Do the windows open and shut without issue?
• Do the outlets work? Bring a phone charger with you to check.
• Do the light switches and fixtures work?
• If there are laundry machines, do they look clean and functional?
• Is the paint scuffed or chipped? Do the walls have nail holes or cracks in them?
• Is the flooring clean and well maintained? Or are there scratches, bumps, loose tiles or boards, etc.?
• Are there smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, and/or fire extinguishers?
• Is the unit heated and cooled? If so, does it use central air-conditioning or window units? If not, will you be allowed to install your own window unit?

 

Kitchen:

• Do the faucets work? How’s the water pressure?
• Does the sink drain properly?
• How’s the storage space in the cabinets?
• Is there any evidence of pests? You’d be surprised by what you can find and how much heartache you can save yourself by opening a few floor-level cabinets.
• Do the appliances look like they’re in good working order? Will you need to provide any appliances (such as a microwave) yourself?

 

Bedrooms:

• Is there a closet? How’s the storage space?
• If there’s a fan, does it work on all speeds?
• Is there room for your bed? Bring a tape measure and don’t be afraid to use it.

 

Bathrooms:

• Do the faucets work?
• Does the sink drain properly?
• Does the toilet flush well?
• Does the shower work? How is the water pressure? Is the head mounted firmly into the wall? Does it drain correctly?
• Is there any sign of mold or mildew?
• Is there any evidence of past leaks, such as discolored or warped flooring?

 

Living Room:

• How does the sound travel through the walls? If someone is standing in the next room over, close to the wall, can you hear them?