Tomorrow I go out to survey a potential apartment to rent for the upcoming year.
I have lived in a decent number of apartments during my stint here in Worcester, and have experienced less than sub-par living conditions. So, I feel it is pertinent to review what points I am looking for in a prospective apartment.
- Location – Obvious, yet cannot be stressed enough. Security, sense of a good environment, accessibilty (via car or walking), services in the immediate area (stores, food, etc.) and many other things play into this. For many years I didn’t have a car, so I was tethered to my university and my workplace, and never lived more than a 5 minute walk away. Nowadays, this is not such a concern.
- Parking – Worcester is a full city, and the both sides of most streets are filled in the evenings. Off-street parking is a great bonus that previous landlords have charged extra for, or limited to 1 or 2 for an entire floor. Also with snow-removal in the winter, off street parking means no winter parking bans to dance around, and likely means your landlord has arrangements for your lot to be plowed.
- Decor – Perhaps a little frivolous, but the style of the place can play a large role in satisfaction. I’ve lived in places where everything is white… including all the trim; one word…. blah. Likely a landlord in a hurry to repaint a place that was trashed in years gone by. Once I moved from one floor of an apartment to another, partially because it looked better. Wood floors are nice; easy to clean, and you can choose your own carpeting style.
- Heating system – Perhaps you don’t immediately think of this, but I’ve seen how this can affect living conditions. Steam radiators taking up valuable floor space (and potentially corner space), forced hot-air units that only operate in the winter and smell of burnt stale dust, and base-board heating that is always underfoot and getting banged up. I’d opt for the last choice.
- Locks – You can tell how seriously your landlord takes your security / privacy with this. Got several worn out keys to keep track of? Got doors that barely latch? Windows that can easily be jimmied open? Obviously a determined individual will overcome any security system, but this is a sign of the quality of ones landlords.
- Windows – Experienced everything from 70-year old windows that have sagged over time, to newly installed windows while I was a tenant (in the same apartment, no less.) This plays into the heating and security issues mentioned above. Part of the upkeep of an apartment, and can make a huge heating-bill / comfort level difference in the winter.
- Storage – Closet space, open areas to place shelves, cabinet space in the kitchen / pantry. This can be the difference between a cluttered / disorganized apartment to a spacious and clean feeling home. I personally can use two “closets” of about 2 meters in width. Kitchens need to have space to organize everything, else clutter and constant shifting of items will come to dominate.
- Drop-ceilings – I have wired nearly every single apartment I’ve lived in for computer networking. Drop ceilings hide the mess, and make running cables easy. I’ve put up christmas-lights, rope-lights and various other decorations with drop-ceilings; without them, unless you have a sturdy drywall and solid ceiling, you’re gonna be out-of-luck on this one.
- Power outlets – Remembering that most apartments in Worcester are 100 years old…. these places weren’t wired for… anything. Even through 5 apartments, I’ve only seen one place that had “3-prong” power outlets, and that was after a complaint. Other places the landlords just don’t seem to understand the power-draw and sensitivity of entertainment and computer equipment. Placement and numbers also matter allot. You don’t want extension cables running halfway across your room, or have an outlet with two power-strips powering all your kitchen appliances.
- Kitchen appliances – Refrigerators and stoves. It’s amazing how many functional improvements these have gone through that benefit the general college / guy apartment. Flat-top stoves that are a cinch to clean; a refrigerator with full height freezer and normal compartments with clean shelves and pull-out trays. But don’t fool yourself; I’ve never seen this in Worcester, and I’ve seen two stoves replaced, but with the same crappy genero setup that is such a pain to clean. If I ever find these… I dunno, I might just faint.
- General layout – Most layouts I’ve seen have been okay, but here are a few things to keep in mind. The main “hallway” for an apartment travel can travel through common rooms; this space should be considered part of the hallway, and lost functionality for the common room. Separated common room areas are nice… people gabbing in the kitchen playing cards aren’t disturbing the guys in the livingroom watching a movie. Bedrooms off of common rooms can be annoying for the bedroom occupant, depending on general living habits. Devoted entryways are great for keeping the dirt / cold / distraction away from other areas.
- Bathrooms – If you live with 4 or more people, or you have many guests over, a second (or half) bathroom is a godsend.
- Porches – Had several back porches… great for outgoing garbage to pile up, or other bulk storage such as a bike. Porches in general can also be great for summer socializing, chilling, storm or people watching, etc.
- Telco distance – This is a specialized concern, but if you want decent DSL service, you should be within a mile of the Central Office of your local phone company. This information can be found out by DSL provider’s webpages generally.
Well, that’s it for now. I’m sure a few things will come to me… but most likely after I’m gone through the apartment.