Sunday, June 8, 2014

Red Flags in an Apartment Inspection

Apartment Inspection

Let's say that you're looking for the best Houston apartments for rent, and you're about to inspect a few ones the following week. Regardless if you're moving in for a job or if you just got accepted in one of the universities in the city, you deserve the best. Looking for an apartment that is able to meet your needs and standards is quite tricky, but you could start by detecting the ones that you shouldn't rent in the first place. Having said that, here are some red flags and warning signs of a really bad apartment:

Pests, parasites and signs of infestation

When touring a property, the first thing you should look at are the walls, carpets and the ceiling. Check for any signs of mold and mildew, rotten wood, other types of fungus and drops of water. Even if this is outside the unit you're going to stay in, it's a sign of a poorly maintained complex. Aside from what's visible, bring a flashlight and illuminate the hidden corners, cabinets, drawers and cupboards for cobwebs, cockroach eggs and rat and bug dung. Once these signs are evident, avoid this apartment, since you'll be facing a lot of problems pertaining to these critters in the long run. 

Hard water, stains, drips and clogs

Remember the drops of water from the ceiling? Aside from leaky plumbing, it is also one of the primary signs of mold growth. If you're not aware of what this fungus is, it is responsible for numerous cases of allergies and allergy like symptoms in the United States. If you have dust allergies, then you'll definitely face problems with mold in the long run. Check the carpet and the dry wallpaper/paint if there are any stains or if their condition is just gross. 

Try to check under the faucet, to see if there are any leaks and hard water on the pipes. Try to check the toilet – flush it and see if it has any difficulty doing so. Aside from being a sign of a poorly maintained apartment, it also tells you what kind of person the landlord is. 

Unnatural and horrid smells

Apartment Inspection

A good apartment should purely smell like nothing or purely of air freshener. If one of the tenants is baking apple pie, then the whole place should smell like apple pie. The odors should not be a mixture of bug sprays and air fresheners. If you smell something like animal dung, urine, musty odors(like mold) and decomposing animal material, then move on to the next unit. 

The neighbors

Let's say that you're a straight A high school student who just entered college, planning to work as a student assistant at your chosen university. You've chosen a good apartment that is new and meets quality guidelines. After signing the lease, you later find out that this isn't the paradise you've envisioned: your fellow college student tenants are too noisy in the wee hours of the morning, while your scarce weekend breaks are highlighted by noisy and unsupervised children. 

When inspecting an apartment, also check the neighbors and not only living area. Sometimes, you'd rather live in a dingy and non-luxurious apartment with an awesome landlord and neighbors than a luxurious one that has terrible people residing in it.

Lastly, check your finances if you can afford paying the rent while eating and living at the same time. Living in an apartment is never easy, but it can be really fulfilling if you choose the perfect one to live in. 

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