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| Bowie's Apartment in SoHo |
1) Always look at the apartment/space in person. ALWAYS. If it's not possible, send someone you trust to look it over, a skype call, whatever it takes - but I've rented before without going to see it in person and been horrified. And if you decide to move in, like university, review the conditions of the space with photos, etc. so when the time comes to move out you aren't charged for damages that weren't your fault. Also, check if the kitchen has evidence of cockroaches (even if it's in the "past'). Disgusting, but this is an actual concern. If there's evidence of them at any point, they are honestly impossible to get rid of - all you can do is invest in bug spray and an exterminator once a month. I've unfortunately lived in two different places where this has been a problem (but the rent was cheap).
2) Ask what utilities are included. Usually, water/trash are included, but electricity/gas and wifi aren't - but always double check. If possible, find out what the average cost is - if they don't have one at the ready, you can usually google what the providers are in the area and the average cost for them. If you need to set-up your own wifi, you also need to calculate in the expense for the box itself, etc. which my sister and I had to buy and install separately. Also, we had to "turn on" the electricity/gas, which was easy to do online/over the phone, but you need to make sure it's turned on and under your account/name (literally so easy to do online). Typically I found that my utilities averaged out to $75-$125 extra a month, depending on how many people I lived with and where I lived. The more people you have, obviously the lower this number drops.
3) Check the parking spaces. We talked about this over the phone, but seriously. It's a small thing that you don't usually think about, but having them makes your daily life just easier. If it comes with one or two spots, figure out what you'll do if you have more than one or two cars. If it doesn't come with a spot(s) (most likely, unfortunately), then look at the surrounding area for where you'll most likely have to street park. It's good to scan to see if 1) it's a safe place to store your car and 2) it's a safe place to walk down the street from your car to your apartment if you get back home really late. I like using the Trulia crime map (https://www.trulia.com/CA/Los_Angeles/#map-crime) as a quick reference for safety.
4) Check "how" you're renting it. If it's a property management company, if it's the landlord his/herself, or if it's just a room you're renting informally - all of these will indicate a different process to get "cleared" to rent. Typically, a renting experience through an official company means that you'll have to send in an application which includes things like your credit rating/score/report, a recent paystub(s)/bank statement(s), photo identification, and potentially tax returns, proof of residence (a piece of mail like a utility bill addressed to you usually works), and/or a guarantor/previous recommendation from a landlord (depending on the rent/place). Most of these applications come with a fee (of course). And be ready to put down a security deposit and first month's rent (amount for all depends on where/what you're renting - usually I've had security deposits equals to a month's rent or so) when you sign. Some places also ask for first + last month's rent plus a security deposit. Your combined income should also hit their minimum income requirement to rent from them (it should be listed, but if not the rent should typically not exceed 30-40% of your total income, although in a lot of places this varies). If one of your roommates doesn't have a steady job/paycheque stub, it may be harder to be accepted. Also, it's worth applying early to a place you really like because you could be waitlisted if the exact place isn't immediately available, but called if another similar place in the same complex is. If you're renting informally, all of these things vary even more drastically. I just described the most "legit" process haha
5) Along the same lines as #4, REALLY check who you're renting from. If you're getting bad vibes from them, don't rent/stay. Seriously. The first one I ever rented through (Student Leasing Services) were horrible, sexist, and doing illegal practices that were ripping off college students (usually Biolans) with terrible accommodations. They also kept saying we had to pay extra for all these dumb things that were their fault in the first place. Part of their "appeal" is that you have rent and utilities bundled so you "don't have to worry about paying separate bills", but seriously. You're an adult. It's not hard.
6) Heating is legally required, but a/c isn't. If your place doesn't have an a/c, seriously think about how high that ranks on your "must haves", or if it's possible to install your own (a small bedroom a/c usually costs around $150 if you install it yourself). Similarly, laundry services usually aren't in cheaper units, but can be in the building. If you don't have a washer/dryer in unit or in the building, it's not the end of the world, but it's a pain the butt to drag your laundry across town. It's another one of those daily conveniences that you don't think you need, but it's So. Nice. To. Have.
7) LA isn't known for its skyscrapers like NYC, or its lack of cars, but it's also good to check out your neighbourhood. In a similar vein to the laundry facilities, parking, etc. - is it close to a grocery store? To your place of employment? School? A major interstate etc. Is the neighbourhood quiet? Rowdy? I actually recommend driving around the area at night if possible, so you get a feel that's different from "high noon". Also, if you're in an apartment building, see if it has an elevator. You can say "leg day is every day", and it is do-able, but it gets old really fast.
8) Storage & furniture. Sure, you can get really creative with where you put your stuff, but what type of furniture are you planning on getting if it's unfurnished (like most places in LA are)? And how do you plan on getting the furniture inside the apartment/assembled? And where are you going to stash all those film props you don't want crowding up your room? Or those cleaning supplies you'll inevitably have to buy? Things in the common area are the haziest here - who buys the couch? All of you? How do you plan on splitting it up later? Etc. etc. This is sometimes difficult to "just eyeball" without your actual stuff in the space, but you can keep a lookout for what you have to work with. For instance, my place in Whittier had a huge closet, but no drawers. So I realised an investment could be hangers instead of a dresser for all my clothing. My current place has lots of shelving, but not a lot of hanger space, so I can put my clothes and books on the shelves instead of hidden in a closet, etc.
9) Moving is ALWAYS more expensive than you think it will be. Always. Whether it's time or money, but it's usually both. In the same vein as #8, factors that should be considered are: financing your food budget when you're tired and don't want to cook anything/when you have no food and still need to stock your fridge, the time off you have to take from work to move everything (no one pays you to move your own stuff), buying furniture (whether just for yourself or putting in for a common coffee table), cleaning products like swifters, toilet cleaner, the toilet brush, the broom, the trash bags, the trash bin, lysol wipes, bug spray, paper products like toilet paper and paper towels, etc, if you have any kitchen ware and if not what you're going to have to buy/share (ie most of the cheaper places don't come with a microwave). Irritatingly, none of this money ever seems to go to making your apartment "cute". I usually tend to spend a few hundred more dollars than I anticipated.
10) Ask how rent is paid - if it's all under one name, who do you want to be the person that "collects" rent for the group? Hopefully, it's individual by logging into an online account, this is obviously preferable (my sister and I each had a separate account with our property management company where we could either manually pay or set it up for direct deposit at the first of the month). Similarly, figure out how you all want to handle utilities. For instance, my sister paid the flat fee for wifi every month and I paid for electricity/gas. If there was any difference in price, I cash apped her the difference.
11) Living in an apartment is different from living in dorms. Things that you don't realise are your "living quirks" become quickly apparent. For instance, who leaves their hair in the bathroom drain (literally EVERY GIRL does this and it's disgusting), who never does their dishes (I was usually guilty until cockroaches became a problem), who never takes out the trash, etc. You don't need to do a strict rotating schedule of chores or anything formal, but you should probably figure out that kind of stuff and find a system that works for you guys so it doesn't become a resentful thing. Same goes for a potential buying schedule like if one of you has a costco card. Have that person be responsible for household products and reimburse later, etc.
12) On a related note to #11, establish your own version of open hours/floor rules. Sometimes your chemistry is good enough where you really don't have to do this, but other times it really is worth saying. I'm of the opinion that strict, formal rules aren't the way to go in comparison to rough outlines for "common sense". For instance, you don't need a strict bathroom schedule, but establishing who's a morning/night person can help you all figure out when quiet hours would be nice and when they're not needed.
13) No housing website is too dodgy to at least check out, but my favourite has always been trulia.com. For rooms to rent, I've favoured spareroom.com. A lot of websites have the same listing on them, so it can be helpful to cross reference the listings for discrepancies in price or photos. I.e. I compared a listing on trulia.com with rent.com with apartments.com with zillow.com with hotpads.com. A roommate on a budget can be difficult to accommodate for, but not impossible with this method of checking ALL THE SITES. It just takes a lot of research upfront. And see what they're willing to compromise on, if that price includes utilities, if it's a hardline number or more of a guesstimate, etc.
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