10 Things You Need to Know Before Renting an Apartment

Don't make a mistake than costs you your dream crib.

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Image via Complex Original
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Whether you're seeking your first apartment, or your tenth, the search process has a way of making you feel unprepared. Maybe it's the ambiguous language of cragslist ads, the unfamilar jargon of brokers, or the sheer number of apartments you're forced to sift through, but after just a few stress-filled weeks into the hunt, your cramped studio can suddenly seem good enough. Staying where you are or settling isn't the answer—you can do better.

Alicia Schwartz, co-founder of rental ratings start-up Rentenna.com, is experienced in the art of stress-free apartment searches. Her experience as a successful rental broker in New York City led to her to becoming the New York Times rental expert and creating HowToRentinNYC.com. Here, Alicia reveals what renters need to know to before signing anything, and how a little reseach can lead to securing your dream crib.

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10. Know that renting an Apartment is a legal process.

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9. Realize the importance of reading your lease.

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8. Research the landlord for violations.

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7. Get a rental cosigner lined up.

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6. Check your credit.

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5. Set your budget.

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4. Pick 2-3 neighborhoods and actually explore them in person and online.

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Finding an apartment can take its toll and having to explore 5 million apartments in 10 neighborhoods is exhausting, trust me. Wouldn’t it be easier to pick 2-3 in the same general region and explore only 1 million? First, I would look online at rental listing sites to gauge current pricing for the size apartment you are looking for. On Rentenna, we have historical pricing for hundreds of thousands of apartments, so even if you want to look up a particular building that doesn’t have any open listings, you can see how much their past rentals are compared to the neighborhood, to the city and the rest of the U.S. After you realize you can’t afford that doorman one bedroom in the West Village in NYC, or Wicker Park in Chicago, or Beacon Hill in Boston, or Georgetown in D.C. (you get the picture), it's time to pick the next set of neighborhoods you kinda like (and can actually afford) and move on.

3. Ask the landlord questions.

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2. Get renter's insurance.

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1. Give yourself time

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