This page is for those who need to find or evaluate apartments.

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Apartment Tips

• How to Buy and Manage Rental Properties
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  Using Surplus Space in Single Family Houses

Apartment tenants

• The New Apartment Book
• Finding an Apartment (Schwartz, Stuart, Life Skills)

By Mark Lamendola, MBA, Certified Manager,
and former apartment dweller

When looking for an apartment:

1. Be wary of promos: these indicate the landlords are having problems attracting and keeping tenants.

2. Check the parking lot(s) for signs of trash--lots of trash outside indicates tenants trash the inside.

3. Drive by the place at night. Does it look well-lit enough for security without being so overlit you have no chance of sleeping? Is there night-life going on? If so, does that match your sleeping pattern?

4. Before you sign the lease, check the heating ducts. If they are dirty, insist they be cleaned or at least vaccumed out. If the landlord balks at this, act indignent and mention another apartment complex.

5. Give your prospective apartment a good sniffing test--if the carpet is ruined by spilled milk or pet poop, you don't want to be sleeping there.

1. Photograph the inside before you move in. Pay close attention to doors, cupboards, fixtures, and carpeting "wear areas."

2. Pay your rent at least 10 days ahead of time, no matter how bad the place is. This gives you an excellent credit reference.

3. Keep your place clean; there are enough toxins from the other tenants to have an impact on your health.

4. Keep all food in plastic or metal containers, to reduce attraction to bugs. Do not keep paper sacks, as bugs eat the glue.

5. Keep wall hangings to a minimum, to reduce excuses the landlord might make to keep your deposit.

6. Do not make your own repairs--landlords are seldom appreciative. If a landlord says, "Fix it, I'll reimburse you," tell the landlord, "Give me an advance on the parts." If the landlord does not reimburse you, you really have no recourse. Witholding your rent money is a poor way to get your way.

7. Report all repair needs immediately, and always follow up with a written note if you notify by phone. You need to have a paper trail in case of disputes.

1. Try to leave on good terms: landlords figure highly in your credit and other references. You can always "get them" some other way--don't mess up your credit.

2. Leave the place cleaner than it was when you moved in.

3. Remember those "move in" photos? Take photos when you move out, too. Pictures don't cost much, and you can pitch them a year after you get your next place.

4. Fix any holes you put in the walls. If you really hate the landlord, use white toothpaste to fill small nail holes. Otherwise, invest $15 in a small can of spackling compound, brush and paint.

5. Don't leave dust balls behind. In fact, don't leave anything behind unless it's supposed to be there. This means you don't leave trash.

6. A couple of hours and a few dollars of your time invested wisely at move-in and move-out times can pay big dividends. Think of your landlord as an investment--the landlord's good will is all you will have left after paying rent instead of a mortgage.

For more information about these lodgings, see:

www.breckenridgehomerental.com

• Need an apartment in Melbourne, Australia? Click here: http://www.serviced-apartments.com.au/

Here's an investment property site: http://www.access-investment-property.com/