The Renter's Bible

The Renter’s Bible

Abe Voegtle

Copyright 2015 Abe Voegtle

All Rights Reserved

Smashwords Edition

Notice

This book is intended as a reference manual. The information given is designed to help you make informed decisions about renting and living in apartments. It is not intended to be a substitute for obtaining legal advice. If you suspect that you might have a legal issue, you are urged to speak with a qualified attorney.

Mention of specific companies, organizations, or websites does not imply endorsement by those entities.

Copyright 2015 by Abe Voegtle

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any other information storage and retrieval system, without written permission of the author.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Section One – Finding the Right Apartment

A Place to Live

Determine Your Needs

What's Your Life Like?

Rental Options

Triangulation

Mainstream vs. Ma & Pa

To Mainstream or Mom-and-Pop?

Mainstream Property Management Structure

Narrowing the Search

Comparison-Shopping

Window Dressing

Drive-By (not the bad kind)

First Contact

The Tour

The Leasing Agent

Specials

The Close

Rate Your Experience

A House is Not a Home

Application

Screening

Rental History

Lease Options

Renters Insurance

Security Deposits

Fees

Tenant Rights

Discrimination Practices

Pets

Maintenance Considerations

Get It In Writing

Lease Terms

Rental Payments

Utilities

NSF Checks

Lockouts, Lock Changes, Lost Keys

Trash

Storage

Notifying Management of Maintenance Issues

Alterations

Quiet Hours

Smoke Detectors

Section Two-Inside and Outside Your New Apartment

During Your Stay

Hot Water Tank

Washing Machines

Dryers

Refrigerator

Ranges/Ovens

Dishwasher

Microwaves

General Plumbing

Toilets

Electrical

Carpet

Walls and Paint

Counter Tops and Cabinets

Lighting

Blinds

Doors

Ventilation

Heating

Garbage Disposal

Windows

Mold and Mildew

Work Order Requests

Permission to Enter

Documentation on Maintenance Issues

Emergency Calls

Parking

Pets

Noise Complaints

Rights of Access

Occupancy

Use of the Apartment

Lead Based Paint

Other Potential Hazards

Pest Control

Safety Issues

More Flies With Honey

Section Three – Moving Out

Greener Pastures

Pre-Move Out Inspection

Move Out Charges

Cleaning

Carpet Cleaning

Paint

Damages

Pictures

Final Steps

Introduction

Thank you for your purchase of this e-book. My goal in writing this was to first and foremost write a book that would save people money on their preferred choice of living arrangements, because saving money is something that most of us are interested in. Additionally, I wanted to share my knowledge and experiences in property management. I hope that with the information that I give you, not only will you save money but you will be equipped to deal with the challenges that arise from apartment living, get the level of service you deserve, choose an apartment that is well-suited to your lifestyle, and enjoy a more problem free existence in your chosen living situation.

Throughout the book, I believe I have represented landlords and tenants equally. Both, at times exhibit bad behavior, and both, at times, have proved to be exceptional. Will this book solve all the problems that exist in landlord/tenant relations? Probably not, but perhaps, the divide between the two could become a little smaller.

Section One

Finding the Right Apartment

A Place To Live

Welcome to the first section of the book. This section is dedicated to the process of finding an apartment. With the information and techniques outlined in this first section, you should be able to find a place to live that suits who you are and what you do.

For whatever reason, you find yourself in the position of having to find a new place to live. Perhaps this is the first time you will be living in an apartment or you may have lived in apartments for many years. Whatever your particular situation is, I hope that the specific techniques I'll be talking about can guide you into making a decision that will satisfy your needs. In my experience, I have found that the frustration people have associated with the place that they live comes from a few different areas.

* perceived incompetence or rudeness by office staff

* slow or no response by maintenance or office staff

* disruptive conditions from neighbors or surroundings

* flaws in property or structure

* shortage of something, available parking spaces or staff

* regret over the rental price they agreed to

There are things that can be done to minimize these situations. But we have to know how to do that and which battles are worth fighting and which are not. I believe that within this book you will find the information and strategies you need to address these core problems.

Determine Your Needs

What does this mean in terms of finding an apartment? This could be a tough question if you haven't thought about it. The reason this is the second chapter is because I believe that this is so crucial to apartment selection that it needs to be covered early on. So when I say to determine your needs I'm asking you to ask yourself the following questions. What is my budget? How big of an apartment do I need? How many bedrooms do I need? Do I want brand-new appliances? Do I need a garage? What kind of storage is available? Do I need a community that has a pool or other specific amenities?

The list of potential questions that you could ask yourself might be more than you have considered in the past. Really taking a moment to thoughtfully answer these questions will put you on the path to choosing a good place to live. A good first exercise is to get out a piece of paper and split it into two columns, needs and wants. Focus on the needs first. This is a much more important criteria. If your needs are not being met from the place you live, the wants may not be enough to make up for what you are not getting.

As humans, we all share a basic set of needs. Food, water, shelter, security, love. It is only after these needs are somewhat satisfied that we can focus on what we want. To put it another way, needs are what you're going to have to spend money on. Wants are going to cost you extra. Only you can determine what those needs and wants are going to be.

Think about the places you have lived in the past. Include the good and bad aspects of both. Was there a street light next to your window that interfered with your sleep? A constant smell from a nearby factory? Too much traffic noise? Take those situations and incorporate them into your search criteria so you can avoid nuisances. Don't take the leasing agents word for it. Do a good scan out the windows of the apartment and look for potential problems.

What's Your Life Like?

It's a very important question when determining wants versus needs, and ultimately will affect your decision on what kind of apartment you want to live in.

There are only 24 hours in the day. If you're lucky, you spend one third of that time sleeping. Another third is an eight hour workday. Now we have eight hours left to ourselves. Subtract commuting, eating, hygiene, and anything else you do on a daily basis. Not much time left for us is there?

With your available time, think critically about how you spend it. Are you involved in sports, community service, online gaming, family and friends, travel? If you work from home or don't go out much, you'll want to be even more selective since more time will be spent inside your new place.

It could be an eye-opening experience to create a pie chart of where your time actually goes. Sometimes the perception of how our lives seem and the way they actually are do not line up.

Also consider not just what you do with your time but where you want to do it and with whom you want to do it with. Here's some more questions to consider. What kind of environment do I want to live in? A bustling neighborhood with bars and restaurants. An apartment community that is situated on the lake? A small complex with only a few neighbors? A place that is five minutes away from your sister?

When you know the honest answers to these questions, it makes it easier to select an apartment that is less likely to disappoint later.

Rental Options

Although this book will focus primarily on apartment living, I thought it would be beneficial to discuss the other options available to you when it comes to housing. Perhaps after determining your wants and needs and your lifestyle, signing a one-year lease at a standard multifamily complex just does not make sense. This could easily be the case.

Here are some of the varieties of structures you could live in. Apartment, condo, townhouse, dormitory, single-family home, mother-in-law, mobile home.

If we want to think