5 Things I Wished I had Considered Before I Signed my Lease

Home is a stress-free haven...or is it?

It’s hard finding a good, cheap, convenient apartment in my city. It took me two months to find this place, and my roommates and I snapped it up immediately, for fear of losing it to some other eager student. I like my apartment. It’s the first time I’ve really lived on my own (university housing, yay!), and for a first apartment, it’s pretty fantastic. However, there are a few things I wish I had thought of before I took the plunge into this apartment, and things that I will certainly be asking about next time we try to get a place.

1. The Water Heater

I live in a four-unit building, and I’m pretty sure that we only have one water heater between all of us. So there are potentially 12+ people using that same little water heater. This means that if you want to take a shower at 8 am on a weekday, it is going to be cold.

2. The Walls are Thin

I can hear everything the neighbors do. In fact, sitting where I am, I can tell that my neighbors are making pasta on their stove right now. They also have a dog that is quite loud. I’m sure they feel the same about us, though. My neighbors in the next house over are currently doing some construction, and even with my window closed, I can hear the workmen spitting their Skoal on the pavement. Gross. It’s not enough to interfere with my work, or in the fall, my studying, but it’s still annoying at times.

3. Does the Landlord Do Your Repairs?

Our kitchen drawers and front door have been in ill-repair since we moved in, almost two months ago. We informed the landlord at move-in verbally, as well as with an email that night, so there was a time-stamped record of the exchange. Here we are, waiting, no repairs done. Before we signed the lease, we had talked to the current tenant about the ease of repairs and landlord visits, and were assured that they would be prompt whenever we called. This does not appear to be the case. It turns out that the landlord contracted out the labor, and that it will be several more weeks before an assessment can be made by the company.

4. Overactive Smoke Alarms

Our smoke alarm is very sensitive. I’ve set it off an average of four times a week since we’ve moved in, and I have yet to actually burn anything. I feel like in the event of a fire, we will most certainly hear it go off, but right now, the water boiling on my stove is not a major hazard. We can’t be the only tenants who have had this problem, unless the previous ones didn’t cook.

5. A Common Entryway Isn’t a Good Thing.

My building has two front entrances to the outside between the four units, so we share an entryway with our downstairs neighbor. They leave their weird things in it all the time, not to mention it always has a funny smell. Sure, this is a them thing, not a building thing, but who’s to say that it would be different with someone else?

Like I said, the apartment is nice. We got a great deal on it, and it’s in a fabulous location: quiet neighborhood, close to work and school. But it does leave something to be desired. Is it really worth having to start our exhaustive search over again completely in another six months? I’m not so sure.