Rent.com is fast, free and easy to use. Register for free to view photos and floorplans - even
interact directly with properties, all online. What sets Rent.com apart from all the other online rental sites is that you get $100
from Rent.com when you sign your lease. Rent.com has apartments in most major cities and near most colleges, universities and military bases.
More locations are being added all the time.
***NEW!!*** Search by city, state, county or college students, search by college name. Military, search by base or fort name.
CLICK HERE to transfer to Rent.com for more info or to search.
Useful Resources & Rental Info To Help With Your Apartment Search
Sandra also will send you a 4 lesson e-course on "Apartment Searching 101"
If you are new to apartment seeking, have been out of the market for a while, or are simply looking for some tips before you head out in your search, this class is for you. Over the course of four weekly lessons she will show you how to make a budget and decide what you want and need, how to approach your apartment search, and even how to settle in to your new place.
Click Here to sign up for the e-course.
Understanding Your Lease Before You Sign
You've found the perfect apartment, it's available, and you've been approved; now it's time to sign the lease, get the utilities turned on, move, and set up housekeeping.
The Lease
Your lease is a legal document which will define every aspect of your relationship with your new landlord, so read it thoroughly before signing anything. Understand everything that is expected of you and what your legal rights are.
The lease should:
List the names of all adults who will be living in the apartment (if there are children, it should indicate so)
Clearly identify the property which is being leased
Indicate both the length of the lease (in days, weeks, or months) and the dates
Indicate the amount of rent to be paid, when it is to be paid, whether or not you will be billed, and any grace period for paying
Indicate any late charge if rent is not paid on time
Indicate responsibility for utilities
Indicate the amount of any security or other deposit you have made and terms for its return (with interest)
Indicate circumstances under which the landlord can enter the property and any requirement that he notify you before entering
Indicate conditions for lease renewal or holding over
Indicate your liability for rent, etc.
in case you leave before the end of the lease
Other things the lease might include:
Prohibition of illegal activity on the premises
Specific restrictions on pets (if allowed) or an indication that pets are not allowed
Responsibility for maintenance of property (certain things like plumbing clogs, fireplaces, parking spaces, etc. may be your responsibility)
Specific rules for any recreation, laundry or other facilities on the premises
Information about motor vehicles which may be kept on the premises
Restrictions on noise (quiet hours, etc.)
For active duty military personnel only (doesn't include guard and reserves), a clause allowing the lease to be broken without financial penalty in the case of deployment to a war zone
If some of the terms in the lease are new to you, try "Making Sense of Your Lease" from Realty Times. If there is anything in the lease you don't understand, ASK.
Talk to your landlord about the lease if there are any terms you disagree with. The law in many places allows for you to negotiate almost any terms of the lease. If you and your landlord do agree to changes to the boilerplate lease, get them in writing signed by the landlord or his representative.
Your landlord may also require that you sign a supplemental set of regulations. If so, its existence should be indicated in the lease. These rules are often adopted in apartment communities to lay out responsibilities of tenants to the landlord, the property, and one another and can contain some of the elements listed above or other things like how trash/recycling are handled, restrictions on who may have keys to the unit, rules for parking cars and/or commercial vehicles on the premises, how repair orders are handled, and the condition you must leave the unit in when you vacate. This document is as legally binding as the lease providing it conforms to all state and local laws.
Rent.com will give you $100 when you sign your lease and notify them. CLICK HERE to go to their site and search for your dream apartment for free.
2. Before You Move In
There are a few things you're going to want to do before you move in:
Get the utilities turned on. Your landlord should give you a list of the utilities you're responsible for and contact information when you sign the lease or agree to take the apartment.
Very often you may have to pay a deposit for some or all of the utilities, especially if you haven't had utilities in your name before or have credit problems.
Get renter's insurance. This website Netquote.com will help you understand why you need insurance and give you a quote online.
File a change of address. This will allow the post office to forward your mail. Pick up some change of address postcards for friends; notify creditors of your new address; and contact your bank.
Do some simple decorating planning. Things will be easier on move-in day if you have a pretty good idea where things are going. Plan your packing accordingly.
3. You will need a rental truck or a good moving company to move your stuff.
Our "Moving Company Page" at http://moving-links.com/long_mov.html lists many good moving companies and has links to free moving quotes. We also link to rental truck companies and sources for moving supplies and boxes.
4. What if you are moving out of state? What is the best source for information on the new city that you will be relocating to? Answer: The Local Newspaper.
Of course a local Chamber Of Commerce is also a great source for city information, maps, etc. Here is a Chamber Of Commerce Search Site where you can find local offices with websites. http://www.chamber-of-commerce.com/
5. How are the schools in the area where you are thinking about searching for your new apartment?
SchoolMatch.com can
provide you with a detailed "Report Card" of the schools in your area for a small fee. Details are on their website here. It is well worth it to make sure your will be shopping for a new apartment in the best school district.
OK, we have detailed much of the info you will need before you go apartment shopping so lets go look at the thousands of great apartments available across the country on
Rent.com CLICK HERE to transfer to Rent.com for more info or to search.
