Rental Deal-breakers: Things I Wish I Looked For Before Signing My Lease

• If heat and hot water are included in the rent, check the apartment for a temperature dial during your walk-through. Although it is always re-assuring to see “heat and hot water included” next to a listing, it can be deceiving. Getting stuck with a heat-controlled apartment happens to many and can make for a miserable winter if you have a stingy landlord.
• Do not assume that walls are renovated between rental periods. Scuff marks and holes can make an otherwise decent place look like a dump. Check your lease for maintenance qualifications and make sure you don’t come home to a block of Swiss cheese.
• Take a look around each room and locate the outlets. Look for inconvenient placement, cable connections, and number of outlets per room. Having one outlet in a busy room can be very inconvenient, especially with the number of electronics the average household uses today. You also want to stay away from layouts that force cables and extensions cords to run across the room.
• More often in cities than suburbs, overnight public parking can be a red flag for an apartment. In many urban neighborhoods, residential parking stickers are required in order to park on the street. This quickly becomes a hassle for any home that expects guests.
• When entering an apartment building for a walk-through, take notice of the size of the door frames as well as the spaciousness of the stairwell. If you own large pieces of furniture, getting them into your apartment can become an issue if there is limited space. If you are not willing to part with the furniture, then it may be a dealbreaker.