15 Things to Ask when Calling to Inquire About an Apartment

What You Should Know before Renting

After dozens upon dozens of calls that I have made to the different places that I had an interest in while looking for an apartment I devised a system of questions that determined whether or not I wanted to take the time to look at the apartment.

1. Availably
When you call a business that owns apartments or an apartment complex office it is best to cut to the chase and ask if they have anything available. If you are on a strict time frame and they reply no you can politely end the phone call. If their reply is yes then you can move on to the other questions.

2. Vacancy Rate
If you are flexible in your moving time preference you can ask them if they will have something available in the near future or how often they have something vacant. This may also give you an idea that of how often people are leaving, if the complex is small, like if it has 4 apartments you may take into consideration if people aren't renting, if it has 30 that factor could mean nothing as far as the quality of the place.

3. Size
Usually one of the first question the you will be asked about the apartment is what size, 1 bedroom or 2 bedroom, you are looking for, and if they are not the ones asking make sure to inquire about the size of the apartment. When you are looking for a one bedroom or even a studio there is no point in hearing about a place that only have 2 bedroom or 3 bedroom apartments unless their prices are reasonably similar to what you have budgeted.

4. Price
Now you may have intended on getting a one bedroom apartment and all that a place has is a two bedroom available. Inquire about price, on multiple occasions I have seen a 2 bedroom only slightly higher in price or lower when compared to similar one bedrooms in the area, even if it isn't a 1 more bedroom like you intended in having. When the price is out of your price range or you don't meet the income requirements there is no point in setting up an appointment to see the apartment.