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Renting Information Sources
The Renting Process Once you come across an advertisement mentioning an apartment that you consider suitable in terms of size, location and monthly rent, call the number provided in the advertisement  immediately. More details regarding the home can be found when you make a call … for example, is a microwave and fridgeprovided along with the apartment, will the landlord pay the association fees, are any utilities included in the rent, how much down payment does the landlord/association require, how soon can you move in, etc. The owner of the apartment may handle the renting process by himself or might use a rental agency. On the other hand, there are many apartment complexes in the United States where the housing is entirely for the purpose of renting. In this case, you would not deal directly with individual owners but instead with an association or management office which handles the rental of all the apartments within the complex. The landlord/association would either schedule a time to show the property when you call or would have already scheduled a day for showing. Make sure you are there on the day and time mentioned. You would be taken around the house/apartment and are free to ask any questions.  Most owners/associations would perform a background check on you before renting the apartment. In such a case, you would be asked to fill in a form providing some information about yourself including social security number, employer information, salary, etc. If the rental goes through, you would be asked to submit a deposit, which is usually 1-1.5 month’s rent. This amount would be returned to you whenever you vacate the property. A lease is signed for the duration of stay. The lease is renewable at the end of this duration, depending on both parties agreeing. Make sure to check for all lease breakage clauses. These relate to your responsibilities to the landlord in case you cannot stay the entire duration of the lease. The owner and you, both should keep a copy of the lease. As soon as the owner provides a move in date, you should call the utility companies in the area and sign up for service starting the day you move in. The common utility services required are electricity, gas, water, cable and phone. The cost of water or heat may be included as a part of the rent in some areas.  Most homes in the winter are heated using gas although some may be using electricity for central heating. The same goes for the kitchen stove … some may use gas as the energy source with burners while others might have hot plates that heat using electricity. Remember that electricity is a lot more expensive than gas.Also, remember to get renters insurance to cover any losses, if they ever occur. Each state has its laws for tenants and owners. These can be easily accessed on the Legal Rights site of every state. Tenant laws for all the 50 states in the United States can be downloaded from http://www.ohiolandlordtenant.com/all50.html. |
In the United States, apartments or ‘condos’ as they are commonly called, have one or more bedrooms in addition to a kitchen, dining room and living room. "Efficiency" or ‘studio’ apartments provide an inexpensive alternative if you want to live by yourself. They are quite small, often combing the living and sleeping areas into one room. You can also find furnished apartments. The cost of renting varies considerably depending on the part of the country and the local supply and demand. Once you know the area in which you are going to be working, it will be easier to locate a place to live. In case you are going to travel to and from work via public transportation, ensure that you have easy access to a bus or train station. If you are going to drive to a bus or train station, then get information on parking accessibility and cost.
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