As a renter, you should be looking for a variety of things in an apartment, and should hold your (potential) landlord to a high standard:

  • Maintenance requests should be resolved to your satisfaction within 24 hours (in some cases, a repair may reasonably take longer, but most requests should not).
  • Maintenance issues arrive on the weekend 2/7 of the time. You should be able to get a maintenance issue resolved on the weekend, even if the complex does not consider it to be an emergency.
  • The apartment should maintain an emergency maintenance line for hours that it is not open. Issues can come up 24 hours a day. That stopped up toilet won't fix itself at 9 at night, nor will your broken air conditioner turn on again at night when it is 105 degrees in the summer. Keep in mind that even in a management office that maintains good hours, you are much more likely to have an issue when the office is closed than when it is open.
  • The apartment should be available, clean, and ready for occupancy on the day that your lease begins. You are paying for it. You have a right to occupy it. If the apartment can not have your unit available on time, they should not be starting your lease on September 1st. (Note that since nearly every lease in Davis ends on August 31st, it is nearly impossible that a complex will be able to have your unit properly renovated in time for you to move in on September 1st, unless the previous tenants move out early. They have to patch and paint the walls, clean or replace the carpet, repair any damage, clean the showers and toilets, etc. They have to do this for dozens of units or more in most cases. Insist that your lease begin on a day when they can reasonably have renovated your apartment.)
  • If you are an undergraduate student, you probably won't be using your apartment until shortly before classes start. Why should your lease begin September 1st if you won't be there? Insist on a reasonable start and end date for your lease. Do not let the manager insist that all leases start and end on the same day in Davis. This only occurs because students allow it.
  • You should be able to see the apartment before you sign your lease, or at least see a preview unit. It is important to know exactly what you are getting before you rent.
  • You should be able to get a copy of the lease to read over in advance. Note that while most complexes use the Davis model lease, many will add modifications to it that substantially change the content of the lease. Always read the lease over first.
  • There should be no signs of mold, water damage, poor maintenance, or pest infestations. Be sure to look around the faucets and window sills. Note that many complexes will simply paint or caulk over damage or mold, rather than repairing it.
  • Examine the wall, ceiling, and floors for signs that damage has been patched over. Look for variations in the paint and texture.
  • The management should treat you like an adult, and with respect. Do not rent from a manager who attempts to pressure you into signing a lease. Do not let a manager intimidate you when you have an issue.
  • Many apartment managers will try to blame troubles with the apartment upon you, even when they are not your fault. While some issues truly *are* your fault, and you should deal with them appropriately, it is not appropriate for a manager to shift the blame for many problems onto you. Stand up to them, and don't let the do this.
  • Quality of construction is important to your standard of living. If the walls are thin, you will hear your neighbors.
  • Some units come with appliances. Your appliances should be modern and function well. Appliances in many complexes in Davis date back to the 1970s or earlier.
  • Furnishings in many complexes also date back to the 1970s. Consider carefully whether that brown carpet and olive countertop are going to be nice to look at for the next year.
  • You should be able to lease for periods greater than or less than 12 months. Consider that if your lease ends on August 31st, and your new lease starts on September 1st (or later!), you will not have a place to live until you are able to move into your new place, and will be forced to find a place to store your belongings.
  • Always take photos when you move in and move out. This is important for documenting any prior damage to the apartment, and can help you if you get into a dispute over your security deposit.
  • The complex should be quiet at night (unless you really like noise). Bike by at night and see if you can hear noise from the apartments. If you can, this may not be the place for you.
  • Space within the apartment should be sufficient to live comfortably. You need a certain amount of closet and shelf space. You need enough space to cook and study and live. Avoid complexes that do not provide this. Keep in mind that doors reduce the usable area within a room.
  • Keep a log of your issues and how they were resolved. Consider posting your log on the Davis Wiki in order to hold managers accountable (and to reward good ones!)
  • Insist on a properly dimensioned floor plan. You need to know how your possessions will fit into your apartment. If you can't tell how big a room is, it is not properly dimensioned on the floor plan. Some floor plans show furniture such as couches, in order to make the apartment look spacious. Such furniture is usually quite a bit smaller than you would find in the real world, and the small scale of the furniture is used to deceive you. You should know the dimensions of all walls, not just one or two.
  • Consider shopping for an apartment with friends. It is more difficult for a manager to make a promise that they can't keep if you have witnesses.
  • Post your experiences in the Davis Wiki. Be sure to include your positive experiences too. Good complexes and managers should be rewarded. Bad ones should have a hard time attracting tenants.
  • Ask tenants at a complex how they like living there, and what issues they have had. Do this without an apartment manager around, so that you can be assured of getting a truthful answer.
  • Be sure that you can sublet. Most students leave Davis over the summer, so be sure that you aren't going to be stuck paying full price for the remaining 3 months.
  • You should be able to switch your lease to month to month after your year lease is up. This gives you much more flexibility in when you move out, although you may have to pay more for month to month. Always favor apartments that let you go month to month - it will save you heartache later.
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