3 Ways to Protect Yourself When Renting an Apartment

Renting a new apartment can be a very exciting and fun experience, but there are a few precautions that you will want to take before moving in. By inspecting your apartment thoroughly before moving in, avoiding doing any basic repairs yourself, and purchasing increased renter's insurance, you can avoid any costly apartment charges or losses.

Inspect the Apartment Thoroughly

One part of the apartment rental process that many people try to rush through is the apartment inspection. Most apartments are going to show you your apartment so that you can make sure that everything is in order before you sign you lease and get the keys to the apartment. It is very important that you take your time and thoroughly inspect every little part of your apartment and take pictures of any damage. 

While it is standard practice for an apartment to be cleaned and repaired when a tenant moves out, there may be portions of the apartment that were missed or that the maintenance crew did not do well enough. The problem with this is that if you do not take a picture of the damage and insist that be repaired, you may end up getting blamed for it. This can result in you losing your security deposit when you move, or possibly being charged for expensive repairs.

Avoid Doing Any Repairs

One of the biggest advantages to renting an apartment is that you do not have to worry about doing any maintenance or repairs yourself. While it may be tempting to perform a basic repair job on your own in order to get the work done immediately or to not have to allow strangers into your apartment, resist the urge.

The reason for this is that if you make a mistake when performing the repair, you could cause additional damage that the apartment complex may bill you for. If the damage is a result of the work done by the apartment complex's maintenance crew, the complex will pay for any additional repairs that are needed, and you won't be responsible for the costs.

Increase Your Renter's Insurance Coverage

While most apartment complexes will require you to have renter's insurance when you move in, they typically only require coverage that will pay to repair the apartment. However, you can easily increase your renter's insurance coverage to pay for any medical expenses that may arise due to an injury that occurred in the apartment. In addition, you can even increase your coverage to the point where it can reimburse you for any items that were stolen or lost in a fire.

Yes, moving into a new home is a great experience, provided that you take the right precautions. You can minimize the risk of incurring extra charges or losing your security deposit when you move into an apartment complex by purchasing greater renter's insurance coverage, allowing the complex to perform all repair and maintenance tasks, and inspecting your apartment as closely as possible before signing your lease. For more information, talk to a complex like Pacific Properties.


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