Apartment life?

[cakewalked]

So my fiancé and I are trying to figure out where we want to live after we get married. We want to rent so we can live near my college since I have a year left still and then we will purchase a home after that. but what I'm wondering is, from people who have lived in them, what is it like to live in an apartment? I never have before. We have a dog (there are places around here that allow them). Is it loud? Do neighbors get angry when you're loud? Do land lords raise the rent on you? Are they helpful? I realize everywhere is different which is why I'm looking for many different perspectives! We're from Minnesota in the USA if that helps at all.

[orangesun]

Every apartment complex is going to pose different benefits and challenges. The best resource is to look online (yelp or apartmentratings.com are my favorite). When reading reviews, be cognizant that a lot of people will have personal qualms with management - make sure to just focus on ones that talk about the structure of the building (i.e. are the walls thin or is the water pressure too low). The reviews should also give you a general idea of how much noise you will hear from your neighbors and outside the building. No one likes noisy neighbors, but if the structure is built well noise should be minimized (never eliminated as you are in close proximity with a number of other people).

Chances are yes, the rent will increase. That is the fact of the rental market. If you sign a year lease and you are only staying for a year, then you will not have to worry about your rent increasing. They cannot raise it mid-lease. If you rent from an individual owner (i.e. condo owner) they may work with you and not raise your rent after your lease expires.

Are apartment managers helpful? In what sense? Generally, to their best of their ability and enough so to get you moved in and out and solve maintenance problems.

Good luck!!

[cakewalked]

Thank you for the info! Yes I meant helpful with maintenance problems. I've read reviews where people say the staff takes a long time to fix issues and isn't friendly. Again, everywhere is different I realize!

[Sonia]

I've lived in three apartments/townhomes and have never had any problems. No real noise issues, though at my current place I can sometimes hear the people upstairs stomping around (not an issue if you live in a townhome). At the place I lived in during uni, though, we had an awful bug problem. Our complex was built in the 70s and was located in the woods, so I would recommend paying attention to things like that when you choose a location. I've never had a neighbor complain about me. Rent often does go up after the first year. Some apartment managers are helpful, some aren't - that's where reviews come in handy. I've had great experiences with mine but then again, I did a ton of research for all of the places I've lived in. I also chose places that were more family oriented and stayed away from the places that were known to be full of other college students. So, my advice would be to look for reviews online and get recommendations from friends/classmates if possible. Also, always ask if they have any move in specials - you'll usually get a lower rate that way.

[Angie V]

In my 4 years of college, I've lived in 4 different apartment buildings. The first two were owned by the school, so they were dorms in apartment styles. It was loud on Friday and Saturday nights but that's because it was all college kids.

Then for the last two years, (senior now), I lived in regular off-campus apartments. Junior year I had a nice apartment. It was loud sometimes, but that was just because one of our neighbors happened to be an opera singer. But you could only hear him on one side of the apartment (my roommate's bedroom). Apartments with carpets are quieter, so if you're looking for quiet, that might be a way to go. We had a pretty responsive landlord and maintenance guys, so it was nice. The building was pretty large and owned by a company, so it was professional and clean. I only knew of two other students who lived in it which was a plus. We also had a washer and dryer in the unit.

The apartment building I'm in now sucks ass. It's old and literally falling apart. My landlord couldn't give a crap. There's a washer and dryer in the basement which is just filled with discarded..... crap. It's terrifying down there.
I didn't have electricity in my bedroom for 6 months and my landlord did not give two shits. I had to call an inspector and send a certified letter with threats to report him to get it fixed. Our living room ceiling fell apart after we were told it was fixed prior to moving in. The only reason we had to move here was because we had roommate issues and needed to find another place on short notice. Do NOT do this. Leave yourself plenty of time to look and check out apartments. Ask a ton of questions. Check outlets, ask about pipes and plumbing, ask to see other parts of the building. Don't make any rash decisions.
Thank God I'm leaving at the end of May because this apartment is a nightmare.

If you are going to be living in a collegetown, ASK ABOUT NEIGHBORS. You do NOT want to be stuck living next to a bunch of rowdy college kids. I'm a college kid now, and I'd hate to be the person living next to us. My roommates and I aren't loud, but the people around us are. We constantly smell smoke and there are parties going on almost every weekend. I'm so sick of this shit.

[kaysagossiper]

Here is something you will need to do. IGNORE APARTMENT REVIEWS.

People are so fucking unreasonable when it comes to apartments. Like I don't know what they are expecting... a 5 star hotel for 500 dollars a month?? ugh.

You just need to be a reasonable person. You are living in a building with a lot of other people, there are going to be noises. MOST apartment buildings have thin walls, get over it. I think that if you have a reasonable outlook, then your search will be a lot more successful and enjoyable. My old apartment had TERRIBLE reviews. I enjoyed my time there. It wasn't fancy, the carpet was a little old, and it was by a community college. But the place was FINE and cheap. It was perfectly fine. But the reviews complained about how loud it was (I never had that problem) and how their carpet wasn't brand new (what do you expect for that price??) and how maintenance was slow (the place was huge and again, for that price they aren't able to have 100 maintenance workers on hand 24/7)

like I said, just be reasonable. I love my apartment now. It's on the cheaper end so my appliances are a little old, but they work perfectly,so I'm a happy camper. The place is also very quiet, everyone is nice, and I met a freaking hot guy in my building who helped me jump my car and now we've been on a couple of dates. I enjoy apartment life.

And yes, the rent always goes up.... always.

[janajohnson]

These are very obvious and essential question you have asked.You can keep pets with you but it depends upon your landlord's mind some people are pet friendly while some may have problems with them.You have to first ask your landlord and clear all details so that you don't have any problem in future.

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