How to Find an Apartment in Los Angeles | Local Tips

Описание: In this video you will find some tips on how to find an apartment in Los Angeles. I've moved several times while living in Los Angeles and these 6 steps on how to find the perfect apartment will help you get ahead of everyone else. Apartment hunting tips made easy.

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Here's a list with everything we talked about:

1- What are you looking for?
How many bedrooms and bathrooms?
What's the square footage?
Is there laundry in the unit or in the building?
Parking spots?
If you have a pet: is the building pet friendly? What are the deposits and fees? (check laws for emotional support animals, if applicable to you)
What neighborhood do you want to live in?

2- What to ask before visiting
Does the unit have a refrigerator and a microwave?
Does the unit have Central AC/ Heating?
Does the unit have privacy? Meaning, does it face a view, or another building/the inside of the building?

3- What to ask during your visit
Is this a gated building?
Can someone easily break into the building?
On what floor is the unit? This will affect the amount of light you get and can impact your safety
Is this a corner unit? If you don’t share walls with neighbors it’s much better to avoid having noise problems
Is maintenance included? Most buildings do include maintenance but it’s worth asking.
What kind of neighbors live in the building? If it’s older people or families, you will probably disturb them if you have friends over on a Saturday night
Where does the building manager live? According to California state law, if a building has more than 16 units there must be a residing manager. If possible it’s best to avoid living in a unit near the manager.

ONCE YOU’RE IN THE UNIT, look out for...
Is the unit fully carpeted or hardwood? - Usually landlords take more $ away from your security deposit to clean or replace carpets, but they can help isolate noise.
Does the apartment have good natural lighting?
Where do the windows face? Is it a brick wall or a nice garden? If you don’t like what you see, ask if they have another unit with a better view that’ll be available by your move-in date
Check for ceiling lighting. It’s not uncommon for apartments to have no lights on the ceiling.
How are the kitchen appliances? Open up cabinets and see if you find bugs or anything like that.
If you’re moving in with roommates, pay attention if you would share a wall with your roomie. This is a game changer for reasons I don’t even need to bring up.
Do a sound test if you’d like to see if you can hear your roommate speak from their room with the doors closed. You want that kind of privacy.

After visiting the unit, remember to check out all other parts of the building. Ex: laundry room, parking spot, among other details. Be observant.

4- If you're interested in applying here's what you should ask
Who were the previous tenants and why did they move?
Does this apartment include any utilities? Ex: water, trash…
Is there a move-in special? Ex: half off the first month of rent
Is this unit rent stabilized? What’s the rent increase history of the building?
How long has this unit been on the market? You can probably find out online, but this will tell you if there’s room for negotiation
What are the terms for move-in? Ex: security deposit + 1st month of rent?

5- Applying
If you decide to apply, make sure this is what you really want! Every time you apply for an apartment, your credit score gets checked and you lose some points. There’s also usually an application fee, average of $30. If you think your credit score isn’t high enough (I’d say 650+ is standard to get an apt), then you might need a co-signer or guarantor. Keep that in mind and, if you’re not approved, don’t freak out :)

6- Signing the lease
Once approved, read the lease carefully and every single page. One of the biggest things I learned recently as well is, when signing a contract, make sure you know how to get out of it.

Signing a lease is a negotiation. You have rights and you can even ask for a lower lease! But if you do decide to move into a building owned by a big company, they might not be flexible at all to change your contract. In the end, just make sure you’re comfortable with the contract.