What to Consider Before Looking for Your Next Apartment

Your lease is ending soon and you’re curious, what’s next? This chapter outlines major factors to consider that’ll shape how you approach your rental search, such as your budget and what you need in a rental. 

8 Things to Consider During Your Search for Your Next Apartment

If you choose to rent instead of buying, then the next step will be figuring out what exactly you will be searching for. To help you get started, we’ve put together seven things to consider before starting your apartment search.

1. Determine If You Want to Renew Your Lease

As your lease ends, your landlord may offer you a lease renewal. This typically occurs 90 days before the end of your lease. The offer might increase the cost of rent,  or feature other changes to your current lease, so be sure to read the offer carefully as you decide.

To decide whether or not you want to renew, consider the following things:

• Has your landlord been responsive? 
• Do they fix maintenance issues on time?
• Does the offered rent price align with the apartment rental market in your area? You can check local listings similar to your unit to find out.
• Are the changes to the rental terms fair, or do they violate your renter’s rights?
• Do you like your current location and amenities, or are you looking to make a change?
• Do you currently have time in your schedule for a move? You’ll need to leave yourself enough time to search for the apartment, pack, switch your utilities, etc.
• Can you afford to move? Your new apartment may have non-refundable move-in fees or a security deposit. 

If your current unit suits your needs and you’d like to stay, lease renewal is a great way to save time and money. You’ll continue renting from your same landlord and successfully avoid the hassles of moving. However, if you want to make a change, you can provide a non-renewal lease letter to inform your landlord of your plans to move out. The only exception is if you’d like to sign a month-to-month lease renewal.

Month-to-month lease renewals allow you to continue living in the rental property, typically for a shorter time. You or the landlord can provide a 30-day notice to end the lease at any time. This provides flexibility if you’d like to look for a new apartment but want to avoid the deadline of your current lease end date.

Remember that if you plan on renewing your lease with your current landlord, you’ll need to sign a new lease. After your landlord prepares the new lease, read over the terms and any changes to ensure you’re on board with everything before you sign.

2. Plan 60 Days in Advance to Find Next Apartment

The ideal time to start hunting for your new place is 60 days before your lease ends. Most landlords post their online rental listings 60 days before they need new tenants, which means you’ll be looking at listings for the right availability date.

Furthermore, 60 days is just the right amount of time to find a new place. It gives you 30 days to search, look at rentals, decide on a place, and sign the lease. With those next 30 days before your move, you can pack and get ready for your move.

If you’re in the position to choose what month you rent, here are the best (and worst) times to begin your apartment search:

• Spring and Summer: Supply will be greater in the spring and summer months, but there will also be more people looking, and therefore higher rent prices. It’s also easier to move in warmer weather.
• Fall and Winter: In the fall and winter, landlords are more likely to be eager to rent their place. That’s because fewer tenants are looking to rent in colder or off-seasons. If you end up looking for a place in the fall or winter, you might be able to get a better deal on rent prices because landlords are nervous about having a vacant unit all winter.

3. Determine How Much Rent You Can Afford

Set a range of prices that you are open to paying before you start searching. The typical rule of thumb is to spend a third of your after-tax income on rent. This will help you set yourself up for financial success by making sure you’re spending an amount on housing that makes sense for you.

4. Identify Neighborhoods You Want to Move to

To make your search most effective, it’s best to narrow down where you would like to live. Consider locations with proximity to:

• Your office
• Family and friends
• Transportation
• Places you visit frequently (grocery store, daycare, restaurants and bars, coffee shops, shops, the gym, etc.)

Location and price are inherently tied together. Typically, the most desirable places to live are also the most expensive for that very reason. As you consider location, it’s important to think about what’s nearby, but also if it’s in your price range.

5. How Much Space You Need

You should know ahead of time how many bedrooms and bathrooms you’ll need. If you’re living alone, you may be deciding between a studio or one-bedroom, depending on the price and other amenities the building has to offer.

If you’re living with a roommate or partner, you may be deciding between one to two bedrooms, depending on whether you want additional space or a guest room. Considering how many bedrooms you’ll need will help narrow down your search so you’re only looking at units that are right for you.

6. Your Preferred Amenities and Apartment Features 

We recommend brainstorming which amenities and features are most important to you. Here is a list of possible things to look for:

• In-unit laundry
• On-site parking
• On-site storage
• Pets allowed
• Smoking allowed
• Yard
• Deck or patio
• Fitness center
• Doorman
• Pool
• Grill
• Dishwasher
• Garbage disposal
• Ice maker

Keep in mind that walk-up buildings and high-rise buildings typically offer different kinds of amenities. For instance, high-rise buildings are more likely to have a doorman, a pool, and a fitness center. A walk-up building will most likely have a deck or a yard. These are important aspects of your lifestyle to consider, especially if you have a young family or pets.

As you think through amenities you want, you should also establish the ones that aren’t as important. For example, if you don’t own a car, then on-site parking is probably not important to you. Cutting down your list of desired amenities is a great way to narrow your search even further.

7. Your Preferred Type of Rental Experience

Who you rent from will impact your rental experience. There are three different kinds of property managers you could rent from:

Third-Party Property Manager

These managers are hired by the owner to manage day-to-day rental management tasks. Typically, the property manager will be the one to respond to your inquiry from the listing, show you the apartment, collect your rent payments, and handle maintenance tasks.

The benefit of renting from third-party managers is that they’re professionals. The only downside is if you have an unhelpful property manager. 

Before renting an apartment that’s managed by a third-party property manager, search the company or person. Typically, Yelp should have helpful rental reviews from previous tenants. This will give you an idea of whether this person will be a good manager to work with once you’re living in the unit.

Large Owner With On-Site Management

On-site management is typically found in high-rise buildings or large multi-unit housing complexes. They’re typically not found in walk-ups or other smaller-scale buildings.

The benefit of on-site management is that you can talk to someone immediately. If you’re having a leak in your unit, or any other urgent maintenance problem, then there is someone to speak to right away. On-site management will be able to look at your unit faster, and potentially fix issues quicker as well.

The drawback is that you will probably be dealing with a larger real-estate company about anything from rent collection to leasing terms, and they will often be less flexible than someone who operates on their own or through a manager.

Independent Landlord

Do-it-yourself landlords typically own one to ten rental units and manage their entire rental business on their own. Some may even live in the rental itself, which is called an owner-occupied building.

The benefit of renting from a DIY landlord is that you are working directly with the owner of the building, which means you could have a lot more flexibility when it comes to how you pay your rent and even discounts on rent and move-in fee (especially if you’re a loyal renter). Plus, DIY landlords want their property to stay in good condition so they won’t have to put as much work into it in the future, which is why they are also more likely to stay on top of maintenance issues.

Similarly, they’re probably going to do a good job screening potential tenants to find someone who is a good fit. For this reason, the relationship between you and your landlord is more likely to be easy to navigate.

8. What You Need for the Rental Application Process

When applying for a rental property, landlords require different documents to verify your income, employment, and residential history. To make the process easier, compile relevant documents to present to future landlords, such as proof of income, landlord references, and your residential history. 

You can also create an Avail Renter Profile to easily provide landlords with all the information requested on a rental applicable through a shareable link. This also allows you to save on application fees if planning to apply to multiple properties, limit credit checks, and have control over your personal information. You can add screening reports, like a credit report, eviction history, and background check – which is also a way to check your renting history to see what rentals you best qualify for. However, if you’re unable to authorize reports with a social security number (SSN) or individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN), you can compile credit references or bank statements to present alongside your renter profile. 

Most states require landlords to accept renter profiles, so check local landlord-tenant laws to confirm. 

Next Steps on Your Apartment Search

Once you’re ready to begin your apartment search, you can use rental apps like Realtor.com® to find available apartments near you. Filter listings by rent price, size, amenities, if pets are allowed, and more to easily find rentals that meet your criteria. You can also contact the landlord or property manager directly through the platform to schedule an in-person or virtual showing.

For the rental application process, create an Avail account to complete a renter profile and add relevant screening reports.