Ready to tour?
When you arrive for your tour an apartment leasing agent will greet you and most likely ask for a valid ID. Most apartments will not allow you tour without an ID. They may ask you to complete a guest card. Please let the onsite leasing agent know your locator referred you!
It’s best to be prepared before going on an apartment tour. Apartment tours can be fast-paced, so you don’t want to forget anything. Make a list of questions to ask before you tour so you don't forget. Here are some common questions to ask:
1. What’s Included in the Rent? What Isn’t? Rent is almost never the only expense you’ll have when living in an apartment. Many apartments will have other mandatory fees in addition to the monthly rent this could be water, gas, trash, pest control, parking, internet, cable and/or package lockers, for example. Some apartments may include some of those fees in the rent. Almost all apartments require you pay your electric bill on your own and require you have renter's insurance.
2. What's the qualifying rental criteria? What are the fees required to apply? What is refundable if denied? Texas law requires apartments to give you a copy of their tenant selection criteria BEFORE you spend any money applying. Ask questions if you are unsure if you meet a certain requirement. The application fee is almost always non-refundable and sometimes the admin fee is not as well.
3. How do I submit a maintenance request? What if it's an emergency? Is there a maintenance staff member on-site 24/7? If not, what happens if the A/C stops working in the middle of summer, your toilet floods or some other unimaginable maintenance issue arises? The onsite agent should be able to give you the protocol on dealing with maintenance issues.
4. What parking does the apartment offer? Do you have a designated space? First come - first serve? What about guest parking? Parking can be a nightmare at some complexes - causing you to park far away from your unit.
5. Are you running any specials? Even if an apartment is not running an advertised special, it never hurts to ask! An apartment may offer you a "look and lease" special. These specials are designed to get you to apply. They typically give you 24-48 to apply after touring to be eligible for the special.
6. Ask for a quote. If they have a unit ready for your move time-frame and you are not ready to apply on the spot. Ask for a quote if you are considering applying. Quotes lock the rate in for a specified time - typically 24-48 hours.
Don’t be shy about asking questions on an apartment tour! You can even inquire about reviews that you read online that may concern you. Write down what you learn so you can reference your notes when comparing apartments later.
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