Common Courtesy in Apartments

I am always amazed at the complete lack of common courtesy people display in an apartment complex.  

For example, one tenant kept a broken down motorcycle in a prime space in front of our building for many years.  When she moved out, she blocked three spaces with a portable shipping container.

Still other tenants move in or out of a complex at night.  There's nothing like a hand truck full of boxes bouncing down a flight of stairs at midnight to promote a good night of sleep.

Still other people just leave cups and litter from their car out on the street. Believe it or not, the grounds keeper has other duties to perform.  In a community, you just don't do things like that.  Civilization depends on people to act civilized.  It's that simple.

Using The Apartment Complex Amenities

There has long been an adage in sales that you sell the sizzle not the steak.  Apartment complexes sell us with amazing club house facilities, gyms, pools, and tennis courts. Unfortunately, we seldom use any of those amenities.

One way to get the most for your money when renting an apartment is to use every available amenity to the maximum extent possible.  Most people pay $30 to $200 per month for a health club membership and you have all the equipment available for free.

Go to the pool while you still have some summer left!

Apartment Complex Critters - The Worm Snake

Yesterday I rescued a snake in our apartment complex.  I believe he was a worm snake.  He was a chubby little black fellow about five inches long.  He had a teeny-tiny head and seemed to be blind.  Naturally, he lurks under the pine straw mulch used in our flower beds where he eats tiny bugs.  However, he fell out of the safety of the shrubbery and onto the concrete gutter.  He was not big enough to make it up over the curb so he opted to hide under a leaf.  I scooped him up with an envelope and put him back in the pine straw.  He promptly disappeared.
The little fellow was a reminder that all sorts of creatures live in our complex.

This one in the hands of a Virginia park ranger looks very similar to the worm snakes we have in Georgia.

Worm Snake in Virginia - Photo By vastateparksstaff [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Beware of Door Dingers

Many people in this world are unable to park a car properly.  They leave their car parked in a space at an angle or with a wheel across the line separating spaces.  With little room between their car and the car parked next to them, they often end up dinging the doors of neighboring cars.

How do you combat these door dingers?  The best you can do is to try and identify who the door dingers are and then park away from them.  Some folks with fancy cars in our complex park far away from the building in seldom-used spaces.  Another tactic is to park in the last space in the lot so that only one side of your car is exposed to a neighbor's car.  Typically, you park right up against shrubbery or a handicapped spot.

Ultimately there isn't much you can do.  Once we buy a house, we'll have to take our long suffering cars to Maaco!

Maintaining Your Apartment Building

As a tenant, I'm always dismayed when a property management company doesn't take proper care of an apartment complex.  But, the folks in the rental office can be very clueless about issues on a property.  If you think about it, it makes sense.  The leasing consultants and complex manager aren't out and about on the property after dark or when it rains.  They won't notice a plugged gutter or bugs in a hallway or a streetlight that is out.  But, as a tenant, you do notice.  When you see something, you need to say something.  No one else will.

Over the years, I've reported holes in a building, siding falling from an eave, evidence of a burglary, bugs in hallways, and terrible leaks at the carwash.  My wife has often called in about street lights that were out or that were flashing intermittently.  Hearing all that, you'd think we live in a ghetto.  But, we don't.  We live in one of the nicer apartment complexes in our area.  Of course, it's only a nice complex because people do call about problems.  So, if you see a serious issue on the grounds of your apartment complex, call it in!

How to Check Out a New Apartment Complex Before You Sign a Lease

Are you moving to a new apartment? Finding a good one can be a challenge. Over the years, my wife and I have packed up and moved many times. We've learned a few things about investigating new apartment communities. Here are some tips to help you thoroughly scope out an apartment complex before you sign a lease:

1. Apartment Ratings. The best way to learn about an apartment complex is by talking to tenants. The next best thing is to read reviews posted online by tenants. Apartmentratings.com has lots of anonymous reviews for complexes all over the United States. However, beware of positive reviews that are written by people working in the rental office. Pay attention to well-written negative reviews that mention bugs, plumbing problems or rats.


 
2. Craigslist. The rants and raves section of Craigslist is a place for locals to air their gripes about things in their communities. If you ask about a well-known complex on Craigslist, you might get some very candid answers. While some responses may be completely fictional fabrications by Internet trolls and others may be politically incorrect rants, there may be a kernel of truth in some of the feedback your get about apartment complexes.

3. Online Discussion Forums. You can ask about well known apartment complexes in online discussion forums like CityProfile.com or City-Data.com. A few good questions about crime, safety, fire protection, schools, and neighborhoods can yield a lot of valuable information. You can learn a great deal about neighborhoods and apartment complexes.

4. Personal Tour. If you live near your prospective new complex, take an in personal tour of the apartment complex. You can examine the fixtures and ask questions from the rental office staff. Tour the actual apartment that you'll live in so that you can ensure that it is up to your standards.


5. Spotcrime. Google's maps and "street view" photos make it easy to see what your apartment complex looks like. But, if you really want to know what's going on, search for your area on Spotcrime.com. The Spot Crime website will provide a detailed street-level map with all the crime incidents in a specified area and time frame.
Moving is always a leap of faith. These tips should make moving a little less scary and increase the odds of your moving to a great community.

[By L Spain.  This post was originally published on Yahoo Voices on July 21, 2012.]