Dumpster Diving Tips for Apartment Dwellers

Apartment complexes are in a constant state of flux.  People move and people move out.  Sometimes when they move out, those former neighbors leave cool stuff by the dumpster or trash compactor.  If you've ever been tempted to dumpster dive, you've probably seen some interesting items.  For example, I've found perfectly good televisions and shelving units.

But, before you take up dumpster diving, there are a few things you should know:

Dumpster Diving - By {* ferris!' (Flickr) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

#1. Never climb into a trash compactor.  Some are set to automatically compact trash on an intermittant basis.  This can be deadly.  No one--including you Indian guest workers--should ever climb into a compactor.  I wouldn't climb in a dumpster either since it might contain rats and all sorts of germs and bacteria.

#2.  Never take upholstered furniture unless you personally know the donor.  I found a perfect chair once.  Brought it home and found that cats had peed in it.  Sometimes, it is totally worth it to buy a new piece of furniture with a background you know than risk bringing a dumpster find into your home.

#3.  Never take food items from near a dumpster.  Some newcomers to America leave excess uncooked food items at the dumpster for other residents to take.  That's a really bad idea.  The dumpster area is a breeding ground for bacteria and is also frequented by vermin such as rats, mice, raccoons, and Possums.

Young Raccoons in a Dumpster - By PookieFugglestein (Own work) [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons

#4.  Never take electronics after rain.  The circuitry could be compromised by water, short out, or even start a fire.  You never want to put your fellow residents at risk.

Nine Ways to Stop Crime

Common Sense and Cell Phone Can Protect Your Neighborhood 

Some common sense tips that can help protect your neighborhood from crime without getting you into trouble.

The Trayvon Martin shooting and subsequent trial focused attention on the role of a neighborhood watch and the fight against crime. While arming yourself and following a suspicious person may be overzealous and get you far more involved in a situation than you ever imagined, there are a lot of things you can do to help stop crime in your community.

1. Stay alert. To avoid being vulnerable, you have to stay alert and aware of the situation around you. A $400 mugger magnet that diminishes your situational awareness is a bad idea. Pull the earbuds out of your ears and put your smartphone or MP3 player away. Now, look around.

2. Notice unusual people and behavior. As a private citizen, you are lowed to profile people for your own personal safety. If you are in a public park and you see a lone male backed into a far off parking space, he is likely to be there for one of two things: a drug deal or illicit sexual activity. If you see someone who looks like someone you saw on COPS, New Jack City, The Shield, or Deliverance, you should keep your distance and keep an eye on them.

3. Notice things that seem out of place. Be alert for suspicious packages, vehicles, or workers that look out of place. When I used mass transit, I was impressed that a bus driver noticed an abandoned briefcase at the bus depot and started asking where the owner was. Fortunately, other riders quickly identified the owner as an office worker who had simply left it behind momentarily while getting a pass from the information kiosk.

4. Report illegal activity. The "Don't snitch movement" is the product of criminals and their community of accessories and suppoters. If you aren't a criminal, you shouldn't express solidarity with those who are. If you want to live in a nice neighborhood that isn't full of thugs, you need to report every illegal activity you see. The police can handle it from there. There is no need to try and be a hero.

5. Don't encourage panhandlers. When an able-bodied person tells you a sob story and asks you for money on the street, they may well be pulling a scam. In our community, one enterprising gentleman has been pretending to be on a cellphone and have car trouble for two years.

6. Watch out for neighbors and their property. If you live in an area for awhile, you"ll learn where people live, their routines, and what cars they drive. You should recognize when a stranger is ransacking a neighbor's home or car.

7. Keep an eye on work trucks and moving vans. Commercial work vans come in a variety of colors with the most popular ones being peophile white and burglar blue. When they aren't emblazoned with a commercial livery, you should take notice and be alert. In most cases, there is nothing to report, but if your neighbors are on vacation and you see a commercial van, you may want to watch and see if metal thieves are taking your neighbors air conditioning unit.

8. Ask for extra police patrols for holidays. If you are going on vacation, or you've seen a lot of suspicious activity, or there has been a rash of burglaries, or your neighborhood seems especially empty during a holiday season, there is no harm in calling the police non-emergency number and asking for increased police patrols in your area.

9. Participate in neighborhood watch programs. If your local police department puts on a neighborhood watch meeting, go and participate. It's a great opportunity to learn what criminals are up to in your area and get tips on how to avoid being a target for criminals. You don't have to patrol your neighborhood; you just have to report what you see.

It is time to stop tolerating crime and criminals. All it takes is a commitment to keep your eyes open and dial the police non-emergency or emergency number as appropriate.

Choosing an Apartment: Avoid Rinky Dink Toilets

If you are contemplating a move and you tour an apartment with a rinky dink toilet, run away.  Your toilet won't be able to handle any volume of waste and a guy won't be able to handle all of his bathroom business while seated.  If the toilet gets clogged, you'll have a devil of a time unclogging it without making a mess.  Don't even ask me how I know.

A Small Toilet - By Deror avi (Own work) [Attribution, CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons

When it comes to selecting a new apartment home, don't choose an apartment with antiquated plumbing.

Moving Tips: Don't Trust The Movers

Moving is a pain in the ass.  But, it's a fact of apartment living.  Sometimes your job changes.  Sometimes you get fireign neighbors cooking pungent foods in their bathtubs.  Sometimes you get insurmountable bug problems or an apartment building that is falling into disrepair.  Every time you move, you learn something.  When we learn something, we gain a valuable moving tip to share with you.  The last time we moved, our major lesson was -- don't trust the movers!

You don't learn this lesson until you move and slowly realize that you are missing something.  For example, we now realize that we are missing a box that contained my CD player.  It was an Insignia Multi-CD changer.  It was not incredibly expensive, but Best Buy doesn't sell them any more and other brands are much more expensive!

We are an uncomfortable 90% sure that the movers took it.  They saw me taping up a box near our home audio rack and probably thought they could snag something worthwhile.  But, they could easily deny an accusation or say that a bypasser must have snagged it off the truck.  Plus, it's been months since we moved.  Now this is just a painful moving lesson.

Next time we move, we are going to make sure that we number each and every box.  We'll make an inventory sheet and check off each box as it comes into the house.  We'll keep an eye on the truck and peek inside from time to time.  We'll be friendly, but we'll be vigilant.  We'll watch more closely. It's not going to happen again.

Changing Apartments: Find Two Places to Move

Moving is a big deal.  It takes time, energy, and resources to move.  When a move gets derailed, it can really leave you in a jam.  That's why it makes sense to have backup plans.

For one of our moves, we found out that our unit wasn't ready when we went to sign the lease.  Fortunately, we were able to cancel our move at the last minute and renew our lease at our old complex.  It might have been better to go into storage or have a second apartment complex in mind.

In the future, if we move, I would like to have a list of storage places, another apartment complex in mind, and even another moving company on speed dial.  I'd also like to have a few extra days on the lease at the old place just in case there is a delay.

Product Review: Master Lock Dual Function Door Security Bar

A Cheap and Effective Way to Barricade Your Home, Apartment, Dormitory, or Hotel Room Door

If you want to keep the bad guys out and sleep securely, check out the MasterLock Dual Function Door Security Bar.

Many Americans are looking for effective ways to be more secure in their homes. The Master Lock Dual Function Door Security Bar is a simple, but effective, way to temporarily barricade your door and keep home invaders out. The Security Bar performs two essential security functions:

1) It can be wedged between the floor and your door handle so that your door cannot be opened.
2) It can be placed in the tracks of a sliding glass door in order to prevent the door from being opened.

Door security bars like this one from Master Lock are also called Charley Bars. Of course, the principles behind a charley bar are as old as physics. The force applied horizontally to the door is simply being redirected into the floor. However, the Master Lock Dual Function Door Security Bar has a few added features that make it more effective. First, the bar has a padded rubber foot on a swiveling ball joint to ensure that the bar maintains good solid contact with your floor. Second, it is made of rugged 20-gauge steel and is adjustable from 30 to 44 1/2 inches. Third, the security bar has a removable non-marring yoke to protect the finish of your door and help keep the bar securely around the door knob during a break in attempt.

I have tested this security bar as a Charley bar in an apartment with linoleum floors and in a hotel room with carpeted floors. In both cases, the Master Lock Dual Function Door Security Bar performed well. In both cases, I installed the bar on an unlocked door and could not open the door and confirmed that the bar did not slide out of place. In a hotel setting, a maintenance man who was unaware of a last minute room change attempted to enter my room and was unable to open the door despite having a master key. If someone was able to pick or bump my front door lock, they would be stopped or significantly delayed by a properly installed Charley bar.

When using the Master lock Dual Function Door Security Bar, it is important to follow the directions so that the bar is properly aligned with the door and is at the proper angle. If the bar is made too long and is at the wrong angle, it can slide out of place. However, I found it very easy to read the instructions and install the bar on a nightly basis. While the Master lock Dual Function Door Security Bar can be collapsed for transport, the bar can be extended to and left at the proper length for daily use. This Charley Bar fit well in a large suitcase and would be perfect for extra hotel or dorm room security.

With the yoke removed, the Master lock Dual Function Door Security Bar can be laid in the tracks of a sliding glass door. While I did not have an opportunity to test this function, I believe the bar would function effectively in this capacity. However, it would be more cost effective to use the wooden dowel or broomstick cut to the proper length and use that to jam a sliding glass door. However, the Master Lock Dual Function Door Security Bar might be handy when a family travels to a rented vacation home and is unsure of the dimensions of any sliding glass door.

I can only see a few drawbacks to the Master lock Dual Function Door Security Bar. If you are incapacitated due to a medical emergency or fire and require rescue, it might delay firefighters or rescue workers for a short time. A short length of steel bar will not stop a fireman's axe. A determined home invader might still be able to breach your door by kicking and battering the door until the hinges or door frame gives way. However, in case of an actual home invasion attempt, I believe that the Masterlock Dual Function Door Security Bar can buy valuable time for a potential victim to arm him or herself and call the police, or make an escape.

Overall, I had a good experience with the MasterLock Dual Function Door Security Bar and would recommend it to anyone seeking a more secure home, apartment, or hotel room.

New Years Resolutions For Apartment Life

With the New Year right around the corner, it's time to take stock and make resolutions for the coming year.  Even those of us living in apartments can make New Years resolutions.  Here are my New Years resolutions as an apartment dweller.

1.  Use the gym.  I already pay for it.


2.  Use the pool.  I think I saw the groundskeeper clean it....once.
3.  Get unpacked.  It's been a couple of months.  The boxes in the corner have to go.
4.  Run a vacuum every week.  It's unlikely that they ever clean the ducts here.

5.  Wipe down the kitchen counters every night.  Otherwise, we might have to pay a pet deposit for insect visitors.

6.  Save up for a house.  It's past time to get one.
7.  Don't punch the surround sound gamer who lives upstairs.
8.  Lighten the load before our next move.  Why pay people to haul crap.
9.  Figure out who has been dinging our door down in the parking lot.  Paybacks are hell or at least little paint chips.
10.  Legally change my name to "Current Resident."  I will control all the mail.

Have a great New Year!

Apartment Architecture for Multi-Culturalism

As American corporations continue to welcome legions of guest workers from around the world, architects are faced with the challenge of designing apartments in an era of multi-culturalism.

New residents from around the world often live in different living arrangements.  In some instances, three generations of family may be living in the same apartment.  In other cases, many unrelated people may jam into an apartment and literally share floorspace.

Newcomers may often have different attitudes towards money and frugality.  They may opt to cook more at home amd they may use the apartment complex amenities more intensively.  in some cases, many people may share the same car.  In other cases, there may be seven cars to the apartment.

For recreation and exercise, newcomers may walk the grounds of the complex more than American residents.  This calls for more sidewalks and walking trails that would keep pedestrians and cars seperated.

Finally, day-to-day activities like laundry and cooking are often handled differently by newcomers.  Newcomers may want to hang their laundry on their balcony.  Foreign guests may cook with pungent spices that permeate their apartment and even surrounding units.  This may require apartments with laundry lines and heavy duty kitchen fans.

All of these lifestyles are quite different than the lifestyle of a typical American-born tenant.  Landlords and architects need to adjust theircplans accordingly.

Tips to Avoid an Apartment Burglary

The Art of Keeping a Low Profile in Your Apartment 

Burglary is a significant problem in apartment complexes across the country. However, you can significantly reduce your chances of being burgled through these simple common sense measures.

If you live in an apartment, you work hard for what you have and you make compromises in order to live among other people. You can prepare for a home invasion by using a Master Lock 265DCCSEN Dual-Function Security Bar and a quality handgun like the Smith & Wesson Enhanced Sigma. But, burglary also seems to be a serious risk in apartment complexes. Fortunately, there are simple things that you can do to reduce the chances that your apartment could be burglarized. The keys to avoiding an apartment burglary are discretion and deception.


1. Be Discreet with Your Treasures.  If you don't want to be a target, keep a low profile. Don't flash your cash or your prized consumer goods. Don't let your flat screen TV or expensive stereo be visible from outside of your apartment. Can someone on the sidewalk in front of your building see your TV, stereo, or computer? If you don't want something stolen, don't let people see it. In an apartment, that means you should keep your blinds and curtains shut so that passersby can't see what you own. Any small valuables should be hidden away. Any stereo systems, video game consoles or other consumer electronics should be kept behind the closed doors of an armoire or wooden cabinet. Store valuables discreetly so that they won't be immediately seen by the cable guy, the maintenance men, the pest control person, and other workers who may come into your apartment.

2. Don't Divulge Your Plans.  If you want to minimize the chance that your apartment will be burgled, you need to remember the old World War II adage: loose lips sink ships. If you are planning a week out of town, don't tell random people. Only those with a real need to know should have knowledge of your impending departure and travel plans. In particular, you don't want people to know that you will be out of town for holidays or other major events.

3. Stop Mail / Package / Newspaper Deliveries.  When you do leave town, do everything you can to stop your mail deliveries, stop your package shipments, and hold any newspapers. If you do have a trusted neighbor that you know well, you might have them pick up any packages that appear on your doormat and snatch any pizza flyers or Chinese menus that get thrust into your door. Bulging mailboxes, packages and menus can mark your apartment for burglars and let them know it is unattended. If you live in an apartment, you may just want to get your mail at a nearby UPS store.

4. Park Your Car in Varying Locations. If you park your car in the same space at the same times everyday, people will get to know your habits. If you park on different sides of your apartment building and in different spaces, your habits will be less obvious to potential burglars.

5. Use Varying Exits. Just as you move your car around, you should also vary the exit you use when you leave your apartment building. When you leave from different exits, it becomes harder for burglars watching your building to predict your schedule or plan a burglary.

6. Leave For Trips By the Less Visible Exit.  Sometimes activity in front of an apartment building happens in a fishbowl. Everyone in a building can see what is going on. If you can exit for a trip through a less visible exit and pack your car discreetly, your movements are less likely to be observed. It may be worth moving your car to a temporary space near the building just for loading and unloading.

7. Leave Carrying Non-Luggage.  If you don't want potential burglars to know that you are leaving for an extended period of time, try to leave without luggage. Put your luggage in a large black trash bag or in a box marked "Salvation Army." The key is to disguise your luggage as trash, charitable donations, or anything else. You might also take one bag at a time over a period of time. If you bring one bag of clothes out in the evening before you leave, then you can leave with a smaller bag of your valuables.

8. Appliance Timers.  Appliance timers are perhaps the most important tool in reducing the chance that your apartment will be burglarized. With appliance timers, the lights in your apartment will continue to turn on and turnoff in accordance with your regular routine. You can even use appliance timers to turn radios and televisions on and off. If the lights are on and potential burglars can hear noise when listening to your door, they are likely to move on to an apartment that they know is unoccupied. Appliance timers are available for $5 to $10 apiece. You simply have to test them for reliability before you use them.

There are lots of simple things you can do to make your home safe and secure. If you incorporate these simple steps to keep a low profile and mislead potential burglars by making your apartment look occupied, you'll have done your part to reduce crime in your apartment complex.

How to Escalate Issues at Your Apartment Complex

Sometimes issues at an apartment complex can go unresolved for a long time.  You complain about something and management refuses to do anything to rectify the issue.

Typically, when I have an issue, I will complain to management and give them a week to work on the problem.  If the problem is in a common area, I'll talk to neighbors about it and see if they will complain as well.

If there is still no resolution, I go to the rental company website and escalate the issue to the next level of management.  This can be done iteratively.

My last and final level of escalation would be to leave a review on apartmentratings.com.  When it comes to problems at an apartment complex, the squeaky wheel gets the grease.  You have to make complaints to get anything fixed.  If there is a problem at your complex get heard and get it fixed.

Furniture Tips for Apartments

When you first move into an apartment, people will try to help you furnish it. Parents will donate their old furniture and furniture stores will extend apparently easy credit terms. 

Many young people have the notion that their apartment is their first "real" place.  Consequently, renters often rush to fill their apartment with substantial looking furniture.

It's all a trap.

When you are young, you have the freedom to move in pursuit of your dreams.  But, moving an apartment full of expensive or heavy furniture is not cheap.    Once you have heavy furniture, you need to pay professional movers who know how to take care of things.  You start needing to rent an expensive truck every time you move.

If you live in an apartment stay light and stay cheap.  Don't get bigged down by heavy stuff.

Apartment Complex Critters: The Red-Shouldered Hawk

One of the coolest things about living in an apartment is having grounds.  Our complex has an extensive stretch of woods with a creek running through the complex.  The woods is home to critters like possums, rabbits, and raccoons.  But, the fences seem to keep out predators like coyotes.  Earlier this week, we had an airborne predator visit the woods just behind our balcony.  I believe it is a Red-Shouldered Hawk.

Red-Shouldered Hawk near Atlanta, Georgia

According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the Red Shoulder Hawk differs from the the Red-Tailed Hawk in having a peach-colored underside instead of white.  The Red-Shouldered Hawk is also notable for liking forest land and river-areas.  Since we live near the Chattahoochee River and wildlife area, we have both in abundance.  This guy flies through the trees behind our building and preys on squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits, and rats.  Very cool to see!

Controlling Pests in an Apartment

Pest control in an apartment can be a real challenge.  You are at the mercy of factors beyond your control.  

For example, you don't control the construction quality of your building. If the builder left gaps that bugs can get through, your options are limited. 

You also don't have any control over the behavior of your neighbors.  If they leave doors open without screens, bugs can crawl or fly right in.  If they have poor hygiene and kitchen cleaning habits, bugs will be there to take advantage of the situation.

By Amada44 (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Fortunately, there are a few things that ypu can control:

First, you can make your own environment less attractive to bugs by keeping your kitchen clean and sanitary.  Every night you should make sure that the dishes are washed, food is put away, and counters are clean and wiped down.

Second, you can keep doors and windows closed.  If you plan to open windows, you can make sure that they fit properly and are in good repair.

Third, you can have pest control visit your apartment on a regular basis.  In some states, the law requires landlords to provide pest control.  It's good to be home when pest control comes so that ypu can discuss pests you've seen and problem areas.

Fourth, you can supplement pest control with your own efforts.  You can sprinkle diatomaceous earth in locations that people and pets do not access. For example, you can sprinkle the white powder behind the refrigerator.  You can also use roach and ant traps or even spray yourself.

Defensive Driving within Your Complex

In the past year, we've had about six  significant traffic accidents on the grounds of our apartment complex.  As a casual observer, it's difficult to identify the root cause of each accident.  However, I suspect there are a few contributors to each accident.

1.  Foreign National Drivers.
2.  Young Drivers.
3.  Wet Roads.
4.  Distraction.

Three accidents took out trees and shrubs, one accident left a bumper and broken glass just inside the gate, and one spectacular accident took out a guard rail, sent a car airborne, and significant damaged a parked SUV.  These accidents are scary because we have many pedestrians within our complex.  Someone may get hurt.

While speed limits are low, you have to drive defensively in an apartment complex.  Since the entire complex is basically a parking lot with a twisting road through it, there are plenty of people trying to get in an out of spaces.  You also have children and pets darring from between parked cars.

In our complex, we also have a large number of foreign guest workers who walk for recreation.  They are completely clueless of how pedestrians act in the United States.  Suffice it too say there is a whole family and a baby stroller behind every blind corner.  If you add in all the joggers with iTunes impaired hearing, you have a disaster waiting for someone to roar around a corner too fast.  Slow down and don't even think about toiching your cell phone while driving here!

It's enough to make me want speed bumps!

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.]