| There are plenty of lovely apartments available that are well managed and have a nice staff. However, even in the city of Chicago and surrounding areas some renters are victims of possible encounters with property managers that do not make their tenants or building upkeep a priority. Here in Chicago property owners that fit that criterion are commonly referred to as slumlords. Hopefully the information listed below will help you become more informed of what to watch out for, especially if you plan to live outside of the campus neighborhood. The place you choose will be your home for the next 10-12 months, so choose carefully. Below is a list of good and bad signs that may help to identify if you are making a good choice when choosing your apartment. Some of these issues are more important to some than others. GOOD SIGNS | BAD SIGNS | Public transportation nearby/available parking | Abandoned and dilapidated buildings | Clean buildings and nice landscaping | Trash filled lots | Nearby stores | Broken glass/non-working Cars | | Gang and other graffiti |
GOOD SIGNS | BAD SIGNS | Well-maintained interior and exterior | Decrepit exterior, gang markings, peeling paint, missing window screens or storm windows | Name & contact information of management company posted on the building | Faulty front door, doesn’t automatically shut and lock | Safe, well-lit common areas | Broken or no intercom | Secure mailboxes and lobby | No lock on lobby door | Working two-way intercom | Broken or very small mailboxes | Self-locking front and rear doors | Smelly | Safe and well-lit building areas | Laundry and storage conditions in poor condition | Parking | Common area walls and floors dirty | | Worn, dirty carpet, bad lighting and poor paint job | | Missing fire extinguishers, smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors on each landing, no fire doors on each floor to stairways | | Has or has had building code violations in the past 12 months |
GOOD SIGNS | BAD SIGNS | Peep holes and double locks on exterior doors, including a deadbolt security lock | Pry marks, cracks, and/or repairs on the front and rear entry doors and frames | Working windows with storms and screens | Noisy neighbors | Clean and cleanable bathroom and kitchen walls and floors | Windows that don’t open or close properly, drafty frames | Level floor surface | Rusty plumbing fixtures | Stain-free paint jobs and smooth plaster walls | Toilets that don’t empty on first flush and/or don’t shut off | Ice in refrigerator freezer and all stove burners working | Poor hot water and poor water pressure | Working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors | Old kitchen appliances, in poor condition or don’t work | Working electrical outlets and enough circuits | Holes in floors, between floors and walls, around pipes and/or walls and ceilings | Modern heating and properly functioning air conditioner unit | Signs of roach and mice/rat infestation | Adequate closet space and storage | Smells of sewer gas, cooking, cigarette smoke & cooking gas | Interior doors to bedroom and bathrooms | Water stains | Room size large enough for your furniture | | No repair or other work required, apartment is ready to rent | |
GOOD SIGNS | BAD SIGNS | Familiar with building/part of management team | Appears rushed or in a hurry | 24-hour maintenance personnel on premises or lives nearby (prompt repair service) | Won’t negotiate terms or lease conditions | Answers all questions and willing to put terms in writing | Independent agent, not a landlord, property manager or owner | Pleasant demeanor and professional attitude | Has extra-special rules about elevator use, guests, extra deposits, etc. | | Rude and unprofessional tone over-the-phone | | No 24-hour emergency number or person on premises |
Question too good to be true rental incentives such as: - Two month’s free rent
- No security deposit and ½ off first month's rent
- Refer a friend and get a $500 rental rebate
In cases like these, sometimes the property owner will drastically cut rent rates on a building in attempt to lure new tenants to a building that has a high tenant turnover due to faulty conditions, or it could be the case of new management looking to fill a building that has recently reopened. You should always find out the reason for such an aggressive incentive. The most desirable apartments usually do not stay on the market for more than eight weeks at a time and rarely offer such generous incentives because it is not necessary to attract potential renters. If something sounds too good to be true it probably is. Talk to current tenants. Find out current tenant opinions of the building and why they are choosing to live there. You should not take what is said at face value, but if every tenant’s remarks are similar, you should take what they are saying into serious consideration. Other sources that you can use to find out building tenants opinions are listed below: http://www.apartmentratings.com/ www.apartmentreviews.com www.apartmentfeedback.com For those interested in living in Roger’s Park, the Roger’s Park Community Action Network keeps record of complaints filed against property owners. Their Web site is http://www.rpcan.org Check out the neighborhood during different hours of the day. Sometimes the atmosphere is much different at night than in the morning. Moreover, you might want to take a peep at the types of people you might be living next to. You may want to ask the following questions, particularly if you are interested in living in landlord run rental building: - Who do you report building emergencies to?
- Where does the maintenance manager live?
- Do you have or have you had any building code violations in the past 12 months? You can also contact the Daley Center in Chicago for this information.
- Do you have problems with roaches, mice/rats? If not, have there been problems in the past? How often do you exterminate?
- How often are maintenance checks performed? (Should be at least every 3 months)
The list below contains areas often overlooked when inspecting an apartment. Use these tips at your own discretion: - Cabinets – do they open and close properly?
- Flush the toilet & turn on faucets - is the water pressure okay?
- Floorboards – are there loose floorboards?
- Common areas, laundry room, recreation room, wall and stairwells – are they clean and well maintained?
- Visit at another time to access building noise level and scenery – is the night scene all right?
- Workmanship – are the paint jobs sloppy and/or tub caulking messy?
- Signs of bug and rodent infestation – look in kitchen and bathroom areas especially under the sink for droppings, nests, and other residue.
- Find out average tenant age group – are you alright with living around this age group?
- Run the dishwasher and stove and check refrigerator freezer to confirm proper performance
- Test air conditioner and heating source to make sure it works properly
- Sturdy door locks and working windows
- Examine floor for marks and stains
- Smoke detectors and carbon monoxide monitors – in working condition?
- Intercom – works properly?
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