5 Things to Look Out for When Touring an NYC Apartment
Evaluate The Block and The Building Facade
Check Hallways, Basement and Other Common Areas
What Floor Are You On?
Check Water Pressure
Check the Installations
Conclusion
The process of moving to NYC can be confusing, difficult and time consuming. On top of this, some landlords don’t have the time, energy, money or conscious to properly take care of their buildings. This can lead to messy/smelly hallways, as well as pests, mice, bedbugs, etc. Even if your landlord takes good care of the building, external factors such as street noise, neighborhood noise, and others will also affect your living situation. Before you move into your new NYC apartment, you should always take the time to tour it in person if you can. To avoid a bad experience when living in an apartment, you should always keep your eyes and ears open when touring. If you can’t tour in person, we can tour for you! With that in mind, here are 5 things to remember while touring an NYC apartment.
Evaluate The Block and The Building Facade
As mentioned in a previous blog, there is some due diligence renters should do (or have us do) before touring a listing. In our opinion, if you’re going to take the time out of your day to tour something, you should always make sure the building and area are viable for you & your lifestyle beforehand. If you’re unsure about an area, walk around before or after the tour to get a feel. Make sure you take note of the nearest public transportation, grocery store and other key locations.
If you’re unsure about a building, you can ask a friend, a former tenant, or ApartmentsTogether, about the landlord’s reputation and the building’s history of complaints and violations. Once you know more about the landlord, make sure you’re aware of the building’s garbage, laundry and street-noise situation, and confirm they’re doable for you. Then, try to take note of any trash or graffiti outside the building. These may be good indicators of how the building is maintained, especially if there’s layers of graffiti without paint. There is nothing worse to moving into a listing only to discover it has a bunch of unforeseen problems! Having this information beforehand will save you time and stress both touring, and once you’ve moved in.
2. Check Hallways, Basement and Other Common Areas.
Now that you have checked the surrounding area and building facade, it’s time to tour the building! The first thing you should be aware of once inside the building is the common areas. When you enter a building, note how clean the hallways are, and where the packages and letters go. Check the basement, and the hallways for clutter, sounds and smells, and check to make sure things are properly installed (Make sure the railings aren’t loose, steps aren’t broken or missing, dead or living pests in basement, etc… WE HAVE SEEN IT ALL!). Keep your eyes peeled; a well maintained hallway is a good sign of a well maintained building!
Furthermore, you can listen for neighbors and see how loud they are. Obviously, don’t eavesdrop like a weirdo, but if you hear music blaring from the apartment next door, or if the whole building wreaks of trash or cigarettes, you better take note of it!
3. What Floor Are You On?
As you tour a building, make sure you are keeping track of not only the hallways, but also the stairwells. Walk ups are common in the city, and when on a tour, you should always be aware of what floor a potential apartment is on. In NYC, higher floors typically mean better light, but this also means a lot more stairs to be walking every day. For example, if trash is stored outside the building, you will probably have to walk down and back up 5 flights of stairs to throw away your garbage. If you have bad knees, a top floor walk up is probably not for you.
In regards to the stairwells, you should also take note of how steep and how wide the stairs are. When it’s time to move in or out of the apartment, narrow, steep steps may limit your furniture options! Before you sign a lease, make sure you can do the walk up everyday and make sure you can handle the stairs with your furniture!
Lastly, if there’s an elevator in the building, make sure it works properly and isn’t gross. Some elevators work better than others, and trust us, some elevators are old, tiny and creepy. Be aware of your elevator’s speed and size while touring an apartment, as well as what furniture will fit when you’re moving. If you’re on the 25th floor, you better make sure that elevator works!
4. Check Water Pressure and Hot Water
Now that you’ve taken note of all the problems (or lack thereof) in a building and its common areas, it’s time to tour the actual apartment! When on an apartment tour, there may be more obvious issues, such as chipped paint or exposed wires, but there may also be unseen problems. Both this section and the next will focus on the less obvious issues that may be lurking in an apartment.
The first issue you may not notice is water pressure. When you’re on an apartment tour, you should always make sure to check both the sinks and the shower for hot water and proper water pressure. Hot water is essential, and water pressure can make a big difference in the daily life of a resident, so always confirm the water quality while attending a tour!
While checking water pressure, look under the sinks and around the bathroom for any signs of pests. If there are pests, especially roaches, they will live and die in the wet dark environment under the kitchen/bathroom sink. Also keep your eye out for any traps hidden in cabinets or closets.
5. Check the Installations
While you’re inside an apartment, there may be several other less noticeable issues. This section will focus on the installations in an apartment and what you should be aware of. While on an apartment tour, always make sure the buzzer works (how do you “buzz” people into the building?). If you can’t buzz people and you’re on a high floor, it can be a disaster.
Next, if applicable, check the dishwasher and washer/dryer in the unit to make sure they turn on. You can even request a quick test if you’re unsure. If a unit is brand new and still wrapped in plastic or filled with cardboard, that means the landlord hasn’t tested it to make sure it works!
Finally, when inside an apartment, check the cabinets, drawers, doors and outlets. Sometimes, closet doors or cabinet doors aren’t installed properly. Sometimes, a number of outlets in the apartment won’t work (we suggest bringing a nightlight or charger with you to test). The possibilities for what problems arise in an NYC apartment are truly endless. Making sure the installations are done properly is another way to make sure the landlord/management take pride in their building/apartments.
Conclusion:
Every apartment is different, and while some problems may be unforeseeable, the best way to ensure you don’t have a bad rental experience is to do your due diligence. Before signing a lease and even before touring an apartment, renters should know about the neighborhood, the block, the building, the broker and the landlord! To not waste time and to not get screwed by bad brokers/landlords, NYC renters need to know what’s going on behind the scenes, that’s where we come in!
At ApartmentsTogether, we use the knowledge we’ve gained from years in the NYC rental market to help you avoid bad listings, bad brokers and bad landlords. Don’t be another NYC nightmare rental story! Make sure to do your due diligence, and if you don’t have the time, energy, or expertise, ApartmentsTogether is here to help!
