A new tenant checklist

There comes a time in everyone's lives where they need to move out and find a place of their own. The first time living alone can be scary, especially if you aren't really sure what to expect. It can be especially unnerving if you are leaving the safety of the parental nest to find your own apartment. So how can we be ready or how can we help our kids be ready to make that big step? There are a few areas you should focus on when leasing an apartment or house for the first time.

1) Be financially ready. Leasing a new home will require money. Most (if not all) landlords require some sort of security deposit so the tenant doesn't trash the place. Some require an additional month's rent or application fees as well. Some apartments include utilities in the rent; some don't. These are all situations that new tenants should be aware of and ready for. Whenever possible, new tenants should have a few months' worth of rent saved, just in case. The total move-in cost as well as monthly responsibilities should be discussed with the landlord to avoid any miscommunication and surprise bills.

2) Check over the apartment. This about.com article has some helpful tips for what to look at when inspecting your new place A landlord's job is to provide clean, healthy, safe housing. If it doesn't meet your specifications, ask if things can be fixed or find another place to live. In general, you should check to make sure everything works in the apartment or house- appliances, plumbing, doors, windows, utilities, etc. If it's broken when you move in, and you don't mention it, the landlord may think you broke it, and charge you to fix it.

3) Be comfortable with the property's manager. Whether it's a landlord with a single rental property or a management company with hundreds of units, the property manager's job is to care about you and where you live. If maintenance requests go unheeded for months, chances are the manager is falling down on the job. Here at Provident Management, we are committed to taking care of our owners AND their tenants. We are committed to providing prompt maintenance and addressing issues tenants may have with the unit or other tenants. We want happy tenants, because happy tenants pay on time and care for the units they live in. This benefits us and our clients. It's a win-win situation. We hope you will contact us for more information. We want to provide you with a win-win situation.