🚀 go-pugleaf

On 29 Mar 1996, David A Bonar wrote:

> Richard Meme (meme@mayhem.com) wrote:
> : I'm looking to rent a house in the DC suburbs.  What are good things to
> : look for when I looking at the houses or talking to prospective landlords?
> 
> : So far, I've thought of checking for appliances I want, what's on the
> : floors, whether there have been pets or smokers living in the house
> : recently (allergies), how old the house is, and what the last year's
> : utility bills have been.
> 
> 	You didn't mention some of the biggest things (will your stuff
> fit?  do you like the layout and decoration?) but those are fairly 
> obvious.  I like to ask about the age of some specific systems (furnace,
> air conditioning, roof, some appliances).  It can be a real pain to
   > lose your AC for a couple of days in the summer when the compressor
> breaks (and things like roof leaks, refrigorater breakdown and the
> like are worse).  
> 
> 	I always enquire about the landlords feelings on
> improvements/changes such as planting a garden (flowers or veggies),
> painting rooms and the like.
> 
> : Also, it seems most of the private landlords I'm talking to have houses
> : available right now, not in two months.  I'm looking to move in at the end
> : of May, about two months from now; is it too early to be looking in the
> : newspaper for potential houses? 
> 
> 	You might be a little too early unless the market is a real
> renter's market.  Around here most houses are only advertised when
> they are empty and at most a couple of weeks away from being ready
> for moving in.  If you want to rent a house now I'd say you might have
> to pay rent starting now.  If possible I'd wait until a month before
> your desired moving date and then start my search.
> 
> 
> Dave
> 
> 
> 
Dave's right, but also look under the sink for drips, flush the toilet, 
ask the landperson to change the locks on the door, and be prepared to 
pay on time!  You treat the owner right, they will treat you right.  
KM Landperson-6 apartments.