5 Things To Look For During Your Apartment Walk-Through

By Tamiera Vandegrift on January 31, 2017

Finding the apartment or house of your dreams can be one of the best moments of your young adult life. There’s nothing grander than finally being able to call a space your own. You have probably already envisioned how you would like to decorate every single inch of your new apartment down to the last hallway.

Before you get too excited, your best decision will be to explore the space during a walk-through before signing off your name on a lease. After all, pictures can be deceiving and you’ll want to make sure that the home of your dreams is not a nightmare in disguise.

Image via: www.pexels.com

Once the big day comes and you are ready to do your walk-through, with or without your landlord, you will want to make sure that you come prepared with these items:

•A pen

•A notebook or notepad

•Either a camera or a cell phone for pictures

By bringing these items, you will be able to properly capture the essence of the space to help you decide whether or not it is right for you, while also taking note of any features that displease you. Read on to find a few things that you should be looking out for during your apartment walk-through.

Cleanliness

Make sure the apartment space is clean! This might seem pretty obvious, but there are some disastrous apartment rooms out there that more than likely have gorgeously deceiving pictures online. Look around the carpet, or tile flooring, for irremovable stains that take away from the aesthetic. Take a close look at the walls for stains or discoloration, which could indicate poor upkeep on the landlord’s end.

Check the countertops, or table tops, for scrapes, scuffs, and stains. Walk through the apartment, or house, and inspect every single feature for hygiene. Look for mold and mildew throughout the apartment, especially if you live in a humid part of the country. Humidity can cause mold to bloom egregiously within your apartment. Making sure the hygiene of your new space is up to par will ensure that you will enjoy your space while maintaining your health and wellbeing.

Damage

While your apartment may have looked absolutely pristine online, damage and wear could potentially turn it into an awful living space. While you’re walking through, keep your eyes to the ceiling to check for any blotchy spots. If you should find any, you have just found water damage, which should be avoided at all costs for more than simple aesthetic reasons. Water damage will attract mold, which will cause you to continuously become ill, and perhaps develop a respiratory infection. No matter how nice the apartment might be otherwise, your health is your first priority.

Check the carpets for tears. Check the tile floors for chips, scrapes, and scuff marks. Check the appliances within the house for any damage that could impact their functionality. Check the walls for holes, chipping or fading paint, and peeling wallpaper. Look through every nook and cranny to make sure that your home is exactly how you envisioned it, which leads me to a very important part of your walk-through inspection.

Image via: www.pexels.com

Functionality

Before you even think about moving into a new space, always, always, always make sure that every appliance and feature of the home works. Test out every faucet in the apartment to make sure the water works. Keep the water flowing on hot for a while to ensure that the heating works. Check out the air conditioning unit and make sure it’s responsive to make sure you will not be having insufferable summers and winters. It may seem silly, but make sure to open and close every door, drawer, and cabinet throughout the apartment to make sure that they work effectively. If there is an icemaker in the refrigerator, test it out to make sure it produces ice. If there is a dishwasher, do a demo wash if possible to ensure that it won’t leak, or neglect your dishes. Do not sign your name onto the lease of a dysfunctional apartment.

No matter how long it takes, test out every product thoroughly to make sure that every item works the way it is supposed to. It is better to lose a few hours than to find any unfortunate surprises later on!

Infestations

Inspect cabinets, drawers, and closets to look for chew marks, or animal droppings, to make sure that your new home is not inhabited by any pests. Keep an eye out for any signs of an infestation, which can be obvious: dead bugs, droppings, evidence of nesting, etc. Check underneath the sinks for pest control products. If you find an excessive amount of products, this indicates that the landlord or previous owner was dealing with an insidious pest problem, that you certainly do not want any part of. Signs of an infestation can be stealthier as well. They could take the form of damaged plants, or lawn patches, outside. They could include mounds of dirt, which could be a sign of termites or moles.

Safety

Consider your safety while doing a walk-through of a potential apartment or house. Pay attention to the neighborhood you will be living in. If it seems sketchy, or unsafe, you might want to consider another area. This might go without saying, but if you don’t feel comfortable walking through the streets, you are not in the right area. Check to make sure that the locks and security systems work. Inspect the smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to make sure that they are functioning well. When it comes to the walk-through of your potential apartment or house, make sure that you are going to move into a safe, healthy space in order to have a pleasant living experience.

Happy hunting!

Follow Uloop

Apply to Write for Uloop News

Join the Uloop News Team

Discuss This Article

Back to Top

Log In

Contact Us

Upload An Image

Please select an image to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format
OR
Provide URL where image can be downloaded
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format

By clicking this button,
you agree to the terms of use

By clicking "Create Alert" I agree to the Uloop Terms of Use.

Image not available.

Add a Photo

Please select a photo to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format