What’s your landlord horror story? Many of us have had at least one traumatizing experience with apartments. And it usually takes living in a place to realize its issues. Allia Mohamed used to hang out around apartment buildings and wait for tenants to exit. Then, she’d ask them the inside scoop on the living situation. But she wondered if there was a better way to get this info. Now, she’s the co-founder and CEO of openigloo, an app that lets you rate landlords. She’s gained a lot of experience with the good, bad and ugly of rental properties. She chats with Bold TV about the best ways to be prepared while apartment hunting.
Level the playing field
Something’s a little unbalanced with apartment hunting. Your landlord will ask you for in-depth background and documents. But in return, you get little information and no guarantee of a positive experience. You shouldn’t go in blind and sign a lease that will leave you miserable. We blaze through dozens of reviews to find the restaurant or hotel. So, why not apartments? Fortunately, this app combines city data sources with crowdsourced reviews to give you plenty of background. City sources can offer open violation data, such as bedbug complaints. And the tenant feedback gives your research a personal touch. Then you’re equipped to make a smart decision.
One secret tip for the apartment hunt
A lot of apartment turnaround in the city happens in August and September. And vacant apartments have risen since the pandemic. So, how does this play into your advantage? Landlords need to fill apartments. And you have more time to decide if an apartment is right for you. What’s one tip you may not know? Look into the size of your landlord’s building portfolio. Do they manage three or 50 buildings? Once you know this information, you’re going into the apartment hunt with an advantage, which should always be the case.
