Few things can decimate your quality of life quicker than a bad apartment, and while finding a suitable, comfortable, and––most of all––safe place to live is crucial to our well being, we don't always get what we want.
It's even more difficult when you don't know what you should be looking for. Thanks to Redditor foogers, who asked, "What are some early warning signs for a bad apartment?" the rest of you can begin to take some very valuable notes.
"Tells you that the landlord is a total piece of work..."
Honestly even the postings tend to be littered with red flags. All caps, weird and overly specific rules, hostile tone-- "ONLY apply if you are CLEAN and RESPONSIBLE! SKETCHY APPLICANTS WILL BE DENIED! Washing machine is for CLOTHES ONLY!! Pets OK but NO REPTILES!!!"
Tells you that the landlord is a total piece of work, that some weird stuff went down in the apartment before, or, more likely, both.
"Left a review..."
Inexperienced management staff. Found an apartment online and decided to see it in person. Made an appointment with the staff and when I got there no one was there. Rescheduled and they showed up late. Got a showing of the apartment and decided to submit an application. Got home a while later and notice the staff took out 3 application fees on my bank statement. Called them and asked wtf, they kept saying I was lying and that they only charged one application fee. They made me go down to their office and print out bank statements to show the transactions fees. At this point I was just over this place.
Left a review and they claimed I was lying and that they never even showed me an apartment on property?
Yeah I can only imagine what living there would have been like, but if the staff doesn't know what they're doing you're going to have a bad time.
"If the ad..."
If the ad has a bunch of pictures of the neighborhood and no pictures of inside the apartment.
"If the apartment..."
If the apartment has a garbage room on each floor with a chute, go and look at it. If it reeks, if it has garbage juice on the floor, and if people leave their trash all over the place, leave immediately as that apartment will definitely have a roach problem.
You can find a building where people aren't all lazy disgusting pigs.
"Check closets..."
GiphyCheck closets, under the sink, and other out-of-the-way places for roach and mouse traps. I've been to some places that had been cleaned up pretty nicely, had a fresh coat of paint, etc., but when I find those traps I always cut and run.
"You don't have a thermostat..."
You don't have a thermostat to control your own heating and cooling. Or there is one but it's just for show. Common in pre 1980 apartment buildings in the North East.
"If you see just one bug..."
If the place is not freshly painted look for signs of bed bug infestation. You will see little patches about the size of a quarter that look like a bunch of little black dots. Like someone shook a paint brush there. These nests are often on a wall, in corners and around electrical outlets. If you see just one bug, particularly if the place is furnished, ask to see pest control records. A person may be able to deal with a few roaches or whatever, but bed bugs will ruin your life.
"Property managers..."
Handshake offers that are not on your lease. Promises for a set rent that won't increase, "extra" privileges, priority on the maintenance list, generally anything that seems like a perk and isn't on your lease agreement. This happens a lot to people who haven't rented before. Anything that is not on your lease agreement is not a guarantee at all. On the other hand they'll also flaunt things that are on the agreement by making them seem like luxuries. When you're faced with a promise ask where it is on the lease if you don't see it. Property managers and people in the lease office are there to fill units not be your buddy. No matter how nice they are.
"A very distinct smell..."
A very distinct smell (not necessarily bad, but not good either) or an overpowering air freshener smell. It usually means that there's mold, the apartment wasn't well-maintained or a dead body.
"Don't worry, we have every apartment professionally cleaned before move in." Never had a good experience when they point that out in the tour. Same thing with "That's on our list to get fixed."
Redditor Isingsongstomycats wanted to hear about what can completely make us regret speaking to another person, so they asked:
"What instantly ruins a conversation for you?"
I'm ornery. Anything and everything can turn me off.
Blocked
honey boo boo phone GIF by RealityTVGIFsGiphy"Getting their phone out for no reason mid conversation."
Expensive_Pie_6943
"Sometimes I want to look up something pertinent to the conversation but I don't want to interrupt them to say that. Now when someone checks their notification mid conversation, that really burns me."
cutelyaware
Up & Up
"When someone feels the need to one up you on everything you say."
Apprehensive_Gap_368
"Had a coworker like this once, his one upping was so bad we would test it. Best one was a guy talking about catching a shark on a pole at the beach. He interrupted with the time he swam out a mile and got attacked by a shark and beat it and swam back with it."
Mess_Bubbly
Rude
"When they start saying nasty things about people they barely know."
WeirdShyKitten
"I have family like this. I once heard them go on on this rant about how the new waitress at their local coffee shop is fat and ugly. They made a thousands assumptions about this woman that included criticism to her service."
18062022
"Or start sh*t talking someone the second they leave the room. My dad's sisters do that, I was stuck in my parents house alone with them and I would get so paranoid every time I left the room. If they do that to each other, I can’t image the crap they talk about me."
vicki_chicki
War of Words
"When they ask for your opinion or talking about something fully subjective and then tell you how you are objectively wrong or get offended by you nor agreeing."
Prize_Interaction931
"Similar, but not quite the same: my old roommate would correct me on things that were objective, and not like facts."
"Like I mentioned it was hard for my folks to get a mortgage because they were self employed and he correct me that it wasn't. He wouldn't believe the story i was telling and told me what he thought might have happened with no knowledge on the subject."
"Needless to say I moved out."
SFXBTPD
Blah Blah
Bored Chris Rock GIF by BounceGiphy"When it feels like you're engaging a combination lock just to get responses to simple innocent pieces of a conversation. People who small talk you to death."
I swear small talk people should be arrested for attempted murder.
Useless
Golden Girls Rose GIF by TV LandGiphy"When someone drags a story out with useless details. Like something that happened on the drive to work but they start the story at the point when they first woke up and what they had for breakfast. Just get to the point!"
ticklemebits
Paused
"When they interrupt me mid sentence."
HelpMeSweetJesus
"If it sometimes happens on accident whenever they think of something and get over-excited it’s whatevs. Now when they constantly step over you it’s like your opinion merely feels like filler at best and they ain’t even listening. Not even worth the energy to continue at that point."
BAKED_TATER_
"One of my coworkers only listens long enough to figure out what she's going to say next, and then she interrupts. I guess we're only there to feed her lines."
Witty_Commentator
Do Better
"When someone gives you completely useless advice you didn't ask for. A couple weeks ago I mentioned to a coworker that I was glad to be going home because I didn't get more than a couple hours of sleep."
"Dude first of all had the audacity to say 'Well, you need to do better.' When I said I have medication resistant insomnia he looks at me like I'm an idiot and asks if I've tried melatonin."
errant_night
Duh
"Think of how stupid the average person is, and then realize half of them are stupider than that. And it doesn’t take you very long to spot one of them, does it. Take you about eight seconds. You’ll be listening to some guy, and say, this guy is f**king stupid. Then, then there are some people, they’re not stupid. They’re full of crap."
"Huh, that doesn’t take very long to spot, either, does it. Take you about the same amount of time. You’ll be listening to some guy, saying, well, he’s fairly intelligent. Ah, he’s full of s**t. Then there are some people, they’re not stupid, they’re not full of s**t, they’re freaking nuts."
teaching-man
Gross...
Disgusted Emma Stone GIFGiphy"Sexualization. We're talking about a new video game and suddenly I get asked if I play naked, or if I'm turned on by a game mechanic or some such nonsense. Yuck."
GreenAppleLady
Good conversation is hard to keep these days.
Do you have any conversational red flags to add? Let us know in the comments below.
