Normal Wear and Tear vs. Damage: A Renter’s Guide
If your landlord’s move-out statement lists a charge for “carpet replacement” or “wall damage,” the first question isn’t whether the
The Security Deposit Guide
A security deposit can be one of the largest checks you write before you’ve spent a night in the apartment
Renters Insurance, Explained Through Worked Examples
Virginia’s insurance regulator opens its consumer guide to renters insurance with a sentence that settles the first argument about it:
Setting Up Utilities: What They Check, and What They Can Hold
You have the keys, a move-in date, and a list. Setting up utilities looks like the smallest thing on it:
Before You Sign: The Lease Clauses That Should Make You Pause
The lease shows up at the least useful possible moment. You have been approved, the unit is yours if you
Apartment Fees: What the Advertised Rent Leaves Out, and What to Ask Before You Pay
The number on an apartment listing is not always the number you pay. Apartment fees are the difference: a listing
What to Check at an Apartment Viewing — and What Should Make You Walk Away
Search for what to check at an apartment viewing and you will be handed a list of thirty-three things. Nobody
Renting With Thin Credit or No Rental History: What to Show Instead
The application has a field for your current landlord, and you have never had one. Or it runs a credit
Rental Listing Scams: What to Check Before You Send Money
The listing is perfect. Cheaper than everything else you have looked at, cats allowed, and photos full of the kind
The First Apartment Guide
A first apartment is not one decision. It is a chain of them — what you can afford, what you