Alright, so we KNOW you’re dying to get outta your fam’s crib one way or another, but you probably got no clue on where to start. Don’t worry! Stack is here to help you cruise through that independent journey of finding a new apartment and setting up your own slice of heaven, so here’s the word on ridin’ solo for the first time!
Talk To The Bosses
If you’re still living with your parents, ask them what’s up. Get their honest advice on the moving out journey; what were their experiences, how long did it take them to adjust, did they end up moving back. Even if you don’t have your parents to ask, you could even ask someone you trust, a co-worker or a friend who’s already done it! Some advice is better than none and it may help calm those nerves.
Pick The Right Block
Aight, now we don’t want your first crib to be in the ghetto no do we? Trust us when we say you don’t want to hear them crackhead screaming in the middle of the street at 3am or loud music playing all night (Trust me, that shit happened to me and you don’t wanna know). If you’re young, look where college students would look; college housing websites. These places are off campus and are cheaper than regular housing because let’s be real, students are usually broke. Facebook marketplace and apartments.com is also a good starting point.
To Have Credit or To Not Have Credit
This can throw some people off because some landlord wants to make sure you can afford the place! Some landlords may ask for credit scores, pay stubs from your most recent job or even referrals to approve you. Unsure of your credit score or you think your score is jacked up, hit up a stack advisor! Usually you need to pay first months and a security deposit before you move in to secure that spot. As grimey as that sounds, you have another option. If you have someone who can ask to cosign for you, do it! Just make sure you pay that rent ON TIME because you can fuck up that co signers credit score real bad if you dont so lets not go there.
Get on Board With Utilities
Don’t make the mistake of moving in without setting up your utilities or else you’ll be eating cup noodles in the dark sitting on a mattress on the floor. If your landlord pays for utilities, great but not everyone gets that gold. Make sure you set it up, which you can do in advance by registering for your local electric, gas and internet companies.
Money Back?!
Remember that security deposit we mentioned before? Well that comes in handy. That money is in case you damage the property or if anything goes wrong and the landlord needs to fix it. Don’t worry though, as long as you keep the place nice and neat and follow the rules in your lease, you’ll most likely get most of it back. If there is an issue and you feel like your landlord wrongfully took your deposit and didn’t give you an itemized bill. Read How To Make Sure Your Landlord Isn’t Being Slick to see how you can protect yourself against them! Contact a stack advisor for more info and legal options if it gets to that.
