Advice for a new apartment owner?

I need advice. This is my *first* place of my own. I've lived in residence at my university for 3 years, all year ... before that I lived at home.

This is my first time by myself. First time paying my own bills and keeping my own apartment clean...

Okay, it's a bachelor apartment. I know it's expensive, but I like it.

What is stuff I should buy/bring/find to furnish the room? It has an alcove for a bed, so my bed is going there. Any tips for the newbie? What are some things I *can't* forget? What should I consider? What are my rights as a tenant? How do deal with my neighbours?

Ack! I'm probably freaking out for no reason, but still!

buy a plunger, the kind with the little end that works for the toilet. you may never need it, but they are cheap and if you DO need it, it is there.

lost

I second that sentiment to buy the plunger LOL.

I've lived on my own since my early 20's and I'm almost 37 now. I've had my share of good apartments and bad apartments. Luckily I'm in a great apartment now. I think the laws vary from state to state but here in Arkansas I know my landlord can't come into my apartment without letting my know ahead of time he's going to come in.

Jbug

Congratulations on getting your first apartment - that's a big step, and exciting and a bit scary at the same time. Since it's a bachelor, think small - multi functional in terms of furniture. If you're on a tight budget, good will, value village can be good sources for stuff like dishes and stuff. Some of the larger Good wills even have furniture.

Do you have carpets? Try to get a vacuum that works on both carpets and floors - I much prefer vacuuming my kitchen to sweeping it.

Most importantly have fun decorating it. You can get all kinds of fun relatively inexpensive housewares type things at IKEA.

--splitimage

Um...things you need, etc.

hammer
flat and phillips head screw driver

wire coat hanger - unbend, leave a hook at the end to clean hair from drain :-)

plain white plates (mine are earthenware from crate & barrel...they never break) go with everything so you can change placemats, tableclothes with the season and not get bored.

always use a cutting board, never your counter!

flashlights, weather radio, candles, lantern, matches,
etc for when the power goes out. I keep everything together in one place.

That's all I can think of right now.

S

I'm in the same boat, except that I was only in halls for one year. It's quite a change! Some of this advice might seem really obvious, so please don't feel insulted.

Seeing as you mentioned bringing a bed, I'm assuming it's unfurnished, so I second the suggestion of a trip to IKEA. If you have any items from home that you can bring with you, that would save money and also make it seem more familiar. A kettle is good for if the hot water stops working (it should be your landlord's responsibility to pay for repairs if it does, assuming your rights as a tenant in Canada are similar to those here) - as well as for making cups of tea.

As for setting up bills, it's probably best if you get the phone done first - that way once you get the line connected you can arrange other bills using it instead of your mobile, and it should be cheaper. Have your bank details and address to hand, as well as meter readings for gas and electricity (ask your landlord where the meters are if necessary), and be prepared to spend a lot of time on hold! If your phone number gets changed when you set it up, make sure to tell your landlord of the new one. A spreadsheet is a good way to keep track of your bills - I use Google Docs. Internet might take a bit of time to set up, though - mine still isn't yet, I have to wait until Tuesday! If your university library gives free internet access, that could be useful - otherwise, might be an idea to have a look for internet cafes nearby.

If you notice anything that needs repaired, tell your landlord as soon as possible - it should be the landlord's responsibility to pay for repairs (check the lease first, though), but he needs to know first! Exceptions would be for emergencies like leaking pipes, though.

As for dealing with neighbours, be friendly to them when you see them and let them know if you're going to have a party! If you don't make too much noise at night there shouldn't be any problems. Did you get a chance to talk to the previous tenants? They could tell you about the neighbours - if not, the landlord might be able to.

Hope some of this is useful, and have fun in your new place!

Plunger - check! I already learnt how to clean up after an overflowed toilet.

No carpets... all hardwood minus the bathroom/kitchen.

Hammer & screwdriver?

Eww hair down drain. Good idea.

Corelle (sp?) type plates (bowls, small/large plates/mugs) I already own... unbreakable!

Cuttingboard and no cutting on counter... check!

Need to get a flashlight and all that... mine broke.

IKEA = AWESOMENESS! Thankfully I've got almost a full kitchen worth of stuff from living in rez for 3 years (toaster, microwave, kettle, utensils, pots/pans etc) ... but could always do with more stuff.

Thankfully they take care of the bills, minus electricity, cable, internet & phone line. (included in my rent, yay!)

As long as they forewarn me about coming into my place (except during an emergency) and will do all the repairs I ask about (they apparently have someone 'on-call' for emergency repairs after hours and weekends, otherwise it's 24-48 hours before they get to it)

a telephone that is not cordless for emergency if power is out, also non electric can opener, same reason.

lost

Insurance for apartment dwellers.

A savings account for peace of mind and for when you realize you need something you might not have thought about ahead of time

Canada is probably like the U.S. in a lot of ways, so if possible inspect the apartment for any damages or repair needs and take pictures if possible. That way you won't be held "liable" upon moveout since the damage was aleady there.

If you like plants, they add a "warm" feeling to the place. Also, I like decorative things, even "knick-knacks".

I don't know how you are about noise (my tolerance is LOW), but it helps to just be neighbourly and say hello to neighbors, introduce yourself, etc. That way, if you ever need to ask them to turn their music/TV DOWN, they are more likely to cooperate. This has worked for me 99% of the time.

If the walls are thin, "white" noise such as nature sound machines may help.

I've been in my apartment over 10 years, and it is the first time I have been on my own. Lived at home before that. It took about 6 months for me to think of that place as "home".

I also want to say that if you get attached to neighbors easily as I do, it helps to cope with them leaving by telling yourself that "This building has a high turnover." I mean, I've had such nice people around but they did not stay long. Turnover in my building is HIGH, so now I'm reluctant to talk to many people.

If you don't have a full size kitchen, cook simple meals with a large quantity so it'll last you a few days. I have a "galley" kitchen so it's not only small but HOT. So, I want to spend little time in it.

That's all I can think of at the moment, LOL.

I use a non-electric can opener, and I've got a cellphone...

Insurance? Do I talk to the apartment leasing office about that?

Got a savings account. Not a lot of money in it... hate being a student sometimes.

I've already inspected the apartment, but the current tenant is still living there. They said they'd clean it up and fix anything that was wrong before I moved in though. But I'll take pictures if I see anything.

I do like plants... I've got a few here in residence that I've not killed yet (go me!) ... and I've got my rats, so yay.

My noise tolerance is good enough... living in residence for 3 years will do that to you.

I know a few people who are living in the building already (friends of mine) so thats kinda cool... beyond that, I dont know how much socializing I'll be doing with my neighbours.

I do have a full kitchen, which is really nice.

You still need a corded telephone because in a storm cellphone towers can be out of opperation or overflooded with use. So its really good to have a plain old phone that has a cord, just in case.

I don't know if you already have set a budget or if you are good with your finances. Either way, set up your budget. Lay it all out on paper, rent, phone bill, cable, internet, car insurance, renter's insurance, health insurance (if applicable), car payment (if applicable). I always start by looking at my set bills (the ones that are the same each month). Then I look at things that change like food, entertainment, clothing, and anything else.

Also, try and set aside a set amount into a savings account that you don't touch. Even $25 a month is a good start. If you have the money on hand it would be good to open this savings account with one month's rent. This way if you change jobs or something comes up you can afford rent for at least one more month.

you need to talk to an insurance agent about renters insurance. the building has insurance that will cover the structure etc, but in case of fire, theft, etc your personal possessions are not covered. it is like homeowners insurance, but without covering the building.

lost

Good site (but for US apartments):

http://ohmyapt.apartmentratings.com/

Read your lease well; you may have to supply rugs to cover a certain percent of the floor space, for example, if you live above other people. Check to make sure you know who has keys to your apartment and/or request them to change the locks before you move in and make sure you know who "they" are and how they get access to your apartment. You don't want an apartment where 42 people you don't know are running around with skeleton keys or something and can lend them to their friends :-)

If you have a car, check parking, how easy/hard that is and whether it's worth renting a parking space and what it's like coming home later at night, in the rain and snow, and all that.

Start exploring your new neighborhood now; maybe start a notebook with hand drawn maps and locations of library, grocery stores (find 2-3), cleaner, drug store, start collecting take-away/carry out/delivery food brochures (just go in and get one) and make sure they or your friends show you how to run your air conditioning/heater and all that and inspect the refrigerator for controls and where they're set (you can make your own refrigerator colder/warmer!) and whether the freezer is frost free and the oven self-cleaning and how all that works. There's lots of "automatic" appliances, machinery and mechanical stuff in an apartment that we don't think about but is good to think about, especially if you've never had to think about it :-)

Do you have enough lamps? Lighting is very nice to have and often overlooked. Check location of outlets; you may not want the bed in the bed place, that might be better for an "office" or couch, etc. Look at where the windows are and which direction they face and whether sun will come in and blind you and think about what time of curtains/blinds, etc. you might want (or not want; I lived on the 6th floor so not a whole lot of people could look in besides the birds and squirrels that eventually got that high in 13 years as the tree grew outside my window :-)

My stepmother and I got into a fight setting up my apartment because the building was on a "hill" and she didn't like where I wanted to put the bed because then my head would have gone downhill! I liked my furniture on the rug and she insisted I put it part on and part off or the rug would look like an island. Mostly think about what you like!

Did you get an iron and ironing board (do you need them?). Think of kitchen "machines" you might want, tea kettle, coffee pot, crock pot, blender, hand mixer. Did you get a broom and/or vacuum? TV trays are nice; they're cheap "tables" to have next to a favorite chair and/or can be set up so friends can eat easily while sitting on the couch/end of the bed :-) I had a wall clock or two, one for the kitchen and one for the "main" room. Bookcases/shelving? I have nice stacking bins too for miscellaneous stuff/storage. Clothes basket/bag for laundry to laundry machine; pretty basket/bowl for collecting loonies to do your laundry in machines?

LOL Christina.,..don't do what i done...buy food but forget can opener...buy mugs but forget kettle! LOL

Good Luck!