Things to Consider When Moving for PA School

So you just got accepted to the PA school of your dreams – how exciting! Now it’s time to try and find housing amidst all the excitement going on. Ultimately, your new home should be a great place to study or relax after a long day of class, but there’s more to finding an apartment than just choosing the nicest looking place in your budget.

Landlords and property managers screen tenants thoroughly to ensure they’re renting the property out to people who will be respectful of neighbors and always pay rent on time. Landlords run background checks, credit history reports, what loans you have, and check employment records and references. However, it’s not just landlords who should be looking for the best; tenants should also ensure they’ll have a good landlord for a better renting experience. Both landlords and tenants need to establish a relationship to ensure everyone is following the rules of the lease. 

As a prospective tenant, you shouldn’t look for a place to rent solely on cost or how nice the place looks; instead, you should consider the quality of the landlord. After all, this is the person who will be responsible for fixing repairs in your home and providing you with the best possible experience. You’ve heard the landlord’s horror stories, so it’s best to avoid becoming one at all costs. Look for these qualities in a landlord when moving into a new home. 

Professional Behavior

All landlords should have professional behavior so you can rest assured they’ll take care of business. Landlords should respect timelines, proper documentation, and boundaries. For example, if you don’t want your landlord to be able to enter your home while you’re not there, you can ask them not to. There should be guidelines properly laid out for what respectable behavior looks like for both parties, including boundaries involving when landlords can show up to your home. 

New landlords might not understand the needs and wants of their tenants to respect their wishes, ultimately showing up unannounced to collect rent or perform regular maintenance. If your landlord is new to the job, consider having a conversation with them about what’s outlined in the lease and what appropriate behavior looks like. 

Good Organization

Landlords need to be organized, or else they wouldn’t be able to keep track of which tenants have paid rent and which have not. All documentation and paperwork should be ready to sign as soon as you decide to lease a property. Landlords who are organized will not tell tenants they’ll get back to you with paperwork, they should provide you with copies of all the necessary paperwork, especially the lease agreement. 

Good Reputation

Most property managers have been in the business for many years, so they have built up some sort of reputation. If you’re planning on moving into an apartment, you can research the apartment complex and the management company online to learn about how tenants feel about living there. You can find reviews just about anywhere online to discover potential problems with the property or the landlord. 

Suppose a landlord has a good reputation and online reviews say they quickly fix problems, answer emails and phone calls, and are respectful of privacy. In that case, you know you’ve found a good apartment complex that cares about the tenants instead of just seeing them as people who pay rent. 

Reliability

All landlords need to be reliable, especially because something could go wrong at any moment. For example, if a pipe bursts in your home and it begins flooding, you’ll need a reliable landlord who can immediately call a repairman. Landlords should be able to answer phone calls as promptly as possible, no matter what type of day. Many of the best landlords and property managers have an emergency phone number you can call after hours to ensure your needs are attended to on time. 

Honesty

Landlords should always be honest with prospective tenants about the property and the terms of the lease. If you ask a question and a landlord doesn’t answer it, they may be trying to lie to you about something. For example, if you ask if there is a policy regarding smoking, they may say they are a non-smoking community just to get you to sign the lease agreement. 

With a little research online, you can find out whether or not the property manager is a liar. The best place to learn about a company is through Google reviews, so make sure you read as many reviews as possible to get an idea of the type of people who own your prospective rental. 

Good Communication

Whether you’re renting a house from a landlord or an apartment from a management company, you’ll need to rely on their communication skills. For example, landlords may need to make announcements, such as when you should move your vehicle from the parking lot during the winter so it can be plowed. Most apartment complexes will send you an email if there are any concerns, but bad landlords won’t. For example, if you aren’t told when to move your vehicle for a plow truck, you could get plowed in and not be able to drive anywhere without shoveling yourself out. 

Additionally, they will have to be able to communicate with you directly from time to time. If you have a question about your lease, a landlord should be able to answer it to help you ensure you’re following the agreement. 

Learning More About a Landlord

Now you know what to look for in a landlord, but you might not know how to get all of the answers to your questions. Instead of relying only on what they say on their website, look around the internet for honest reviews from current tenants. Learning about a landlord, apartment complex, or property manager from people who live there will give you the best insight into whether you want to live there. Remember, you’ll likely be signing a lease for a full year, so you shouldn’t invest in a rental until you trust the landlord. 

If you want to take your research to the next level, consider directly talking to current renters. For example, when you take a property tour, you might run into potential neighbors. Ask them for a moment of their time so they can tell you their honest thoughts about where they live. By ensuring you have a quality landlord, you’ll have one less thing to worry about, allowing you to spend your time focusing on your coursework!

Marné Amoguis

Marné Amoguis holds a B.A. in International Business from UC San Diego. She is a contributing writer at 365businesstips.com where she loves sharing her passion for digital marketing. Outside of writing, she loves traveling, playing music, and hiking.