Rental brokers are one of my greatest sources of irritation. When I moved to Boston, the ones I worked with were totally useless. I almost felt bad because they were obviously right out of college and had no idea what they were doing, I would be surprised if they even had training on the Fair Housing Act. Unfortunately for them, I am a former property manager for a professional rental management company, so I know exactly what to look for. My requirements and questions about the apartments I saw were extensive, I had a double-sided work sheet for every unit I saw.It just seems lazy to me, as someone who did all the rentals for her properties, to source this out. I find it had to trust a landlord who not only uses a service like this, but passes the cost onto the customer. Ridiculous. Especially in an aggressive market like Boston or NYC, where there is no lack of willing tenants. In the end, I found a place without a broker through Craigslist. Very, very lucky.
Pro tips: Read the tenant rights for your state/city before you do anything. Seriously. Lift up the cooktop on the stove and look for mouse droppings. Roaches like damp places, look around and under the sinks for evidence of them. Look at the outside of the windows and make sure the panes are not crumbling. Ask if the unit has ever been flooded or has had mold/moisture damage. Ask how often the building is exterminated and if it has a history of infestations. Ask if there are background checks run on the maintenance staff. Check the bedbug and sex offender registries. Call the emergency maintenance line and see if someone picks up.
On Rental Brokers Are Useless
Rental brokers are one of my greatest sources of irritation. When I moved to Boston, the ones I worked with were totally useless. I almost felt bad because they were obviously right out of college and had no idea what they were doing, I would be surprised if they even had training on the Fair Housing Act. Unfortunately for them, I am a former property manager for a professional rental management company, so I know exactly what to look for. My requirements and questions about the apartments I saw were extensive, I had a double-sided work sheet for every unit I saw.It just seems lazy to me, as someone who did all the rentals for her properties, to source this out. I find it had to trust a landlord who not only uses a service like this, but passes the cost onto the customer. Ridiculous. Especially in an aggressive market like Boston or NYC, where there is no lack of willing tenants. In the end, I found a place without a broker through Craigslist. Very, very lucky.
Pro tips: Read the tenant rights for your state/city before you do anything. Seriously. Lift up the cooktop on the stove and look for mouse droppings. Roaches like damp places, look around and under the sinks for evidence of them. Look at the outside of the windows and make sure the panes are not crumbling. Ask if the unit has ever been flooded or has had mold/moisture damage. Ask how often the building is exterminated and if it has a history of infestations. Ask if there are background checks run on the maintenance staff. Check the bedbug and sex offender registries. Call the emergency maintenance line and see if someone picks up.