There is way bigger money involved when buying a home than renting; but that doesn't meant that you don't prepare to lay out some cash.
To avoid surprise expenses, it's important to know what you have to deal with. Here are 5 hidden apartment fees and how you can fight them according to Trulia:
Moving costs
If your best friend is unable to lend you a hand in your move or you are making a significant move, then you will need to hire a moving company. However, aside from the actual moving fee, there are several costs that you might have not considered.
"Talk to your new landlord about truck accessibility to your unit," says Ryan Carrigan, founder ofmoveBuddha, a moving-costs-comparison site. "If movers can't pull the truck up within 75 feet of your front door, they will typically charge a 'long carry' fee," he says.
Also, choose a moving company that has general liability insurance in case of damage to the home or building during the move. "If the mover scrapes a wall or nicks a door frame and doesn't have this coverage, your landlord may take it out of your security deposit," says Carrigan.
Application fees
Your landlord may require an application fee to run a background check and credit check on you. Since they are charged for those, they usually pass that cost to the applying renter.
Each state varies in their policy for application fee charging. The landlord could charge you with the full fee or a minimal amount extra for their time.
Last month's rent
Some landlords may require a new renter to pay last month's rent prior to the move in month. In that case, you would need to have your pocket ready for three monthly rents - first month, last month, and security deposit.
Elevator reservation fees
If the unit you are renting won't be on the ground floor, you will need to reserve the building's service elevator. Your landlord may let you use it free of charge, but if that's not the case, this could be a significant expense. "These fees vary wildly, from $500 to $1,000 refundable deposits to as high as $1,000 nonrefundable move-in fees," says Alin Zdroba, a Florida real estate broker. You can try to negotiate with the landlord if the fee is too high.
Parking fees
Unless you are renting at the Sky Garage penthouse in New York City where there is a special elevator intended only to bring your car to its own parking room, then you probably have to allocate a budget for parking fees.
"Parking gate openers and parking permits/stickers can [cost tenants] between $20 and $100 or more each," says Zdroba.