You just can't run out of things to do in this awesome place that is the City of Angels -- shopping in Rodeo Drive, people watching in Hollywood, getting your daily dose of sunlight at one of the many beaches, chilling out at Venice, or taking a slice of the fancy life in Beverly Hills. There are just so many reasons to love Los Angeles and it can beguile you in more ways than one.
All these, however, throwing in the costly rents and the horrific traffic in the conversation for good measure, make for an apartment hunting endeavor in the area quite tricky. We don't want to sound like a real Debby Downer here so we'll just give you tips for your next apartment hunting in the beautiful LA.
Know Your Rights
You may know or have heard a lot about the neighborhood, or fell in love with the rental property already, but one of the best weapons you can equip yourself with, as a new tenant in a new place, is knowing your renter's bill of rights, says I'mMovingtoLA.com. It varies in different cities or states, and it's good to find out and get a hold of the local guide to residential tenants' and landlords' rights and responsibilities in the Los Angeles area.
This move is one of the most overlooked by tenants, but knowing your rights beforehand could be doing yourself a huge favor.
Make Use of Tools
WeLikeLA.com has done a good job compiling a list of noteworthy tools that will surely come handy on your LA. apartment hunting efforts.
For the different listing of rental units available in the area, WeLikeLA recommends the use of sites like Craigslist, Padmapper, and Westside Rentals. They are three of the more popular and comprehensive marketplace for landlords and tenants.
You might want to do further research on your prospective area or neighborhood with the use of Google Maps and Yelp. The two tools can make it easy for you to check on the rental place's proximity to local businesses, like your kind of restaurants and cafés, hangouts and other entertainment or leisure areas, or how close it is to public transport.
More discerning type of tenants can also make use of Walkscore, Pollution and Crime mapping tools to check the livability of the area.
Know Your Budget
Sadly for apartment hunters in LA, the city has one of the highest percentage of renters in the United States. That means you can expect rental prices to be relatively higher, as well. It is important to know the average rent prices of the different areas within the city, and see if it would fit your budget.
"While Santa Monica is beautiful and one of the more walkable areas in Los Angeles, it's also less affordable than nearby Mar Vista", says US News Money. They recommend allotting no more than 30 percent of your monthly income for the rent, and splitting the cost with a roommate.
Heed the Red Flags
I'mMovingtoLA.com advises house hunters to pay close attention to possible warning signs. Bring with you a checklist and don't spare the landlords from important questions you need to ask. You might want to ask a local or two, as well. You need someone familiar with the LA neighborhood to tell you about the place.
They also recommend trusting your instincts; "If it feels right, take it. If it feels wrong, don't take it. If you need to, sleep on it". Make sure to think about it really hard before signing the lease contract. You can take your sweet time, and make use of the allotted time upon approval and the deadline they give you whether to go for it or not.
