And of those, many are people who did something wrong. They broke their lease, trashed the place, broke the rules, screwed someone over, or disagreed over something. They get back by posting horrific reviews.
I tend to listen to reviews that are well written and sound sane. The "this lanlort sucked. i mobed out n he said ok and then he said u can't mobe,, i said that i neded to move bcuz i lost my job n he wuldnt let me go,, well he threten me n said go to cort. i told him to stop disrespect me n shittt n so he n cort n he evict. the asshold is slumlord n i evict him." can't be taken seriously.
From what I can see people try to get something as big and as cheap as possible in their price range. If you do this you run the risk of getting an apartment that has a problem. Apartment rents are cheap for a reason. You aren't going to get a fantastic apartment if you only look for the cheapest that you can afford in the size that you would like.
So have a look for a smaller apartment that is more expensive. Go for something that you think is a bit on the small size but which costs either the same or a bit more than a big cheap one.
If you're looking to move to a new neighborhood in the same city, go check out the available places in person. See the neighborhood, what kind of businesses are around, how clean things are or aren't, are there kids and playgrounds, schools, people doing yard work, bbq-ing, etc? Or do you see thugs and hoods hanging around, money and unknown substances changing hands, scantily-dressed women walking the streets and leaning into cars looking for "dates"? You'll get a pretty good idea.
Many are. If they're all complaining about the same thing (e.g., the same landlord, the same neighborhood issues) assume they're on to something.
You might want to seek something a bit more expensive? The difference between sketchy and OK is often $100 or so - especially if that limit moves the apartment out of reach for people on social assistance and the like.
I would try for an apartment in a home as the best way to find an adorably rental.Before you rent you can check out the apartment yourself of course but in a house you will only have a few neighbors you can ask them directly what they think of the place and who owns it.They will usually rent cheaper then an apartment complex and you can drive by the area at night and see for yourself what's it like after dark.Apartments in residential homes tend to be in residential neighborhoods and if the owner of the property likes you they may be more willing to work with you on cheaper rent and deposits .They may be more wanting a good tenant then someone who can flop out rent on a monthly bases and they are less likely to have set prices for move in cost. And may be less worried about credit history.You may also find it easier to get along with your neighbors as you will only be dealing with a few rather then a complex full of people.So say if there is a problem such as noise you will probably know your neighbor by name and can handle things tenant to tenant .
I wouldn't give any one particular review special weight, but yes in general I think if there are multiple reviews you can get the general gist of how people feel.
I also think you can expect to get what you pay for. If by "affordable" you mean "cheaper than most" then yes, there may be less professional management, maintenance problems, noise problems, parking problems, security problems, etc.
In general the free market is pretty good at pricing things. Higher quality costs more. Lesser quality costs less.
So I'm looking for an apartment to move into and almost every affordable apartment I looked at got negative reviews on apartmentratings.com and they all say "No! DON'T move here!"
Are they really that accurate?
