Author: Kay Cleaves

Renters tend to go into the whole apartment thing with some idea of what it's all about. They have certain expectations of what an apartment looks like and what a landlord is and does. Sometimes those expectations turn into false assumptions about their landlord, which in turn can lead to pretty big communication problems. Here's some of the big ones that renters should leave behind, lest they get a nasty surprise.

They're a cigar-chomping, Mercedes-driving fat guy in a suit.

Landlords come in all shapes and sizes. Your landlord could be a big company with a board of trustees and stockholders. They could be a multi-national conglomerate based on another continent. They could be a local property management company - or a local church. They can be members of any profession, any age, any political affiliation, and any gender.

Continue reading Assumptions that Renters Should Never Make About Their Landlords

I showed apartments in Chicago and neighboring suburbs for about 10 years. During that time I saw a lot of renters who totally shot themselves in the feet through lack of prior planning. In fact, they did it so often that I figured there must be some sort of sect of renters who really do not want to get approved for housing.

If you're one of those people who wants to totally blow your chance at getting the right apartment, you need to start early in the process. Based on my real life experience with renters, here's some steps you should be sure to take if you want to utterly fail at apartment hunting before you even arrive at a showing.

• When you book the appointment, make sure you do so on the same day you want to see it. Pitch a fit if the agent can't get you in. (Bonus points if you complain during the showing about how your own landlord has shown your current apartment without notice.)
• When booking, do not mention that you're already working exclusively with a tenant-side agent who will not be attending the showing with you, but will expect a commission.
• Do not bring your third roommate who will be paying 3/4 of the rent.
• Show the landlord that you've done your homework and know the neighborhood really well by texting 3-4 times en route about how you're "a little lost so sry."

Continue reading How Great Tenants Blow Apartment Showings Before They Even Arrive

It's quite obvious that the US has a fair housing problem. Despite decades of laws intended to prevent discrimination, people are denied housing every day throughout the country on the basis of illegal factors: race, religion, sexual orientation, etc. Agents who work with landlords have a very simple thing they can do to help make housing accessible to everyone. However, despite it being free to implement, easy to do and powerfully effective, nobody is doing it.

Hide. The. Names.

I'm not kidding. Continue reading The Fair Housing Flaw in Every Rental Application