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The Kyle apartment tour checklist

Twenty five things to switch on, open, run and ask about before you sign. The leasing office will not point them out, and none of them take more than a minute.

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Before you go

Three things to set up first

Bring a phone charger so you can test an outlet in every room. Keep your phone out for the signal test. And ask, before the tour starts, to see the exact apartment you would be signing for rather than the model. How the office answers that question tells you a lot before you have opened a single cabinet.

Check

Bathroom

  1. Shower pressure. Run it for half a minute. It should feel like a shower, not a mist.
  2. Sink pressure. Hot and cold both. A slow flow means the pipes need attention.
  3. Hot water. Time how long it takes to arrive. A long wait points to an old heater or a long pipe run.
  4. Toilet. Flush it and watch the tank refill. Slow or noisy refills are a maintenance ticket waiting to happen.
  5. Ceiling over the tub. Water stains here usually mean a leak from the unit above.
  6. Caulk around the tub. Cracks, mildew or fresh caulk over old stains all tell you how maintenance is done here.
  7. Exhaust fan. Turn it on. You should hear it, and a tissue held up to it should stick.

Check

Kitchen

  1. Refrigerator. Open it. Is it cold, does it smell, and does the freezer freeze?
  2. Dishwasher. Open it and look for standing water, rust or worn racks.
  3. Disposal. Run it with the water on. A healthy motor hums; a bad one rattles.
  4. Under the sink. Look for water marks, soft wood, mold or a fresh patch of caulk.
  5. Stove and oven. Turn on every burner and set the oven, then check it warms.

Check

Bedrooms and living room

  1. Cell signal. Play a video on your phone in every room. If it stutters, note which room.
  2. Windows. Open and close each one. Check the screens and the locks.
  3. Blinds. Broken slats and missing wands are small, and they tell you what else got skipped.
  4. Outlets. Bring a charger and test an outlet in every room.
  5. Light switches. Flip each one and confirm it controls something.
  6. Carpet. Ask when it was last cleaned or replaced. Pet odor needs more than a shampoo.
  7. Shared walls. Knock. A solid wall and a hollow one sound different, and you will hear the difference every night.

Check

The things you will not see

  1. Smell. Musty, mildew or smoke. These are the hardest problems to fix after you move in.
  2. Noise. Open a window and listen for the road, the trains, the pool and the breezeway.
  3. Air filter. Ask when it was last changed. A filthy filter means routine work is not routine here.
  4. Thermostat. Drop it a few degrees and listen for the air handler to start within a minute.
  5. Smoke alarm. Ask to see it tested.
  6. The exact unit. Ask to walk the apartment you would sign for, not a model. If the answer is no, ask why.

Ask

Six questions for the leasing agent

  • What did the last resident pay for electricity in July and August?
  • When was the air conditioning last serviced?
  • What is the renewal increase running for this floor plan right now?
  • Has the community changed owners or management in the last two years?
  • How are packages handled, and have any gone missing this year?
  • Which fees are on the lease beyond the rent, and which of them are monthly?
The answers are less important than how quickly they come. An office that knows the summer electric bill and the renewal rate off the top of its head is an office that pays attention. One that has to check on all six is telling you something too.

Questions renters actually ask

Why does the tour matter when the photos look fine?+

Photos show the finishes. A tour shows the water pressure, the air conditioning, the noise through the wall and how maintenance is done, and those are what you live with. Half an hour with a list on the tour is the cheapest inspection you will ever get.

What if the office will only show a model unit?+

Ask for the exact apartment you would sign for, and if it is occupied ask for one on the same floor with the same plan. If the answer stays no, weigh that. Most communities will show the real unit once it is ready, and the good ones offer before you ask.

Should I bring anything?+

A phone charger to test outlets, your phone to test the signal in every room, and this list. Take photos of anything you find so it goes on the move-in condition form rather than on your deposit.

What do I do with what I find?+

Small things go on the move-in condition form with photos, so they are on record before you carry a box in. Big things, like a leak stain or an air conditioner that does not start, are a reason to ask for a different unit or to keep looking. Either way, ask us and we will tell you whether what you found is normal for that community.

No cost. No obligation. Takes 60 seconds.

Want a second opinion on what you found?

Tell us the community and what the tour turned up. A licensed local locator tells you whether it is normal there and what to ask for. Free to you.

No credit check. No SSN required. 100% free.

Keep reading

Move day, step by step

The order that keeps a Kyle summer move boring.

Your first thirty days in Kyle

Utilities, the license, the car and the mail, with the deadlines.

Real move-in cost

The whole list, itemized, seeded from tonight's median.

Negotiation script

Three sentences that get a Kyle rent down.

The live map

Every community we track with the rent we checked.