“I love apartment hunting,” said no one ever. We get it—searching for your next apartment close to campus in Athens isn’t always fun. There’s a lot of time spent driving around, narrowing down options based on your necessities, and consulting with potential roommates and taking their feedback into consideration too.
While we at Krause Rental Properties try to make everything as streamlined and easy for you, not all rental companies are built the same, and the rental apartments certainly aren’t built the same. With that in mind, here are some of our best tips and red flags to watch out for while you’re searching for that perfect, cool rental spot in the Athens area with a yard.
Start searching early
When you’re looking at rental apartments for Ohio University, you’ve got to be extra proactive. When you’re in college and looking at rental spots, you’re usually going to be signing a lease for the following year, and nothing in the immediate future.
With that being said, when you want to nab one of the greatest rental apartments in the Athens area for the following year, you’ll want to start looking as soon as fall semester. Most companies who deal in student rentals around Athens will want to make sure they have a continuous stream of renters for their properties, and if their current tenant is graduating or hasn’t already expressed interest in re-signing a lease, that means they’re going to be trying to fill that spot as soon as possible. Athens apartments with a nice backyard and rental spots around Ohio University with a great view of the area will be the first ones to go, so the sooner you start your search, the sooner you can be confident that you’ve got a great place secured for your next year of college.
Shop around for the best spots in town
Unless you find your dream apartment on your first go-around—and we’re talking a two-bedroom apartment in Athens right on East State Street with all the amenities and fixtures that you can get with your best friend—you should probably shop around a little and compare apartments and rental houses.
Maybe the first spot you look at is a one-bedroom apartment close to OU on Court Street and the location is great, but it doesn’t have central air conditioning, and it’s right above a bar—maybe not the most ideal situation when there could be more suitable spots for you out there. Or maybe you found a university rental home in Athens, but it’s a little pulled back, and it’s actually a 20-minute walk to campus each way. That sounds doable in fall and spring, but what about when it gets absolutely frigid out or if the ground gets covered in ice during the winter? Suddenly getting those steps in on your walk to classes doesn’t sound all that appealing.
The point is, when you’re looking for your next home to rent in Athens that’s close enough to Ohio University, take your time with things. View a handful of your top rental picks in person, make a pros and cons list on each space, and weigh things out and take some time to deliberate. After all, you’re going to be living in that spot for at least almost a full year, so it should be one that you love.
Make sure the space is as advertised online
One of the easiest ways to tell if an apartment is worth renting out for the school year is seeing if the spot actually matches what’s listed online. A common tactic that not-so-honest rental companies will use is putting up pictures of that cool three-bedroom house for rent close to Ohio University in its heyday. But once you actually get around to viewing the home, it’s nothing like the pictures—the walls might have obvious water damage from who-knows-where, the floorboards on the stairs are dilapidated and weak and leave you questioning their integrity, and you’re suddenly not feeling so sure about the housing within walking distance to Ohio University that had initially been your top pick online.
The best rental property companies in Athens will keep up-to-date photos of their rentals and actually take care of their properties, meaning that “recently renovated” cute two-bedroom apartment close to campus in Athens actually was recently renovated in the past few years, and the pictures aren’t almost a full decade old. Oftentimes a rental spot that isn’t quite what it looks like online is reflective of the kind of landlord or rental company you’re dealing with—if things aren’t quite matching it, it’s likely indicative that you’ll have a hard time reaching the company and getting someone out to help if you ever need anything.
Check potential noise levels
When you’re finding a rental spot for college, you’ll likely be doing quite a bit of studying within the confines of your apartment or home’s walls. The easiest way to remain distracted is if there’s a ton of noise coming from surrounding areas. While it might be cool to rent a close-to-campus apartment in Athens near the bars, it’s not going to be so cool when you’re studying hard for that final exam late into the night, and all you can hear are drunk people yelling outside your windows. Similarly, any rental apartment near OU on Court Street could get a little noisy on the weekends or late at night with all the bars and pubs around the area.
Make a point to ask whoever is showing you the apartment what the noise can be like in the later hours of the night, or alternatively, try to get a feel on your own what it’s like. Make a point to visit your potential neighborhood at a few different times throughout the day to get the best feel for what the noise levels might be like—you’ll be glad you did.
With these tips in mind, finding your next Ohio University rental housing will be a breeze.