Co-Applicant, Co-Signer, Guarantor: What Are the Differences?

November 15, 2022 | By Stella M AuthorMy First Apartment

Many previously unknown terms come up when you’re applying for an apartment for your first time, and learning how to properly navigate the lingo is an important step to making sure you’re getting into a lease you’re happy with. Three common terms are co-applicant, co-signer, and guarantor, which all describe someone who’s on your lease…

When Can You Legally Break Your Lease?

November 22, 2021 | By Stella M AuthorMy First Apartment

When you have a lease on an apartment, you might find that its length is becoming a headache. Or maybe you wind up running into problems in your neighborhood, or you’ve reached a point of no return in your relationship with your landlord. Perhaps a new job offer has come up that means you need…

Pros and Cons: Signing a Multi-Year Lease

April 23, 2020 | By Stella M AuthorMy First Apartment

In our Pros and Cons series, we weigh the advantages and disadvantages of important decisions that apartment dwellers are making every day. When you sign a lease for your new apartment, chances are that you’ll sign a one-year lease, with the ability to renew your lease every 12 months. However, you might also have the…

What Is a Guarantor?

November 18, 2019 | By Stella M AuthorMy First Apartment

Even if you’re mentally ready to move into your first apartment, you might not be financially ready. In some parts of the country, it’s common practice for landlords to require that your yearly income be 40 times the monthly rent, limiting your available options (or forcing you to split your rent with roommates). That’s why…

Five Essential Subletter Etiquette Rules

November 15, 2019 | By Stella M AuthorMy First Apartment

If you’re subletting from someone, you’ll be living in an apartment that’s at once yours and very much not yours. You might be a bit worried about how you can properly feel at home while respecting the original tenant’s space. With these five essential rules for subletter etiquette rules, you should have no trouble comfortably…

Six Tips for Reading Your Lease

November 13, 2019 | By Stella M AuthorMy First Apartment

As exciting as it might be to sign a lease on your first apartment, actually understanding everything that’s in your lease can be a total headache. A lease is a legally-binding agreement, usually written in legal language that can be overwhelming to read. You might be tempted to skip some of this “legalese” and just…

Thinking of Breaking Your Landlord’s Pet Policy?

December 17, 2017 | By Sarah AuthorMy First Apartment

Is a cute little kitty or puppy on the top of your wish list this year, but you are not sure if your landlord allows pets? Are you thinking of sneaking in that little furry friend anyway, and taking your chances? You may feel it’s a worthwhile gamble, but bringing a pet into your apartment…

6 Ways To Break Your Lease

June 4, 2017 | By J Simpson AuthorMy First Apartment

We’re living in uncertain times. Sure, things have always been unpredictable and up in the air; life can deliver us lemons at any time, even in more prosperous times. In an age of unstable local economies, skyrocketing rental markets, lack of resources, unfriendly social climates – anything could happen, at any time, making it hard…

Lease Renewal: Important Considerations

August 5, 2016 | By Sarah AuthorMy First Apartment

Summertime is on of the most popular seasons for moving, so many of you are likely facing lease renewals in the near future! Even if yours isn’t for a few months, read on for some things to consider before signing on for another year. In fact, your landlord will often send you the renewal lease…

Planning the Move to Your Next Apartment

August 29, 2015 | By Sarah AuthorMy First Apartment

I’ve been living in a small apartment with my boyfriend and our dog for a while now (you can follow my whole story by looking here) and we have been considering upsizing for about 10 months. In the last 6 months, we started seriously thinking about it, researching online, and making a list of things we…