"Run the other way if you see any mold or water damage in your rental, no matter what a deal the rent is. It can be deadly. " - Anna Min, Class of 2009

"Finding a place: you don't need to be in person to find a good place to live. Ask friends generally/from an area. Don't be afraid to lean on people. When I chose to do a month's notice sudden move from the TC to Madison I asked Grace Newton to help me by visiting places I'd found online in my stead. (She did and it saved me from making some bad choices). Online searches, FB marketplace, and friend referrals are how I've found all the places I've loved." - William Theriac, Class of 2016

"I also used to check permits pulled for the property. Knowing that they’d pulled permits for a new roof and tuck pointing gave me confidence they were doing maintenance properly. Remember almost everything is negotiable and always ask. Published rent may not be the final rate, or they may have free months or other deals/discounts. Conventions about who’s responsible for which utilities vary regionally - make sure you understand those costs going in." - Hillary Drake, Class of 2003

"Look at the accessibility of everything. How will your landlord salt, rake and take care of disabled parking can be good indicators. How far is the main area and how willing are they to come to you. This is crucial if you are alone. If not roommates and community care are key." - Jennifer Koehler, Class of 2020

"If you can, drive/walk/bus past the potential apartment during different parts of the day and both on weekend and weekday. Be friendly with your neighbors, I know it’s hard right now, but knowing each other gives you a sense of community, safety, and shared knowledge of what is happening and shared power to act together if need be. On the note of community: research and be aware of where you're moving into. If you're white, are you gentrifying a neighborhood because the rent is cheaper? Join your neighborhood association, even if you don't intend on living there forever- educate yourself on politics in the city you live in, even if you can't vote there. You are choosing to be part of the community- be thoughtful, kind, and listen to those who've been there longer than you." - Cole Sarar, Class of 2001

"If you have a car and want to live somewhere (like, say, the twin cities) that gets snow, make sure you anticipate what space you may need for your vehicle. Off-street parking can be a godsend." - Douglas Harman, Class of 2018

1. "It is extremely convenient to live near restaurants, shops, etc. I once lived in a primarily residential area that was 0.5+ miles from any restaurant or coffee shop, and I was a lot less likely to pick up food, go to the store, etc. than I am now. It saved money, but I also enjoyed where I lived a lot less.

2. If at all possible, pick an apartment with easy street parking. Even if you don't have a car, the people who visit you might. It was almost impossible for people to visit me at my old apartment because there was no available street parking, and the bus stops were half a mile away

3. Always make sure laundry rooms are accessible.

4. Read your lease.

5. If you like a neighborhood, literally wander around and look for phone numbers and available apartment signs. A surprising amount of housing is not advertised online or won't show up as available.

6. See if you and your potential roommate are willing to take the Meyers Briggs or another APA approved personality test to see if you're a good fit personality wise.

7. Unless you know you room well with a friend, don't room with a friend. Instead, have a friend introduce you to someone to room with.

8. Try to find an apartment with storage space. Winter gear, bikes, suitcases, moving boxes etc. need a place to go.

9. Tinfoil coverings for the metal baskets on electric stove burners and at the bottom of an electric oven will save you a lot of trouble. Just make sure you change them when things start getting burned into the tinfoil." - Jana Hong, Class of 2017

"Finding roommates:

1. ask them and yourself the important questions you didn't necessarily have to in college. Do you want to be friends with your roommates? Do you believe in Covid as a threat and vaccination? Are you politically similar? (Because it is IMPOSSIBLE now to peacefully live with someone who is wildly off from you.)

2. Ask simpler but impactful questions: Are there any allergy or religious prohibitions on food you'd need to observe?

3. I've found them online from my new job's internal posting boards, from FB posts, and from fellow Mac grads desperate for a new place to live. All of them are good so long as you get at least a video call face-to-face meeting." - William Theriac, Class of 2016

"If you’re going to live with random roommates make sure that you have an extremely thorough upfront conversation with them about your expectations and needs. It may be a little awkward but it’s better than the alternative of finding out that you’re incompatible after already having signed a lease! " - Hannah Bonestroo, Class of 2017

"If moving to a new city, definitely connect with anyone who might be familiar with looking for housing there, also look for facebook groups for current/recent college students for possible listings. I joined similar groups in two different cities and had many options to chose from. Then obviously have the conversations with potential roommates, and check out the place as others have recommended. " - Alex Harley, Class of 2015

"Roommates: Roommates are great! They help lower your rent, they are company during a global pandemic, and potentially lifelong friends. However, as humans, they are complicated. Remember roommate agreements? The things that Mac made you fill out? You should make those. They might feel really intense in a chore chart kinda way (and you definitely don’t have to make a chore chart), but they are really a great communications tool, and when I have made them, either I or my roommate or both of us have always referred back to them when things weren’t going quite right, even though we generally planned not to need them.

Ideally, communicate about key needs and expectations before even signing a lease. Hot button issues may include but are definitely not limited to: guests (all guests right now, especially overnight guests when it isn’t a pandemic), what spaces, items, foods etc are “common,” and expectations for those common spaces, and thermostat expectations (do you want to live with someone who will never turn the AC on? Or who always keeps it 65 degrees in the winter? I do not, maybe you do). If you communicate upfront you save headaches later."

"Kind of an off the wall one, but I feel like it is assumed in sort of the dominant US narrative that a young person will be living on their own or with roommates after graduation. This is not the only reality. If you have family (parents, but even aunts/uncles/grandparents/ siblings) that is safe/healthy for you to live with and located in a place where you can do so, I wouldn’t discount it, especially not right now. For many around the world, living with family in adulthood is just normal, and while it doesn’t work for everyone, it can be so good for those it does. I was in sort of a mental trap that living with my parents after graduation would mean I had failed and lose all my freedom, but when I ended up back with them a bit later, it was mostly good for all of us. My fiancé briefly lived with his aunt and uncle during a transition and they all enjoyed it a ton. I feel like some family members could really use the company now, too. It has the added benefit of lower to zero rent, and since our social lives are vastly different right now than they usually are, a lot of the constraints of freedom matter less if you’re following COVID precautions (though constraints of space and considerations of health and safety of all household members matter more and are worth thoroughly considering).

Living with family also doesn’t necessarily have to mean not doing things like having upfront convos (and maintaining your own boundaries) that you would with a roommate, either, it may just change how you have those conversations." - Mariah Geiger, Class of 2015

"For move-in/out, document everything! Often there will be a “check-in/out” sheet to note any pre-existing damages, but even if there is (and especially if there isn’t), do your own walkthrough with a dated video and/or photos of everything, good and bad condition. Things that people often miss include the cabinets, areas between the walls and floor, the ceiling, fridge or appliances (inside too), and under the sink. It’s especially relevant if you’re living in an older place, which often comes with wear. I’ve lived in a couple places and have yet to wish I did less documentation.

And if you want to be extra thorough, have a folder that includes said photos, as well as a running list of any maintenance requests and correspondences w/ the landlord or management. What you said, when you said it, what they did, etc. Take screenshots of texts or emails, save pdfs, and date everything. Helps keep everyone accountable for things that were done (or weren’t!) and makes it much easier if you run into any issues down the road." - Emma Burt, Class of 2017

"Seconding this! Even when you’re tired because moving is hard - take lots of pictures. The longer you’ve been in a place, the more likely damage could be attributed to you that may have been there prior. I’d also add: check for red flags and confirm with your landlord that they follow best practices (e.g., do they have a rental license? - this is usually publicly available online; do they abide by local regulations? e.g. providing warnings about lead paint with your lease and standards of when they can enter your apartment). These seemingly minor deficiencies early on can indicate bigger challenges ahead." - Maja Ingeman, Class of 2009

"When you get to move out, remember to clean the fridge/stove, blinds, and fan blades if applicable. The landlord may give you a check list, or there are good ones online to help get deposits back. " - Hillary Drake, Class of 2003

"In case you have a place, but have to leave before the lease is up: Double and triple check what exactly you are on the hook for before you sublet it to anybody! This is especially true if you are subletting to somebody you do not know personally. Also, get as much information about them as possible (and verify it!). This will save you a LOT of trouble if your subletter turns out to be a bit of a deadbeat and decides not to pay rent and/or to trash the place...More often than not, the fees/fines associated with breaking the lease are cheaper/less risky than subletting." - Clemens Pilgram, Class of 2015

"Choosing a Landlord vs. A Large Company: for the most part I've lived in apartments owned by large companies. Though morally questionable I like them better because they respond incredibly quickly to repairs and emergencies, their approach across the board is consistent and likely to better follow state and municipal guidelines, and they are well staffed and easy to contact. That being said, if they make a change or a decision they are very inflexible." - William Theriac, Class of 2016

"As for small landlords vs big companies, I’ve had mostly good experiences with big companies and one great experience with a small landlord (less great when he contracted management out to a big company). But big companies can be bad and not just because they are exploitative. My sister is living in a very fancy (imo) building for like graduate students and the management company is super unresponsive, even to real issues, like bugs. So your mileage may vary regardless renting. Know your Tenants Rights orgs in case you need them—most cities have one to my knowledge. Look for reviews from other tenants/ word of mouth before renting.

Decide your landlord vibe. We liked our small landlord because the rent was low and he was relatively hands off and flexible. We knew responses might be a bit slower (they generally were not) or that there might be slightly less intense maintenance in the hallway/crap in the basement from previous tenants, but we preferred the sort of added privacy and any issues were taken care of fast enough for us. That might not be your jam... try to find what is!

Above all, always always read your lease. Read it twice. Read it again if you think you’ve forgotten something. Read it again again the second you’re thinking of moving out because some companies auto renew leases unless you give notice to vacate. If there is something in there that concerns you, ask about it, don’t just sign! It is a legal document and will be treated as such on both sides if there is an issue." - Mariah Geiger, Class of 2015

"[M]ake sure you get all communications with your landlord/company down in writing. Avoid relying on verbal agreements, and make sure to read your lease thoroughly and in its entirety. That bit of extra reading can be super important. If you have someone to ask, you can even have someone else look over your lease for anything you might have missed. I had my mom read mine. And don't be afraid to ask the landlord/management questions about it. If they are rude/unresponsive, then that may be a good indicator to skip that place." - Sammy Fritsche, Class of 2020

"Every time you talk to a landlord, it is a business discussion. You need to have clear expectations and goals. You should also spend a LOT of time asking questions about the lease before you sign. This took me several years to learn." - M.L. Kenney, Class of 2018

"The first part of this tip is more obvious, which is to learn how you’ll get around and get to your job (if in person) and to choose a place that aligns with that. I always found my bus/train route before I signed a lease. The second part is less obvious, which is to look for your apartment along your potential transit routes. Diana Rosenzweig and I found our first apartment in an unfamiliar city via GoogleMaps scrolling around after being unimpressed with an apartment but liking the location for transit to our jobs. We found a great fit we hadn’t heard of across the street. This has happened again several times, including my fiancé selecting an apartment he had seen from the bus station when we moved back to the Twin Cities (it is great and we love it even though we don’t go anywhere now).

If you have a car and want to keep your car, dedicated parking is almost a must in some cities/ some parts of some cities. Do your parking research. Note: if a building offers paid parking and then there is limited street parking, the limited street parking is likely to be a disaster and it would be best to only move there if a parking spot is available and you can afford to pay for it." - Mariah Geiger, Class of 2015