Questions to Ask When Looking for a New Apartment

Searching for a new apartment is exciting; however it’s easy to become overwhelmed with the endless options on the market. Paramount Properties can help! We offer a variety of spacious, bright and affordable apartments located in Ottawa’s most desirable and convenient locations. Look no further than Paramount Properties when searching for your next apartment. Our apartments come wired for high speed internet and digital cable access, feature ample parking, onsite laundry facilities and fitness amenities. 

When touring prospective apartments, it’s important to ask the right questions to make sure that your new home is a perfect fit.  Here are the most important questions to ask when looking for a new apartment. 

The Groundwork 

• What is my monthly rent budget? When viewing our apartment listings, the first step is to set a monthly rent budget. Make sure to consider other monthly expenses including utilities, food, insurance etc. Once your budget has been determined, you can filter the search results based on price - which helps to narrow your options. 
• What is the neighborhood really like? It’s important to check out the communities that your prospective new apartments are located in. Take a drive around the area, or even better, browse by foot. Spend some time in each neighborhood to discover whether the amenities suit your lifestyle. Chat up one of the locals in a coffee shop to find out what they think of the community. If you can, stick around until after hours, or come back later one evening to get a feel for how safe, quiet, or vibrant the area is at night. 
• Schedule an apartment visit with Paramount Properties. Our properties are in high demand, so it is important to act quickly when you find an apartment that you like. Call the landlord and find out if there are any tours scheduled, or applications that are already on the apartment. Finding out how popular the property is will give you a sense of whether you need to go see the apartment ASAP, or whether you can schedule a visit over the next few days. 

The Viewing

• Come prepared. 
• Develop a list of key questions to ask during the apartment viewing. 
• The following is a list of questions that every apartment seeker should ask during the viewing: 

Business Affairs 

Facility and Community Questions 

Parking 

Close the Deal 

• Review your apartment lease carefully. You’ve fallen in love with the new apartment and you are satisfied with the answers to your questions. It’s now time to review the lease. It’s very important to look over the lease with a fine tooth comb before sealing the deal.  Ask if you can take the lease home to review overnight, or leave the premises to scrutinize it over a cup of coffee. If anything is unclear, or jumps out to you, be sure to ask questions. Make sure that the move in date is set and find out if you need to reserve an elevator and/or book easily accessible parking for your move in day. 
• Welcome home! Once the lease has been signed and the move-in arrangements are set, establish a point of contact with the landlord so that you may ask any lingering questions prior to your move in. There are so many important details to consider when moving into a new apartment. By asking all the right questions and being thorough, you can now rest easy knowing that you have done your research and that you are well prepared for this exciting new chapter. For more helpful tips for moving into your new Ottawa apartment, please visit the Apartment Living section of our website.