Apartment Safety: Heading Out of Town

If you decide to take a vacation and want your things to be the same when you return, here are a few things you should do before you head out the door:

- Put mail and newspapers on hold
- Ask a neighbor or a friend to come and water plants or feed pets.
- Take out all trash and wash all dirty dishes
- Lock all doors and windows
- Leave a light on or get a light timer
- Give your travel details to a family member or trusted friend.

Up Next: Know Your Rights 

This is an excerpt from Deciding Where to Live After College Guide which is included in our Real World 101 Care Packages. Visit our Care Package page to find out how to get one for yourself or for a lucky college grad!

Things that Go Bump in the Night, So What Can You Do?

Living alone for the first time in a big (or small) apartment can be scary. No need to worry too much. Here are some steps you can take that will make you feel safer.

• Add an extra lock. Replace lock cylinders if possible (check with the manager on this) and add a deadbolt. Most important, regardless of your trusting nature, use the locks!

• Invest in a timer for your lights, especially if you're out a lot.

• Leave a radio on to create some noise while you're out of the house.

• Always secure window. As a recent grad you are more likely to live in basement or ground floor apartments than in penthouse suites, and low windows are easily pried open. Secure sliding track windows and doors with wood blocks.

• Store very valuable items in a bank safety deposit box. This will save you having to worry about security (and it may be tax deductible).

• Don't let it be known you live alone. On your answering machine, start your creative message with "We can't come to the phone," rather than "I can't come to the phone."

• Limit the cash stashed in your house. Many standard insurance policies cover a maximum of $200 in cash.

• Protect yourself by never putting identification tags on your key ring or key holder. If your keys are ever lost, intruders will find you!

• Never hide a key outdoors.

• Do not automatically open the door when someone knocks. Ask who it is; if you have questions about the response, do not hesitate to keep the door locked.

• Never let strangers in your home without proper identification, including maintenance, service or repair persons.

• Do not panic if your home has been entered. Do not go into the unit. Contact the police and your landlord immediately.

• Make sure all entranceways and stairwells in your house or apartment are well lit.

• Be sure that your smoke detectors are working; check the batteries on a monthly basis.

Up Next: Heading Out of Town

This is an excerpt from Deciding Where to Live After College Guide which is included in our Real World 101 Care Packages. Visit our Care Package page to find out how to get one for yourself or for a lucky college grad!

Ways to Save Money in Your New Apartment

After several months of paying your own way, you may have noticed that maybe budgeting isn’t such a bad idea after all. Here are few tips to stretch your paycheck a bit further.

- Lowering the thermostat even one degree saves money. Turn down the heat when you go to bed. Another option is to pick up a setback thermostat for less than $100 at your local hardware store or Home Depot. When you're sleeping or at work, it will automatically adjust the heat (or the AC). A 10° drop can knock as much as 15% off your utility bills.

- Turn off the air conditioner when you are going to be gone for more than four hours.

- If you don't have an economy cycle on the dishwasher, skip the dry cycle. Let the dishes air dry.

- Get your deposit back from your utility company if you've had the service for over a year.

- Set your water heater to 120 degrees

Tools: Energy Saving Ideas

Up Next: Things that Go Bump in the Night, So What Can You Do?

This is an excerpt from Deciding Where to Live After College Guide which is included in our Real World 101 Care Packages. Visit our Care Package page to find out how to get one for yourself or for a lucky college grad!

Getting Your Landlord to Make Repairs

If your landlord has not made repairs to your dwelling, follow these steps to get the process rolling:

1. Request a list of damages to your dwelling within 15 days of moving in. Having this documentation gives you a place to begin.

2. Write your landlord a letter and keep a copy for yourself. Always put your requests in writing and specify how and when you would like your landlord to respond. For example: “Please put in a request to fix the air conditioner this week and send a copy of the work request to the following address.” Send the letter to your landlord via certified mail. This means that someone has to sign for it and it gives you documentation that your mail has been received.

3. If your landlord does not reply, you can call county or city housing inspectors to help you get the repairs made. An inspection by one of these representatives will generate a report that may assist you in getting the repairs accomplished. Your landlord can be fined for housing violations that are not repaired within a specified time frame.

Up Next: Ways to Save Money in Your New Apartment

This is an excerpt from Deciding Where to Live After College Guide which is included in our Real World 101 Care Packages. Visit our Care Package page to find out how to get one for yourself or for a lucky college grad!

Tenant Tips

Make sure you maintain a positive relationship with your landlord. Here are a few tips to help you do just that:

1. Always get a written receipt from your landlord when you pay rent or a deposit.

2. Keep copies of your written correspondence with your landlord

3. If you have a written lease, find out your rights and responsibilities and what the landlord must do to evict you.

4. Once you have moved into your new apartment, keep in mind that your landlord still owns the property and can enter it to make inspections or repairs or to show the property to other prospective tenants.

5. If something needs to be fixed, be sure you refer to your lease for a repair clause, because you may have to fix it. If your landlord is responsible for the repairs, give a written notice of what needs to be repaired and wait a reasonable amount of time for a response.

Up Next: Repairs to Your Dwelling

This is an excerpt from Deciding Where to Live After College Guide which is included in our Real World 101 Care Packages. Visit our Care Package page to find out how to get one for yourself or for a lucky college grad!