Elma Ademovic | Staff Illustrator

“Is your water also not working?”, “The dryer is broken again,” and “Does anyone else have a cricket problem?” are a few of many texts in my building’s group chat from the past few months. Yanking God-knows-what out of the shower drain, exterminating bugs, and calling four numbers to reach the City of St. Louis Water Division are a few of my thrilling off-campus apartment living experiences.

Before moving into my apartment, the only landlords I’d had to deal with were my parents and WashU Residential Life (which, I should add, comes from a place of privilege). This experience is common for students living off-campus for the first time. 

Landlords are a crucial part of your living experience, as building problems are part and parcel of living in a charming, historical St. Louis apartment or house. I don’t have any friends living off campus who have not had to message their landlord or maintenance at least once.

There are many types of landlords that rent properties nearby WashU. You have your large companies that own many properties (over 40 properties, like Zheng Capital Realty, Byron Company, and Roberts Realty), medium companies (5-10 properties, many of which are expanding, like Clocktower Company and Mosaic Living), and smaller companies, usually individual people (fewer than five properties).

You should choose a landlord who is reliable and cares about their tenants; this process is all about research and asking the right questions. Once you’re living on the property, communicating with landlords is all about advocating for yourself. 

Choosing an apartment (and landlord)

When choosing an apartment, the quality of your landlord should be a primary consideration.

Talk to tenants

You often want to find outside information about a prospective partner — the same goes with a landlord. Always ask the current tenants about their experience living at a property. WashU students often live in the same buildings over many years, so these tenants will most often be your peers.

Do outside research

Like you would stalk someone on Instagram, research the landlord or company that owns the property you are interested in. Look for how many properties they own, where they are (do they seem to mostly rent to students, for example), how long they have been renting out properties, and whether they have shrunk or expanded. This research, found through a Google search, companies’ and landlords’ websites, and Reddit, will give you an idea of the kind of landlord you are looking at. 

A large company that is expanding may be spread thin across many properties, especially if they are new and rapidly growing. An individual who owns few properties, especially in the same neighborhood, is likely more reliable. Landlords who have owned their properties for a long time have more experience and are often more reliable. Still, there are plenty of exceptions to these rules. Along with talking to current tenants, there you can also consult many Reddit threads with information about property owners near WashU.

Talk to the landlord 

You must ask your landlord questions. I will not go over all the questions you should ask related to the property (i.e. “Is there parking available?”, “How do I pay rent?”, “What’s your subletting policy?”) — there are several helpful lists online. Instead, I am focusing on your landlord-oriented inquiries. Many of these details will be in your lease, but you often won’t receive it until you are in the final stages of getting the apartment.

1. Do you own the property? What is your role?

If the person touring you around the apartment is not the landlord of the property, that is your first red flag. If they do not have sufficient information about the property, maintenance, or tenant experiences, then you should ask for the contact information of the landlord and message them with your questions. This experience may signal that the property is owned by a larger company and could also indicate that contacting the proper people will be difficult after moving in.

2. How many properties do you (or the company) own?

In general, the fewer properties that the landlord or person owns, the more attentive they will be with you. A company may have more people to help you, but they are likely spread thin. A property owner with fewer properties (about one to four) also means that they can more directly get to know and communicate with you, meaning that they will likely care more about their individual tenants.

3. How do you communicate with tenants? How do I make a maintenance request?

A good landlord will provide a way to directly communicate with them. If they provide you with a portal, which is a common practice for maintenance requests, ask them what you should do in case of an emergency. They should at least give you a phone number or email address for exceptional circumstances. Take note of your communications prior to signing the lease to get an idea of their response rate.

4. Who manages the property?

If the landlord directly manages the property, that is usually a good sign. There may be an outside management company, which is not a deal-breaker, but they will often have slower responses to your requests. Ask for the company name and do separate research for more information.

5. Who responds to maintenance requests? How quickly do they respond?

Regardless of who manages the property, what you really want to know is how quickly they will solve your issues. A professional should come to fix technical issues. Your landlord should give you a specific time frame, which will ideally be within 24 to 48 hours. Ensure that there is a quick response time to emergency requests.

6. What is covered under maintenance requests?

Some landlords will replace your fire alarm batteries, help solve your cockroach problem, or fix your clogged drain. Some will not. There are some maintenance problems that you should be comfortable dealing with on your own, namely those that you have caused. In general, however, the landlords own the property and should fix the problems with their building.

7. What is covered by my rent? How much are utilities?
   

This question is less about your landlord, but it is the crucial question to ask when you tour an apartment. Talk to friends and research the average rent and cost of utilities in the area to ensure it is reasonable. Landlords should be transparent about these fees.

8. Do you do a walk-through before and after move-in and move-out? What condition do you expect the apartment to be in?

Many apartments have a policy in which they will not look at or clean the property if you take furniture from past tenants. I have heard numerous horror stories of people having to deep-clean or call cleaning companies when they move in because of the conditions at move-in. Landlords should look at the apartment after move-out and hire a cleaning service for you. In addition, you should know what condition you need to leave the apartment in when you move out.

9. Have you ever had to keep a tenant’s security deposit?

You pay a security deposit when you sign a lease on a property that is refunded upon move-out, as long as there are no large damages that they must repair and you have paid your rent on time. You should gauge what triggers a landlord to keep your security deposit; it should be for damages beyond normal wear and tear, very messy or dirty conditions, skipped rent, or missing items.

10. What do you do if tenants have conflicts with one another (i.e. noise complaints, cleanliness issues, smells, etc.)?

Landlords should be prepared to deal with internal tenant conflicts and, if needed, enforce the lease for someone violating the rules.

I recommend choosing a landlord who personally tours you around an apartment and is directly involved in your communications. A portal for maintenance requests is fine, but they should give you a way to contact them with any serious concerns.

Ultimately, trust your instincts. A vibe check can be the best way to know if someone is right for you.

Handling a landlord

You want to have a good relationship with your landlord. Communicate with them while respecting their rules; for example, use the proper lines of communication. At the same time, be assertive if your problems aren’t being fixed properly or efficiently. Proper living conditions are more important than preserving a perfect relationship. Most maintenance, barring the exceptions on your lease, are fair game regardless of how often you are making them.

As students, landlords will often push us around because they think we do not know better, so don’t forget to advocate for yourself. If you think that your rights as a tenant are being violated, check Missouri’s Landlord-Tenant Law. Finally, as important as it is to develop your independence in college, it is okay to ask for help from your parents, guardians, friends, and other people with more landlord experience. Like all practices of adulting, understanding the ins and outs of landlords is a learning process.