It’s exciting to search for a new apartment, new neighborhood, and new favorite hangout spot, but don’t let your excitement get the best of you. While you might find the apartment of your dreams, you could also stumble upon a scam. Simply put, a scam is when a criminal tries to get money for an apartment they’re not planning on renting. Once you know how rental scams work, they’re a lot easier to spot. Read our handy dandy guide to make sure you don’t fall prey to one of today’s top tricks! Read the rest of this entry »

In most parts of the country, sweater weather is finally here. Starbucks released their new holiday cup, parents are trying to get their children to pose nicely for a holiday card, and neighborhood and apartment complex decoration competitions have begun!

It’s definitely an interesting time of year. While most holiday traditions are fun (or awesomely corny), some aren’t. Between Thanksgiving and the New Year, your car could be vulnerable to a not-so-fun yearly occurrence: a 20% increase in parking lot accidents. With over 1 million parking lot accidents occurring annually, that’s no small number. Happy holidays?

With hoards of people flocking to the mall every day and drivers distracted by Bing Crosby crooning over the radio, your odds of getting caught on the wrong side of someone’s distracted driving increase over the holidays. While a nice driver will leave their contact information on your car’s dash if they hit you in a hurry, not everyone ends up on Santa’s nice list. Although no one wants to fall prey to a hit and run driver, you should be prepared for the possibility. Read on for our guide to handling a hit and run, with top tips we hope you’ll never have to use! Read the rest of this entry »

The holiday shopping season is upon us and, for many people, that means jumping on Amazon or countless other shopping sites to order gifts and needed items. This year’s Cyber Monday looks to be the single biggest shopping day in history, far surpassing $90 billion in sales, which means that more packages than ever before will be shipped. This poses an interesting challenge for some apartment residents because where you live could mean drastic changes in how (and if) you receive your package deliveries. Read the rest of this entry »

Between birthing classes and baby name books, expecting parents have a lot on their minds. To help make sure everything is ready for your upcoming bundle (or bundles!) of joy, try to keep things simple and stress-free. When it comes to childproofing your apartment, work smarter not harder. Follow our simple guidelines on how to make your apartment safer for its newest, and smallest, resident without giving yourself a headache in the process. Read the rest of this entry »

If a burglar thinks your apartment is “easy pickings,” it could become a target…even if the fanciest thing you own is a VCR with a copy of Dirty Dancing stuck in it. Why not make things difficult for that burglar? You’d be surprised by how much you can do to protect your apartment without spending big money on armed guards and snarling dogs. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s one of a renter’s worst nightmares: you come home from work to find your carpet soaked and a burst pipe gushing underneath your bathroom sink. You don’t have the tools or expertise to fix it yourself… so what’s a renter to do? When there’s no time to waste and you need apartment maintenance, it’s good to know what you can do right away.

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October 4th – 10th is Fire Safety Week, so we’ve assembled a list of important things to keep in mind when preventing fires, planning escape strategies, and responding quickly in the event of an apartment fire.

1. Practice Fire Prevention

One of the most important things you can do to prevent fires is to be proactive. Fortunately, there are a few simple tasks you can perform to save a lot of trouble. Smoking is the number one cause of fires, so make sure to put out your cigarettes completely, and to never smoke in bed. Another important tip is to avoid keeping any flammable liquids inside of your apartment, and to make sure that your matches and lighters are stowed out of reach of children. Lastly, make sure that you’re practicing safe electrical outlet protocol: don’t use frayed cords, overload your outlets, or keep liquids nearby.

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Making sure a home is safe and livable for any senior should first priority when it comes to senior apartment living. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to deal with safety concerns for your senior’s apartment. Appliance safety (and ease of use), mobility issues, security concerns: all can be addressed to make sure that a senior living on their own is both comfortable and well cared for. Whether you make these modifications on your own or with the help of an occupational therapist, there are plenty of small things you can do to an apartment that will make a big difference for a senior’s apartment safety.

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The old adage, “April showers bring May flowers” doesn’t account for when those April showers get out of hand. Unfortunately, many of the country’s worst storms happen during the spring and can sometimes lead to flash flooding, steady downpours, and electrical outages. Bad weather that creates a power outage is no fun but it can also quickly escalate to more dire straights if your emergency kit was never stocked. At ApartmentSearch, we think being prepared is the best policy. Here are the emergency supplies to keep on hand year ’round. Read the rest of this entry »

Tornado Season is Underway

Spring and summer often bring about severe thunderstorms, which can often lead to tornadoes. Tornadoes can occur without warning and cause large amounts of damage to apartments and homes. At their worst, tornadoes can reach speeds of more than 300 mph. People who reside in apartments should have a storm plan laid out to avoid injury or death, reports the National Weather Service. Read the rest of this entry »