Oh My Apartment

Many people will tell you that you should never spend more than 35 percent of your income on rent. However, depending on your own financial situation, that income ratio may not always be correct.

Jerrold Mundis, a financial therapist and the author of the bestselling book “How to Get Out of Debt, Stay Out of Debt, and Live Prosperously,” suggests that you need to have a good understanding of your own finances before simply assuming that a general ratio will work…

When you move into an apartment, you usually have to hand over an extra check to your landlord: a security deposit. It may be the equivalent of a full month’s rent or it may be a little less. No matter what, though, it’s a sizable chunk of money that you’d like to get back when you move out. The problem is your landlord wants to hang on to as much of that deposit as possible when you move out. Since…

When you’re filling out a rental application, you’ll almost always be asked to list an emergency contact. On some applications, you may be asked to write down as many as three names and phone numbers. Who do you put down? Your parents? Another family member? A friend? A co-worker?

The biggest question is which family member or friend would be your best emergency contact. Many renters simply list their parents, regardless if they’re still living in the same city as them.…

An apartment complex can be an ideal place to hold a garage sale, whether or not there’s actually a garage. By teaming up with the other residents in your apartment community, you can create a bigger sale that will attract more buyers, and you’ll already have built in buyers showing up to your sale ― the other tenants in your apartment complex. While the process takes a little more than just picking a date and pulling all the old stuff…