This question can be answered in many ways, but the realistic answer is "it depends".

In short, it’s never a good idea to rent an apartment you haven’t seen but sometimes your circumstances don’t allow for anything else.

If you can physically visit the apartment complex to see the vacant apartment before renting, we highly recommend it. It will give you peace of mind to know that you are choosing the right space or make you change your mind quickly!

Yet, if you live in a completely different town or state and don’t have the ability to visit your new apartment in person, here are some tips to double check you aren’t renting a total dud.

1. Take a Virtual Visit

Can’t physically visit the place? The first thing you want to make sure of is that there are photos online. If the website doesn’t have photos of the complex or the inside of an apartment, they could be hiding something like damage to the apartment or an unclean space. You can also place the address in Google and see what photos people have tagged under that address. Make sure to check the street view on Google Maps as well.

2. Ask For A Short-Term Lease

When you can’t take a tour of your new apartment complex before you rent, see if you can ask for a short-term lease. A short-term lease will allow you to get out of it quicker if you find that the apartment isn’t what you were hoping it would be. If it turns out that you love it then you can just renew the lease.

3. Ask Someone Who Already Lives In Town

You may not be able to visit, but do you know anyone in your new town? Ask them to go and visit your apartment complex and get a tour. Have them take photos and make take notes of what they liked and what they didn’t. This will give you a peace of mind even if you couldn’t be the one to do it.

4. Go Through a Realtor

Did you know that you call a realtor to help you find an apartment? Realtors aren’t just for helping you find a house to buy. Just give them the criteria you are looking for and your price point. Even better? Most of the time you don’t have to pay any realtor fees as the apartment complex will pay for their services.

5. Always Check Reviews

Always a good idea to check both their Google Reviews along with their Facebook Reviews to see what past and present residents have said about them. You can tell the good reviews from the bad reviews and the bad reviews from the spiteful reviews. It helps you to have a baseline on whether the property manager is a good one or not.

6. Research the Neighborhood

Last, but certainly not least, do a little research on the surrounding neighborhood. Where is it nearby? Is it near a busy area or on the outskirts of town? Is the area clean or does it look like it’s sandwiched between run down home after run down home? Is it close to your new job or grocery store?

Those are the type of questions you need to ask yourself when looking at the surrounding neighborhood!

Hignell Rentals Video Tours 

Did you know that when looking at Hignell Rentals apartments we have video tours available? You'll get to see a look at the grounds, the clubhouse, and inside an apartment! 

Here is a step by step guide on how to find our Video Tours.

Step 1: Click on 'Rental Search' at the top of the page.

Step 2: Narrow down the search by 'Property Type' to Apartment and 'Area' to Chico, click 'Go.'

Step 3: Find the apartment complex you are interested in and click on 'Details.'

Step 4: Finally scroll down until you see the heading 'Video.' Now you can sit back and take a tour of your new apartment complex!