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Leasing an apartment in the USA
by Toulas Scorpento
http://www.firmaleasing.com

One of the most exciting experiences one can have is
moving from one country to another, but it is also the
most confusing. People who have emigrated to the United
States from another country will love to tell you about
their adventures when they moved to America. They know
to expect to experience trepidation and insecurity as they
pursue the promise of freedom and opportunity, and as they
try to blend into a foreign land. But to have to find a
suitable place to live is a problem.Something like this may
come easily to the rest of us, but not for new arrivals.

Whether you have just moved the United States, or plan to
move here shortly, there are procedures you should be
familiar with when you attempt to lease an apartment. First
of all, the owner of the property is known as the landlord.
You will be paying him or her a monthly fee to live there,
which is known as the rent. If you have any problems or
concerns, you should immediately report them to your
landlord. Any questions you have regarding your lease,
(which is the document that spells out the terms of your
rental), or anything related to your living conditions or
the property itself should be reported to the landlord.

Before he will rent an apartment to you, a landlord, will
want to know your social security number and proof of
employment. In place of the social security number, you
can probably use your visa, and most landlords will accept
a pay stub to prove that you have a job. A landlord will
not rent to you unless you can provide a co-signer, if you
are unemployed. A co-signer accepts responsibility for the
payment of your rent each month if you can't pay it. Many
properties also require an application fee. This policy
will vary from property to property, as will the fee.

Depending on the property and the landlord's rules, leases
are offered for set periods of time. The majority of leases
are for one year. Landlords don't want to go through all
the trouble of renting out every couple of months. But six
month lease periods do exist. A lease requires you to
stay in the apartment for the term of the lease. Understand
all of the fees that are related to the lease and be sure
you are clear on the terms of your lease. Remember that
a landlord is not obligated to renew your lease. If you
find a nice, reasonable place, try to have as long a lease
as possible. First find out if there are any penalties for
breaking your lease. If you are transferred out of the
area, or change your marital status, for instance, you may
be stuck if you signed a long lease. Unless the apartment
is rented again, you may have to pay part of the balance
of the lease or the rent.

Utilities are sometimes included within the cost of the
monthly leasing fee (rent), but not always. Make sure that
you can afford to pay for your own utilities in addition
to the rent, if these are not included as part of the
package. Utilities include items such as gas, electricity,
phone service, cable TV service, hot water, heat, air
conditioning and any other service that goes beyond the
leasing of the actual apartment. In most cases, deposits
will have to be put down for each of these, which can be
fairly costly, and then monthly payments will need to be
made in order to continue the services. If you feel that
you can afford to pay for each of these items on your own,
then you~ll be able to maintain an independent style of
living. Otherwise, you might consider getting a roommate
(someone who lives with you and shares the expenses).

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