One of the main concerns should be how far away the apartment is from campus. Students need to be able to walk to campus or rely on a campus bus system if they don't own a car. If the student does own a car, it's important to ask if there is parking available at, or close to the apartment. Finding an apartment on the bus route or within walking distance to campus and keeping the car parked at your apartment will eliminate the cost of parking fees.
Ask about the safety of the neighborhood. Finding a place for students to feel safe is a high priority. Students need to be comfortable walking home alone and at night in their neighborhood.
Before you sign the lease find out what services and utilities the landlord provides. These can include water, sewer, heat, electricity or trash pick-up. If you will be responsible for some of the utilities. obtain a list of the utility providers that service the apartment in order to set up services. Ask the owner if there is landscape maintenance provided. Question the landlord about the maintenance of the apartment. Find out how to take care of regular maintenance issues and how to take care of emergencies. The day the toilet overflows onto the carpet is not the best time to find out who to call for emergencies.
The apartment needs to be in the price range of all of the roommates. When the cost is too high for even one of the roommates, stress and strain can be felt by all. Ask about late payments and any other monthly fees associated with the apartment. Ask questions about the security deposit. Some landlords return part of the deposit and keep part of it for a cleaning fee. Understanding these fees with your roommates will help everyone when it is time to move out.
Ask to see the exact apartment that will be your home and verify that it is in good shape. Walk through the apartment with the landlord before you move in and make a note of all of the damaged itens on a check-in list. If you don't tell the landlord that the sink has a rust mark, he may think it happened during your stay and charge you to repair it.