Checking out the Rental Property and the Landlord

Participants will: Identify what they want and need in a rental unit Identify resources to help locate potential rental properties Learn strategies for comparing and inspecting rental units. Increase readiness and confidence in securing rental property.

Determining Your Housing Needs – Discussion Questions Did listing items help you focus on what is important to you? Were there items not listed by your group, but by another group that you would consider important? How will the choices you make affect where and how you would look for rental housing?

How to Locate Rental Housing Friends and family Electronic bulletin boards, Facebook, websites Print sources, i.e., newspaper, rental magazines Apps Bulletin boards located in businesses Property management company “For rent” signs Wisconsin Housing Search (http://www.wihousingsearch. org) Non-profit housing agencies Faith community

Comparing and Inspecting Rental Units Which unit is most convenient? Which rental unit has more of what the tenant wants? Why? Which has the most features/conveniences? Which feature would be important to the tenant? If you were the tenant, which would you choose? Why?

Interviewing Landlords/Property Managers Does this individual listen to the questions you ask and provide sufficient answers? How comfortable did you feel while interviewing the landlord/property manager? Were you treated respectfully? What did you learn in your conversation with this individual? If probing questions were asked, did you consider them to be appropriate or were they intrusive? What types of questions did you find most helpful in obtaining information from the landlord/tenant? Do you feel that you could maintain a business relationship with this individual?