Get everything in writing. Sometimes the lease isn’t detailed enough, which could spell trouble if expectations aren't discussed and spelled out beforehand.
If you do discuss expectations with a prospective landlord, "get all promises in writing," says Melisa Alaba, a speaker and life coach based in Bolingbrook, Illinois. "I have been duped by landlords stating they were going to take care of an issue after I moved in, and then later forgetting about it or fixing the issue months later."
One reason a lease may not be detailed is that not every rental is a 10-story apartment building owned by a corporation with a live-in building manager. You might be renting from a "reluctant landlord," says Vikram Raghavan, another co-founder of RentalRoost.com. "You know, the person who moves to another state and is stuck with a property he can't sell."