Flameless Candles

These are a simple and safe way to introduce both October and November holiday’s to the outside of your apartment. Perfect for standing solo in lanterns, candle holders, and pumpkins alike. Avoiding any concerns with actual flame, candle wax damage or staining, and exterior sprinkler heads is just an added bonus. In addition, these always look gorgeous inside window sills all throughout December too.

Pumpkins

Nothing says autumn is finally here quite like pumpkins. If you’re looking for a cost effective way to spice up your patio or balcony, pumpkins are a must have décor item. Try buying pumpkins of all shapes and sizes, the uglier the better. Fill a bowl on your outdoor table with small pumpkins as a centerpiece. Toss in different colors like white with sage green, and a little orange. Pumpkins add versatility to your outdoor space, no matter which ones you choose. So have fun with it!

Apartment renter note – make sure you’re checking your pumpkins regularly, and dispose of any that start rotting.

Outdoor Pillows

Decorations are fun, but they’re even better when they’re functional. The chillier it gets, the more we all embrace fall as the season to start snuggling for warmth. Now is the time to whip out and layer cozy throw pillows.

Select traditional prints like dark red, mustard yellow, or plaid. For an intimate outdoor patio or balcony, choose different textures and add a few neutral tones to add more warmth. Since this space is an extension of your apartment home, the inside of your apartment will feel more comfy with this added view too.

Decorating your apartment can be a great mood-booster for yourself, and also for your neighbors. We hope you try out some of our outdoor fall decorating ideas and can’t wait to enjoy them with you while visiting our different Southeastern Wisconsin communities!

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1. Skipping Cleaning

When heading to check a tenant out of their apartment – finding it in good, clean condition is a landlords dream. Usually, there is only 24 hours to turn an entire apartment before a new tenant is going to move in. Skipping this step is time consuming and landlords charge for cleaning by the time.

How can you avoid this issue? Make sure you leave enough time to clean thoroughly before your meeting to move out with your landlord. Most renters make the mistake of rushing at the last minute or assuming their apartment isn’t “that dirty”. If you’ve ever moved before, you already know that everything is A LOT dirtier than it seems on the surface.

Thankfully, our tenants never have to worry about what our standard of clean is or what we will be looking for during their move. 60 days prior to their move out date, we provide them a digital copy of a cleaning packet full of tips and tricks! The month of their big move, we leave them a printed paper copy to use as a checklist too. This packet is packed with beneficial information like what cleaning products work best, a room-by-room guide, and even the cost of simple things like a lightbulb replacement. If your landlord does not provide you with a similar move out packet, try requesting one prior to your scheduled move. You’ll be happy you did!

2. Damages

There are obvious forms of damage that are not debatable, right? Finding a large hole in a door or bleach stains on the carpet. Both are examples of damage that a tenant could be charged for, and those charges would be taken from their security deposit. Not-so-clear forms of damage may look more like a broken refrigerator drawer or busted blinds. The best way to avoid losing any money from your security deposit for damages would be to treat your apartment home well. Be mindful that the space and appliances are owned by someone else who has to maintain them over a reasonable amount of time.

If you aren’t sure who would be responsible in the event that damage occurs in your apartment, call your landlord and discuss those items. Oftentimes, renters mention they didn’t leave a scratch in a drawer or a scuff on the wall. Those are probably things a landlord would mark as normal wear and tear. Items like burnt out light bulbs however, would be something they charge to replace.

3. Missing Rent

The security deposit is not your first month’s rent or your last month’s rent. Renter’s are expected to pay their last month’s rent in full and their security deposit will be returned to them, minus any charges, once they move out. Most landlords follow state or federal requirements dictating the amount of time they have to return the security deposit balance. Make sure you know and provide a correct forwarding address to your landlord upon your move.

When it comes to maintaining your security deposit – preperation and dedication are key! Keeping your apartment in nice condition throughout your tenancy is crucial. Leaving enough time during your big move is super important too! We hope these 3 tips leave you feeling confident that you’ll avoid any concerns with your security deposit returns in the future.

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Located between Interstate 94 and Capitol Drive, Hidden Ponds provides an unrestricted commute. Visit Lake Country and the entire Metro Milwaukee area with ease. Considering its name, this picturesque community is unseen from main roadways. Resting just east of Highway 16 and Pewaukee Lake.  

While maintaining it’s peaceful  surroundings, we adapted Hidden Ponds Apartments to meet all the needs of the modern renter. Our residents enjoy regular visits from beautiful cranes, deer, and even wild turkey’s, for instance. Along with its incredible views, Hidden Ponds offers premium amenities that consist of cardio rooms, an outdoor grill area, playground, and more. Additional essentials you can expect include underground parking, storage units, washers and dryers in-unit, laundry on-site for studio floor plans, plus all utilities except electric. 

Presenting renters with an abundance of floor plans, these Pewaukee apartments are often hard to come-by. Studios, 1 bedrooms and 2 bedroom apartments lined with large patios and balconies are available to tour. Loft and ranch layouts create open-concept living spaces, inviting natural light and spacious opportunities.

Don’t just take our word for it. Come see for yourself! This Saturday from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm, Hidden Ponds Apartments is hosting a Self-Guided Open House. That’s right! We understand the difficult commitment of finding your new home without the possibility of seeing it. Self-guided tours allow a safe social distance, while providing you the confidence to rent in peace. 

Contact us to schedule your self-guided or virtual tour today!

See you Saturday!

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Apartment shopping can be an overwhelming task. When you go in search of the perfect apartment home, you typically have a few ideas in mind; affordability, great amenities, walk-in closets, and open-concept floorplans. You may not be considering what you’re actually agreeing to. Going into a lease agreement with your Landlord is a big decision. It’s important to keep an eye on issues that may be red flags early on. To get you started, we’ve listed 6 things to avoid when apartment shopping below.

1. Zero Photos 

The days of apartment renting magazines are long gone and searching has centered around mobile apps and online websites. Maybe you’re searching for a one bedroom loft in Waukesha and you have several options to scroll through. Steer clear of listings with zero photos. Apartment ads with one or two photos of only the outside of the building can be scary too. Remember, those with nothing to hide, hide nothing.

2. No Reviews or Bad Reviews 

We look up reviews for places to eat or a hotel we stay in for three nights. Why wouldn’t we hold the same standard for our new home? 1 star reviews happen, even to the best apartment communities. However, zero reviews or only poor reviews can be a good indication of a bad landlord. Residents who are taken care of tend to support where they live. If the leasing agent or manager seems nice during your showing, but you see no evidence of that online, you might need to worry about what actually being a resident could look like. Go out of your way to mention these concerns and see how problems are addressed or unfortunately, not addressed at all.

3. No Approval Standards 

Here you are, the tour is over and you’re ready to apply! This is where you discuss the awkward questions about things you normally don’t want to share with others. What do you need to get approved for an apartment? Standard rental criteria usually includes 3 major things; credit score, income, and a background check. Rental verification’s are often of importance to most Landlords, as well. Having the security of knowing your neighbors had to go through the same approval process you did should give you confidence, not cause for concern.

4. Signing Before Seeing

The model unit is always clean, well-maintained. and beautifully decorated. In a perfect world the apartment in your lease agreement could be just as beautiful. Unfortunately, there is no way to know without seeing the exact apartment or a similar layout. Oftentimes renters trust that what they’re seeing is what they’re getting. What they are getting is carpet that doesn’t match, older-style appliances, the list could go on and on. It can’t hurt to send an email to the leasing agent verifying there are no major differences between the two either.

5. No Move-in Inspection 

It’s move in day and you’re excited to start organizing your brand new apartment home! If you have a moving company, you watch and ensure they’re extra careful not to ding walls or damage your belongings. Unfortunately, a few days after settling in, you realize they took a chunk out of bedroom door casing. What now?

No move-in inspection form or grace period after your move in day, is a good indication that you may be unfairly charged for damage after you move out. Make sure that the complex has a move-in or check-in form and you have the opportunity to inspect your apartment for damage. Have the manager document those items and provide you a copy for your records.

6. No After Hours Phone Number

Your front-loading washer has a hole in the seal and water is gushing out everywhere. It’s midnight and the dishwasher is flooding your kitchen floor. “Who ya gonna call?” Ghost Busters? It seems likely their phone number would be easier to find in that moment. Most apartment communities have an after hours phone number if something major goes wrong. What are those hours? What is that contact phone number? Avoid finding out the hard way.

Rest assured, these are all avoidable problems when renting with us. Visit any of our beautiful communities for a tour today!

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We would guess that answer to be a big, fat NO and that’s not a surprise. Moving can come with a lot of stress and tons of unknowns that seem endless. How does a person remember all of those pesky details, scheduling conflicts, and other moving parts? Enter, our handy-dandy “Moving Task List” to help lighten your load for the big move. Yes, we said, “handy-dandy”, like Steve’s notebook in Blues Clues, and we are not ashamed of it.

First things first, change your address –	luckily, you can do most of this online now! Visit the USPS website, DMV website, and all the places you have accounts open.
Utilities & Cable/Internet –	remember to schedule your utilities to start and stop on the days you are moving-in and moving-out, at BOTH addresses. don’t forget to schedule ahead of time, a transfer of service or new service installation, with your cable and internet provider. They often schedule these appointments a week or so out and, if you’re reading this blog, you’re probably the type of person who wouldn’t want to spend that long waiting for wifi. We certainly wouldn’t…#millennialproblems
Free Moving Boxes –	paying for moving boxes just feel wrong. Avoid the extra expense by checking out these free options first: Facebook Marketplace – simply type “boxes”, “moving boxes”, or “cardboard boxes” in the search bar and viola, FREE BOXES! Craigslist – search under the free section and like Facebook, type one of the above in the search bar. *Extra Tip* searching at the end/beginning of the week will yield the most results. Office Depot – printer paper has to be delivered in something. Give your local store a call and check their delivery day, you may collect all the boxes you need in one trip! Other retail stores – use the tip for Office Depot at any big box retailer in your area. Typically, they just break down boxes from deliveries and recycle them. So don’t be scared, it’s a question they are used to being asked.
Rent a Moving Truck –	it’s not a common thing you do, so let the experience of others guide you. If you’re moving into an apartment, ask your Landlord or Property Manager, if they have any companies they recommend. Search online reviews for the companies you’re considering. Task Rabbit – a unique, SUPER helpful website and app that offers moving services and packing/unpacking services. Heck, you can even have them help you put your Ikea furniture together! Check them out here – Task Rabbit Help Moving If your large furniture is new and being delivered by a furniture store or if you don’t have a ton of large furniture, to begin with – consider renting a truck from Home Depot or Menards. You can also rent Penske moving trucks from Home Depot. Oh, the options!
Packing –	Pack-up rooms that you use the least, in advance. Set aside cleaning supplies, toilet paper and a few bottles of water to take in the car with you, to the new place. Label all of your moving boxes according to the room they will go in. Tell the movers to look for those labels, and to place them in the room specified. (you would be surprised how often this is disregarded if not specifically requested)
Order Pizza & have Beverages on hand (beer, presumably, if you’re a Wisconsinite) –	if your moving crew is family and friends, this will be a greatly appreciated gesture and will probably keep them around until the bitter end. if you’re using movers, offer water or soda.
Clean (if applicable) –	as soon as you’ve emptied your old apartment, start cleaning it! The excitement and “freshness” of your new apartment will make the moving mess of your old place feel 10 times worse. If you put this off for the next day or two, you will be less likely to do a thorough job and it could cost you in your security deposit return.
Complete your Move Out Inspection (if applicable) –	walk your old place with the manager and discuss items that, usually, folks think about too late. Consider these: When can I expect to receive my security deposit check? If there are any charges taken from my security deposit, will they be listed in a letter sent to my forwarding address? What happens with potential mail that may end up still coming to this address?
Decorate & Celebrate in your New Digs! –	It’s officially time to make your new place feel like home! Kick it off by unpacking the most important rooms first. Bathroom, then the kitchen, etc. and then worry about where you’ll hang picture frames and paintings. Often times, your original idea changes the more you get comfortable in your new surroundings. Consider having a house warming party once everything is in its place.

Hopefully, this moving task list, combined with our other tips will help you rock your move and ensure you keep those stress levels low. Stay connected by following our blog for more useful info, on all your apartment living needs!

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