Finding the right apartment is one of biggest decisions you’ll ever make, and before you sign a lease or rental agreement, you’ll want to make sure you know exactly what you’re getting. In addition to making an apartment checklist, and going on virtual and actual tours, you can check apartment reviews online to see what others have to say about the apartment complex or building you’re interested in, the landlord, and the rental units themselves.

There are several websites offering apartment reviews and ratings. Two reliable sites are Apartmentreviews.net and Ratemyapartments.com. The latter is geared toward students but also includes other apartments. Most review sites not only post reviews of rental properties, but many also post comments from former and current renters, and some even have local message boards where you can chat online with tenants and find out about their apartment experiences firsthand. Don’t be afraid to ask questions about upkeep and repairs, what kinds of other tenants live in the building, and the responsiveness of the landlord when dealing with problems. The advantages to checking out apartments reviews is that you’ll get an idea what it’s like to live in a prospective apartment before you go to see it.

If you’re looking for a place to rent with a cat or a dog, check the websites to see how the landlord or building manager deals with pets and what their specific policies are regarding pets. You can also look for dog friendly parks and vets nearby.

When reading apartment reviews and ratings, however, try to get a general consensus about the place by taking into consideration both positive and negative comments. If you go only by one glowing or one horrific rating, it’s just one person’s highly subjective opinion. Sometimes it is the tenant who is the problem! But also, if there are a number of great reviews of an apartment in an area you’re not sure of or weren’t considering, it might make sense to take a look.