Category: Tips

How To Effectively Prevent and Solve Roommate Drama

Posted on by abenson

How To Effectively Prevent and Solve Roommate Drama

There is a lot of benefit to having a roommate, including always having someone around to chat, watch movies with, and share the rent with. But sometimes things go awry and one or both of you ends up feeling upset, mad, or annoyed. To avoid this, it is important to be careful when picking who you live with and making sure you communicate expectations prior to moving in together.

Avoid potential problems by following some of these effective tips:

Communicate Early

Before you move in together, talk with each other about what your expectations are as well as your wants and needs. If you like to go to sleep early, talk through what time you expect it to be quiet. Talk about who will be in charge of making sure the electric bill is paid so that you don’t end up getting your power cut off. We recommend using a roommate agreement so that you are all on the same page with responsibilities, financials, and rules. Here are some of the main points to talk about:

  • Discuss what you will share, if you will be having friends over, and who will clean what
  • Talk financials and who will be responsible for what
  • Talk about shared spaces and private spaces

There are plenty of free roommate agreement templates online, here is one from legaltemplates.net.

Treat Them How You Want to be Treated

Follow the golden rule. If you want to be respected, you have to treat your roommate with respect too. Be considerate of their space and their belongings. Always ask before using something of theirs and they will hopefully do the same for you.

Ask the Right Questions & Listen

When a problem arises, talk about it early so that it doesn’t have the chance to build up. When talking, do it in person and not over text. Avoid arguing and instead talk with the goal of clearing things up. When you are initiating the conversation be sure you are on common ground and you aren’t interrupting them when they are doing something else. Consider scheduling a roommate meeting to talk about everything.

During your conversation be aware of how you are communicating. By asking questions a certain way and communicating constructively, you can keep things from getting heated. Do your best to stay calm and your roommate will most likely remain calm as well.

When your roommate is talking, listen to what they are saying and try and understand their point of view. Do your best to stay on point and avoid getting off track.

Some other tips:

  • Don’t attack them or spring the conversation on them
  • Try using phrases like “I feel. . .”, I understand what you are saying, but. . .”,  and “You could be right, but. . .”
  • Do your best to remain calm

Ask a Mutual Friend to Help

If the two of you aren’t able to come to a solution on your own, consider bringing in a third party. Pick someone who is neutral to mediate the conversation who can hear both sides and offer unbiased solutions.

Be Open to Compromise

Try your best to come up with a win-win situation. If both sides win a little bit, you are both more likely to be happy roommates!

While not guaranteed to work, these tips will hopefully have you on your way to a more peaceful home where you can enjoy the fun of having a roommate.

How to get $200 off your next month’s rent

Posted on by abenson

Refer a friend and get $200 off your next month’s rent

Friends make the best neighbors. At Prairie Property Management, when you refer a friend to your community and they sign a lease, we will give you $200 off your next month’s rent! Plus, there is no limit to how many you can refer. So if you refer 5 friends in a month and they sign lease at your community, you could get $1,000 off your rent!

To help you take advantage of this program and spread the word, we came up with a couple of ideas to help you make more referrals and save you money.

Host a house warming party

Invite your friends over and let them see your new home. Provide snacks, drinks, and give them a tour. If they seem interested in the community, connect them with your property manager.

Share your favorite parts about living at your community with your friends

Think about why you love your home and bring it up in conversation with your friends and coworkers.  If you have a community area, invite them over to come and see it.

Share the Prairie Property Management website with your friends

If one of your friends mentions that they are thinking about moving, send them to the Prairie Property Management website and show them which community you live in. Tell them what you like most about living there.

Share Prairie Property Management’s Facebook posts

Our Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter pages are updated regularly making it easy for you to share posts and information. If you see a post about your community, share it to your own timeline and tell your friends that you would love to refer them.

Give us a follow on social media! We are on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn!

Create your own Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter posts

Do you love your kitchen or your living room? Whatever room you love, share a picture of it on social media. Tell your friends that you would love to refer them.

Tip: Use #lifeatprairieproperty to be featured on our social media pages.

Once you have a referral, visit our referrals page for more information.

10 tips for getting your security deposit back

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10 tips for getting your security deposit back

A security deposit is given to the company or landlord at the start of a new lease to make sure that the company can cover the costs in the event of a lease being broken or in case damage was done to the property. To get as much of your security deposit back as possible, start doing some of these things today.

1. Clean regularly and take care of appliances

Simple cleaning habits will pay off in the long run. Vacuum your carpet, clean your oven, remove scum build up from tiles and the shower tub, scrub the floors.

2. Be careful when moving items around your home as to not make large scratches or dents

Moving couches, dressers, cabinets, and tables can cause dents and scratches. While some normal wear and tear isn’t a big deal, consider using a dolly when moving the larger items.

3. If you have a pet and they make a mess, clean up after them as soon as possible

When your pet has an accident, be sure to clean it properly and quickly after it happens. If it soaks through the carpet and into the flooring beneath, the repair costs could take your entire deposit.

4. Use nails or monkey hooks

Instead of using large screws, use nails or monkey hooks. These will create smaller holes, making them easier to fill.

5. Avoid using  large wall stickers as they remove paint

6. Report any damages that occur during your lease

If any mistakes happen while living in your apartment or townhome, let your property management company know as soon as possible. If something needs to be fixed, fill out a maintenance request.

7. Don’t remove anything or replace hardware without permission

It is good habit to always check with your management company before making any drastic changes to your home.

8. Document what your apartment looked like before you moved in and after you moved out

Take pictures and/or videos of your apartment or town home before you move in and after you have moved everything out. It is best to document everything.

9. Fulfill your lease

If you don’t fulfill your lease, you will lose your security deposit and will have to pay rent until the unit is re-rented. Additionally, any incentives you received would have to be paid back.

10. Pay rent and utilities in full

If rent or utilities aren’t paid in full, the remaining balance gets taken out of your security deposit.

Bonus tip: Clean your apartment after you leave

After you have moved everything out of your home, dedicate a couple of hours to cleaning the whole place. The apartment or townhome should be close to the same shape it was in when you moved in. Usually management companies will provide you with a cleaning list making it easier for you to make sure you don’t miss anything.

Apartment security tips you should know about

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Apartment security tips you should know about

It may seem simple, but basic apartment security measures are often overlooked by renters. To feel safe and secure in your apartment or townhome, consider using some of these simple tactics as they may just prevent an intruder.  

Install an apartment security camera

Now a days there are plenty of security cameras that are wireless and connect to your mobile device, making it easy to keep a watch on your apartment or townhome. Some cameras notify you immediately when someone walks by or comes to your door. Before installing a security camera, check with your management company to see if any rules are in place that need to be followed.  

Always lock your windows and doors

Anytime you leave your apartment or townhome, make sure all your windows and doors are locked. Even if you are only going to be gone for a minute or two. If you have a sliding glass door, use a security bar to help provide further protection.  

Use a safe

To ensure your valuable belongings are protected, use a safe or lock box.  

Make your apartment appear occupied

Many intrusions happen in the middle of the day when people are at school or work. Make it appear that you are at home by leaving the radio playing or leaving a light on. This could run up your monthly utility cost, so consider using something that is battery operated or has a solar panel. If it looks like you are home, it may scare off any intruders.  

Meet your neighbors

Make friends with your neighbors. If they hear or see something while you aren’t home, they can let you and the police know.  

Be careful of what you share on social media

It is important to be careful of what you share on social media. Avoid posting images of your vacation while there. It could tip off an intruder that you aren’t home.

College Apartment Study Zone Tips

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Designing the right study space for your college apartment

The new school year is just around the corner. To keep you from getting stressed out about all the homework and tests, its important to have a place at your college apartment where you can get all your work done without distractions. We put together some tips to help put your college apartment study zone together so that you can start the year off on the right foot.  

Choose the space

When you are setting up your study zone, you want to pick a spot that will have minimal distractions, provides sufficient lighting, and isn’t an area that is used for social activities. If you are sharing an apartment with a roommate, consider creating your study area in your bedroom near a window so that you get natural light during the day.

Pick Furniture

When selecting furniture, think about what will work best for you. A desk doesn’t work for everyone, so if a bean bag chair, hammock, or exercise ball is your thing, go for it. Since you will be studying for long hours, find something to sit on that is comfortable but not so comfortable that you could fall asleep in it.  

Lighting is Important

Some nights you might be up late into the night, so it will be important to have a lamp that will provide ample light. During the day, try to use as much natural light as possible as it could boost your mood.  

Keep Your Space Organized

To stay focused and in the zone, you will want to keep your space organized and clean to keep your stress levels at a minimum. If there is clutter everywhere, your mind may start wandering elsewhere. Consider using floating shelves, organization trays, or drawers to organize your books, utensils, and assignments. Use a calendar or planner so that you can plan when you will start and finish your upcoming assignment.  Keep highlighters, pencils, and pens within an arm’s reach.  

Get Rid of Distractions

It’s fun to hang pictures of friends and family around your apartment but consider keeping them away from your study area as they could cause you to start reminiscing and losing your focus. Consider hanging a motivational quote or calendar instead. Find a place where you can keep your phone that is out of sight. If your phone is right next to you, it will be too tempting to scroll through Instagram or check that text about last Friday night.  

Personalize your Area

Ultimately, you should set your space up so that it works for you. Make your space a place where you feel calm and don’t get stressed about returning to. Add touches that make it an inviting area and help you feel your best.

Fun tip: According to a Huffington Post article, orange can help you concentrate. The color helps you focus, concentrate, and organize which makes it the perfect pop of color for your study space.
 

Looking for an apartment that is close to campus? Take a look out our apartments in Moorhead, Fargo/West Fargo, Jamestown, Mandan, Minot, Watford City, & Williston.