Housing
A first apartment checklist
Questions to settle before you send a deposit, with Las Vegas as the worked example.
CraneBoard Team · · Housing
This is a checklist of questions, not a lease and not a statute. Rent, deposits, and notice rules differ by city. Read the paper you are asked to sign, and use the FTC's rental listing scams page before you pay anyone.
Before you pay
Write down the street address and search it. The FTC says a second ad for the same address, under a different owner, is a warning sign. So is a home that is listed for sale when the ad says it is for rent.
Visit, or send someone you trust. Ask who owns or manages the building. The FTC suggests comparing a private landlord's name with the city or county tax assessment record, and comparing an agent's ID with a company business card.
Ask what the monthly rent covers, what the deposit is, how long the lease runs, and who pays for power, gas, water, and trash. Write the answers down. If the person will only take a wire, a gift card, or cryptocurrency, the FTC says to treat that as a scam.
Do not send a Social Security number or a credit-score screenshot just to "hold" a unit. The FTC says that until you have agreed to rent, a landlord does not need that information, and that a push toward a paid credit-monitoring link can hide a recurring fee.
Las Vegas, after you have a place
The City of Las Vegas keeps a new residents page. It points to the Nevada DMV, NV Energy for electric service, Southwest Gas for natural gas, and trash and recycling. City Hall is listed there at 495 S. Main Street, Las Vegas, NV 89101, phone (702) 229-6011.
NV Energy's This Is What We Do page says you can start, stop, or transfer residential service through its online Move Center at least one week before you want the work done. The page says you will need a Social Security number, the service address, and the start date, and that connections happen on weekdays other than holidays. That request goes to the utility, not to a person you met in a listing.
Look for the apartment on the Las Vegas board. The same questions apply on the Phoenix, San Diego, and Miami boards. We are not quoting local rent-control ordinances here. If a city has its own tenant office, use that office's site for the rule, not a classifieds ad.
When you are ready to offer a room or a lease you control, post a listing.