Congrats! You found an apartment that you like, and now it’s time to start touring. Hopefully, Apart from just vibe checking the place, there are some legitimate things you should really check to make sure you don’t get surprised (unhappily!) if you decide to apply and ultimately sign the lease.

Summary

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1. Try and visit on a weekend, and preferably at night. It will give you a better idea of how loud your neighbors will be, since they won’t be at work.
2. Do research on the building location, history and landlord. See this post for tools on how to do that! Theretowhere.com is also great for this, give it a try.
3. Be very attentive to how thin the walls are
4. Be very attentive to how well the windows insulate sound. If needed, tell the broker to stop talking - they do this intentionally!
5. Test water pressure and temperature controls
6. Test out all electrical outlets
7. Ask how close the super is to the apartment
8. Bring a tape measure measure things to get measurements - floorplans often don’t have actual measurements
9. Take notice of the grocery stores - you don’t want to live in a food desert!
10. Ask about pest control explicitly

Main Content

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Visit During Peak Noise Hours: Weekends and Evenings

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Most apartment tours happen during weekday business hours when buildings are naturally quieter. Your neighbors are at work, and you won’t get an accurate sense of the actual noise levels you’ll experience. Schedule your visit for weekends or evenings instead. This is when you’ll hear normal residential activity: footsteps from upstairs, conversations through walls, street noise, and general building sounds. The difference between a Tuesday afternoon tour and a Saturday night visit can be significant. If the broker pushes back on weekend scheduling, that might tell you something about what they’re trying to hide.

Research the Building, Location, and Landlord

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Don’t walk into an apartment tour blind. Before you visit, research the building’s history, landlord reputation, and neighborhood specifics. This includes checking for building violations and any complaints against the property management company. The difference between a good and bad landlord can make or break your rental experience, regardless of how nice the apartment looks. We’ve covered the specific tools and steps for this research in detail here, so check that out before your next tour. Theretowhere.com is also great for this, give it a try.

Pay Attention to Wall Thickness

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Thin walls will affect your quality of life more than almost any other apartment feature. During your tour, knock on the walls between rooms and listen for hollow sounds. If you can clearly hear normal conversation from the hallway or adjacent apartments, expect to hear everything your neighbors do. Test this by having someone walk around outside the apartment while you’re inside, or by listening near shared walls during the tour. Older buildings often have better sound insulation, but don’t assume this. Even new construction can have surprisingly thin walls if developers cut corners. If you’re sensitive to noise, thin walls can make an otherwise perfect apartment completely unlivable.

Test Window Sound Insulation

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Windows are often the weakest point for sound insulation. During your tour, stand near each window and listen to outside noise levels - if the broker keeps talking, ask them to pause so you can assess the ambient sound. Good windows significantly reduce traffic, sirens, and street noise; single-pane windows or poor seals let everything through. Pay extra attention if the apartment faces busy streets or late-night establishments. Do not underestimate how much this can affect quality of life. Its a common mistake!

Test Water Pressure and Temperature Controls

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Turn on every faucet and shower during your tour. Check both hot and cold water pressure and see how quickly hot water arrives. Nuff said here.

Test All Electrical Outlets

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Bring a phone charger and test every outlet in the apartment. Check that outlets actually work and hold plugs securely - loose outlets are both annoying and potentially dangerous (they can cause fires¹). Look for outlets in practical locations, especially near where you’ll place your bed, desk, and kitchen appliances.

Ask How Close the Super Lives to the Building

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Find out where the superintendent lives and how available they are for issues. A super who lives on-site can fix problems within hours, while one who commutes from another borough might take days to respond to urgent repairs. Ask about typical response times for maintenance requests and whether emergency contact exists for things like heat or plumbing failures. Note that some buildings use part-time supers who only visit twice a week. Sometimes, you even get to meet the super².

Bring a Tape Measure for Accurate Measurements

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Floor plans are hard to trust sometimes, and often don’t have actual measurements. Bring a tape measure and check the dimensions of rooms, especially if you have specific furniture that needs to fit. Measure doorways, hallway widths, and room dimensions. Pay attention to awkward corners, slanted walls, or protruding fixtures that might limit furniture placement - many NYC apartments have unusual layouts that look spacious on paper but feel cramped in reality.

Check Out Nearby Grocery Options

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Walk around the immediate area and note what grocery stores are within a few blocks. Living in a food desert means expensive delivery fees or long trips for basic groceries. Look for a proper supermarket for weekly shopping and fresh produce - bodegas are convenient for snacks and basics but won’t cover your healthy grocery needs. Check store hours too; some smaller markets close early or have limited Sunday hours. If you don’t see obvious full-service grocery options during your tour, ask the broker directly. Having to travel more than 10 blocks for real groceries gets old fast in NYC.

Ask About Pest Control Explicitly

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Don’t dance around this topic - directly ask about the building’s pest control measures and any recent issues with roaches, mice, or other pests. Ask when the last treatment was done and how often they spray. Look for signs during your tour: small droppings, unusual smells, or gaps around pipes and baseboards where pests enter - in NYC, pest issues are common but manageable with proper building maintenance. A landlord who’s evasive about pest control or claims they’ve never had issues might not be telling the truth. Buildings with proactive pest management will have regular treatment schedules and be upfront about their approach. Sometimes, you actually see evidence of these schedules on their announcement boards.