SOYOUWANNA FIND AN APARTMENT IN LA?

5. BEFORE YOU SIGN, KNOW YOUR RIGHTS AS A TENANT

Once you've found an apartment, make sure you know your rights and responsibilities as a tenant. Your rights are best protected if you have a written lease. If you have an oral lease, you may be subject to restrictions that you aren't aware of. Just do what we say and get yourself a written lease.

It will probably make you happy to know that California has many laws protecting the rights of tenants. For example, you may be entitled to interest on your security deposit, and you may also be entitled to withhold rent if repairs aren't made in a timely manner. You should check out Ten Tips Every Tenant Needs to Know to familiarize yourself with basic tenant rights, remedies, and obligations.

You're all set! There's only a very small chance you'll eat lead in a drive-by.