5 Things You Must Do the First Week in Your New Apartment (Plus 5 Pre-Move Tips!)

This article is part of Your *First* Apartment, a collection of stories designed to help you settle into your very first post-dorm space.

I remember the slew of emotions I felt when I was finally moving into my first apartment: The joy, stress, excitement, and overwhelm were all there. I couldn’t wait to move in, but I also felt like there were so many things to do beyond packing up all my boxes and figuring out how to fit them in my car.

Whether you’re graduating from a dorm to an on- or off-campus apartment or moving into your first place after graduation, there are so many little things you might not think to do after signing the lease. From signing up for renter’s insurance to meeting your neighbors, here are 10 first apartment tips to help you get settled during the exciting weeks before and after your big move.  

It’s almost time! Apart from packing your boxes and planning out your decor, here are a few first apartment tips for the days leading up to move-in to ease some of that stress.

If you want to have Wi-Fi ready to watch a movie the first night in your new apartment or to work on your laptop the next day, you’ll want to tackle utilities before you move in. Make sure you set up your internet, electricity, and gas by either going online or calling the local companies in charge of your respective accounts, so it’s up and running by the time you officially move in. This is also a good time to sign up for renter’s insurance!

Now that you have a new place of your own, it’s time to update your mailing address, which you can do on  the USPS website. USPS allows you to submit a permanent change of address request, or if you’re only relocating for 15 days up to 1 year (say, if it’s your senior year of college and you’ll only be in this apartment for a couple of semesters) you can submit a temporary change of address request. There is a $1.25 identity verification fee, but otherwise it’s a simple process to change your address. 

Sometimes landlords allow you to check out your space before you move in, or will even send you dimensions themselves. If this is possible, do it! It is super helpful to know exactly how much square footage you have to work with, how wide the doorways are (key for making sure you can fit that sofa into the apartment), or what size your living room is to determine how big of a rug to buy. Once you have the measurements you need, you can use a site like Homestyler to plan out your space at scale, or just a pen and some graph paper if you prefer to go analog. 

Here’s the fun part: If your apartment is in a new-to-you neighborhood, take an hour or two to scope out the local scene and make a list in your phone of places that you’d like to visit. See where you might be able to get coffee the morning you move in or which spot looks good for ordering takeout the first night in your new apartment. If you can’t get to the neighborhood in person to walk around before moving in, OpenTable and Eater are helpful websites for searching the area remotely for popular restaurants. If moving means your commute to work or school will change and you take public transportation, this is also a good time to scout out your new stops and route. 

As time is winding down, it’s important to take a look at your lease one more time. Make sure to review those rules and regulations (especially if you have pets!) and check if there are any parking fees or amenity fees you need to pay before move-in. Take note of your landlord and maintenance phone numbers, and add them to your phone contacts while you’re at it (it’ll be way easier than having to dig out your lease later). 

You’ve finally moved in! Now, what? Here are five first apartment tips for your first week in your new space to help you feel settled quickly. 

I wish I’d gotten this advice before moving into my first apartment: Make sure you take videos and photos of your space to capture the area as it is when you move in (even better: Do a video walkthrough!). Once you take those photos, email them to yourself or save it in a separate folder on your phone to keep them safe from accidentally deleting them. If you do find any major issues, make sure you let your landlord know ASAP to ensure you don’t get charged for those damages or lose your security deposit whenever you move out. 

Some landlords may hire a cleaner, while others may rely on the previous tenants to pick up (you should confirm with your landlord before move-in), but either way, do a quick wipe-down with a disinfectant spray and vacuum throughout your space. You can never clean a new space too much! I would definitely recommend doing this before you take any of your items out of your boxes to make sure you can reach all the nooks and corners easily. 

An unfortunate reality of living anywhere, especially if you’re moving to a city, is that pests and rodents will try and make their way into your space. Make sure you thoroughly check your apartment — especially in the pantry, by the outlets, in your bedroom, and in your kitchen — for any tiny holes that leave room for pests to get in. If you do find any holes, don’t freak out! Contact your landlord or maintenance company to let them know, and they’ll likely take care of it. If they don’t or you opt to fix it yourself, buy some caulking from your local hardware store and follow the instructions on the tube to fill the holes in seamlessly. 

My first couple days in my first apartment, I wanted to decorate, explore the neighborhood, hang out with my roommate, and really, do anything but organize — but looking back, that’s one of the first things I’ll do in my next space. I remember staring at the boxes with absolutely no motivation, but the quicker you do it the quicker it’s done! If you’re super particular, like myself, it may be helpful to get a label maker. I used mine to label shelves in the pantry, organizers in the bathroom, and stray cords and cables. Doing this tedious work in that first week will help your apartment stay clean and organized so much more easily in the many months to come. 

Just like you’re back in your first year of college, it’s time to say hello and introduce yourself to your neighbors! You never know, you could meet your best friend just by knocking on the door next to yours. If you feel like it, you can even bring over a baked good or a small homemade gift to introduce yourself and exchange contact information (you never know when you might need a neighbor to do a favor). Even if this is the only time you ever meet, knowing your neighbors can help you feel safer and more at home. If you lean more toward the shier side, you can skip knocking on doors and make sure to introduce yourself when you see your neighbors in passing!