<prompt> Human: Hello rpersonalfinance, Im 19 years old and my friend and I are looking into moving into our first apartment in the next month or so. Both of us have been building our credit for 3-4 months. We have done the math and know that we can afford mostly everything.We are going and lookingcomparing 4 apartments this weekend. I was wondering what some hidden fees questions i should look for and ask while we go look. I dont want to be caught off guard and i dont really know what to ask for that they arent going to say up front. Thank you for your advice and your personal knowledge! Update: Thank you to everyone that has and is still sharing their personal experiences! I would like to sorry my bad with my spelling. Havent been getting a lot of sleep lately and i made the post late at night! I realize the mistake i made this morning by spelling Definitely wrong 20 times. Sorry :Assistant: I found out the hard way that my apartment did not come with keys to the mailbox. The post office, not the apartment complex, owned the boxes. After I signed my lease, the apartment complex sent me to the post office, which takes hours on the bus. The post office then informed me that the keys cost 43, which I didnt happen to have with me. So I went back with the cash -- another several hours on the bus. I opened the mailbox to find some form informing me that they had forwarded my mail to the post office... So I had to go back again. In the grand scheme of things, its not that big of a deal, but I was very pregnant and it was sweltering heat. Between my work schedule and the bus schedule, it took me a few weeks to get any of my mail. Also, its worth asking what payment types they accept, just for the sake of convenience. Some places do not allow divided payments so you and your roommate would have to combine money, many dont accept cards or charge fees for using them, etc. It also doesnt sound like a big deal but if youve got busy lifestyles, it can be a pain in the ass to go get a money order or realise that youre out of cheques at the last minute when rent is due. Also, know what the late fee policies are because shit happens -- I was late due to unexpectedly being in the hospital and had no way to pay since they didnt take cards. I didnt expect to get slapped with the insane fees I did because I had never had to worry about being late before that. Another time I was almost late because they were closed because of some minor holiday and didnt bother telling anyone -- they had a rent drop box but I was worried to use it since I wouldnt get a receipt immediately. in all honesty its best to be paid up a month in advance to completely avoid the stress.Utilities often charge deposits if you dont have history and they can add up quickly. Its worth checking into and planning for. Some will waive it if you have someone vouch for you, set it on autodraft, etc but it varies by company. Human: I didnt even think about the mailbox, thank you! I will for sure ask them about that! Payment wise we havent figured it out and was going to see what they accepted. We are hoping cash since it would be the easiest. Im going to bring up the late fee policy as well. Thanks for the advice, Ill defiantly look into the utility thing and see if the charge a deposit!  <response>: Definitely 