The problem with apartment ratings is that the only time people think to do them is when they’re really pissed off. When shopping, ask, “what day do you do pest control and how often can I have my apartment serviced?” Ask, “how many units do you have and how many full time maintenance people do you have?” you might even ask if you can meet the maintenance staff. You might want to ask what their turn over rate is. You will throw them for a loop, but knowing how long the average resident stays can tell you a lot about the management. Ask if they have a policy about how quickly they turn over maintenance requests. Finally, you could knock on a few doors. Ask people if they like living there and how responsive the management is. Apartment living gets a bad rap, but it can really be great if the management and maintenance staff are good. I have talked to plenty of homeowners who wish they had a manager they could call when the garbage disposal went out or the roof leaked, when the pool needed cleaning and the lawn mowed.