READ the lease super carefully. My old apartment had a clause in the lease that said if we wanted to break the lease and move out early, it would cost us all the remaining rent ($1,250 a month x however many months left in the lease) plus a $1,000 fee, plus we'd lose our deposit (another $1,250). Needless to say I was very upset when I needed to move out early. I ended up renting a new place anyway, leaving the first apartment empty but still paying rent on it for two months. Cheaper than actually breaking the lease.

When you walk through, if there are maintenance problems, WRITE THEM DOWN and REFUSE to move in until they are fixed. Same apartment, the landlord told us everything would be fixed by move in - we ended up with NO BATHROOM DOOR for SIX MONTHS.

Other things to check:

-Call utility company and get a report of how much electricity bills for the property were last year. They will usually give you those for free.

-Is the parking lot well lit and safe? Are there street lights on your street?

-Nearest fire hydrant/fire station/police station

-Rules for subletting

-Who pays for upkeep? i.e. Who mows the lawn, who paints, etc.

-If you have room-mates, can you all write separate checks for your part of the rent, or do you have to write one big check for the total? What happens if you bounce a check?

-What will you have to do on move-out day? Clean the carpets, re-paint the walls, etc?

-Any appliances included? Maintenance included on them?

-Do all the electrical outlets work? On move-in day, or as soon as your power is on (schedule these things - power, cable, water, etc. well in advance), take along a clock and check all the outlets to make sure they work. You never know.

I'm sure I could think of more...I had a few bad experiences and learned a lot real quick.
Good Luck!!