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Finding an apartment that is nice, close to your classes, and available at the right time can be very difficult.

That is why the woman in this story was so excited when an apartment manager told her that they had one available that was absolutely perfect for her, and she told them that she wanted it.

Unfortunately, since then, the manager has come up with one excuse after another as to why things aren’t moving forward, and now she is just two days away from flying into the city to start class, and she still hasn’t signed a lease.

She really let this go on for too long, and now she is at risk of being homeless when the semester starts. Read through the full story below and see if you can come up with any ideas for this unfortunate young lady.

First apartment and I still don’t have a lease

This will be a long rant, I’m just so confused and this is my first time renting, so I have no idea what the correct course of action is.

Finding the right apartment can be difficult.

I am a college student who’s getting her first apartment. My semester starts soon, so I applied to a place over a month ago.

I ideally wanted to move in earlier, so when I saw the move in date for the most perfect starter apartment that was in my budget was September 9th, I thought I had struck gold.

It must be frustrating that they are so unresponsive.

After submitting my application, it took a while to get approved, and then once I was approved, I didn’t get any updates on the lease for over a week. Throughout that week I was calling and emailing and received no response.

When I finally got someone on the phone, it was the assistant of the property manager who told me they were having issues at the office, but that she was going to the unit to take a video of it so I could see it (I’m out of state and wasn’t able to tour before applying).

This place is very unprofessional.

I said that was great, and then I never received the video. I was then asked if I could move in on the 15th. That was fine because I was going to be working a conference during at that time anyway, and it worked out that I could fly straight from the conference to the apartment on the 17th.

The manager then told me on the 14th that due to the fact they had to paint the unit, they had to move the move in date to the 21st. At that point I was mad, but I said I could make that work.

It is one problem after another with this apartment complex.

I still have not signed the lease by then. Well, then they emailed me again on Monday to tell me that the bathroom needed repairs and wouldn’t be ready on the 21st, but I could still move in and deal with maintenance being there frequently, or I could choose a different unit.

I chose a different unit, and have repeatedly been told I will be contacted regarding the details and also receive a video tour of the new unit.

There is no way I would want to move in here.

I have not had any calls or gotten the video. I’ve been texting the assistant every single day multiple times a day, but she said she doesn’t have the details and she needs to ask the manager.

I haven’t heard from the manager in over a week. I have emailed, texted, and left voicemails to no avail. According to the assistant, the manager sent the lease last night. She did not.

What a nightmare.

I now have 1.5 business days to figure this out (they don’t work weekends). I will be in the city where the apartment is on the 21st no matter what, I don’t know what unit I will be in, I don’t have a lease, and I can’t get into contact with anyone who knows what’s going on.

The assistant is being kind and understanding, but she can only do so much. I am panicking and stressing because if this doesn’t work I will be homeless, with less than a week before my classes start to get it figured out.

This most certainly should not be common.

Is this common? Should I expect this run around every time I get an apartment? I feel trapped and lost.

Since they refuse to communicate, I now don’t even have time to apply to new places. I know I’m dumb for letting them drag it out like this, but I don’t know what else to do.

She really needs to get this figured out fast, even if it means finding temporary housing. Calling her school might be her best bet at this point.

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Let’s see if the people in the comments have anything to recommend.

Annoying them is not going to work. They have made that clear.

Here is a really good point.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a neighbor who documented times of noise spikes and turned their neighbor into a model tenant.

This is good, practical advice.

She really needs to get her act together fast. She can’t keep waiting on the one apartment manager. Calling her school, as well as any other apartments in the area, today is her only real option.

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Author

Michael Levanduski

Senior Contributing Editor, Workplace & Community

Michael Levanduski is a veteran journalist and digital culture specialist with over 15 years of professional writing and research experience. While his background spans emerging technology and complex technical subjects, Michael specializes in analyzing workplace ethics, property disputes, and viral interpersonal dynamics across modern digital forums.

Since joining TwistedSifter in 2024, Michael has authored some of the publication’s most widely read coverage on corporate policy, malicious compliance, and neighborhood relations. Rather than simply aggregating online debates, he brings rigorous research, organizational context, and an empathetic editorial voice to everyday human dilemmas—transforming raw forum discussions into insightful, highly engaging narratives.

When he isn’t covering internet culture, Michael enjoys traveling, keeping up with tech trends, and spending time with his family. Connect with Michael on LinkedIn and Facebook.