San Francisco Apartment Hunting Guide, Rental Tips
Questions to ask, where to look, things to consider, how to vet buildings, landlords, owners, roommates San Francisco, apartment rental sites, scams to avoid
Apartment rental guide, San Francisco: an exhaustive apartment hunting, research guide and things to consider from noise, parking, seasonal changes and more. Veritas lawsuit.
Last updated 6/16/2025 8:00AM
San Francisco Apt Hunting Tips
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San Francisco Apartment Rental Guide
When it comes to researching apartments in San Francisco, there are many unknowns and assumptions made. Busy schedules, tight deadlines, vague descriptions and limited viewing sessions can make apartment hunting stressful.
It’s super competitive and most people rush to sign leases before doing proper due diligence because they were rushed to sign leases and would lose out on apartments if they didn’t act fast enough.
The best apartments are usually the ones you skip because you knew what to avoid, what questions to ask and how to sift through catfishing ads (listings with wide angle photos, misleading images).
San Francisco: How To Find An Apartment, Roommate
Given how expensive apartments are in San Francisco, it takes significant time and energy to research areas, tour apartments, hire rental vehicles, factor parking situations, assess crime, safety, noise, other tenants, and coordinate the actual moves.
Below are a set of frameworks, things to consider, questions to ask, research methodologies, useful resources, and helpful tips to navigate the San Francisco apartment search.
This is in no way meant to be viewed as legal advice, and you should always contact the San Francisco Tenants Union with all questions, matters (the fee is worth your piece of mind).
Similarly, even though this is geared toward renters in SF, there is a lot of useful info for home buyers, those not planning on a move (parking, noise etc) and those in the Bay Area in general.