Don't put down a deposit unless you're seriousThe apartment hunters trusted the landlord when they forked over a hunk of cash without signing a lease.

Landlord can't paint without your permissionA permission letter could be interpreted to mean you have abandoned the property, but you still have to pay rent.

Paying for gas: many are cold, few are frozenOne way building managers cut costs is to take heating costs out of your rent and tack on a separate heating charge based on your square footage.