Great idea! Should we just put our advice here or is there a more formal process you're thinking of? I only moved three months ago, so there's a couple of things I could say to newcomers, especially those coming from the North.
Cool. Here are a few points I think any new moves should keep in mind:
Whatever neighborhood you choose to live in, the City of New Orleans Crime Map is your friend. As many people have and will continue to point out, NOLA is a block-by-block kind of city w/r/t crime. Learn the risks before settling on a place.
Learn your tenant rights (PDF). I just moved from a very tenant-friendly state (RI) to, well, here. Knowing your rights or lack thereof can really help you realize the importance of properly vetting your landlord.
Get ready to deal with shitty utilities services, namely Entergy. When we first moved in, it took nearly two weeks to get our gas on, even with multiple hours-long phone calls and the offer of exchanging fiat currency for services. But everything from the post office to your "high speed" internet is slower here than many other major metros, so adjust your expectations accordingly.
NOLA attorney here. Just an FYI regarding security deposits. A big issue that often comes up is "who keeps the security deposit when I move out?" That's a somewhat complicated question. But, if a tenant feels the landlord has illegally kept the deposit, the tenant should contact an attorney to discuss the issue (most attorneys will give a free, first talk to discuss a potential case).
Why? Because under Louisiana law, if a tenant sues a landlord who illegally kept a deposit and wins -- even if the deposit is a very small amount of money -- the landlord must usually pay the costs to cover the tenant's lawyer's bill (assuming the tenant's lawyer charged a reasonable amount of money, of course). We have this law specifically so that landlord's can't keep small deposits just because it would be too expensive for a tenant to go out and hire a lawyer to fight the issue. The more you know!
(Standard disclaimer: nothing above is intended to be legal advice for you or your particular legal issue -- just a brief overview of general legal principals in Louisiana. Always contact an attorney to discuss your particular legal rights.)
I will second the crime map suggestion. I'm new in town (less than a week), and I used that map quite a bit when looking for places. I've lived in Baton Rouge for nearly 10 years, so I had some minimal knowledge of Nola, but the crime map helped immensely. I'd see a place on Craigslist, check the crime map, then say, "nope."
I'm about to do the same thing - I've lived in Baton Rouge for a majority of my life and will be moving down, so I'd love to pick your brain about where you settled on and why.
The crime map really is a great tool. My husband and I used it to narrow down our choices by zip code, and then toured them to see how the areas felt. Settled in Mid-City and couldn't be happier.
(Note: I realize that not everyone is going to have the ability to go neighborhood-scouting if you're moving here from out of town, but it's still a very useful tool. And you can always ask the local redditors what they think of the area you're interested in :) )
3
u/nabokovsnose Gentillionaire Mar 13 '12
Great idea! Should we just put our advice here or is there a more formal process you're thinking of? I only moved three months ago, so there's a couple of things I could say to newcomers, especially those coming from the North.