If you have a student going off to college and you’ve decided against the overpriced on-campus dorms, you are likely going to be living in a college apartment. While an off -campus apartment may be a cheaper alternative to living on campus, they can be fraught with problems. Here are some pitfalls you need to watch out for when you start apartment hunting with your soon to be college student.

The stereotypical college apartment is small, unkept and very noisy. While there is nothing that mom and dad can do about partying in the adjoining units, they can make sure that they stay in a building or complex that has on-site security and administration so that when parties go to 2 am and your son or daughter has a test the next day, all it takes is a single phone call and things can get back to normal.

Another common perception of college apartments is that they aren’t made very well. Since these types of apartments are significantly more likely to have reckless and even dangerous occupants, you often see holes in the walls or patches that show serious signs of wear and tear. Try not to rent from a place that looks like it has had wars waged inside of it. It shows poor judgment from the people running the building.

Finally, try to sign a short, six month lease so that if the place turns out to be horrible, you don’t have long to wait until you can find someplace better.