First apartment skills checklist

The first-apartment skills are reading the lease, finding the water shutoff and the breaker, clearing a clog, fixing a running toilet, patching a nail hole, hanging things safely, testing the alarms and knowing what to do if you smell gas.

A first apartment arrives with a lease to read, a list of things that will break, and no landlord answering at eleven at night. These skills cover the move-in and the first year: what to check before you sign, where the water shutoff is, what to do when the power goes out in one room, how to clear a clog, patch a nail hole before you move out, hang things without losing the deposit, and keep the alarms working. Add a budget and a handful of dinners, and the place starts to feel like yours.