Do you have a child who is about to move into his or her own apartment for the first time? Has he or she asked you for advice on what needs to be done once he or she moves in? Many of the things that you may think are "common sense" are probably things that you've forgotten that you learned the hard way. When you're living on your own for the first time, not everything that you need to do is obvious. Some things that you may now think are obvious, but that your child may not, are:

Finding a good residential locksmith

You've probably been locked out of your own car or house at least once in your life. When this happened, you may well have simply called the first locksmith that you could find. If that turned out well for you, you still may not think that there's anything wrong with waiting until the last minute to locate a residential locksmith. However, if you're one of the people who has been scammed by a false locksmith, you should know that things don't always go well. There are people out there who advertise their services as a residential locksmith but who use questionable methods to get through doors, potentially causing expensive damage in the long run. They may also charge excessively large fees for their so-called services. Finding the name and number of a reputable residential locksmith company ahead of time will prevent your child from falling prey to this sort of trap. Check out businesses like Tampa Bay Lock and Key Inc. for more information. 

Locate the utility cutoffs

Waiting until a water pipe bursts to figure out how to turn off the water mains is not a good idea. Even if your child is going to live in an apartment, it's a good idea to at least know how to turn off the water to toilet as well as to the kitchen and bathroom sinks. If your child has insufficient renters insurance, he or she could be liable for the damage caused by a burst pipe or an overflowing toilet. While it's the landlord's responsibility to fix such issues, it's also a tenant's responsibility to try to limit damage as much as possible until a plumber or other service professional can arrive.

Finding good service professionals

As with a residential locksmith, it's a bad idea to wait until you need one to locate a good plumber or electrician. Standing ankle-deep in water from a burst pipe or finding out that you have an electrical short is a bad time to go looking for someone to fix the problem. If your child isn't moving very far away, you can give him or her the information for service professionals that you've used in the past. If he or she is moving to another state entirely, you can give him or her a list of things to look for when searching for a good company to use. This includes things like reputation and making sure that the company is licensed, bonded, and insured and isn't just a random person who placed an ad in the classifieds.