Renting your first apartment is a big step, and it\u2019s easy to get overwhelmed with everything there is to know. It doesn\u2019t have to be difficult, though there are a lot of things to think about. Of course there\u2019s budget and location, but there\u2019s more you need to know before signing the lease on your first rental. With the renting tips below, your apartment search can be hassle-free. Here are the 10 most important things to keep in mind as you search, to find an apartment that\u2019s perfect for you.<\/p>\n
I got a lot of apartment search tips when looking for my first apartment, but if there was one piece of renting advice I wish I had followed, it would have been to be conservative with my budget. There are more expenses than just rent, and you have to consider them all. You might be prepared to live on ramen for a while, but it gets old fast. A good rule of thumb is to keep your living expenses below 25% of your salary, and that\u2019s going to include rent, gas, electric, phone, cable TV\/internet, water, food and more. Budget carefully and conservatively.<\/p>\n
If this is your first apartment, there\u2019s a good chance you won\u2019t be going it alone. Roommates are an important consideration. If you\u2019ll be moving in with strangers, make arrangements to meet them first. You don\u2019t need them to be your best friends, but you should be able to at least get along. Discuss things like cleaning, daily schedules, and guests. Ask about music listening and TV viewing habits and be sure you can agree on what should be acceptable for everyone. It is also extremely important that all roommates be on the rental agreement as tenants so that everyone is legally responsible for the rent.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re lucky, there might be a lot of apartments for rent in your area. Apartments vary in cost quite a bit, though, and location is a very large factor in what you\u2019ll pay. Of course you also need to consider things like distance to work and\/or school, how close you\u2019ll be to shopping and entertainment, and whether you like the neighborhood.<\/p>\n
If you or your roommates have pets or plan to get pets in the future, you need to make sure that you\u2019re only looking at rentals that allow them. On the other hand, you might prefer to live in a building that does not allow pets, or doesn\u2019t allow specific types of pets.<\/p>\n
Make sure that there is room for everyone who will be living in your apartment. If you won\u2019t have assigned parking, visit at various times of day to see what parking is like.<\/p>\n
This isn\u2019t just about the size of the apartment, although that\u2019s important. You also want to be sure there\u2019s a place for your things, too. Closet and shelf space need to be considered.<\/p>\n
Some apartments will require that you have renters insurance. Even if yours doesn\u2019t, it is definitely something worth considering.<\/p>\n
Be sure that the apartments you consider have a guest policy that\u2019s compatible with yours and your roommates\u2019 social habits. Also be sure that you and your roommates all agree on your own guest policy.<\/p>\n
How long do you expect to live in this apartment? You\u2019ll be required to sign a lease, so make sure that it\u2019s not longer than you expect to be there, or be prepared to be penalized to get out early.<\/p>\n
There is any number of amenities that could be included with your apartment \u2013 a pool, dishwasher, washer\/dryer, and a lot more. What is essential to you? What would you like to have? What can you do without? If you\u2019re using an online apartment guide, you can probably filter your search to just include your desired amenities.<\/p>\n
It seems there\u2019s no shortage of tips for renting an apartment, but it all starts with finding the right place. Keeping these ten things in mind is going to keep you on-target.<\/p>\n
Once you find an apartment you like and get settled, it’s time to think about renters insurance and how it can protect you from theft, damages, and injuries. Not every landlord required renters insurance, but it is highly recommended to have it. Plus, it’s affordable. Get a free renters insurance quote online<\/a> or over the phone at 800-777-5620<\/strong> and find out just how affordable renters insurance can be.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Renting your first apartment is a big step, and it\u2019s easy to get overwhelmed with everything there is to know. It doesn\u2019t have to be difficult, though there are a lot of things to think about. Of course there\u2019s budget and location, but there\u2019s more you need to know before signing the lease on your […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1002552,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[71],"tags":[112,114],"importance":[],"type-content":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/376"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1002552"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=376"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/376\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":382,"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/376\/revisions\/382"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=376"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=376"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=376"},{"taxonomy":"importance","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/importance?post=376"},{"taxonomy":"type-content","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/type-content?post=376"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}