Things to Consider When Looking for an Apartment to Rent

Looking for a new apartment may either be fun or stressful and to make sure it turns out to be pleasant experience people should prepare a must-have list.

This list can vary from one person to another and some of the things to consider when searching for their next apartment are the following:

• Location: Perhaps the most important thing to look for is a good location, which has a close proximity to work, public transportation, convenience stores as well as family and friends. Once they see an ideal apartment, they can search it on Google Maps to determine the time it takes to commute to their favorite places.

• Storage: When touring the apartment, they should inspect the closets to see the amount of space there is. This is since they will surely bring a lot of stuff to the new apartment so the closets should be able to accommodate them all. If not, they can ask if there is another storage in the building so they can take a look at it.

• Appliances: Though washing machines and dishwashers are not considered as essential, they can surely make life a lot easier. There are people that that use the laundry services in the building but some would rather use a washing machine in their unit. Whatever their choice, they can include it on their list.

• Heat and air conditioning: Renters could not live without the comfort given by heat and/or air conditioning no matter what the climate is. They can check if the is A/C is centralized, one in every room or there is none at all and ask if they are allowed to install window units when needed. If there are tenants around while touring, they can ask questions concerning the temperature control and average heating bills to know what to expect when winter comes.

• Pet policy: In case they have a pet, they should first check out the landlord’s policy. If pets are not allowed, they should just look for another place. On the other hand, if the building accepts pets but they have allergies and they cannot stand the barking dog door next door; this place may not be an ideal home for them.

• Parking: Convenient parking space is crucial when renters have a car. They wouldn’t want to spend too much time going around in circles after a tiring day at work even if it is a very nice place. If they happen to visit the apartment on a weekend, they can drop by on a busy day to see if it is easy to park or ask the other renters if they have a difficult time.

• Security: When the main door of the apartment opens to the sidewalk that has no common entry or fence, this may not be safe. If a renter is living by himself/herself, it would be best to look for a building that has a lobby or doorman. A smaller building with higher floors is sometimes safer than garden units or those on the ground floor.

• Noise: The noise that renters have to withstand depends on the location of the unit plus the thickness of its walls. When the place is located on a busy street, on top of a bar or beside train tracks, renters know what to expect. They should also consider the number of surfaces they share with people next door such as the ceiling, floor and walls. There has to be at least on the top floor so there won’t be neighbors upstairs that make sound with their heels.