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Ok, I've been thinking about getting an apartment for some time now. I have never lived on my own before, and I just want to make absolutely sure I can do this. What is some advice you can give me about living on my own, and renting apartments/houses in particular. Any insight you can give me will be much appreciated, thanks.
I've always enjoyed living in apartments, as long as the person in the unit above me is not a tap-dancing hippo.
If there is any damage when you view an apartment, get a written agreement with the landlord or letting agency that this is exempt from the bond / security even if it worsens. Ideally, get it fixed before you move in but still get written agreement it is a known problem. Take photographs and initial and date them with your landlord. Sounds like a small thing to do but when you stand to lose a couple of thousand, you'll be glad of that picture.
Practical advice from my own experience would be:
- Buy a toolkit (torch, screwdrivers, pliers, hammer, nails, socket set, wrench, scissors, hacksaws, tape measure, etc.)
- Buy a fire extinguisher for each floor of your apartment.
- Don't forget the little things you've otherwise come to rely on (dishcloths, cutlery, towels, cleaning materials, vacuum cleaner, bleach, toiletries, bedding, washing up liquid/dishwasher tablets, washing powder for clothes, batteries).
- Get the landlord to explain the boiler, sprinkler system, plumbing, circuit breaker, alarm, metering, etc., and write it all down.
- If you hear noises in the night you can't explain, don't jump to conclusions. My apartment often wakes me up with a noise that sounds like someone rapping at the door but is actually just thermal expansion/contraction (it's a new place and hasn't settled yet).
- More than anything, enjoy. Living alone is a wonderful thing if you've got the mindset for it. Closing your front door and not being answerable to anyone makes your apartment into a little haven of peace.
I deal with potential apartment owners/renters on a daily basis and here are some tips
1) Prepare yourself a budget to see what you can afford before you even look at a place, the problem I find with clients they look at places they can't afford and they would usually find it harder to accept the condition of a place within their budget.
2) Do some research on the area/s of your choice, examples follows; check what is the average rental price for a similar apartment within the area. If you don't have your own car for example, maybe you should be an apartment near decent public transportation. Some areas within certain school zones can shoot the rent prices thru the roof, so if you don't have children, you could get something outside these popular school zones up to 25% less.
3) Speak to neighbours, other tenants within the apartment block and find out how the positives and negatives of renting an apartment in the block. Ask them on how prompt are the landlord dealing with issues.
4) Get the damn tenancy agreement in writing, for fuck sake I have had so many people who only had verbal agreements and the lordland fucked with them. It was harder to dispute issues with the landlord as there was no written agreement.
Don't rent from family... My dad was my landlord and he woudnt fix nothing... Landlords have to fix things when something goes wrong... Try to find something with utilities included...
I want my own apartment too. I live with my parents, which I don't mind too much because I can still do what I want without their permission, but I'd like my own space sometimes.
Make a budget and you need a job for 6 months before you can sadly. So if you dont you have to wait.
I've always been a person who is afraid of being alone, in the dark, in the middle of nowhereland (or my hometown (; ). I love living in apartments! As long as they're livable and not too small(I'm fine with a somewhat small one) and I have my puppy and kitten with me, I'm good!
Things to consider
1) The neighborhood. Just because rent is cheap doesn't mean you want to live there.
2) RENTER'S INSURANCE.
3) keep your place clean so that when you move out you don't get screwed on extra costs. If you have roommates be sure everyone does their fair share.
4) Be careful about roommates. Personally I think you should have locks on your doors if you're going to share. Not everyone is honest.
5) Read your lease. Keep it where you can find it for reference. Understand your local laws on what your landlord can and cannot do.
6) Also if you have roommates, consider whether or not they're on the lease - some places make it mandatory. And you can't evict a roommate. Once they're on the lease they have the same legal rights as you.
It's actually easier to evict someone when they are on your lease then if they are not on your lease.
If they are on your lease and they violate a term of the lease agreement then you can serve them a legal eviction notice. They can dispute it but it's better than what you would have to do to evict a "squatter" which would be to find a valid reason to get them arrested.
that still has to come from the landlord/lady.
i'm talking about one roommate kicking another out. Cos sometimes it's not over lease violations but over personal differences.
although if you're living with roommates who are trying to kick you out... you might want to reconsider why you're living with them in the first place.
Well it just depends on your budget. The neighborhood does make a difference. I would try to get the top floor if it's a multi story complex...no noise above plus less bugs! I prefer the larger complexes as they have more staff, etc. I live in a place my boss owns and he does everything himself...needless to say, things don't get fixed very quickly here. I'd recommend you live by yourself if you can...if that's not financially possible, choose your roommate wisely. Most places will pay for water and trash but you'll be responsible for electricity and gas...and tv and internet. Just make sure you're ready for the extra responsibilities of paying bills and if you do have a roommate, you both have an agreement of when you'll dish out the money each month for all of this. Anyways, Good luck!
"no noise above plus less bugs"
Not entirely true. The bugs... sure I can see that. But noise - not always.
Sound travels in all directions. Normally we only think about the horizontal direction because we walk around on the surface. But unless you have something at the street-level to block noise then it WILL travel up... unimpeded.
So say you have a lot of trees at the street level, sure that can help block noise.
But if you're on a regular city street, noise WILL travel up. And it will be very easy to hear.
I know this because I lived in an apartment on the 10th floor in Japan, windows on 3 sides of the apartment. People talking... not so bad, but traffic - I could definitely hear all of it, even with the windows closed.
Although ... o I do miss it there. Even the traffic cos, almost everything was walking / train distance. *le sigh...*
Lol I was just saying in general. Traffic doesn't bother me but having pounding foot steps above would drive me up the wall. My next door neighbor used to drive me insane but it's amazing what pounding on the door at 1am and yelling will do.
o yes, the noise of someone above you can be bad. although how the building is built can affect that.
in the apartment in japan there was one person above us but we never heard anything. part of that could have just been japanese culture. but part of that was also probably the construction, with thick cement walls etc
Try to get out of paying deposits I have before just ask.... If they won't let u ask if u can make payments...don't get roommates u don't know hardly, unless u really know them like a best-friend....
Seeing as I still live with my family, I'll try to give you best advice that I can.
1. Learn your way around the town that you would like to move into.
2. Make sure it's in a "good" neighborhood.
3. Read up on the apartment building you're interested in and bring someone experienced with you when you go apartment hunting. If this person you bring has already been threw the process of moving/buying a new home, they should hopefully know what to check for and what questions to ask.
4. Make sure it's within your price range.
5. If you have pets, make sure that the apartment building allows them.
6. Check and see if the apartments come furnished already or if you'll have to furnish them yourself. Which will cost you more money.
7. Be kind to your neighbors/landlord and try to pay the rent on time. I tell you this because you don't won't to make enemies. Get on their bad sides and you probably will have a hard time living their.
8. Know the history of the apartment. A good example is the film "The Tenant" which is also based on a book. That film also covers some of the things I already stated.
9. If you move in with a roommate if at all possible, know them before hand! You don't want to end up with someone dangerous or a mooch. A friend can be a mooch too, but at least you'll know them before hand.
I hope that helped.
Good Luck!
7 - I disagree with the "try to pay the rent on time" part.
It shouldn't be "try to" .. it should just be "YOU WILL" =)
cos if it's not on time they can charge you a late fee (my last place was 20% of your rent!) and they can start eviction processes. granted yeah there's 'the tenant' movie but... if the landlord/lady has all their ducks in a row they can still start that.
I almost had a heart attack with my old apartment. they put a "pay this NOW" note on my door (as in pay this now or we'll start the eviction process). I knew I was late, but thought the rent had gotten there in time.
Turned out it was the apartment across from me. yeah they fucked up. I don't know if it was their first late or a growing habit but... they had to pay the rent PLUS late fees by a specific date of they would be in trouble.
I did let the manager know however that the note was on the wrong door, cos... I think the apartment had x amount of days to respond and... it's not the tenant's fault maintenance fucked up and hung it on the wrong door.
Be careful with deposits. do a background check of your landlord or company you are renting from, you can google them or if possible contact tenants union/small claims courts to see past complaints - some landlords can be psychos -
If it is a sublet, make sure your roommates are decent and have a good source of income, and again be careful with deposits. Take pictures of everything when you move in.
Iv had 2 of my own flats before (I'm 20) and both went really badly I'm now in a lot of debt & homeless again ! Just be very careful with it & who you move in with etc... Good luck ! X