Dos and Don’ts of Apartment Living
Apartment living has its perks as well as it’s downfalls. You don’t have to be the one to deal with or pay for maintenance when the hot water goes out or the refrigerator decides to stop working, and it’s a lot easier to break a lease than sell a house if you decide you want to make a spontaneous move. Finding a balance between the good and the bad of apartment living is all about attitude and doing your own part to keep the situation as positive as possible. Here are the dos and don’ts all renters should be following:
DO inspect your apartment carefully when you move in-
You should always have the opportunity to note any flaws or damages in your apartment. Make sure your outlets and appliances are working correctly. While you probably just want to get to it and start unpacking it is extremely important to inspect everything carefully being sure to snap pictures of anything that you find so that you are not responsible for them when/if you decide to move out.
DON’T be a bad neighbor-
Be the person you’d want to live next door to. Being a good neighbor is more then just giving a smile when you pass someone in the hallway. It is about residing in your home in a way that doesn’t disturb anyone else. Keep your music and television at a reasonable level, do not throw any crazy parties, and be mindful of doing your part to keep the common area clean.
DOconsider getting a roommate-
The national average for a one bedroom apartment is $950/mo! With costs that high it makes sense to get a roommate who you can split all of your bills with. Just be sure to take your roommate search VERY seriously. Watch out for red flags and ask questions to make sure they will be a compatible person to live with.
DONT wait to report your maintenance issues-
Issues such as water, electricity, heating/cooling and pests will only get worse the longer you wait to report them. It’s best to report any issue as soon as you discover it because you may not know how long it will take to get a professional out to work on it for you. The longer you wait can make a huge difference between an easy fix and something that causes extensive damage to your apartment as well as other apartments around you.
DO clean regularly-
Ultimately, you are responsible for keeping your apartment clean. ( It says so in your lease!) Otherwise you may have to pay the price if you don’t. Its fine to skip making your bed before work in the morning or leaving a couple of dishes in the sink once in awhile, but this is a habit you will want to commit to early on to prevent your apartment from getting nasty. Once a week, vacuum and mop the floors and always take your garbage out as soon as it fills up, and wipe down counters around your house especially in your kitchen and bathrooms. ( Disinfectant wipes are your BESTFRIEND) If you cannot bring yourself to do these things consider hiring a cleaning service to do it for you.
DONT forget to SAVE SAVE SAVE!-
It can be extremely hard to save money when you have bills on bills eating up your paycheck every month. Consider staying on a budget especially when apartment hunting to make sure you aren’t stretching yourself too far. You never know when an emergency might come up and it is always a good idea to have some money set aside in case something happens, because you just never know what’s in store for you next.
If you put in the extra effort while hunting for a new place to live it really can make a huge difference between the apartment you cant wait to get out of versus the apartment you love coming home to. One day you’ll own a home where you’ll wish things like maintenance weren’t your problem to deal with.