In many ways, the idea of renting an apartment can seem like it has a lot of advantages over making a purchase. You won’t have to pay as much money up front, plus the agreements you sign are much more flexible. This means it is much easier for you to move on if you feel the need to.
However, renting also comes with a number of headaches that you will need to consider before you make a choice one way or the other. What may seem like a good idea could turn out to be a nightmare once you finally get the keys to your new place.
Bad Landlords
In an ideal world anybody who acts as a landlord for a building will be vigilant when it comes to handling tenant’s concerns and problems. Unfortunately, there are many cases where a landlord simply doesn’t want to express the interest that they need to in order to ensure their tenants are comfortable.
Try to do a little bit of research into other properties owned by the landlord before signing an agreement. If possible, it is also a good idea to talk to other tenants, particular if the landlord owns the entire apartment block. Find out how easy they are to communicate and how they react when news of a problem is sent to them.
Privacy
Apartments, by their very nature, do not offer the same levels of privacy that you would be able to experience if you buy or rent a family home. You will often encounter people in the hallways, which is not a problem in most cases but can become something of an issue if you don’t happen to get along with a fellow tenant for whatever reason.
Furthermore, you will find that you can often hear noises from your neighbours, no matter if they live next door or on a different floor. While this can be distracting, it also means that they can hear you as well. This only further serves to reduce your levels of privacy, which can be an issue for many people. It also means that you may run into trouble if you try to hold a party or engage in any noisy activities.
The Neighbours
Much like with landlords, you can never guarantee that your fellow tenants are going to be the type of people that you want as neighbours. As much research as you do into a building, it is often difficult to determine what the neighbours are going to be like over the long term until you have actually taken the plunge and moved in.
Furthermore, you will usually find that landlords are less than willing to hand over any information about troublesome tenants. After all, they want to get a paying tenant into any vacant apartment that they have, so while they may not lie to you they may withhold the truth in some cases. Bad neighbours can exist in any walk of life, but in an apartment you are in such close proximity that it can become a major headache.
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