The Pros and Cons of Renting a House and an ApartmentWhat to Know About Renting an Apartment vs. A Home
Are you trying to decide between choosing a house or an apartment for the next place you're going to call home? The choice to either rent an apartment or house can be challenging for some folks.
On the one hand, renting a home might seem like the ideal type of property, having more rooms and plenty of space. There are, however, many advantages to living in an apartment, like being in the heart of a city or lower potential living expenses.
Let's look in-depth at the pros and cons involved when choosing between a rental house or apartment. After careful comparison between the two, you should be able to decide which is best for your circumstances.
Keep in mind that in either circumstance you will want to have at least decent credit. It is hard to find rentals when you have no or bad credit.
The Pros and Cons of Renting a House
Nobody's life circumstances are the same, so there is no right or wrong answer as to whether to rent a home or apartment. Hopefully, a careful review of the advantages and disadvantages of each though will make your decision an easier one.
Pros of Going With a House Rental
Privacy - Typically, houses offer more privacy than apartments do especially given the fact you'll be sharing walls with other people in an apartment. The extra distance you will be away from your neighbors will improve your living conditions.
Apartments tend to have thinner walls, and you could have noisy neighbors above and below you as well. Having packages delivered can also be more secure in a house than an apartment building.
Space - Choosing a house over an apartment should give you more area to spread out. More than likely you will have more functional space and more rooms to use. Having the extra space will come in handy if you decide to have relatives or friends stay over for a night or two. A house will usually better accommodate all your furniture as well.
Having outdoor areas for your exclusive use is another very valuable benefit. Outdoor activities will be more comfortable if you have a yard. Hosting a barbecue on a warm summer's evening is more challenging unless you have some outdoor space of your own. Homes also tend to have more space to park vehicles and a garage.
Hobbies - When you live in a home, you don't have to fuss as much about disturbing your neighbors. You can more easily take part in your leisure activities and hobbies. If you play a musical instrument, it can be difficult to practice without upsetting your neighbors in an apartment.
Family Living - If you have a growing family the space available in a home is going to be well worth it. As a parent, they'll be fewer worries about your kids running past a neighbor's front doors and disturbing them. Your children can play in your yard, and the suburbs tend to be safer for kids.
Cons of a House Rental
More Chores - When you have a larger property it is expected that you'll have more maintenance to worry about. With houses comes outdoor spaces to maintain, including grass to mow and a yard to keep in top shape.
Convenience - When choosing to rent a home or apartment, one of the factors will be the location. Finding a house that is close to the entertainment center of the city is much harder to find. Instead, most homes are located in the suburbs. You can expect to have to get in your car to get to most stores, restaurants, and amenities.
Landlords - Problems dealing with landlords tend to be more common when renting a house. The owner is more likely to have experienced just renting their particular home and be less experienced in dealing with tenants. Having less rental experience can lead to disputes over relatively minor problems that shouldn't be issues.
The Pros and Cons of Renting an Apartment
There are some excellent reasons why an apartment rental might be better in your situation.
Pros of Apartment Rental
Expenses - Living in an apartment should be less expensive than a home. Not only is the rent likely to be more reasonable, but you are also paying for less room the majority of the time. You'll usually spend less on utilities, which is frequently included in your monthly rental fees.
Convenience - Apartment buildings are usually located closer to entertainment centers, convenience stores, and within walking distances to other perks. You'll probably find it's only a short walk to get to most of the places you want to go.
Flexibility - Apartment living offers more flexibility to move when you need to. If you have a job that relocates you frequently, you'll quickly discover it easier to move in and out of an apartment. Sometimes apartments are fully furnished, saving you a lot of moving costs and time.
Amenities - Newer apartment buildings quite often provide terrific amenities that you otherwise wouldn't have access to. There might be a gym on-site, covered parking, or wireless internet. The apartment might include other perks such as an in-unit washer and dryer, dishwasher, and a balcony.
Cons of Apartment Rentals
Nuisances - Living close to your neighbors could mean you get disturbed by noises more than you would want. There can be other problems like pests and rodent infestations or unpleasant smells that you'll have to put up with too.
Other issues with apartment living include challenges with parking, leaking pipes, and seeing people roaming common areas. When renting an apartment for the first time, these kinds of issues are worth exploring to make sure you can handle them.
Finding Room - The lack of space can save you some money, but it also can make things tricky when you need space for all your things. Some of your furniture or appliances may have to be tossed because you simply don't have room in your apartment. Many folks end up donating furniture they no longer need due to a lack of space in many apartments.
Restrictions - It is more likely to face restrictions on any improvements you want to make to the apartment. It is also possible you could also be less likely to be allowed to keep your pets in an apartment over a house rental.
Parking - If you don't have a designated parking spot, it can be hard to locate an area to park your car if you live close to the center of the city. If you have parked some distance away, you might not be able to see the vehicle, it could be damaged, and you wouldn't know until you next needed to use it.
Final Thoughts Comparing Renting an Apartment to a House
Picking a rental house or apartment is a matter of deciding what you need in a home to live your life the way you desire. If you want peace and quiet, space both indoors and out, and more privacy, a house is a better fit.
If costs are an issue, or you want to be near the action, or flexibility is important, maybe an apartment will work better for your lifestyle. These kinds of choices only you can make.
Hopefully, you have enjoyed and got something out of this comparison between renting a house and renting an apartment.
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