Things to consider when looking for an apartment to rent

Looking for a new apartment can be fun or stressful, and to make sure it’s an enjoyable experience, people should put together a list of must-haves.

This list can vary from person to person and some of the things to consider when looking for your next apartment include:

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

• Storage: When touring the apartment, they should inspect the closets to see how much space there is. This is because they will surely bring a lot of things to the new apartment, so the closets should be able to accommodate all of them. If not, they can ask if there is another store in the building so they can see it.

• Appliances – Although washing machines and dishwashers are not considered essential, they can surely make life a lot easier. There are people who use the laundry services in the building, but some prefer to use a washing machine in their unit. Whatever their choice, they can include it in their list.

• Heat and Air Conditioning: Tenants could not live without the comfort of heat and/or air conditioning no matter what the weather. They can check if the air conditioning is central, one in each room or if there is none and ask if they are allowed to install window units when necessary. If there are renters nearby during the tour, they can ask questions about climate control and average heating bills so they know what to expect come winter.

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

• Parking: Convenient parking space is crucial when tenants have a car. They don’t want to spend too much time hanging around after a tiring day at work, even if it’s a very nice place. If they visit the apartment on a weekend, they can spend a busy day to see if it is easy to park or ask the other tenants if they have difficulties.

• Security: When the main door of the apartment opens onto the sidewalk that does not have a common entrance or fence, it may not be safe. If a tenant lives alone, it would be better to look for a building that has a lobby or doorman. A smaller building with higher floors is sometimes safer than ground floor or garden units.

• Noise: The noise that tenants must endure depends on the location of the unit plus the thickness of its walls. When the place is located on a busy street, above a bar or next to the train tracks, tenants know what to expect. They should also consider the amount of surfaces they share with the people next to them, such as the ceiling, floor, and walls. There has to be at least one on the top floor so there aren’t any neighbors upstairs making noise with their heels.