When you are considering a place to rent, it is wonderful to get an ideal space that you can turn an apartment for rent to a home in the medium to long term. Choosing which house or apartment to rent is an emotional decision that you should not compromise on. You can only relax if you have found the perfect home for you. It’s a safe house for you and your family.
Here are some factors you should consider when looking for a rental home
- Where is it located and how is the neighbourhood?
To most people, location is the most important thing when they choose a house or an apartment. You need to check how long it will take to your workplace, school and any other place you routinely visit. If you’re a family man it is very important to consider the needs of your partner and children especially schools, hospitals, and shopping centers.
Check the surrounding areas for any potential noisiness or disruptions. With clubs, bars, hospitals, public offices, highways, you may have a situation where you can’t sleep well due to noise, or have too many strangers visiting the area. It is better to be sure before you move in and have to move out suddenly.
- Can I afford it? Is it cost-effective?
You have to gauge the cost of renting the house or apartment. Does your financial status allow you to? If the cost of the house is too high compared to your budget, regardless of the desire to move in, you just have to let go.
Also check whether the price of the house or apartment of choice is inclusive or exclusive of service charge, security charges, water, electricity, and internet. If yes, how much will it cost? Does the money still fit in your budget? And one thing you should be aware of is the additional administrative fees.
You need not feel the pressure to pay high rent yet you can have another house that lies within your financial range.
- What is the security of the area?
The security of an area is a very important factor to consider when renting a house or apartment. The location of the house has to be in a place that records low or no cases of criminal activities. If they can provide professional security guards services, the better.
- What are the sizes of the rooms? Compound?
First, determine what size of apartment or house you require. Different developers prioritize different sections of the house. Chances are that you will not find an economical house with all sections being spacious. For some houses, you find they have an expansive lounge but the bedroom and kitchen are small. Others may have a spacious kitchen but the bedrooms or lounge may be small. It is good to know early what you consider important.
Is the bathroom tiny? Is there room for a dining room table or your piano/pool table? For many ladies, the kitchen is a priority plus a pantry. Most men tend to check the lounge and the master bedroom size. Well before sharing the apartment description to your agent, confirm what you consider important to you.
- What social amenities are available?
Could you simply stroll for a couple of meters to get staple goods or take as much time as is needed? When renting an apartment you should not over compromise on social amenities like shopping centers, drainage, church, mosque, temple, schools, hospitals, etc.
Regardless of whether you select a creating region to bring down your rental cost, make certain that fundamental wares of day by day use are effectively open. Be sure about what you need and what the landowner anticipates. As an occupant, you should scrutinize the proprietor before settling on a house type.
You need to survey and establish nearby on the location of shops, supermarkets, electricity, water, internet access, and mobile network must be a key consideration. The new generation man cannot live without these luxurious yet basic commodities. The house must, therefore, be located in an area that has these things.
- Is there adequate parking?
You’ll also want to be aware of whether your potential rental provides space to park your car, how many vehicles it allows and the location of the spots. For instance, if you rent an apartment, you may need to park on the street or in a parking garage, which is costly.
Meanwhile, if you rent a single-family home in the suburbs, it will likely come with a driveway and even a private garage. You may find several differences between renting a house and renting an apartment. If you’re looking for the living space, storage and privacy a rented home may offer, be sure to consider factors like your overall budget and property maintenance before deciding whether renting a house makes sense for you.
Check out property listings for rent
- What kind of neighbours will I have?
If possible, meet The Neighbors. You should meet the neighbors and know how the neighborhood is. There are a lot of things you would get to know about the place, and based on that, you can even decide whether or not you should avail of this place.
- Is there natural lighting?
One of the key reasons why I recommend that you view the apartment before letting is for you to check the lighting. Lighting is very critical in a home, especially where there are children in it. You want a home which is well lit such that you don’t have to switch lights on during the day. Not only does this save you cost but it is more environmentally friendly but it adds some therapeutic effect to your home.
- How stable is the structure of the building?
When renting a house whether new or old makes sure you take time to assess the structural strength of the unit. From a layman’s view see if there are any cracks in the main supporting pillars for apartments and houses and the wall, see if there are any light brown spots on the ceiling cover with paint which that would be revealing a leaking roof.
After going through all these, I’m sure you’ve picked out a few points that would be of so much help, during your house-hunting moments. These are the basic standards you should consider when moving into a new rented house. When you carefully follow the steps, you’ll definitely end up in a nice house, which will not trigger you to relocate any time soon.
Other Questions to Ask
- How far can I go in personalizing
- How is maintenance handled, will they repaint before you move in?
- How long is the contract/lease? What is the release clause
- What is the interest in this property, why did that last tenant move?
- What happens if the landlord wants to sell the house