Over one third of the American population has chosen apartment living over home ownership. Whether you live in one of the best apartments on the market or rent an apartment in a rougher area, there are things you can do to make apartment rental a safe and productive choice. Below are a few tips we have for mitigating some risks of apartment rental:
1. Understand your lease.
First thing’s first — monetary safety. Make sure you go over your lease in detail and understand exactly what you’re responsible for. In the apartment rental world, a returned security deposit is about as rare as a pink unicorn.
2. Take an inventory.
Make sure you know what your apartment came with. Take time stamped pictures on the move-in day and if possible do a walk-in inspection with your land lord. That way no one can say you ran off with an imaginary microwave when it’s time to move out. Furthermore, take an inventory of all the personal valuables you are storing at the apartment. Not just the obvious things like laptops and TV, but any valuable jewelry, hidden stashes of rainy day money, etc. That way if there is a break-in, you can tell the police exactly what was stolen.
3. Check for a smoke detector.
When you find an apartment it can be easy to become over excited and forget details like smoke detectors. However a smoke detector is extremely important, and every apartment should have at least one. Add this to the list for your walk-in inspection and don’t just take the landlord’s word for it that it works. And speaking of…
4. Try not to smoke inside.
Cigarettes that are discarded half lit are the number one cause of fire related deaths. If you smoke, take that habit outside before it kills you a lot faster than you otherwise knew it would!
5. Keep it all under lock and key.
Know the strength of your locks and install a deadbolt or two if necessary. If you live on the first floor, it might also be a good idea to make sure your street facing windows have locks as well. Also, inquire as to who else has a key to your apartment. If your landlord isn’t sure or the previous tenant never turned theirs in, then ask if it’s alright for you to change your lock mechanism.
There is nothing wrong with apartment rental. Just be smart about it! And please, if we’ve forgotten any particularly helpful tips, please comment with them below.
