Apartment renting is a handy way to save money, especially for those whose living arrangements are t
emporary. And while the process of finding a good landlord is important, not many realize from the very beginning that being a responsible tenant is just as important.
After you’ve found the perfect apartment and moved in, try to avoid making some of the most common mistakes renters make.
Negligent security
Even though you are not the owner of the apartment, it’s still filled with your belongings as well as with yourself. Always remember to lock your doors and secure your windows. If you don’t already have a peephole, ask your landlord to either install one or to give you permission to do so yourself.
Over-decorating
When renting, you never know how long you’ll be in your apartment. While it’s natural that as soon as you move in you feel the need to personalize the place to make it feel your own, don’t go overboard. The more you do to the apartment, the more you’ll have to undo when you move out.
Permanent changes to the apartment
You’ve probably been told that when you consider hanging curtains or decorate your apartment, you should ask permission from your landlord before drilling holes, painting walls or doing anything you know will be permanent. Most of the times, those permanent changes will need to be undone upon move out or you will pay extra for them.
Carelessness
We all are clumsy sometimes and clumsiness translates into stains and broken things. Initially, you might think that the carpet stain is only a minor issue, but in reality it has a price tag that you’ll have to pay when you move out. In conclusion, be careful and treat your rental as though you own it.
Not repairing damages
Minor scratches on the wall, missing floor tiles, remember to fix problems when they arise and not later. Because a little problem easily can turn into a huge problem if left untreated. At move out you will be held responsible and even lose your deposit.
These days we have insurance policies for pretty much everything: health, car, drones, so why wouldn’t you want to insure the other things that are important to you? Unfortunately, most people don’t realize how important renter’s insurance is until it’s too late. Don’t be that person.
Lazy cleaner
Having a cleaning schedule might be obvious for some, but not for all. This activity almost never makes it on the list with fun things anyone would like to do in their spare time. But cleaning your apartment on a regular basis will save you a massive headache when you’re preparing to move out.
Not notifying the landlord of problems
There is this universal fear that whoever is reporting problems to the landlord, will take the blame. But it’s in fact quite the opposite, every tenant should announce their landlords of any issue they come across in their rental. Take for instance a leaking faucet, if you don’t let your landlord know immediately, it could get worse and you could (for good reason) get blamed for it when it might have been a simpler fix in the first place.
Wasting money on utilities
Simple conservation measures can lower your utility bills, while increasing the comfort of your apartment. By following a few simple steps, you can use the saved money to pamper yourself. Read YES Energy Management’s energy conservation tips and have fun adding bucks to your bank account.
