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Moving out of your parent’s house and into your own apartment is such an exciting time in your life! You finally have the freedom you’d been waiting or all of your teens, and the added responsibility that can really make you feel mature.
Now unless you have unlimited funds, you’re going to have to stick to a budget when it comes to apartment hunting. And there are so many hidden costs that you’re not going to know about until you face them.
Here’s where my help comes in.
Living in 4 different places the last four years, I’ve got a pretty basic idea what to expect when it comes to renting (& moving, LOL). I’ll give you a heads up on what could pop up in expenses, and what’s good and bad signs when narrowing down your search.
I know I was so nervous going into the renting world as I had NO idea what anything meant, what was a good deal, where I was being scammed and more. I’m hoping this can give a little insight into the whole process and you can go into it with some confidence.
Check out this post for prepping before you make the leap to moving out!
Details will definitely be different depending on where you live, and landlords (or rental companies) will all do things differently – read the ads carefully, and the tenant agreements even more carefully.
A lot of this stuff I’ve learned over the years the hard way, and wish I would have known about it sooner! I’m trying to save y’all the headache by being armed with the info to make the best decision on your new home.
What To Expect When Apartment Hunting
(And What To Watch Out For)
The Basic Payment
First and foremost, because unfortunately money matters when it comes to how much you’re spending each month on your living, start with the basic rental payment (but don’t forget about the hidden stuff not included).
Where I live, and what we’ve come across the most, is that when you are renting an apartment, it’s usually broken down like this:
$$/month including utilities (except power)
Basically this means you’ll pay a set payment each month (eg. $1000 a month) that will cover your water and heat, but you will have to set up power under your own name and pay for it yourself.
This is just your basics to live there in a functioning home. This doesn’t include Internet, cable or parking.
Always read what is actually included in that flat rate monthly payment. Sometimes utilities are not included. This is a huge extra cost, especially if the place is larger or an older building (and if you’re going to be using the furnace a lot). And sometimes with the utilities the power is included, so bonus!
Again, this is just how it works where I live, so pay attention to what’s included in your rental fee. We’ve been in a situation where utilities and power were not included (it was a townhouse), and that added another 300-400 dollars a month to our bills. Keep that in mind.
Extra Costs You Need To Consider
So you have a roof over your head with running water, heat and power – great! Buuuut let’s be honest, you’re going to need a few extra things to really make it home.
Internet
Most of the time you’ll have to set it up yourself under your own name. Look into the costs for the type of Internet best suited for you and see how that plays into your budget.
Personally, I’m not big on cable TV and the price tag is just not worth it for me. A Netflix subscription is wonderful, and if you’re still craving some more options, Amazon Prime Video
If you’re still all about having your Monday night shows to watch, get yourself a packaged deal for cable + Internet to save yourself a couple extra bucks. Annnnd just a pro tip if you think you’re paying too much, most of the time if you call and threaten to cancel they’ll try and give you some sort of deal to stay with them.
Parking
This is definitely one of those things most people don’t think about when they move into an apartment. Is there two of you? Both with a vehicle? Is there any parking stalls included (surface or underground?) and if so is there only one? Is there only street parking?
These are all questions you need to ask. In our experience, there’s usually at least one stall included, but you need to make sure of that. And if there’s two of you, where is the other car going to park? On the road? Are you going to rent another spot from the building? That could be an extra cost you weren’t anticipating.
For us we’ve learned that we want there to be two spots included within our rent (unless the rent is already a great deal and you can factor in the cost of an extra spot). Weigh the cost of rent with what you need for parking and decide accordingly.
Don’t forget that if you live in a colder climate you may need to plug your car in in the winter. An energized stall or an underground spot may be a must.
Tenant Insurance
Where I live it’s highly recommended to have tenant insurance. Say if your whole building burns down (God forbid), your stuff will be covered under insurance.
It’s really not that expensive (a few hundred bucks a year, if that) and many landlords require it for you to rent as well.
Damage Deposit
Most of the time you will need to provide (upfront) a sum of payment to the landlord to cover any costs that may incur over the course of you living there (holes in the wall, paint scuffs, etc.). Usually it’s one month’s rent worth.
You’re going to have pay this upfront before you can move in, so you’re going to have to have money saved up before moving out on your own. Good thing is that if you take good care of your apartment and cause no damage, once your lease is up you will get the whole sum of that back.
These next few costs you are not always going to come across or pertain to you, but always ask and read to find out if they are there:
- Sewer and Drainage fees
- Garbage Removal fees
- Maintenance fees
- Pet fees
- Amenity fees
- Coin Laundry (if it’s not ensuite)
Where To Look
Now you’ve got all the info you needed, you can get into the actual hunting process!
Depending on where you live is going to depend on the places you can find apartments for rent.
Ask Around
My recommendation is to talk to your friends and family first. They could have had great experiences in buildings they would recommend you look into, or really bad experiences with a company or building that you’ll want to avoid.
For our first apartment, we got lucky because around the time we (my fiance and I, boyfriend at the time) were thinking of moving out, his sister was coming up to the end of her lease and planning on moving out of town. She had a one bedroom, one bath and it was just what we were looking for!
That made it much easier to establish credibility to the landlord as his sister could vouch for us, and we had no previous renting experience. It took a lot of the searching and viewing process out, since we had been there before and she could tell us exactly what it was like there.
Online Search
Now you’re not always going to be given a situation like that, so the obvious next step is the good ol Internet. We found our next few apartments on our local buy and sell website.
These are great because you can add filters such as how many bedrooms and bathrooms you want, as well as if you need it to be pet friendly. Plus adding in your maximum budget helps greatly not to fall in love with a place you can’t afford!
I had also used a few apps to look for places to rent in certain neighborhoods I liked. Walk Score gave me some good suggestions & is a great tool if you like to walk places or take transit. Look for apps that offer a good amount of credible suggestions in your area.
I hope you’re now armed with all the knowledge you’ll need to find your first home with ease and confidence! Next up is the realities of living on your own! Lots of things can change when you’re all moved out on your own, and it’s nice to be prepared that some things will indeed be different (like who your friends are!)
I hope this put some of your minds at ease – moving out is scary but such a rewarding experience and going into it with all the preparedness you can really helps the process become a lot smoother.
Feel free to shoot me an email or message me on Instagram if you have any more questions on the whole renting and apartment experience! I’m glad to share my insight on what I’ve gone through and how to prepare.