Looking for apartments for rent? 10 tips for choosing the best option
Contents
- 1 1. Think about your own preferences
- 2 2. Read information about the city neighbourhoods
- 3 3. Look for your housing in advance
- 4 4. Set your budget
- 5 5. And only look for apartments within your budget
- 6 6. Take your time to read the descriptions!
- 7 7. Be water, my friend
- 8 8. Book online
- 9 9. Book asap!
- 10 10. And…Enjoy!
Are you looking for an apartment for rent? Then don’t miss the following 10 general tips: you’ll find it easier to find and book your ideal home, no matter the city where you’re looking 🙂
1. Think about your own preferences
This should be definitely your starting point. Ask yourself certain questions: would you rather live alone or share your experience with others? It’s pretty different to live and enjoy the city in a busy shared flat or to relax after a long day in a quiet complete apartment for yourself.
Location can also be quite important when it comes to housing…For example, are you willing to use the public transport to reach your office or university lessons every day, or is walking your only option? But not only that. What kind of neighbourhood would you like to live in? We’ll get more into detail about this in tip number 2!
Eixample neighbourhood (Barcelona). Source: Mathieu Marquer (www.flickr.com)
Plus, it’s positive that you ask yourself certain questions regarding amenities. Which ones are a must for you and which ones are just a dispensable preference? For example, air conditioner, WiFi or a private bathroom can be essential for some, but not for others.
2. Read information about the city neighbourhoods
Where are the student apartments located can make such a difference, so it’s a pretty good idea to read information about them (you can check our own guide on some cities in Europe and USA here). Some of them are perfect to live a bohemian way of life, whilst others are residential neighbourhoods where local families live.
Malasaña neighbourhood (Madrid). Source: territorio-hipster.blogspot.com
3. Look for your housing in advance
In some cities it can be really hard to find your ideal housing if you look the week before your check-in, so it’s always a good idea to look for your new home way in advance (or at least some weeks before). Only then the apartments with the best value for money are still available and have not been rented out yet.
4. Set your budget
How much are you willing to spend each month in total? Take into account that some apartments include bills in their monthly rental rate whilst others do not, so when you read the description in the listings make sure to sum everything up! 😉
5. And only look for apartments within your budget
Once you’ve set your budget, it’s a good idea to only look at those apartments to rent within your budget. This will save you from falling in love with properties out of your reach. In addition, you’ll know exactly what you can expect with the budget you have!
6. Take your time to read the descriptions!
On Beroomers you can read detailed descriptions, so it’s always a good idea to take your time to read them, as they will give you an accurate picture about what you would find if you finally booked the property. Sometimes there’s an age limit to occupy a certain room or flat, or there are other types of conditions specified which can make you choose one amongst all possibilities.
7. Be water, my friend
So you’ve thought about everything and well, it’s sometimes not so easy to find exactly what you were looking for…So the best practice is to be flexible. “Be water, my friend”. You’ll surely find something you like, even though you hadn’t thought about it in the beginning!
8. Book online
Booking online is a really good option. In most student cities, available apartments are booked really fast, and what was available in the morning is no longer in the afternoon! Arranging visits can take a long time and in many cases the property is booked before you manage to see the flat for yourself.
9. Book asap!
The last tip allows you to book as soon as possible, so that you make sure that the room or apartment you’ve liked will be yours!
10. And…Enjoy!
The best part of booking in advance is that you no longer have to worry about housing…Now you can concentrate on thinking about your new experience. Relax…
Are there any tips you would add? You can leave a comment below and help others looking for apartments for rent! 🙂 You can also check our Student Housing Basic Guide for additional tips.
We hope that you enjoyed the post!
If you're looking for accommodation, remember that in Beroomers we are willing to help you in more than 50 destinations worldwide.
Looking for an apartment can be stressful, especially when you’re a student. I would first set my budget like number 4, this way you stop yourself from going over and getting an apartment you can’t afford. This way you also save yourself money for other things like food, and activities. Great advice and information!
Hi, Pancho! Thank you for your comment and piece of advice. I agree that if you set your budget well enough, you will have a better experience 🙂
It’s always a good idea to take your time to read the descriptions of the student apartments for rent, because sometimes the descriptions are in an other lenguage
Hi! Thank you for your comment! Yes, it’s always a good idea to take your time reading the description 🙂
Thanks for the tips, I agree that the best option is to rent an apartment
Hi, thank you for your comment!
I would definitely make sure you get an apartment in the location you want, that is great advice. I would also look to see what amenities are included, if any. Be sure to set a budget and stick to it. I would also see if utilities are included in your monthly bill, that can add on quite a bit if it’s not.
Hi, Kenneth. Thank you for your comment and useful tip!
You are indeed going to want to come up with your wants and needs list when you are looking for an apartment to rent. Keep the needs as minimal as possible to make finding something easier, but your wants list can be as big as you want. Wants are going to be what you would like, but are okay to live without, so keep that in mind when making your list’s.
Hi, Sarah. Thank you for your piece of advice! Really useful 🙂
My fiance and I are looking to rent a house together when we are first married. Thanks for reminding me that we need to look sooner rather than later. I know that even if we don’t settle on a place immediately, we can at least get a feel for the market and what kind of house we want to rent. Thanks for the help!
Hi, Annie. Thanks to you 🙂 And congratulations for your marriage!
These are some really good tips about what to do when you are apartment hunting. I particularly liked your tip on setting your budget. That way you know home much you can afford to pay rent and utilities. Doing that does seem like a good thing to do before starting apartment hunting.
Hi Emily. Yes, that tip is really useful 🙂 Thank you!
I appreciate you expressing the point of taking time to read about the best neighborhoods for students to live in. I’m in a position right now where I am trying to find a good student apartment to live in and I honestly have no idea what to look for. This helped me a ton though and I hope that I can find the perfect bohemian way of life in the area I choose to live in.
Hi, Jorge. We are happy that you liked the post! You can start looking on our own website 😉
I really like your point about researching the neighborhoods near the apartment you’re interested in. Like you said, some areas are great for young adults, and some are meant to be family neighborhoods. However, I think it is also important to see what else is nearby. For example, if you want to be able to walk around to get your morning coffee, then it might be a good idea to make sure that there’s one nearby.
Hi, Maggie. Thank you for your comment 🙂 You’re totally right!
My daughter will soon be a college student and we are looking for tips on things to do when searching for an apartment. I agree with what you said about setting a budget and only looking for apartments that are within the set budget. I think that if my daughter applies this advice, she could not only save money but also better learn how to manage it. Thank you.
Hi, Jade. Thank you for your comment and good luck with the search!
These are some great tips, and I appreciate your advice to only look at apartments that are within your budget. I’m going to be between houses for a couple of months, so I want to find an apartment I can stay in for a short time. I’ll definitely start by setting a budget, and I’ll only look at places that are within that limit so I’m not tempted to overspend. Thanks for the great post!
Hi, Lillian! Yes! Setting a budget is perhaps one of the most useful things you can do 🙂 Thank you!
I completely agree with you about needing to look for your housing in advance. Maybe it is because I live in a college town, but I would even say that it is important to start looking into new apartments months in advance otherwise you won’t be able to get a good place for a good value. Also, there are certain months, like April-June, when it is best to sign up for your new place. However, is this how it is in cities where it isn’t really a college town?
Hi, Faylinn! Thank you for your comment 🙂 It actually depends a bit on the city!
This tips are necessary when anyone looking for new apartments for living. Thanks for sharing tips and solutions on it.
Thank you, Mark! 🙂
My younger brother is thinking about moving and since he’s on his own we’ve recommended getting an apartment. You wrote that one of the most important aspects of choosing an apartment is the the neighbourhood, especially finding one that matches his lifestyle. My brother would like to find one with tenants more of his age so he’ll have to learn who his potential neighbors what the culture is like. Thanks for the tips.
Hi! Thank you for your comment? Where is your brother moving to? We can help him find a neighbourhood he likes! 🙂
I like that you suggest to set a budget of how much you are willing to pay each month. I can see why this would be important in order to not overspend. I’ll have to remember this for when I am shopping for a new house or apartment.
Hi, Scott! Thank you for your comment 😉
Thanks for the tips for renting. I definitely agree that it’s a good idea to read up on the city and the neighborhoods. I wouldn’t want to move in without knowing what is in the area.
Hi, Ridley. Thank you for your comment 🙂 Yes, the area is definitely an important part of the experience.
Thanks for sharing us. its very useful blog
Thank you, Ruchel!
I like how in the fourth tip, you said to make sure you know if bills are included in the monthly rate or not. I haven’t ever thought to check for that, before! It’s true, though, that it’s a smart idea to set a budget and make sure you stick with it. It’s also important to make sure that budget accounts for future events, as well, such as a change of schools or jobs.
Hi, Raisa! Thank you for sharing. I hadn’t thought about taking future events into account, this is definitely a great idea.
I think we tend to overlook the neighborhood aspect of apartment shopping more than we should. I know I’ve lived in what seemed like a great place for a bit only to find that the untidy neighborhood led to some issues. Be sure to get an idea of the area from websites and checking it out!
Hi, Bernard! Thank you for your comment. Yes, the neighbourhood is very important indeed 🙂
I agree that you would want to read about your neighborhood before you rent an apartment. I would imagine that doing some research beforehand would help you find a neighborhood for you. I’m looking for a new downtown apartment so I’ll have to research the neighborhood before I rent one.
I agree that it is a good idea to think about how much you are willing to spend each month for rent and utilities. I think that it is a good idea to budget in an extra hundred dollars for emergency situations. Also, it might be smart to think if you are wanting to have surplus of money to save or if you want to spend any money you make.
In the blog you advised making sure that you book an apartment really quick, as you have a higher chance of getting the one you want if you start looking as soon as possible. My brother is looking for a place to live, and since it’s just him I thought that an apartment might be for him. I’ll advise that he hurry, so that he can find an apartment that has a good social atmosphere, as I’m sure those get picked up really quick.
Hi, Rachel! Yes, that’s definitely a good tip. Thank you for following our blog!
I see your point about falling in love with properties that are more expensive than you can afford. My sister wants to move into the city with me now that we both have jobs there, but we can’t afford much. If we only look at apartments for rent within our budget, then we won’t end up spending more than we should.
Thank you author. Keep it up.
That’s good to know that apartments could be booked very fast online. I would think that it would be best to be able to get one you like and put your name on the list as soon as possible. I’ll have to keep that in mind if I decide to get an apartment.
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Thanks for sharing this post where you have shared some tips for choosing the best option for apartments, It will be helpful for everyone. Keep giving updates.
Really such an awesome tips. and its really helped me out while moving into the Berlin.
Neighborhood research is key. I’ve made the mistake of not thoroughly investigating before I moved and ended up negotiating my way out of the lease; it wasn’t cheap. Great post!
Really it is very useful, thanks for sharing an solid information, you know this is one of the best blog i have ever read. Thank-you.
Great article good information ,
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I’m planning to rent an apartment that I can rent in manhattan New York since my new job will be there. I’ll keep in mind to search and read about the neighborhood of the apartment that I am planning to rent. Also, I’ll remember to only check the apartments that are within my budget.