Is renting a mortal sin or the perfect solution?
I’m not the type to stay in any place too long. I think I was born
with a nomadic gene.
Naturally, buying a home has always scared me. If I
bought a home
that would mean that I was settling down. My friends and family
would argue that I was throwing my money away by renting.
They would remind me that I could always sell when I was ready to
move on. They had a point. If I moved from a seller’s market into a
buyer’s market, sure. What if I want to go when it’s the other way
around? What then?
So, yeah, renting has always made sense to me.
When you are looking to rent a place you can be as picky as you can
afford. You can go for high end condo with all the amenities or a
studio suite in a four storey walk up.
No matter what style of living you can afford you know that when you
rent you don’t have to worry about forking out a ton of money for
appliances.
You will always find a rental unit that is complete with stove,
fridge, clothes washer and dryer. In some cases you get a dishwasher
too. Most rental units have a common laundry room. Again, depending
on the services offered by your landlord, you may have a washer and
dryer en suite.
Don’t forget, if any of these machines decide not to work, you are
not responsible for the cost of fixing or replacing them. That is
the landlord’s responsibility.
You just hand a written request to your building manager when there
is a problem or malfunction and they will arrange the appropriate
repairs.
I have always liked the fact that I have someone just a floor away
that I can run to when something goes wrong that I can’t fix.
Now, apartment life is not a complete bed of roses. They have rules
that you must live by. Sometimes there rules are not always fair but
they are there for a reason (however unreasonable).
For instance, you probably won’t be able to have a pet. That is, a
pet that makes noise or needs to go for a walk. Hamsters, snakes and
the like can be secretly housed. Subwoofers tend to be frowned upon
by the neighbours and some places can’t take the weight of a waterbed
but those aren’t the hardest rules to live with.
It’s enough to know that I can up sticks and be gone within 30 days
of written notice. I don’t have to make sure there is another
tenant
installed before I can go. I don’t have to worry that they won’t get
the financing and the deal will fall through at the last moment.
Freedom.
One suggestion to the renter, if you want to get back your damage
deposit you need to do a couple things during the time you live in
the rental unit. Keep the appliances clean as well as the floor
beneath. Twice a year pull out your fridge and stove and give them a
good clean inside and out. Don’t forget the floor. Also, keep the
heating register dusted and vacuumed on a regular basis.
If these things are neglected they will be a nightmare to clean when
you are ready to move. Leave your unit the way you would like it to
be if you were moving in.
By Wendy Peacock
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