Should I buy a house or rent a living place? This is an age-old dilemma that has always been a vital part of every personal financial decision. You may want to move out of your parent’s home or need a place to live on your terms, you will face yourself with the option of being a house owner or a renter.
What you choose is completely dependent on your financial status as well as your perspective. You might think that buying a house is a wiser decision than continuing to live on rent. You may be or may not be wrong. But, in the grand scheme of things, living in a rented house could pose a number of problems. This article lays out the cons of living on a rental.
General issues of living on rent
If you have not lived on rent previously, then you would not be aware of the issues that keep cropping up in a rented place. From extra home maintenance to the availability of amenities, living in a rented apartment can pose quite a few challenges. Read on to know more.
- Rental is not like your own house
Indeed, living in a rented apartment does not allow you to put a mark on your own space. You will not be able to choose the color of paint you like or drill a hole in the place you need, without permission. To be honest, this mostly depends on the landlord. However, there are other ways you can implement your personal style into a rented space. You can cover up the things you don’t like and add the things you do without having to sacrifice the walls, wardrobes, or cabinets.
- Rental kitchens and bathrooms can be a pain
Those who have lived in a rented apartment before, agree on the fact that rental kitchens and bathrooms can be a real pain. From being super small to having no space to place your personal belongings, Rental kitchens and bathrooms can be problematic for many. All you can do is make some quick low-budget home decor to cover up ugly spaces or add storage space.
- Bug infestation complaints
Bed bug infestation problems have been another common problem in rented apartments. For the last few years, this complaint has been surprisingly on the rise mostly due to improper treatment of apartments and under maintenance. This is also because landlords use successful methods that are less effective and cause re-infestation.
- Other pests and infestation problems
In addition to bug infestation, rodent infestations such as rats, squirrels, and mice to bug infestations like bees, cockroaches, flies, ants, spiders, etc. have been a common issue of living in a rented apartment.
- Repair and maintenance problems
Repair and maintenance issues are common in complaints filed by tenants. Apartment repair problems are most likely to be in the top five list of the most common complaints that tenants file against renters. These repair problems mostly culminate into safety issues. They can include carpeting, appliance repairs, roofing, plumbing, heating, cooling windows, etc.
- Repair issues that cause health hazards
Apartment repair problems often lead to health hazards and safety-related issues. It is a tenant’s right to have a safe and habitable environment to live in. But most of the time tenants complain about faulty smoke alarms, unsafe electrical connections, unsafe appliances, damaged roofing or flooring, leaking pipes, gas leaks, and more.
- Noise problems
Noise is another challenge of living in a rented apartment. These types of problems mostly include loud neighbors or heavy equipment causing excessive noise at reasonably quiet hours. These types of complaints can also take into account the normal noise about a tenant who lives upstairs walking around too loudly or playing loud music.
- Theft, burglary, or disaster
When you move into a new place, there will be a lot of expensive stuff along with you. Apart from the challenges mentioned above, theft, burglary or natural disaster can also occur without any prior notice. These are situations that no one has control over. That is why it is important to sign up for cheap renters insurance and have safety, just in case winds of uncertainty blow around.Important note: You may not know but having renters insurance is among the most important things when you live in a rental. It not only covers your personal belongings but also protects your place from damages caused due to natural disasters, theft, burglary, and more that are not covered under the general homeowner’s insurance policy.
Challenges concerning agreement and refunds
- Disputes regarding deposit refund
Before everything else, the primary challenge of living in a rented place is the deposit refund. This has been a common complaint with every tenant that landlords have been collecting deposits from them as a rule yet finding ways to keep the deposits back. This complaint is concerned with general disputes related to deposits.
- Violation or breach of the rental agreement
Most tenants have a common complaint in relation to agreements. That is a violation of the rental agreement including a verbal agreement. Under this challenge, violations of basic statutes and rights are included.
- Eviction complaints
Sometimes tenants complain about eviction complaints that include unlawful eviction, illegal lockout, disconnection of utilities, threats, and other eviction complaints. Landlord cause and tenant caused eviction complaints are not separated but combined under one group.
- Termination of lease
Another challenge of living in a rental is having to deal with termination of lease that includes improper notification, automatic and unsaid renewals, forced renewals, early termination of the lease, and charging fees in concern with breaking a lease.
The showdown
Living in a rental accommodation does have quite a few challenges that new tenants experience more. Your landlord may be too interfering, the basic amenities may not be working, you may have to pay extra for the things you are entitled to, or you may face privacy encroachment. All things put together, the challenges of living in a rented apartment seem never-ending. That is why it is important to know the basics of how to deal with such challenges besides learning how to deal with an uncooperative landlord if you face any.
