An apartment should be a home; a place where you can escape the world. It should be a place of safety and comfort. Many student living apartments provide an experience that is wonderful, others not so much.

What makes the difference. I would say it is what the apartment owners do to make it feel like home, and to show you that you matter. There are many ways this could be done, but here are a couple of my thoughts from my experience.

Updates/Improvements

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No apartment is perfect. Everyone should understand that. Most students are also okay with the fact that their apartments are not going to be the nicest or fanciest out there. That doesn’t stop students from wanting a nice, clean place to live.

A good tenant will look for ways to update or improve their apartments, whether it is replacing furniture, renovating the apartment, getting wifi for apartment, or simply adding homey elements like lamps and coffee tables.

This shows that the apartment owners care about your experience. Apartments that are willing to do this for their tenants usually can be trusted to go the extra mile and treat you right

Maintenance

Does your apartment take 700 business days to respond to the request to fix your sink? The fulfillment of maintenance requests is seemingly one of the biggest complaints I have ever seen from apartment tenants.

It makes sense. No one asked for a brand-new, five-star place to live in. We pay rent to stay in an apartment, and if something breaks it should get promptly fixed.

When I was living in student apartments I never waited longer than a few days to have something fixed or replaced. It made me feel cared for, and I knew that the management was going to do their best to take care of their tenants. It felt very much like home.

Tenant Appreciation

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Some apartments will do little things to show that they appreciate you living there. Sometimes they through parties, do raffles, or host a movie night.

Not many apartments do things like that. Nor would you go into an apartment expecting them to. The fact is you pay rent and they provide a place for you to live. That is all that is required, but for an apartment complex to go above and beyond like that really makes them more appealing to students.

Free Stuff

The average college student had no money. Everyone is poor and just trying to get by. One of the best things an apartment can do is offer things to you for free. The word free will get a student’s attention faster that just about anything.

Laundry is a perfect example. First of all, the thought of paying for the privilege of wearing clean clothes is a little ridiculous. I understand that utilities are being used but still, come on. The best apartments offer free services like laundry, or if you have the best of apartments, parking. Some places “calculate it into the cost” of rent, and some don’t charge at all. A huge thing to consider when looking for housing.

Amenities

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Amenities are king. Grills, pools, lounges, weight rooms, study rooms, and theater rooms are all examples of great amenities.

Amenities are just nice. They show that the apartment was willing to spare no expense in making the living experience a great one. They are also convenient because you don’t have to leave the apartment to workout, soak in the hot tub, or host a party or game night.

I was recently impressed to see something I consider to put apartments in the top tier. Not only do they provide amenities, but also put in effort to ensure they are up to par.

American Avenue Apartments in Rexburg, Idaho did some updates to their lounge areas, improving the student experience. Think about it, they provided a common area that they weren’t required to, and not only maintained it, but updated it to make for an even better living experience. Hats off to them.

Conclusion

Apartments are a big deal. They will be the pace you call home through the formative and challenging years of school, and likely for a while after. Find a good one, an apartment that cares about you and your experience. Just because you are a student, doesn’t mean you have to settle.

The post 5 Qualities of Great Student Apartments appeared first on InstantELLA.

As a rental property owner, you would be responsible for any issues your renters might experience from bug problems to broken pipes. You would also need to know and understand the legal side of being a rental property owner. If you’re considering renting property here are a few things you may want to consider.

Commitment

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Being a renter requires more from you than just the initial purchase of the property. The care and upkeep of the property will most likely be entirely in your hands. That doesn’t necessarily mean you have to do it all yourself, but you will be responsible for ensuring that it does, in fact, get done.

Whether you hire someone like this handyman in Portland to take care of maintenance, or are able to do the jobs yourself. You’ll need to make sure the pipes are getting fixed, doorknobs are being replaced and that you’ve got a roof repair service in if there’s any signs of leaking. You’ll also need to keep the yard in mind. Does your property have grass that needs cutting and bushes that need trimming? Will you need snow removal set up during the winter months? And in terms of emergency maintenance, will you need to invest in commercial floor cleaning in Salem, OR (or wherever it is your property is located) if there is a leak or other malfunction that results in damage? You can work these things out with your tenant to decide whether they take responsibility or whether you will do them yourself.

How To Collect Rent

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Getting paid is a wonderful thing. Lots of people prefer to do online payments these days since they can to it from the comfort of their living room. Though it might be easier for you if your tenant just writes you a check, consider that it might be best to set up on online payment option for their convenience.

Legal Problems

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It’s good to look ahead at possible problems that could arise. Before you jump into being a renter make sure you check local and state laws and guidelines. Some ordinances and associations won’t allow rentals in certain neighborhoods. Some places also have special taxes or fees that apply to rental properties.

Do your research before making an investment. It would be awful to put all that money into a property just to find out it can’t actually be rented out in the area that it’s located in.

Tenant Screening

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“I always say that 95 percent of a landlord’s problems can be eliminated in the tenant screening process,” John Nuzzolese, a New York-based landlord, real estate broker and president of the Landlord Protection Agency, says.

Always run credit and background checks on your applicants and don’t hesitate to contact their past two landlords. If you’ll be allowing pets in your rental property, but you’ve stressed that the pets need to be friendly then there is nothing wrong with setting up a meet and greet to ensure the people and the pets hold up to what they’ve put on paper.

Tenant Issues

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You will need to predetermine how you will deal with tenant problems. This is when having a property manager really comes in handy. If there are any renter problems than the manager will usually be the one to deal with them.

If you have a situation where a tenant needs to be evicted, take them to court first. If the judge rules in your favor have local law enforcement evict the rentee. That is their job, not yours. If you try to forcibly evict someone you could end up getting into trouble.

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Take all these things into careful consideration. If you go into being a landlord thinking that it will be a side job that you don’t have to worry much about, you might find yourself sorely mistaken. If you aren’t sure if this is for you, you might want to consider finding a property manager to help you. Just make sure you carefully map out your game plan and you should do great at being a rental property owner!

The post 5 Things To Consider Before Becoming A Landlord appeared first on InstantELLA.

Many people are either renting their apartment or home nowadays, meaning they might not necessarily own they space they live in.

This can sometimes make it feel like their rental isn’t exactly their forever home, and therefore it can be hard to make it feel comfortable and homey.

But just because you aren’t going to be there forever doesn’t mean you can’t add your own personal touch to where you live and really make it feel like your home while you are there.

Here are the top five ways to make a rental feel like you own the place and leave your mark, without actually leaving any trace at all (because we all want our deposits back at the end of our stay!)

1. Put things on the wall

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It might seem like a hassle to put anything up on the walls in the home or apartment you are renting and just one more thing you have to take down when you move, but putting up art or pictures of you and your family is a great way to make it feel like home.

You can get creative and put up a gallery wall or classic by putting up a couple of beautiful paintings in all the rooms.

But it will pleasantly surprise you the difference between a blank wall and a wall with something on it.

2. Add shelves

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Shelves are a great way to customize a space and make it looked lived-in in a good way in your rental home.

You can customize it even more by re-arranging what you have on the shelf with cute knick-knacks and some more nice pictures or paintings.

Shelves also make for great extra storage, especially if your rental apartment or home lacks for storage space.

Just make sure you ask your rental manager to make sure you can put holes into the wall or if your shelving units need to be unattached.

3. Add some light

Whether it’s a light fixture or some nice looking lamps, adding light to any of the rooms in your living space not only brightens it but adding light adds warmth and comfort as well.

The nice thing is that if you replace any of the light fixtures while you are living there you can keep the originals and just replace them when you need to move out.

4. Add some life

Things like plants and flowers are a great way to make space more personal and homey, plus fresh flowers can make it smell great as well.

If you want to save some money and are worried you don’t have enough of a green thumb, you can also have the look of plants and flowers but without the responsibility by buying fake ones.

5. Create interest with rugs

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Rugs are a great way to cover some not-so-nice-looking floors as well as make a rental home or apartment more inviting.

You can find some beautiful rugs that can become a focal point for each of your rooms.

The great thing as well is when you decide to move you can just roll them up and take them to your next place.

The post Top 5 Ways to Make a Rental Feel like Your Forever Home appeared first on InstantELLA.

Now, most amenities you could probably do without, but if you’re in a position where you’re moving long distance or pretty frequently, having a furnished space may be one of your must-haves, but a furnished apartment will come with its own downsides.

Moving

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Getting a furnished place is great if you want to avoid the heavy lifting of moving furniture in. It also means you can move in and out more quickly since you won’t need to spend time finding extra hands and vehicles to help you move everything.

However, getting a furnished place may become more of a hassle if you already have some or all of your own furnishings. You may have to find a space to store them in and, depending on your choice of storage, pay a storage fee you hadn’t been planning on.

Costs

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If you don’t have your own furniture already, you likely won’t need to worry about any storage costs, but you may see higher expenses elsewhere. If a home comes furnished, it will likely have a higher monthly rent, and if you choose to rent from a furnishing company, that will come with its own monthly charge.

You’ll want to compare this expense against the amount you would need to spend on purchasing any items you don’t have. You may find that it’s cheaper for you in the long run to have a furnished apartment.

Durability

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Trying to furnish your own space may mean scouring charity shops for pieces that are well-used but still in decent condition, but there’s no guarantee you’ll find what you’re looking for.

One major benefit of getting a place that comes furnished is someone has already invested in nice, updated pieces that will last. The only real downside here is you’ll be expected to take care of those pieces so they’ll continue to be in good shape, which may mean specific rules or care that come along with your lease.

Style

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Last but not least is the style and vibe of your space, and your furniture plays a big role in this. Chances are, if the apartment comes furnished or you’re outsourcing to a furnishing company, there will be a consistent style with each piece, meaning your home will look put together will very little effort on your part.

But it doesn’t mean that style will be to your taste. If the owner is furnishing it, you’re stuck with that style, but if you’re using a furnishing company, you may be able to choose from several style options to fit your own taste.

Open Communication

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Most property listings, like those on rooftoprentals.net, will tell you what items are and aren’t furnished. If you find a place you absolutely love that doesn’t fit your furnishing needs, it never hurts to reach out to the owner or property manager.

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You can find out if they would be willing to furnish some pieces that you don’t have or remove pieces to make way for your own.

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