Looking For An Apartment? 4 Things To Look For Beyond The Unit
When looking for a new apartment, many people become focused on the features of the unit itself. The number of bedrooms, bathrooms, and square footage are often at the top of people's lists. However, there are several features beyond the unit that you must pay attention to during your apartment hunt:
Storage
One thing you may not think to ask about is what kind of storage the apartment offers to you as a tenant. Many apartment buildings have a storage area located somewhere in the building that you have access to, with tenants having a place they can store items in a locked room, locker, or cage. The extra storage may not even be something you think about until you finally need it.
Make sure to see the storage situation in person. Ample storage may make up for having less square footage in the unit itself since you can put large items out of sight until you need them.
Parking
You should never make assumptions about the parking situation for an apartment, especially if it is in a big city. You may be surprised to learn that the apartment building limits you to having a single parking spot when you really need to.
There may also be additional fees for parking spaces since they are in high demand. Some apartments even have waiting lists for you to get a parking space because they are all taken. Don't wait to find out that your future apartment doesn't meet your needs for parking.
Outdoor Space
One nice feature to have in an apartment is some outdoor space. Even if it is a small strip of grass outside, you can use it to store a bicycle or set up a BBQ grill of your own. Be aware that it may not be allowed to use rear exits as a personal space, even if there is plenty of room on the landings going to each unit.
Building Construction
It is hard to gauge how noisy an apartment will be with neighbors when you visit it in the middle of the day. Pay attention to the construction of the building to get an idea of how much sound will travel between units. Timber construction will cause you to hear the footsteps of the neighbors above you, while concrete construction will offer low noise levels that you may be looking for. Shared walls can also contribute to noise, but not as much as the flooring material above you.
Contact a company like Meadowdale Apartments for more information.