7 Pros and cons of apartment living you need to know before moving

Are you about to move into a new apartment? Before moving, it will be in your best interest to know the pros and cons of apartment living going into it.

Depending on what stage in life you’re in has a lot to do with what’s in your best interest in regard to where to live. Should you live in a house or an apartment?

If you’re here then you are probably leaning towards living in an apartment and are wondering about the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Look no further! You’re about to find out the pros and cons of apartment living.

This post is all about the pros and cons of apartment living you need to know about before moving into one.

THE PROS AND CONS OF APARTMENT LIVING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT:

1. It’s Cheaper | Pros of apartment living

If you are living in a big city, it is A LOT cheaper to live in an apartment than purchasing a house. We are currently in a real estate crisis! You’re more likely to find an available apartment than finding a nice house at a reasonable price.

2. Low Maintenance | Pros of apartment living

Because you are paying rent at this place, it is the responsibility of your landlord/property manager to fix any issues in your apartment.

They are responsible for the simplest of things. If the lightbulb in the living room goes out, they are responsible for replacing it. If your refrigerator or stove stops working (which never really happens) they are responsible for replacing it.

Living in a house puts all of this on you!

You don’t have to cut the grass or water the plants outside. You don’t have to cut down trees that are in the way. Nope! It’s not your responsibility at all.

3. Safety when traveling | Pros of apartment living

When you live in a house, it is very easy for someone in the neighborhood to track when you’re there, what time you leave every day, and what time you return normally.

Now, if you live in a safe neighborhood, this can be a good thing. Live in the wrong area and this can really hurt you.

If you go on vacation, someone can break in and rob the place without you knowing. (There are ways to prevent this)

Living in an apartment literally takes this problem away. It is hard to keep track of your whereabouts when there are so many people traveling in and out of the complex at all hours of the day.

4. Save on energy costs | Pros of apartment living

It takes a lot more energy to keep a medium-sized house cool in the middle of the summer than it would a medium-sized apartment.

Keeping a heater running in the wintertime can also be expensive and worrying about your pipes outside of your home bursting can be worrisome.

The same goes for your gas bill. If you live in an apartment, you may not even have to think about gas prices. This expense is usually included in your rent.

5. Save for your future | Pros of apartment living

The less money you spend on the upkeep of a house, the more money you can save for your future.

If you can practice frugal living in an apartment, the more money you’ll save in the long run.

6. Gated Communities | Pros of apartment living

A lot of apartments are within gated communities. Typically you need some sort of code to even enter the complex. This is great if you are a young female living alone.

Your level of safety is incredibly high in a gated community. It’s easy to keep track of who’s coming in and who goes out.

If you are moving to a new state, I would suggest looking for apartments within a gated community to ensure your safety.

7. Good for young professionals | Pros of apartment living

When you are in the beginning stages of your career, maybe you get a job that’s not in a permanent spot. Living in an apartment gives you more flexibility to move whenever you need to (or whenever your lease ends).

As a young professional myself, I am always on the go. I don’t mean going back and forth from home to work, I mean traveling and moving.

If I don’t like my job, I can always move at the end of my lease and find something better. Living in a house kind of locks you in the location of your home.

THE CONS OF APARTMENT LIVING:

1. Noisy neighbors | Cons of apartment living

This is self-explanatory. Living next to loud people is the absolute WORST! It really does depend on your environment and the location you choose to live in.

But if you are living next to college students, you are going to feel it and hear it… literally.

These guys party on any day of the week it seems. It can be so annoying when it’s a Monday night and your neighbors are partying like it’s Friday.

You have to know where you are living to avoid this OR learn to be okay with loud noises after hours. (You can also report them if it comes down to it).

2. Noisy pets | Cons of apartment living

Seriously, I don’t know which is worse, living next to loud neighbors partying all of the time or living next to a dog who doesn’t stop barking… ever.

Pick your poison.

The way around this problem is choosing to live at a place that doesn’t allow pets if this is something that will really bother you.

Controlling someone else’s pet is a lot harder than going next door and asking your neighbors to lower their volume. It really depends.

3. No pet policy | Cons of apartment living

Now let’s say you’re the pet owner lol one of your number one priorities will be to locate a place that even accepts pets. If they do accept pets, there are usually fees that go along with this.

Sometimes there are even weight limits to pets. This is something to really keep in mind when living in an apartment with a pet.

You also can’t just open your backyard and let your dog run free, it has to always be on a leash and you will definitely need to pick up its feces.

Not everyone has pets, but it is worth knowing in case you decide you want to get a pet later.

4. Limited parking | Cons of apartment living

If you want to have guests over, parking can become really problematic.

Some places only limit you to 1-2 guests parking spots while other places have a designated “visitor parking” area. If those spaces are all taken, what do you do?

This is exactly why this can be problematic. I know of a few apartment complexes that are notoriously known to hire tow-truck companies to tow any car that parks in a non-visitor parking spot.

That really sucks if there are no available visitor spots but a ton of open residential spots. Do you know of anyone who has been towed from an apartment complex before? Leave a comment below!

5. Privacy / Thin walls | Cons of apartment living

Are you considering living with roommates? Before doing so, I suggest reading this article about the extremely important questions to ask a roommate.

Once you have the basics squared away with your roommate, hopefully, your privacy issues become non-existent.

Now, even if you don’t have roommates, sometimes you can still hear your neighbors talking all around you. They can be using their normal talking voices, but somehow you can still pick up on what they are saying.

This is especially true if the walls are really thin or if your living room wall is on the other side of their living room wall. It’s inevitable.

Depending on the apartment complex, you may not have this problem. Just be aware that it can be a problem.

6. Cleaniness | Cons of apartment living

Not being responsible for the upkeep of an apartment can be a double-edged sword. Because you’re not responsible, you can’t really do anything except complain if the apartment doesn’t do its job.

If they don’t control pest issues, cut the grass regularly, or make sure the apartment is well kept, this can really affect your living environment.

I highly suggest reading the reviews of the apartment complex and touring it before moving in to ensure it looks and feels the way you want it to.

7. Terrible Property Manaegement | Cons of apartment living

This goes along with the previous con. The property managers and assistant managers have a huge job. They can literally make or break your living experience.

If they don’t fix maintenance issues, keep up with the exterior of the apartment, or make an effort to make sure the tenants are comfortable it can really hurt your living experience.

You can’t fix anything if the people who do the fixing are awful, but living in an apartment also means flexibility.

Meaning, you can always just move to a better place.

This wraps up the pros and cons of living in an apartment. If you’re wondering, I’ve lived in an apartment for 4 years of my young adult life (currently).

I have experienced so many things. I also lived in a house in college and can confidently say that living in an apartment is SO MUCH MORE convenient for me than living in a house.

Leave a comment and let me know which you would prefer. A house or an apartment?