Renter’s Advice and Resources

We all love our animal friends—furry or scaly, they provide us companionship and entertainment. In return, we provide our pets with food, shelter, exercise, and other care. We do the best it can when it comes to caring for our four- (or two-, or three-, or no-) legged friends, but sometimes there may be situations where you’re not quite sure what to do. Read on to find out what to do in a few special and apartment-specific cases related to your pet’s health.

To move or not to move—it’s not really a question sometimes, but a necessity. The question arises when considering how to move. Should you hire a moving company? Do it yourself? Enlist a strong friend or two? Each approach has pros and cons, so you’ll have to consider your own situation in order to make the choice that’s right for you.

How can you save money on rent? The answers seem obvious: shop around, ask friends, live in a smaller place or a less developed area. There are other ways to pinch pennies, however—just read on for more details!

Apartments, especially studios and efficiencies, can be short on space. This can result in the loss of both functional and storage space. One great way to help combat space constraints is building a loft bed or other lofted space to help use the vertical space available in your apartment to its fullest potential otherwise. There are obvious limitations to this process in an apartment environment, where you’re not able to make major modifications to your surroundings. However, it’s relatively cheap and easy to build a freestanding loft bed that won’t have a lasting effect on your apartment, and the space you save will more than compensate for the initial investment in materials. Many people use lofts to house their mattresses, as beds can take up a lot of space. This is a great option, but just building a loft for storage can greatly increase the number of places to put things in your apartment, without reducing your floor space.

Living in proximity to a known sexual offender can be scary, but it’s even more frightening–and more dangerous–if you’re not aware of it. State governments and a variety of watchdog groups offer a wealth of resources for looking up and tracking sexual offenders in your area. Use these resources to become and remain aware of who your neighbors are, and teach any children in your household what to do if a stranger approaches them.

So much to do, so little time. So much stuff, so few boxes. So many movers, only one truck. Moving is a time of imbalance—half your things in one place, half in another; getting used to new surroundings and missing your old ones. Having a checklist of things you need to get done before moving can help make the experience a little less stressful. Here’s a quick checklist of the most important things you need to remember to do for your move. Keep in mind that this is just a general guideline; your duties may vary according to your situation. (A move across town is obviously less involved than a move across the country!)

Most apartments that accept pets focus on cats and dogs—animals generally left lose to wreak unlimited havoc on apartments. But what about unusual pets that spend most of their time caged? Here’s an article on animals that may be more attractive to your landlord than dogs that like to dig or cats that like to scratch. Read on and maybe you’ll find your perfect animal match!

Decorating the bedroom can be a tough task. Designers usually advise to make one piece of furniture the focal point of a room, and in the bedroom it can be hard to make anything but the bed become the focal point. However, there are countless ways to make your bed become more interesting, and you can also make an effort to center the room on a piece of furniture other than the bed. Read on to learn how to transition your bedroom from boring to beautiful.

A good credit rating is a requirement for taking up tenancy in a swanky apartment. If you’re stuck living in flood-prone places with cracked windows and noisy neighbors (made even noisier by the super-thin walls), think about boosting your credit rating so you can qualify to live somewhere a little bit nicer.