When looking for a rental apartment, there are so many things you’ll want to consider. Location is usually at the top of the list. Where you live can have a massive impact on your personal health and happiness, because it’s not just the interiors of an apartment that matter, it’s also the community surrounding your new home. Whichever place you choose to live in, there are plenty of location-related specifics you’ll want to consider.
1. How to get around
You may find a beautiful apartment, only to realise that the transport links are less than ideal. Enduring a lengthy commute every day can have a real impact on your lifestyle. For instance living in a city, you’ll have multiple modes of transport to choose from. Will the mode of transport available make it easy for you to travel to work and other places in your regular routine and enhance your quality of life? Cutting down on the time spent on public transport will give you more time to do what you enjoy most, or even just let you have a bit more of a lie-in in the mornings.
2. The neighbourhood vibe
The community you live in is of vital importance. Visiting the area you’re thinking of moving to, both during the day and at night, will give you a better picture of the neighbourhood’s overall vibe. An area might look idyllic and quiet during the daytime, until you realise there is a noisy nightclub right around the corner, or that it’s the main route of passage for traffic and emergency vehicles.
Taking a trip there will also allow you to see how safe the area feels and how well-presented the nearby streets and other buildings are. Living in an area with a sense of community and pride can provide peace-of-mind and ensure long-standing happiness. If you want to become a more active part of your local community, it’s worth looking out for regular events that take place in the area, or clubs that you can sign up to – for example, networking events, book clubs or sports teams.
3. The local hotspots
Wherever you live in a city, you’re guaranteed to be close to a shop of some kind. From social scenes with a whole selection of bustling bars, cafés, eateries and gig venues, to gifty shops and cultural hotspots they house. When you’re looking around an area, it’s worth also exploring what’s going on and what places you could potentially live near.
4. Adapting your lifestyle routine
Moving home can massively shake up your daily routine. Beyond planning a new travel route to and from your office, you’ll also need to consider all the things that play an important part in your day-to-day. Whether that’s a local park to walk your dog in, a scenic route to go running along, a fitness centre and gym to help you maintain your exercise regime, a library to study from, or a good school (if you have children), it’s worth figuring out how you can adapt your current routine to a new location.
5. Look around the apartment blook
One small factor that’s easy to miss when it comes to apartment-searching is actually looking around the apartment block itself. Pay attention to where the apartment is – if it’s on the ground floor, near the stairway, or by the lift, it may be noisier with other residents walking past; on the flip side, a high-up apartment might not be suitable if you are afraid of heights or dislike travelling in a lift.
