When you rent a house, you can enjoy the space, independence, and convenience of living in a house without the responsibility that comes with owning. But the availability and quality of rental houses can depend on where you live (or want to live), how much you can afford, and many other factors. Here’s everything you need to know about renting a house.
Renting a house vs. renting an apartment
Whether you’ve been a renter for a while or this is your first time, it’s important to understand the differences between renting a house and renting an apartment. Here are some things to consider about these two rental types to make the best decision for you:
- Landscaping: Apartment complexes typically hire a landscaping company or have onsite staff maintenance that performs upkeep. If you rent a house, you may be responsible for mowing the lawn, tending to the landscaping, clearing the driveway, and completing other outdoor maintenance tasks. You may also find property owners who pay for those services so you don’t have to.
- Space: It’s common to get more space when you rent a house than you would when renting an apartment. You may have more square footage inside the unit, in addition to the outdoor space, or you may just have the private outdoor space you didn’t get at an apartment.
- Privacy: Renting an apartment means living very close to your neighbors, which can mean noise issues and less privacy. When you rent a house, you’re typically farther away from your neighbors, no longer sharing walls, floors, and ceilings. Unless, that is, if you’re in a duplex or other multifamily home. This can provide much-wanted privacy and reduce noise issues.
- Parking: Apartment complexes and houses can have a variety of parking options, from lots that have just enough space for renters, big lots with room for everyone, street parking, or small lots with garages and carports. When you rent a house, you may have just street parking, a driveway that could vary in size, or a garage. How many vehicles you have and the kind of convenience you need with parking could determine which of the many options you choose.
- Location: Houses tend to be in suburban or rural areas, while apartments are common in urban areas and suburban areas.
- Homeowners association: Even though you don’t own the house, you may need to pay the property owner’s HOA fees with your rent. Apartments in New York City that have co-op boards and other management councils may also have similar fees on top of rent.
- Pets: Many apartments and houses allow pets, but some property managers and management companies may not allow pets in certain properties. For example, it may be more common in your area for apartments not to allow pets, but rental houses to allow them. In addition, a house may be better for larger dogs who need more space to run around and more convenient for taking pets outside.
- Property management: It may be more common in your area to rent an apartment from a property management company than a single property owner. It may also be more common in your area to rent a house from a property owner than a management company. Know whether you’d rather work with a single person or a professional team when handling issues or negotiate lease terms with your rental.
- Rental time frames: Property managers typically rent out houses on longer rental periods, such as 12 months or more. You may be able to rent an apartment for short-term stays, such as 9 months or less. The availability of a month-to-month agreement can depend on the property owner or management company and the property type too.
- Upfront move-in fees: Depending on where you live, it may be more common for property owners and management companies to ask for money upfront through an application fee, security deposit, and first and last month’s rent. This may be the same for apartments and houses in your area, or one may cost more to move in than the other.
How to find a house to rent
Use the following steps to effectively and securely search for a house to rent:
Use search filters
Many of your favorite rental search sites, like Zumper, make it easy to filter listings that don’t meet your needs. So if you’re set on renting a house, you can choose to only see listings that are single-family homes, or multifamily homes like duplexes, and townhouses. Depending on where you live, you might also include condos in your search too.
Ask around
It can also help streamline your search to ask around to friends, family, and colleagues about whether they know anyone renting out a house in the area. Word of mouth can help you find units that aren’t on the market yet or secure a unit with someone vouching for you to the property owner.
Know your budget
Before you tour houses and meet with property owners, know what you can spend on rent. To help you identify your budget, take advantage of rent calculator tools. Leave room in your budget for utilities too. If space is your main priority, see what the average rental prices are in that area for that number of rooms. If you have a specific budget in mind, filter your search with a minimum and maximum rental price to see what units are out there. This can help you determine if you need to adjust your budget for the space you need.
View the house in person
Once you find listings you’re interested in, schedule a time to tour the house in person. Doing so allows you to picture yourself living in the space and see if the real thing lives up to its photos, or if there are underlying issues you didn’t see before. And if you want to ask questions while you tour, ask that the property owner or manager be there when you do.
Renting a house can be a step up from renting an apartment and good practice if your goal is to buy a house in the future. It can also provide you with more room for a growing family or space for activities and entertaining. Whatever your reason to rent a house, it’s important to diligently review the lease before you sign, and ask every question you can think of about the rental to make sure it’s the right fit for you and your household.
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