5 Sustainable Advantages of Renting Versus Owning a Home

While owning a home is a wonderful thing, there are still amazing benefits that renters enjoy. Some of these help renters live a more sustainable lifestyle than their home owning counterparts. The freedom to get up and move when a lease is over or not to worry about major repairs are two additional benefits. Everyone desires to have their own space where they can express their independence and individualism. Property ownership is not the only way to make that dream a reality. One can also be a lifelong renter and enjoy many of the same benefits and it’s more sustainable than buying new homes that need to be built from the ground up. 

While you cannot build equity in an apartment, pay it off, or sell it, you’re not the only one with limitations.  Homeowners also have many limits on what they can or cannot do with their property. They can’t put just any structure on their property due to regulations. They can’t knock down a wall or add a room without the plans passing inspection. And if they have a homeowner’s association, they can’t paint their house just any color they like. 

They are, however, free to sell. But they are also free to lose a lot of money in the process. The grass is not always greener on the homeowner’s side of the fence. But there are a few perceived advantages. If you are a renter, you can even the odds by making the following advantages a reality in your apartment search. 

Apartments Make Sustainable Repairs

In most apartment situations, you don’t have to pay for your own repairs. Because the apartment is responsible for fixing things, they don’t like to pay too often for the work. They often choose repair specialists who offer sustainable options so they aren’t wasting as much time or money.  

Even so, there is more to apartment living than major repairs. There are many smaller jobs you might not feel comfortable doing yourself that involve the following:

• Putting up a ceiling fan
• Changing faucets and showerheads
• Painting a room
• Repairing appliances you own

More apartments and rentals are choosing energy star appliances to ensure they last a long time and conserve energy. When they break, you don’t need to do a search for a handyman near me. But you can help your apartment find better vendors if the ones they use are cutting it. A Google search is too generic. So be sure to use specialized websites to get the best results for your budget and location.

You’ll Get Eco Friendly Safety Features

Gone are the days when you need to wire your home to install a home security system. Many security products only need to be mounted, plugged into a wall, and connected to wifi. Living in an apartment does not mean you have to sacrifice your safety. Just remember that a safe home is also a healthy home. Be sure to use the products and techniques that keep your family safe from viruses and allergens. Home security means protection from threats that are outside as well as inside the home, and there are many eco-friendly options that you can use.

Access to All the Entertainment Options

If you didn’t want to go through a traditional cable TV provider, it used to be that you had to get a satellite dish mounted on your roof to get access to the broader world of entertainment. That has been a difficult proposition for apartment dwellers because they either had trouble getting landlord permission, or there were too many limits on where the dish could be placed. Today, streaming services have supplanted traditional cable TV. You can get all the premium channels plus local news without either cable or a dish. Having all the entertainment options is no longer a benefit exclusive to homeowners and it’s more ecofriendly to stream than to put in a new dish.

Apartments Make it Easy to Recycle 

Many apartment complexes have added recycling services that are sometimes even more convenient than what homeowners enjoy. Premium apartment communities usually have a recycling room where you can bring and sort your various recyclables into clearly marked bins. This service is typically covered in the rent, and makes going green easier.

Green Spaces

Even high-rise city apartments are offering parks and other green spaces for their residents. They usually have amenities like fitness rooms and recreational facilities. Homeowners often have to pay extra for these services. Landlords realize that one of the most enticing features they can offer is quality of life improvements that extend beyond the living space. Picnic tables, park benches, tennis courts, and safe walking paths are not just luxuries for the wealthy, but benefits that everyone should be able to access. Plus, more green space is good for the environment and your health. 

You no longer have to own a home to have your choice of quality specialists, safety features, access to all the great entertainment, recycling, and green spaces. The American – rather, the human – dream is more accessible to more people than ever before.