Room Hunting Made Easy: Your Comprehensive Guide

There is a considerable difference between apartment hunting and trying to find yourself a room for rent. The biggest problem you may face is a bad neighbor or an irresponsible subletter. Of course, the best thing will always be to deal with a landlord directly. In these cases, you will always know that they are not against the subletting and you’re renting the room legally.

Looking for a room for rent might be tricky, but we have an extensive guide to help you out. We know for sure what you need to do before you start your search.

Set Your Budget and Needs

Don’t rush to look for the hottest listings before you set your budget and make a list of your needs. Since you’re looking for a room, it’s quite obvious that your budget is limited. However, you should know your price limits before you start calling landlords and attending the tours.

First of all, calculate the exact amount of money that you’ll be ready to spend on your rent on a monthly basis.
This will help you to filter out the pricey listings that may hit your budget too hard. You should do that before you start your search. Otherwise, you’ll note an expensive listing, fall in love with it and deal with the fact that you cannot rent it.

Also, don’t forget to work on the list of your needs. Your best bet will be to take a piece of paper and literally write down what you look for in the room of your dreams.

Don’t forget that the location is always one of the most important things. Your commute time to work can be too overwhelming for you. Another thing to consider is the amenities that the house should have.

Expert Tip: Rentberry allows you to apply custom filters to your search. This will help you find the room of your dreams and show you only the most relevant results. Learn how to search for a home on Rentberry >>

Furnished or Not?

As we have already discussed, your budget can be minimal. The most popular way how renters can save money is to find an unfurnished place. This is where you need to decide whether you have enough money to furnish it. Of course, in case you have your own furniture, this will be much easier for you.

The golden mean here will be to rent an unfurnished place and try to save on cheap furniture. We have a detailed guide on how you can furnish your home on a shoestring budget.

Keep Your Options Open and Review More Rooms

One of the most popular mistakes that renters make is rushing and trying to rent the first room they find. Remember that you should always review as many options as possible and make an informed decision after.

Of course, you shouldn’t wait too long before you make up your mind, cause the long-term rental market may be too hot in your region, and you’ll lose the place. That’s where you should find the right balance.

Contact a few landlords, schedule tours, or even opt for virtual tours to save some time and energy, and make sure you have a few options to choose from before you make your final decision.

Utilize the Best Tools to Find a Place

Your success will be determined by the tools that you use. First of all, you should always stay in touch with prospective landlords. Then you need a way to negotiate your rent without calling back in forth.

Nowadays landlords prefer to use mobile apps to receive applications and stay in touch with tenants.

Rentberry offers you the only app on the market that allows you to perform all the rental tasks in one place. This is a closed-loop platform, so you can:

• Find a room for rent
• Apply for it
• Negotiate the rent price
• Chat with your prospective landlord
• eSign the rental agreement right on your phone
• Send maintenance requests to your landlord after

Talk to Your Future Roommate

No matter how many roommates you’ll have in your future rental, you’ve got to meet them all in person and get to know them a bit.

You should keep in mind the fact that these people will be your neighbors that you’ll see every day. There is no place for hate towards each other. Only a positive attitude and friendly atmosphere will make your renting experience comfortable.

Expert Tip: We have a great post regarding the questions you should ask before you move in with a stranger. Make sure you check it out before you meet your prospective roommate(s).

Talk to Previous Subletters

Whenever you find your perfect room, chances are you’re not the first person to live in that room. So the best way to know more about your prospective roommate is to talk to the previous renters.

Of course, you shouldn’t act like you’re doing an extensive background check like some detective. However, some basic questions may help you find out whether your future roommates are not big fans of conflicts.

Know Your Rights as a Tenant

Even though you’re just renting one room, you still have the same fundamental rights as any tenant. We firmly believe that knowing your rights may save you from many uncomfortable situations with your landlord and roommates.

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The tenant-landlord laws vary from state to state. This is the reason why we created a series of articles regarding tenant rights in different states. You can find out about the tenant-landlord rights in your state here.

How Big Is the Utility Check?

Most of the time, the rent price does not include the utilities. This means that you’ll have to put it on top of that and sometimes it can become an unpleasant surprise for you.

To avoid these situations, you should discuss the utilities with the landlord or your subletter before your move in. This is the time when you should decide how much each of you will cover and what will be the formula to calculate the portion that each of you is responsible for.

Conclusion

There is no need to be scared of the room search. Make sure you use the best rental platform, utilize all the apartment hunting tools, and apply our basic tips. Ready to find a room for rent today on Rentberry?

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