It’s a Match: Your Perfect Loft Hunting Guide

Loft may be a great place for you to live in when you need more open space. The trend for this type of property remains upward for more than a decade now. Time goes by and people still consider lofts as one of the best alternatives to regular large-apartment rentals.

We offer an extensive guide that includes everything you need to know about lofts before renting one. Our editorial team prepared a quick and informative guide that will help you find a loft for rent faster and avoid common rookie mistakes.

What Makes Rental a Loft?

People tend to believe that living space cannot be defined as a loft unless it served as a commercial space before. This is true when we talk about the classic concept of loft, but time goes by and people learned how to convert their upper story and attic to fancy lofts.

As of today, you can find both types of loft on the market and, to be honest, they are both very convenient and conceptual.

So typically when people look for a loft they want to find a place on the last story of the building with industrial interior design. Traditionally, lofts have massive open space area (around 2,000+ square feet), they have very high ceilings, less number of walls and huge windows.

The whole weight of the loft interior is supported by columns and, in most of the cases, the air conditioning system is exposed. It creates a feeling of warehouse/barn – like experience which attracts artists, hipsters and simply young millennials who want to stand out from the crowd.

How Big Can the Lofts Be?

While the average Manhattan apartment can have a size of 600 square feet, the average loft size is now about 1,400 – 2,200 square feet.

On average, the loft is more than twice bigger than the regular apartment rental.

Of course, it affects the price and gives you certain pros and cons. We decided to check whether it’s actually worth it or the benefits are not this lucrative.

Pros and Cons of Renting a Loft

You’ve got to understand that renting a loft means getting a huge space to maintain and furnish. So if you’re single and plan to live on your own, you whether need to have a lot of furniture, styling materials and money to maintain the place or rent it with your friends.

By the way, renting a loft with a bunch of friends is a fantastic idea. This is one of the best ways to save money on renting and simply have a more fun life at home.

So what are the pros of loft renting?

Benefits:

• High Ceilings

Most of the lofts have ceilings in the range of 10’ to 16’. This not only gives you plenty of interior decoration opportunities but also makes your place look more spacious and formidable.

• Huge Windows and Great Natural Light

Windows in lofts are usually more than twice bigger than the regular apartment windows. This ensures a perfect flow of natural light visiting your place every day.

• Flexible Layout

Consider your loft as a huge creative space that you can decorate to your needs. The best thing about it is that having this specific industrial look, it’s quite hard to mess the interior design up. You have plenty of space and thousands of ways to move your furniture around.

Possible problems:

• Acoustic and Problems with Echo

Any massive space may have this problem. Basically, the loft is too big for good acoustic. Unfortunately, in most of the cases, working on furnishing and decoration will not solve this problem.

• Storage Issue

Lofts have fewer walls and rooms. This may result in need of extra closets, cabinets and shelves.

• Expensive Utilities

Huge space requires more heating and electricity. Your utility bill will by drastically different compared to the regular apartment bill.

Things to Consider While Loft Hunting

There are questions that we recommend you asking your potential landlord and things you’ve got to do to avoid common mistakes.

How Big Is the Average Bill for Utilities

Make sure you check with your landlord the average amount that previous tenants paid for the utilities. Some landlords don’t make any necessary adjustments and home renovations to ensure the smart heat and energy consumption. This results in a huge bill for utilities that you have to take care of on a monthly basis.

How Old Is the Building and When Did the Last Renovation Happen?

Since the loft apartment can be pretty old, it’s important to know if the landlord and his previous tenants took a good care of this place.

Renovation is not optional, this is an important thing to ensure the safety of the inhabited premises.

Get to Know the HOA

Lofts are sometimes located in the buildings that have HOA, just like the condos. It’s important to know how much their services cost and what services they actually offer.

Are Lofts More Expensive Comparing to Traditional Apartments?

Long story short – Yes. However, if you calculate the price for an apartment of the same size, you’ll be surprised that loft is actually a good option.

If you’re looking for a loft for rent, you intentionally want to get a huge space. Considering the architectural specifics of this type of property, the value is fair. You’re not getting just a king-size apartment with small ceilings, small windows and big number of rooms. You’re getting an artist-oriented hip industrial shelter for your soul.

Yes, when you’re looking for an apartment for rent, you know for sure that the utility bill will not be that big. However, an artist desiring to get a big open living space will not feel that good in the traditional apartment.

Where Can I Find a Loft for Rent?

Rentberry offers a wide selection of lofts worldwide. No matter what is your home country, we’ll help you find the best loft for rent in your area.

We recommend you to eSign your rental agreement on our platform and have a digital legal binding document on your account in a few taps on the screen.

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