It seems like congratulations are in order because you’re about to move into your first rental apartment and will soon sign a free rent agreement form. Bravo!
Moving into your first independent residence is a major personal milestone, and it marks the beginning of your journey to your dream home. Along the way, you’ll learn how personal touches that highlight your personality can make even a small space feel like home. Your first apartment is where you can test out your sense of decor and design, filling it with fittings and accessories that suit your tastes.
Since moving into a new home can be a stressful, overwhelming process, here’s a short checklist to help you set up your first apartment the way you always envisioned it.
How to Make the Ultimate First Apartment Checklist
The search for your first rental apartment can be harrowing. But with a bit of luck and a lot of effort, it’s possible to put together a short list of potential apartments that you are ready to live in. This checklist is meant for people who already have an apartment ready to move into, so if you haven’t finalized your place yet, save this article and revisit it once you do!
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Once you’ve scanned the local real estate market and found a listing that matches your needs and preferences, you can start preparing your first apartment checklist. There are several steps to completing this checklist, and we shall look at each one in more detail.
The four steps to renting your first apartment are as follows:
1. Set Your Budget
Step one is important for every first-time mover. You need a clear budget to stick to; otherwise, the whole moving process will burn a larger hole in your pocket than you expected.
Once you’ve looked closely at your new apartment, you will have an idea of what you need to buy or install to move in comfortably. Based on your evaluation of the space, you can set your budget and prepare to move into your first apartment.
2. Speak to Your Landlord
Establishing your budget will help you outline exactly what you need to buy and if any significant alterations are needed. Remember, installing a new appliance or removing old furniture from the apartment may be in your budget, but you can’t go forward without your landlord’s permission. After all, you are only renting property they own, and they will have to live with any long-term alterations you make.
It’s important to be very clear with the landlord about what changes you want to make to the apartment. This has two benefits: firstly if your additions to the house add value to the property, your landlord might split the costs with you and save you some money. Also, even if a landlord doesn’t offer to help with the renovation expenses, their reaction to your ideas will reveal a lot about how your landlord-tenant relationship will play out. It’s always best to enter into a lease agreement with a landlord who respects tenant’s rights and communicates their wishes clearly.
3. Finalize Your Rent Agreement
After verbally discussing how you will modify the apartment once you move in, it’s time to formalize the agreement. You can include any major modifications you want to make in the lease agreement so that both parties are clear on what changes will be made.
You can download a rent agreement form the internet and customize it to feature your bespoke terms. Once you and your landlord have agreed on the terms of the lease agreement, you’re ready to move to your first apartment and make it your own!
4. Shop for Your First Apartment
With the lease agreement in your hand, you are now officially a tenant of your first rental apartment! This is where the fun begins, as you are done with the paperwork and can move on to the much more exciting task of decorating your first apartment.
Rental apartments can be partially furnished and include white goods, like electronic home appliances. For the purpose of this checklist, we are working on the more likely scenario that your rental apartment is entirely bare.
The best way to approach interior decoration and set-up is by making an essential items checklist for every room. All the items on this list can be assigned a priority level based on your needs, so you don’t need to shop for everything at once. In fact, you can save on expenses by waiting for the right deals to come along.
Here’s a room-by-room breakdown of the household items you will need to buy to have a fully functioning and comfortable first apartment. Each category is further divided into must-haves and luxuries, denoting which items need to be purchased urgently and which can wait.
Bedroom
Here are the items you need to buy for your bedroom in your first apartment:
Must-haves
- Bed
- Mattress
- Pillows
- Linens and curtains
- Wardrobe
Luxuries
- Side Table
- Lamps
- Dressing Table
- Rug
- Decorative pillows
Kitchen
Here’s what you need to set up your first apartment’s kitchen:
Must-haves
- Cooking utensils (pots, pans, and strainers)
- Stove
- Knife set
- Cutlery (cups, plates, spoons, and forks)
- Refrigerator
Luxuries
- Racks and shelves
- Microwave
- Oven and/or toaster
- Wine glasses
Living Room
Turn your living room into a cozy hangout spot by shopping for these items:
Must-haves
- Couch
- Curtains
- Lighting
Luxuries
- Extra seating
- Coffee Table
- Plants
- Wall art
Bathroom
You’re going to want to buy these items to make sure your bathroom is fully functional:
Must-haves
- Shower curtains
- Toiletries shelf
- Toilet brush and cleaner
Luxuries
- Soap dispenser
- Extra mugs and buckets
- Toothbrush holder
Along with this checklist of essential items, you will also need to shop for cleaning supplies such as tile cleaner, laundry detergent, mops, brooms, and dust cloths.
This checklist is more than enough to ensure that you live comfortably in your first rental apartment. The best part is that once you’ve completed it, your next move will go much smoother since you already own all the essentials!
