How to rent an apartment with a small child

When there are no opportunities to buy real estate or for some other reasons the family prefers to rent an apartment, the question of how to find suitable housing immediately arises.

In addition to the important factors that determine the comfort of living, finding a compromise with the property owner is an important point — not everyone is ready to rent a home to a couple with a small child. How to rent an apartment with a child and take into account all the parameters of good housing, as well as meet the landlord's requirements? Let's discuss this in the article. By the way, if you are thinking about buying real estate, we recommend contacting our office professional luxury real estate agency THE Capital.

What an apartment should be: we take into account all the nuances

If we are talking about a long-term lease, first of all, you need to understand that the apartment is chosen for the growth of the child. A 2-year-old restless will quickly reach the age of 7, 12 and 17 - they are all different people with completely different interests and needs. Therefore, if you are going to rent an apartment with a child or, even more so, to rent an apartment with children, you need to take into account a number of points in order not to regret your choice in a few years and to exclude spontaneous moves.

Planning

Over time, the child will need a working space, so if you are considering the option between one- and two-room apartments, the question falls away by itself in favor of a larger property. Also consider:

• A preschool and school-aged child needs a personal area for activities + a place for games and storing toys.
• Choose an apartment so that you can make changes. For example, when a child is small, he loves his car bed, but in a few years he will need a massive bunk bed with a desk.
• Think about what furniture should be in the apartment. This is important, because as the child grows, the number of clothes, shoes, and toys will increase — all this needs to be stored somewhere. For example, if you want to rent an apartment in Kyiv with a child, pay attention to the presence of a built-in wardrobe. They are usually quite capacious and convenient as places to store things.

Over

If the family has a small child, it is better if the apartment is located on the 2nd or 3rd floor. Yes, most modern apartment buildings have elevators, but their breakdown should not be ruled out. In addition, it is not always convenient to load into the cabin with a stroller, toys and a child in your arms.

Access to the house and driveway

This question concerns the accessibility of the entrance to the house by personal transport and the availability of all conditions for movement and delivery of a stroller.

• First, make sure that there are parking spaces nearby or on the premises.
• Then inspect the entrance and make sure that there is a full ramp in front of the entrance for the entry of a stroller, and later a bicycle.

Playground in the yard

Daily walks are a guarantee of excellent health and sufficient physical activity for a growing baby. Therefore, near the house where you will rent an apartment, it is important that there is an equipped playground.

Kindergartens, schools, hospital

Renting apartments with children is usually of interest in areas where there are a large number of kindergartens and centers, developing schools, polyclinics and hospitals. It will be convenient for parents to take their child to classes as soon as possible, and in case of illness, they can quickly find a doctor.

See also: How to rent a non-residential premises?

This point should include the convenience of the transport interchange and the saturation of the consumer infrastructure. It is good when shops, malls, supermarkets, metro and bus stops are located within walking distance, because every day you will have to buy groceries, and on weekends organize leisure activities for the child, including in other areas.

Choose safe areas

If a small child is always supervised, then eventually he will start to move on his own, so safety is one of the important criteria for parents.

• Study the crime rate in the selected area.
• Take a walk through the nearby streets: how many pedestrian crossings are there? Are traffic lights installed?

Why not all landlords agree to tenants with children

It's no secret that most landlords refuse tenants with children. The most frequent reason for refusal is the fear that at some point the family will not be able to pay the rent on time. In a similar situation with a single person or a couple, the problem can easily be solved by eviction, it is more difficult to do the same with children. Other reasons for refusals:

• Fear of repair. Over time, babies begin to crawl and walk, so they can spoil fresh wallpaper or new furniture with pencils and felt-tip pens. By the way, for this reason, some owners do not allow residents with pets.
• Noise. Children cannot control their emotions and rarely behave calmly, so it is simply impossible to do without stomping, crying and other noise, and neighbors complain about this to the owner - it is unlikely that anyone will like listening to complaints.
• Quick "demolition" of the apartment. Constant washing, daily cleaning and cooking - all this does not add freshness to the home. For example, walls in the kitchen are more likely to be covered with "smoot" from cooking, and there is a risk of fungus development due to high humidity.

See also: Renting an apartment: how to write an ad correctly?

Is it possible to negotiate with the landlord?

Practice shows that in most cases potential tenants still manage to negotiate with landlords and even give official guarantees. Of course, such situations do not apply to those cases when the owner already puts forward strict restrictions on the phone - without children and animals. If there is an opportunity to negotiate, experienced realtors recommend:

• Change the terms of the lease agreement, including the obligation to maintain the condition of the apartment in accordance with the owner's requirements. If something is damaged, take care of the repair or replacement.
• Sign a contract for a year, that is, the minimum term, even if you plan to stay for a long time and agree on this with the owner. In a year, you will be able to prove that the presence of a child does not necessarily lead to the deterioration of the apartment and endless complaints from neighbors.
• After moving in, always maintain order in the apartment.

When you can't find an apartment in one area for a long time, consider others, look at housing options. Try looking for options with a higher rental rate. In any case, if it is about Kyiv and the region, there are many adjacent districts from where you can easily get to any point of the capital. Do you need to rent an apartment with a child and your independent search was unsuccessful? Explore the options at the heart of our real estate agency. Our specialists will offer housing that meets your requirements and help resolve all issues with the owner. Subscribe to our real estate blog updates and get the latest posts from THE Capital real estate agency.