Renting Low-Cost but Quality Apartments

Low-cost but quality apartments? Is there such a thing today in the Philippines? There are, but they are hard to come by—except when one looks really hard for them with the aid of some tips on scouring such rare apartments.

Of course, classified ads give lots of help in renting quality apartments. But it’s easy for anyone to advertize even ramshackle apartments for rent in such ads and give them a glamorous touch. And most “beautiful” apartments for rent show their Dr. Jackal features for a few months and then later turn Hyde the rest of the months. There is more to renting quality apartments than what one sees in paper ads. It’s got to be a more thorough search for low-cost but quality apartments for rent.

First step is to consult close friends, or those close to them. Ask for lots of reliable referrals. The technique is to be as relational in one’s approach as possible. Low-cost but quality apartments for rent are often not advertized on papers but only through word-of-mouth. The reason is clear: owners of such apartments don’t want just anybody using the units. They look for tenants referred by close friends. People referred by them are likely to be responsible tenants who’d care for the units as their own.

Second is to look for apartments for rent right inside an owner’s compound. Low-cost but quality apartments are often located just beside or at the back of an owner’s residence. Owners can afford to have them rented lower because of security considerations. They can rest assured that tenants will not escape any obligation—they see them everyday. Some apartments for rent are located away from the owner’s residence. As security, their owners charge high monthly fees that also mean high advances and deposits. Units inside an owner’s residence are quality apartments because they are well maintained by the owner.

Third, low-cost but quality apartments are often medium or small size. They are easier and cheaper to maintain. They often offer one or two small bedrooms, a small living, shared kitchen and dining, a small toilet, and a small laundry.

It’s pretty much like treasure hunting in deep mountain recesses and crannies. But they’re there. Low-cost but quality apartments do exist. The right searching guidelines must be in hand, accessed through close relationships—often they cannot be bought from stores. And one has to search hard to chance upon these rare gems of apartments for rent.