For one, you can get your monthly bills out of the way in one easy payment.
There are a lot of costs associated with moving into and renting an apartment. You need to pay monthly rent plus move-in costs and get your utilities accounts set up. But next time you’re in the market for a new apartment, you may want to consider looking for an apartment where utilities are included in the price of rent.
Apartments that come with utilities included have many benefits, like eliminating the need to pay multiple utility bills each month. Here are seven reasons a utilities-included apartment could be a good fit for you.
What utilities are included with an apartment?
When renting an apartment that covers your utility expenses, it’s important to double-check and know exactly which utilities will be included. This is because which utilities come included in the cost of rent can vary depending on the apartment complex or the landlord.
Generally, the included utilities will be essentials like electricity, water, sewage and gas. Many landlords will also cover the costs of trash pick-up as well. In some modern and luxury complexes, it’s possible to also have internet and cable also included in the overall rate.
But not every apartment complex is the same. Some landlords may cover electric, water and sewage, but not gas or trash. Others may only cover water and sewage, leaving tenants to cover electric and gas for themselves. This is why you must make sure you know exactly which utilities will be included with your rent.
7 benefits of renting an apartment with utilities included
Setting a more accurate monthly budget. Not needing to pay multiple bills for multiple utilities. These are just some of the benefits of renting an apartment where your rent covers some or all of your basic monthly utilities. Let’s explore a few more!
1. Paying all at once instead of dealing with many small bills
The biggest benefit of renting an apartment with utilities included is the convenience. Instead of keeping track of multiple different bills and payments you need to make each month, you only need to pay your rent on time and in full.
With one easy payment, most of your household bills are taken care of. This helps not only with setting a monthly budget but saves you time and energy.
2. Saves you the hassle of setting up accounts with different utility companies
Moving into a new apartment is already stressful enough without having to make sure your utility accounts are set up in time. Sometimes you only need to update a new address with a particular company, but you still need to take the time to call. But if you’re moving to a new city or state, you may need to start fresh and set up entirely new accounts.
By renting an apartment that comes with utilities included, you’ll save yourself the considerable hassle of making sure all the utility accounts are set up and ready to go. No calling and waiting on hold, no needing to research which local company you need to contact.
Plus, if you end up having issues with some of your services, it will be your landlord’s responsibility to follow up and get the problem fixed.
3. You don’t have to pay service activation fees
When setting up new accounts for your different utilities in your new apartment, you may also need to pay activation or service fees. For some services like internet or cable, sometimes you even need to arrange a date and time for a service person to come by to set up and install the service.
Since some or all of your essential utilities will already be set up and ready to go when you move in, you don’t need to budget for those extra service and activation fees. This saves you money and is one less thing off your apartment move-in to-do list.
4. You can be less mindful of usage
We should still all be aware of how much electricity and water we use for environmental reasons. But at the same time, it’s nice to not have to worry about how high the electric bill will be when you’re blasting the AC on a hot summer day. You can indulge in relaxing baths or hot showers without feeling guilty about driving up the water bill.
Living in a utilities-included apartment, you can worry and stress less about how your lifestyle and usage will impact your utility bills at the end of the month. You can have more freedom to use more water or electricity as needed to be comfortable, safe and happy depending on the season, weather and your personal needs.
5. You can plan a more accurate monthly budget
One of the downsides of individually paying for multiple utilities is that the amounts can vary from month to month. During the winter, your electric bill may be much higher. In winter, you’re likely cranking the heat which results in a higher heating or gas bill.
When your basic utilities are all lumped together with the rent, you just have to make one blanket payment each month. Knowing exactly how much you need to pay to cover most of your household bills can help you better budget for each month. You don’t need to worry about paying an extra $100 toward electric or water and can instead count that toward groceries, savings or just having more going-out money.
6. Streamlines splitting costs with roommates
If you’re living with roommates, renting a utilities-included apartment will save you and your roommates a lot of hassle when it comes to dividing up bills. Instead of splitting up many smaller bills to make sure everyone pays their fair share, you only need to evenly divide up one bill: the rent.
7. You won’t need to have your credit run multiple times
When you’re setting up accounts for utilities like electricity, some companies will ask for your Social Security number in order to check your credit score.
When utility companies check your credit score, they typically only run a soft check. This won’t impact your score. But, if you’ve recently had some hard credit inquiries from applying to apartments, your credit score may be lower than usual. If you have low or bad credit, some utility companies may be more suspect of you as a customer. As a result, it could be harder for you to set up accounts.
With utilities-included apartments, you only need to have your credit checked once by the landlord or property management company. You’ll have fewer companies looking into your credit history, even if they are soft inquiries.
Are there cons to renting a utilities-included apartment?
From saving you the hassle of keeping track of multiple utility bills to giving you free rein to crank the AC or heat, there are lots of pros to renting an apartment that comes with utilities included. But there are some downsides to consider as well.
The biggest one is that the cost of rent for utilities-included apartments will generally be higher than other similarly sized options in the area. Because the landlord has to cover variable utility bills for multiple units or an entire building, the cost of rent is inflated to cover those extra expenses. Even though you’re saving money on individual bills, your rent will likely be higher as a result.
Make your life easier by living in an apartment with utilities included
Convenient and straightforward, there are many benefits to living in an apartment where the cost of your rent covers some or all of your essential utilities. You can find utilities-included apartments on Rent. by selecting the “Some Utilities Covered” option under the Filters tab. No matter where you live or where you’re moving, you can find an apartment with included utilities for you.
Source: rent.com