How to Find an Affordable Rental Home

Not all renters are apartment dwellers – but that doesn’t mean they have more money. Sometimes you need the space only a house can provide to comfortably shelter your family. Or maybe you have roommates and you each need your own room. The point is, not everyone chooses a house over a high-rise because they can afford it; sometimes it’s the only option. That said, rental houses tend to be more expensive than apartment units, so finding an affordable one is tough … but not impossible.

Be flexible

When searching for affordable rental houses, you have to be flexible — about the neighbourhood, and possibly even the city. You cannot expect to search in an upscale neighbourhood and find something within budget. This will mean sacrifices, so you need to decide what’s more important and what you can realistically afford.

If you’re not picky about what city you live in – if you’re not tethered to your current place – you might find that you can get more house for your rental dollars in other municipalities.

How flexible you can be will depend on your individual lifestyle and situation. If it will cost you a lot in transit to travel to work from a cheap rental house, it may not add up to be worth the trouble.

Search online

Rather than driving around looking for “For Rent” signs in windows, find rentals in a fraction of the time online. By entering key terms and setting a budget, you can find places in your price range in minutes!

Once you have a list of available houses for rent, you can start evaluating them on an individual basis. Look at the photos, the amenities, and what’s included in the rent.

All-inclusive rentals are the best, because that means your utilities are included in the rent. So, keep an eye out for cheap rentals that might be too good to be true — that is, you pay all your own utilities plus other fees.

Find affordable rental houses using Gottarent.com. This handy online search tool can connect you to available properties that suit your needs.