Last night we had our friends over for dinner - whom we happen to be renting from.
We discussed a wide variety of things, ate an awesome dinner (if I do say so myself!) and a delightful dessert! (Am I being too honest??)
(In case you're wondering, I made a roasted chicken and vegetable dinner with mashed potatoes, cheesy garlic bread and a blueberry/raspberry/cinnamon cheese cake with a butter cookie crust and topped with dark chocolate).
We learned a few things during that chat and I thought I'd share with you!
The biggest thing we learned (this is entirely based on where you live and whom you rent from) - is that if an apartment you're renting is not furnished - it's usually more expensive! As opposed to having a partially or fully furnished flat - it's cheaper! How odd.
In Canada - or at least in NS for sure, typically something that is fully furnished is a bit more expensive - because it acts as an extra fee for any potential damage to the furnishings (i.e. dishes, furniture, bed sheets etc.) - on top of the security deposit - which is typically for the flat itself.
I love learning about stuff like this - because it helps to prepare us for the next time (if there is a next time - we'd love to live here long term) we have to move.
Our last flat was partially furnished with furniture, but we needed to get our own dishes and silverware etc. (near the Central Hospital in Jyv�skyl�) and because it was significantly smaller - the rent was much lower. It was a 1-bedroom flat, 51 meters squared.
Now we have a 2-bedroom flat, 71 meters squared, if I remember correctly.
Another thing you should note when apartment hunting!!!
When it lists the total amount of rooms - usually the bedrooms are listed with the living room. So what looks like a 2-room flat - may really be a 1-bedroom with a living room! Just a very important FYI!
Okay, and onto what else we learned.
There's some apartments that you can own, as long as you have the 15% deposit. (15% of the total cost of the flat). So with you owning the flat - you can have pets, parties, decorate it whatever way you'd like - and when tax-time comes around, you can claim some of the interest on your loan or mortgage.
Oh and if you decide to sell that flat - the 15% you had deposited kind of ensures you are able to get another place. Instead of getting a guarantor to sign for you, this 15% deposit acts like a guarantor!
There's straight-forward renting agreements too (like what we have had since moving here) - and then there's another tricky one - I'll try and explain it the best way I can.
You can invest into an apartment, live there - do as you please...and when you leave, you get a portion of your investment back!
So lots of people pay into their flat (either rent or ownership - I think it can go either way), and when they sell or move, they get a portion of the money back - because the flat is considered an investment, or like a stock!
A security deposit is typically 1.5-2 months worth of rent...very important to know. If you trust the person, you can put it straight in their account.
However, we have had issues with our first landlord when we first came here - the landlord tried to keep our security deposit and find any way possible to not give it back to us in full. It involved a month's wait, which was awful as it was quite a bit of money, and we needed it to make a deposit onto our current flat. We ended up threatening legal action (in which if we won the case, which we surely would have - she would have to pay our legal fees as well!). And a friend had suggested in future, to set up a separate bank account with your landlord - so that the money can not be touched unless both parties are present at the bank.
Happy flat-hunting!!! (September is the worst time to flat-hunt, just like any other place with a university or college nearby....so start a bit early if you can!)
We discussed a wide variety of things, ate an awesome dinner (if I do say so myself!) and a delightful dessert! (Am I being too honest??)
(In case you're wondering, I made a roasted chicken and vegetable dinner with mashed potatoes, cheesy garlic bread and a blueberry/raspberry/cinnamon cheese cake with a butter cookie crust and topped with dark chocolate).
We learned a few things during that chat and I thought I'd share with you!
The biggest thing we learned (this is entirely based on where you live and whom you rent from) - is that if an apartment you're renting is not furnished - it's usually more expensive! As opposed to having a partially or fully furnished flat - it's cheaper! How odd.
In Canada - or at least in NS for sure, typically something that is fully furnished is a bit more expensive - because it acts as an extra fee for any potential damage to the furnishings (i.e. dishes, furniture, bed sheets etc.) - on top of the security deposit - which is typically for the flat itself.
I love learning about stuff like this - because it helps to prepare us for the next time (if there is a next time - we'd love to live here long term) we have to move.
Our last flat was partially furnished with furniture, but we needed to get our own dishes and silverware etc. (near the Central Hospital in Jyv�skyl�) and because it was significantly smaller - the rent was much lower. It was a 1-bedroom flat, 51 meters squared.
Now we have a 2-bedroom flat, 71 meters squared, if I remember correctly.
Another thing you should note when apartment hunting!!!
When it lists the total amount of rooms - usually the bedrooms are listed with the living room. So what looks like a 2-room flat - may really be a 1-bedroom with a living room! Just a very important FYI!
Okay, and onto what else we learned.
There's some apartments that you can own, as long as you have the 15% deposit. (15% of the total cost of the flat). So with you owning the flat - you can have pets, parties, decorate it whatever way you'd like - and when tax-time comes around, you can claim some of the interest on your loan or mortgage.
Oh and if you decide to sell that flat - the 15% you had deposited kind of ensures you are able to get another place. Instead of getting a guarantor to sign for you, this 15% deposit acts like a guarantor!
There's straight-forward renting agreements too (like what we have had since moving here) - and then there's another tricky one - I'll try and explain it the best way I can.
You can invest into an apartment, live there - do as you please...and when you leave, you get a portion of your investment back!
So lots of people pay into their flat (either rent or ownership - I think it can go either way), and when they sell or move, they get a portion of the money back - because the flat is considered an investment, or like a stock!
A security deposit is typically 1.5-2 months worth of rent...very important to know. If you trust the person, you can put it straight in their account.
However, we have had issues with our first landlord when we first came here - the landlord tried to keep our security deposit and find any way possible to not give it back to us in full. It involved a month's wait, which was awful as it was quite a bit of money, and we needed it to make a deposit onto our current flat. We ended up threatening legal action (in which if we won the case, which we surely would have - she would have to pay our legal fees as well!). And a friend had suggested in future, to set up a separate bank account with your landlord - so that the money can not be touched unless both parties are present at the bank.
Happy flat-hunting!!! (September is the worst time to flat-hunt, just like any other place with a university or college nearby....so start a bit early if you can!)
