10 strong reasons to move out of your apartment

Whether you’ve lived in your apartment for several months or several years, at some point you may decide to leave and move to a new place.

There may be different reasons for your decision – life changes, financial matters, issues with the rental property, etc. Some of these reasons may be out of your control, while others may be a matter of preference. Whatever the case, if something about your current living situation doesn’t work for you, it may be time to move out and find a new home.

Moving apartments, however, is quite a hassle (and an expensive hassle at that), so you may not want to go through all of it unless you have a really good reason to do so.

Not quite sure what to do?

Here are 10 good reasons to move out of your apartment. If any of these reasons happen to apply to your situation, you’ll know the answer to your conundrum.

1. The rent is too high

Probably the most common reason to move out of an apartment is the unaffordability of the property.

It’s possible that the rent has recently gone up or you simply can’t afford it anymore because

• your income has gone down due to a job loss a job change, or
• your expenses have gone up due to medical issues, educational matters, increased cost of living, etc.

The thing is that if your current apartment has become too expensive for you, you will have little choice but to move out and find a cheaper place to live.

2. You can afford a nicer apartment

Sometimes, it could be the complete opposite – you may have got a raise in your salary or you may have started a new, better-paying job, meaning that you may now be able to afford a nicer apartment.

In such a case, you may want to move out of your current unit and rent a bigger apartment, a place with better amenities, an apartment in a nicer neighborhood, etc.

3. The apartment is too small

Another good reason for moving out of an apartment is the need for more space.

• Your family may grow (you may get married, have a child, or adopt a pet) and you may need an extra bedroom, an extra bathroom, a larger kitchen, and/or a larger living room;
• You may have to (or want to) work from home, so you may need a separate work area or a home office; or
• You may simply need more storage space.

Either way, if you have outgrown your current apartment, it’s time to move to a bigger place.

4. The apartment is too big

Sometimes, it may be the other way around – your current apartment may be too big for you.

Your children may have grown up and moved out, you may have broken up with your partner, a home office may not be necessary anymore, etc. and you may no longer need so much space.

In such a case, you may want to move to a smaller apartment, so you don’t pay for space you’re not actually using. That’s correct – downsizing may be the only good option for you.

5. The location is inconvenient

Even if your current apartment is right for you, its location may not be – and that’s quite a good reason to move out.

• The apartment building may be too far from your workplace and the commute itself may be awful;
• There may not be any green areas, recreational venues, or entertainment locales in the vicinity;
• You may not have easy access to services, stores, restaurants, or other amenities; etc.

Even if the place where you live has suited your needs before, that may not be the case anymore. After all, things change and you may have started a new job and the commute may be too long, your kids may have reached school age and there may not be a good school nearby, etc.

Besides, you may have rented your current apartment simply because you couldn’t afford a place in a more convenient location at the time. So, if you happen to be better off now, you may be able to move closer to work, school, amenities, or wherever you need to be frequently.

6. Problems with neighbors

Moving because of bad neighbors is more common than you may think.

The people next door may be too noisy (they may be throwing loud parties too often, practicing musical instruments all day long, or getting into screaming matches at all hours – or their kids or pets may be constantly making a racket) or too nosy, too obnoxious or too confrontational, etc.

What’s more, you may not feel safe around a neighbor (a hoarder, a Peeping Tom, someone engaged in illegal activities, etc.) or you may be constantly butting heads with the person next door.   

Whatever the case, if you feel uncomfortable in your apartment because of bad neighbors – or, if your health or safety is at risk because of a neighbor – you have every reason to move out and find a new home that you will be able to enjoy in peace.

7. Too much noise

As annoying as noisy neighbors may be, you might be able to solve the problem by simply talking to them or making a noise complaint to the landlord – if there is a quiet hours policy in place and a noisy neighbor regularly violates it, they will be faced with eviction.

There may be, however, other sources of noise you can do nothing about – a noisy bar across the street, a construction site nearby, etc. If the noise is too much for you to bear, you will simply need to move.

8. Maintenance issues

Unsurprisingly, poor maintenance also ranks among the most common reasons for moving out of an apartment.

Mold, pest problems, problems with the HVAC system, leaky pipes, malfunctioning appliances, and other similar issues are very troublesome and can be reason enough to move out – especially if the property management ignores requests for repairs or never keeps their promises.

Poorly maintained common areas, old furnishings and appliances, and outdated features and amenities may also cause you to consider leaving your current apartment complex and moving to a more modern, better-designed, better-equipped, and better-maintained building.

9. The neighborhood is not right

Even if you like your apartment and your apartment complex, the rent is reasonable and the location is convenient, you may still want to move to a different neighborhood.

There may be several reasons for that:

• Your current neighborhood may have become unsafe – there may be too many sketchy characters in the area, acts of vandalism and anti-social behavior may have become more frequent, crime instances may have increased of late, etc.;
• The neighborhood may have declined over time – local businesses may have closed down, the available cultural, recreational, and entertainment options may have dwindled, the streets may not be properly maintained anymore, etc.;
• You may want to move to a better school district.

As already mentioned above, you may have made the decision to live in your current neighborhood simply because you couldn’t afford an apartment in a nicer neighborhood. All this means that if your financial situation has changed for the better, you may now be able to move to a safer, greener, more prosperous part of town.

10. You’re ready for home ownership

Last but not least, you may want to leave your rental property because you’re now ready to buy your own home.

Without a doubt, this is the best reason to move out of an apartment.

Do any of the above reasons for moving out of a rental apply to you?

If yes, you already know the answer to the question Should I move out of my apartment”, don’t you?

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