With more people than ever before living in cities, apartments are on the rise. It seems like the old world of suburban sprawl is giving way, at least in some cities, to vertical accommodation. 

For human beings, this is quite a new experience. For most of history, we were running around on the ground. But with apartments, our homes are cubes in much larger buildings, all served by elevators. 

In this post, we take a look at some of the tactics you can use to perfect your apartment living arrangements and make the most of it. 

Find a Better Pad

When shopping for apartments for rent, look for somewhere that will fit your lifestyle. If you’re someone who is just looking for a place to crash at night, you don’t necessarily need a large space. Likewise, if you’re a person who wants to store lots of equipment, and not give up on any of your living space, then floor space may matter a lot to you. 

Negotiate Your Rent

Rental prices are going up to around 40 percent of people’s disposable income, meaning that they don’t often have a great deal leftover for other things. That’s why it’s so important to negotiate your rent. Don’t just accept the first price your landlord asks for. Whittle them down and see how much they’re really willing to let out their property to you for. Often you’ll find that you can get between 5 and 10 percent off the list price in certain markets. 

Add a Roommate

If you want to cut down on your bills further, you might consider moving in with a roommate. Depending on your apartment, it might be a little cramped, but it will help you slash bills massively so you’re not out of pocket at the end of the month. 

You can use apps and services, like Splitwise, to carve up the cost of bills with minimal fuss. This way, you don’t have to go around with a begging bowl, asking your roommate for money they don’t pay. 

In most modern flats, noisy neighbors aren’t a major problem. That’s because building designers create walls, floors and ceilings that prevent sounds from passing from one unit to the next easily. 

Unfortunately, noise cancellation isn’t available in all apartments, so what can you do?

The first option is to ask them to cut it out. If that doesn’t work, you can fill out a complaint form. This will alert the HOA committee or condo association, informing them of the problem. They can then take action to encourage the noisy neighbor to keep it down, or ask them to leave the accommodation altogether. 

Install Energy-Efficient Extras

Keeping energy bills down in your apartment can be a bit of a challenge. However, there are things that you can do without modifying the structure in any way. 

There include: 

• Adding a programmable thermostat
• Using more energy-efficient lightbulbs
• Installing window shades
• Putting sealing tape around the doors and windows to keep drafts out