If you have never lived on your own before, the knowledge that you now have domain over an entire apartment can be a bit of a power trip. Many novice decorators will immediately make all rooms of their new apartment appear like a dorm room gone wrong, while others simply become overwhelmed by the prospect and live with bare white walls for months on end. Here are a few basic decorating tips for the first timers out there.

While it can be almost impossible to make things match when you are decorating from online classifieds and the local thrift store, try to not have pieces in your home clash. It is acceptable to have a natural stained desk and a white painted bookshelf next to each other, but try to avoid dark stained woods next to light stained woods and back and forth throughout your entire apartment. Try to pick a theme or style and stick to it.

One common mistake that many novices make is to try to fill up every square inch of space they have with stuff, which is not only impractical but it destroys the flow of your apartment. Having enough room to walk around in is very important. If you plan on entertaining on a regular basis, you don’t want guests to feel claustrophobic when they visit you, so having enough room for people to stand and walk around is vital.

Decorating for the first time can be a bit stressful, but don’t give up!

In the old days, the only real criteria most people used to determine where to live was location and rent prices, and while those factors are still extremely important today, you should also take incentives into account, as well. Thanks to the explosion in apartment construction that has taken over most major cities, there is a glut of apartments in most areas. To compete against each other, many apartment complexes will offer perks or incentives so you will choose them over their competition. Let’s look at some of the most common perks you will find.

The most common, and most popular, perk is free rent for the first month you live there. Depending on where you live and how much you were planning on paying for rent, this perk alone can save you $1,000 or more. However, you still need to take other factors like the condition of the apartment, the location and the rent into account before making a decision.

Another popular perk that many apartment complexes offer is a free apartment upgrade. Often times, apartment complexes will charge a base rate for rent, and then charge extra for things like vaulted ceilings, a water view or living on the top floor of a building. You can find complexes that offer these perks for free for the entire run of your lease as a perk. While free rent might save you more up front, a free perk or two like this may save you more in the long run. Make sure you weigh your perks carefully.

While it is true that most apartment complexes do not allow dogs, some do allow small, lap-sized dogs like poodles or cocker spaniels. If you are considering getting a small dog, you need to understand that they are a lot of responsibility and keeping an animal like that in a small apartment means that you will be responsible for making sure they get enough exercise. Here are a few helpful tips.

You will be required to take your dog for walks multiple times per day, but make sure you do more than just walk him. Unlike a cat who usually has enough room to get exercise in an apartment, your dog will need to run around quite a bit. See if your apartment complex has a nearby green space that you can use to throw a ball or to play so that they get the exercise they need. Obesity in dogs is very common, especially in dogs that are forced to dwell in such a small space, and it can lead to a multitude of health problems.

Make sure you dog also has plenty of toys to play with inside of your apartment. Of course, you don’t want him running around crazy inside of the apartment disturbing your neighbors, but your dog must have some form of entertainment to choose from. Also, make sure that he has low fat or reduced calorie dog food to eat so that he doesn’t get too big for his own good.

It is no secret that getting to know your neighbors in a new apartment complex can be downright awkward, especially if you aren’t an out going guy. There are a few things you can do, however, to at least learn people’s names so that you can watch out for each other as time goes on.

While this may sound a bit clichéd, simply buying a box or two of cookies and knocking on a few of your neighbor’s doors is a direct and friendly way to announce your presence. You don’t have to prepare a speech, but simply say that you’ve just moved in down the hall and you wanted to say hello. Most neighbors will be thankful that you’ve taken the initiative to try to make it a safer place for you all to live in.

If you are more the enterprising sort, you can think about throwing a party. You can even theme the party around a sporting event or some other kind of major event so that everyone is sure to come over and say hello. Not only does this give you a chance to meet everyone in your hallway or building, but it also gives you a chance to have more in depth conversations with your neighbors so you can discover who you might have something in common with.

If you are only interested in meeting those in your building that you think you’ll be friends with, most buildings have a common area in which you can post announcements. You can always post an announcement for folks to come over to watch the big game or a big event if they choose to.

Depending on your lease at your new apartment, you will likely be responsible for utilities and other bills once you move into your new place. The price of your power bill can vary widely depending on where you call home. Some cities charge a flat rate every month that doesn’t change depending on how much you use, while some cities and towns use a meter reading just like most houses. Here are a few simple energy saving tips you can follow to help keep your power costs down.

One excellent power saving habit you can get into is to only use power in one room at a time. If you are in your living room watching television or on the computer, make sure that the lights in the rest of the apartment are off and that there are no other major electronics on throughout the rest of the house. Not only will this save you serious cash on your power bill, it won’t waste any precious energy, either.

Check out the light bulbs that are installed in your apartment when you move in and see if they are energy friendly bulbs. You can head to your local hardware store and pick up some of these great bulbs that use significantly less power and can last years without being replaced! You’ll save time and money.

Finally, don’t leave more than one light on when you leave the house. People sometimes like to leave the television on for pets, but it really is just a waste of power.

Thanks to a serious increase in building codes across the country, the modern apartment is one of the safest dwellings one can live in. Since the average apartment building is constantly being inspected and looked at by the owners and maintenance people that work there, any problems that come up are usually dealt with quickly, but sometimes, there are health risks we may not think of that could be affecting all of us.

One of the most common health problems in any building is bugs. While most of us look at insect infestations as simply a bothersome and disgusting annoyance, it can actually be a health hazard if the infestation is too large. There are many illnesses associated with bugs that can be traced to living among large amounts of droppings or from gases released by termites, so if you find an insect infestation in your apartment, report it to management as soon as possible. If immediate action is not taken, contact your local renter’s rights group to see what your options are.

Another sneaky health problem that affects many modern day apartments is mold and mildew. While you may be responsible and neat, there is no telling what your neighbors are doing on the other side of that wall. If you see signs of mildew or mold in your bathroom or in another part of your apartment, make sure you tell someone right away, because, often times, what you see is only the tip of the iceberg. There are many health concerns associated with mold and mildew, so don’t hesitate to contact your landlord.

Often times, when we hear about renter-landlord conflicts, most of us assume that the problem was with the landlord and that the renter was, for the most part, innocent. However, most landlords only have problems with problem tenants, so here are a few things you can do to help keep your landlord a happy person.

First and foremost, try to never be late on rent. Remember, your landlord is just like you. He or she is trying to make a living off of an investment, and it only causes problems when that investment doesn’t come through on time. The best way you can stay on good terms with your landlord is by paying rent on time, every time.

One of the biggest sources of conflict between renter and landlord is when the tenant requests something to be fixed and that request goes unheeded for weeks on end. We assume that the landlord isn’t doing his or her job because they are cheap or because they don’t want to invest the time, but that isn’t always the case. It could be a simple matter of priorities where there are other issues that need attention before yours. By automatically jumping to conclusions, you aren’t giving your landlord the benefit of the doubt.

Finally, calling your landlord ahead of time and asking about any changes you want to make in the apartment can go a long way in staying on their good side. Even if the lease says you can paint the walls, a polite, courtesy phone call to let your landlord know is always in good taste.

When you move into an apartment, whether it’s your first independent home or just another apartment, it can be a very exciting time.  The excitement and accompanying list of things to do is no reason to get sloppy with your reading, though.  By this, we mean reading the lease agreement in full.  This is your only defense to lease practices that may make your renting experience less than enjoyable.

Reading your lease and all pertinent riders is vital to your experience in the apartment complex.  It is your responsibility to know what you’re signing, after all.  Everything that pertains to the complex’s operations should be clearly spelled out within the lease agreements and riders.  This will cover the landlord’s responsibilities as well as your own.

Knowing what you are agreeing to is the best way to head off future problems.  This way you will not be taken by surprise when you are required to pay for certain items, repair specific things on your own or anything else that may come up.  It is also the best way to head off disagreements with management.  Knowing with is spelled out within your lease agreement is the best way to keep your relationship with the landlord or management company on an even keel.

Finally, while reading the lease and other paper work, you may come across phrasing or practices spelled out that you do not understand.  Do not sign anything until all items have been completely explained to you.  Knowing exactly what is expected of you and what you can expect from your landlord is the surest way to rent happily.

Your pet is your best friend, part of your family.  Why should you be forced to leave them somewhere else, or give them up just to move to a new apartment?  As a pet owner, you will eventually be faced with this dilemma, if you do rent apartments.  At some point, you are going to need to move, whether it is because of a job situation, new school or any other reason.  When you do, you’ll have to decide what to do with that pet.

Finding a pet friendly apartment can be a difficult, onerous task.  The vast majority of apartment homes available simply do not allow pets.  Short of smuggling your best friend into your new abode, what can you do to get an an apartment that actually allows pets?

Check with local animal shelters and large name pet stores.  Very often, they will know of apartment complexes in the area that do accept pets.  These are your surest be to continue living with Fido.

If there is none that accepts pets, or they are too far outside of the area that you need to live in, there are still other options.  You can ask the management face to face.  This is better than over the phone or through email; it is much harder to say know when your sorrowful pet is right there in front of the manager.

Also, you should be prepared for one thing; larger pets have a lessened chance of acceptance than do small pets.  Smaller pets are often welcomed into an apartment complex (with appropriate cleaning deposits, of course).  If you have a larger pet, you will need to get special permission from the landlord.

Keeping your apartment livable means more than just vacuuming once per week and walking your dog.  It means making sure that your home is clean.  Insects and rodents can make a home in any apartment, whether it is cleaned or not.  There are many factors that can influence whether or not your apartment will find itself in the middle of a bad B movie.

The cleanliness and upkeep of the complex is vital to the condition of your apartment. If the grounds are poorly maintained and the garbage infrequently removed, you can find yourself living a nightmare.  If you notice things of this nature, notify management.  If you do not elicit any response, you may have to take your complaints farther, but this is the place to start.

Ensuring that your home remains clean is another huge aspect of dealing with pests.  Insects and rodents can live on any food that you do, so make sure that all food is cleaned up as early as possible.  This includes washing your dishes on a daily basis, vacuuming and makings sure that crumbs are wiped up as soon as possible.  Doing this will help you keep your apartment pest free.

If you do find yourself battling insects or rodents, talk to your landlord or management company.  Many complexes supply pest control; take advantage of this.  Even if they do not supply it, chances are there is a pest control company that they do business with on a regular basis.  You can use this company as well and your landlord can give you the phone number.  Removing the pests before they become a huge problem will be your best defense.