Many Americans prefer to live in rented apartments rather than in their own homes
Renting an apartment in America is not a bothersome task at all. First of all, because the entire urban infrastructure is tailored to the person renting an apartment. And it's not just about the crisis: both ten and fifty years ago, the ratio between those who owned their own housing and those who rented was in favor of the latter. Of course, owning a home is the dream and goal of life for the vast majority of Americans, but many approach this goal only by the age of 50. And there is a whole category of people for whom it is more convenient to rent an apartment so as not to bear the heavy burden of homeownership.
People approach renting very simply, apparently without any hang-ups. Switched to another job and now it takes an hour and a half to get there? Okay, we change apartments and move. Got a pay cut? We give up the two-story penthouse and rent a regular one-level two-bedroom. As Novye Izvestia notes, no one here is surprised that a family left a cozy and beautiful apartment they had been renting for years and moved to another neighborhood just because the school there is better (by the way, it's common to chase good schools not only from neighborhood to neighborhood but even from city to city).
All this mobility and ease of relocation is explained not only (and not so much) by the traits of the American character, but by the extreme development of the rental market. In California, for example, 'for rent' advertisements simply make your eyes swim. Detached houses are rented out. Apartments in buildings, or as they are called here, 'communities,' are rented out. You can rent a modest one-bedroom apartment, or a five-room luxury suite with three bathrooms. Not-so-prosperous Hollywood is all about rentals, but even prestigious Beverly Hills is not only about star mansions; a huge number of people in that area simply rent their homes.
Vans move all around Los Angeles, their main purpose being to quickly move people from one apartment to another. For a fee, of course. So one market spawns another, that is, the rental market organically created the moving market. Watching the movers work is a sheer pleasure: everything is done quickly, precisely, following a scheme honed over years. The very next day after some tenants leave, managers begin preparing the apartment for the next ones. In two or three days, workers do a complete cosmetic renovation of the apartment, replace the stove, microwave, dishwasher, paint the kitchen cabinets, and if necessary, replace the carpet. And new tenants live each time in a new apartment, free of the spirit of previous inhabitants, which is, of course, very good.
Landlords typically sign a one-year lease with new tenants (if you break it, you can lose the deposit money), but if you try hard, it's quite possible to rent an apartment for six months. It's clear that property owners are interested in not having apartments sit empty, so the hired management team will do their best to keep people in their community. Sometimes it seems that these managers' imagination knows no bounds. The management team of one Los Angeles community, for example, invites all tenants to come into the office (something like a housing office, but nicer), located on site, at any time and enjoy various types of coffee and pastries. Before the Christmas holidays, the managers announced that tenants could bring gifts meant for friends and family, and they would wrap them in beautiful paper with ribbons. Before Valentine's Day, a photo shoot was offered against a backdrop of mountains, palms, and a pool. A few days ago, a chef from a famous restaurant came and gave a master class with a tasting of various Korean dishes.
Notably, all of this doesn't cost people a penny – it's gifts from managers aimed at creating a family atmosphere and keeping tenants from changing roofs over their heads. To be honest, many of the ideas are impressive. I mean, how can you not get teary-eyed from an announcement like: 'If you don't have time to drink even a cup of coffee in the morning, tomorrow at 7:00 a.m. at the community exit, a team of our employees will be waiting with packed breakfasts'!
If your faucet breaks, they will fix it; if the dishwasher clogs, they will unclog it; if the microwave breaks, they will replace parts; and all that is required from the tenant is to leave a review on how quickly and well the work was done. And this is one of the significant advantages of living in a rented apartment. Of course, the managers also have their own requirements for tenants – for example, not to make noise after 10 p.m., or not to hang laundry and not walk pets on the balcony, not to smoke; but here everyone is used to following the rules, especially if they are reasonable.
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