Once you’ve found the perfect city, the perfect job, and, most importantly, the absolute perfect apartment, it’s time to start considering the smaller details. Things like parking, community amenities, and pet policies are all important factors to consider when choosing your new apartment, but one of the most overall necessary items is oftentimes the one that gets the most overlooked – trash removal.
Fortunately, many apartment communities these days offer municipal waste removal service to their residents, but be sure to ask about the fine points before you sign your lease. Are the trash pickup fees rolled into your rent, or will there be an additional monthly charge? If so, is this an optional or mandatory service? Is pickup daily, weekly, monthly? All of these are important questions to raise prior to signing your lease.
Do you need to provide your own garbage cans, or does your apartment community offer dumpster service? IF so, this could be considered a serious perk – no more lengthy and costly trips to the dump to get rid of furniture or car tires for you! However, if you need to provide and care for your own rubbish bins, be sure you secure the lids tightly (bungee cords are ideal!) to avoid big time messes caused by curious critters like raccoons, cats and even neighborhood children.
Many states now have recycling laws in place as well, so be sure and ask your apartment community manager for details to help you avoid fines. And remember – unless your community provides large receptacles like dumpsters, odds are good that old mattress you leave out on the curb will still be waiting for you when you get home from work.
Don’t forget the old adage ‘one man’s trash is another man’s treasure’! Having a yard sale is a great way to clear the clutter from your new apartment while simultaneously raising some extra cash for a night out on the town. Just remember to ask permission from your apartment community manager before setting up your display, and odds are good you’ll be turning garbage into gold in no time.