I’ve been a nomad most of my life and have lived in a variety of environments that included several large homes and apartments, a small Hollywood bungalow, a double-wide mobile home, a room in a home, and now an ADU (additional dwelling unit). Since the tender age of four, I’ve lived exclusively in Southern California in 28 different locations. At various times, I enjoyed apartment life which has its advantages and disadvantages.
After years of ups and downs. . .
Many Baby Boomers find that they need to downsize. It may be that the kids have left and your house is bigger than you need it, you want a more affordable option, or would like to live in a location that is more convenient. Whatever the reason, apartment life might be your best solution.
The advantages of apartment life when you’re older
Apartment tenants, as opposed to those in rental homes, aren’t at as much risk of being asked to leave if the building changes owners. I’ve had to move several times from rental homes after the landlord sold them.
Apartments often have cool amenities. The last apartment I lived in had a fully-equipped fitness center and they held “get to know your neighbor” mixers almost every month. A gourmet food truck was also parked in front of the office once a week. Each building had a pool area and we were lucky to have a stacked washer and dryer in our unit as well as garages for both cars.
Handyman on call– If something went wrong in our apartment we put in an online service request and a handyman showed up within 24-48 hours.
Utility costs are minimal. When I lived in a big house our utility bill was as much as a mortgage payment, especially in the summer. Utility costs for an apartment are less and are sometimes included in the rental fee.
There’s no yard to maintain. The courtyard in our building had a pool, BBQ, and a grassy area with chairs. It was taken care of by gardeners and maintenance workers. As a former pool owner, having someone else deal with the expenses and care of a pool other than myself was a joy.
Pet friendly – Our two small dogs were welcome at our apartment complex. Apartment life isn’t an ideal environment for a large dog but small dogs and cats usually have no problem with it. Our pets got to meet other tenants’ pets when we took them out for walks. There were doggie poop containers in front of the buildings that were cleaned out every day by the maintenance staff. Living in an apartment with a dog who can’t go out a doggie door forces you to get out and exercise.
You can choose the location of your unit If you decide to live in an apartment when you’re older it’s usually best to find one without stairs or one that has an elevator if you’re not on the ground floor. Don’t add more risk for a fall especially when you’re carrying sacks of groceries.
There are nearby conveniences. Apartment buildings in a city, are often near restaurants, stores, banks, and other businesses.
Security – Most upscale apartment complexes have security staff that patrols the complex at night and there’s always a neighbor in a neighboring apartment in case of emergency.
Online connections – The apartment we lived in had a Facebook group for all the tenants. We sold furniture, announced events, got together for drinks, and reported problems.
RENTCafé did a study and found that as America is slowly graying (22% aged 60+), seniors are giving up homeownership in favor of the flexibility and convenience of renting. Renters households aged 60 and up drove the past decade’s surge in renters, with a 43% increase, from 6.55M in 2007 to 9.37M in 2017, outpacing the increase of owner households and growing faster than younger renter groups.
Over 55 community or not?
There are advantages to living in an over 55 community whether it’s an apartment complex or a gated community. One of my friends moved from a home she owned in LA to a retirement community near Laguna Beach. It’s called Laguna Woods and was formerly Leisure World.
She’s having the time of her life performing in theatrical products, singing, and even fell in love and got married. Her community has multiple clubhouses and all sorts of activities. It was featured on 60-Minutes when they showed the results of a survey on why people live to be 90+.
Our apartment complex had residents of all ages. A large number were film students from a nearby film school. It wasn’t uncommon to see lights, cameras, and action going on at all hours of the day and night. Some people didn’t enjoy the party atmosphere of our complex but we thought it was fun.
The disadvantages of apartment life
You obviously don’t own an apartment like you would a house or condo. You may be subjected to high rent increases if you aren’t living in a rent control area.
You have to deal with other people’s messes. Our apartment maintenance staff got a workout cleaning out abandoned apartments or garbage left by uncaring residents who thought they were their maid service. An occasional giant cockroach would show up once in a while but that can happen anywhere you live.
Apartment life is great if you live in a nice neighborhood but can be awful if you don’t. It’s worth paying a little extra for convenience and safety.
You may have to put up with the apartment company’s weird decorating choices. Our building was repainted with bright orange accents to match the leasing company’s brand colors. Most of the tenants were not thrilled with that choice.
I moved out of my apartment after my partner passed away because the rent was too high to pay on my own. However, depending on where you live, rents can be reasonable and more affordable than renting a home, if you don’t own one yourself. It depends on your location.
Have you considered apartment life? Please leave a comment below.
I have lived about a third of my life in apartments. Most of it was in public housing while growing up – enough said about that. But there is something to be said about apartment living as a senior. We finally convinced my mother in law, 87 at the time, to move from the house that had become way too much of a burden for her to an independent living senior complex, where she stayed until her health required a greater level of assistance than we and aides could provide her with. If only she had moved earlier she would have saved a TON of money – no lawnmowing fees, heat and cable included in the rent. Even there, there were negatives – it took forever to get any attention from maintenance, for one thing. I have to admit to you that my own rental experiences have been mixed. You really are at the mercy of your landlord. And I’ve known people, when their complex changed hands, were hit with tremendous rent increases where they could no longer afford to stay, once their leases expired and it was “the new landlord’s way, or the highway”.
I hear you about all that, Alana. You have to be careful which apartment you choose because you can get into a bad situation with any type of rental. I’m glad your MIL was able to enjoy a nice apartment where she had care and friends.
I love that you mentioned the senior living options, Rebecca. When my dad moved from a houseboat where he had lived for 24 years into a senior community, at first he said “but everyone’s old.” Within a month, he loved it.
My husband and I moved from our house in the San Francisco Bay area to Ecuador and have lived in four apartments and one cottage since we arrived five years ago. We love the ability to pack up and go somewhere different with only a month or two notice. One day we may build a house here but for now, having someone else responsible for the building is nice.
That’s so cool, Emily. I’ve heard so many great stories about Baby Boomers moving to foreign countries who really enjoy it. It’s something I’ve definitely thought of doing. I’ve heard wonderful things about Equador as well. So glad it has been working out for you.
We lived in apartments for the first 23 years of marriage, then moved into our current house, where we have been for the last 22 years. Since I run a dog care business the yard is crucial, but I hear you about the lawn maintenance, etc. Hubby and I are in our 60s and we both have arthritis, so it’s not so much fun. Also applies to winter snow clearing! Condos are all the rage here and that’s something we may consider later on. That neon orange is pretty garish! Hopefully, you’ll get used to it.