Renting A Duplex Or An Apartment? Deciding Which Is Best

Itโ€™s been 7 years since I moved out of my parentsโ€™ house. To date I have lived in two apartment complexes and two duplexes. In my experience, both have some pros and cons. Most people I know tend to move into apartment complexes as young adults. I think people tend to forget, or maybe just donโ€™t know, that you can rent duplexes for around the same price in most areas. For me, apartment living felt quite a bit different than duplex living. Here are the proโ€™s and cons of apartment complexes vs duplexes in my experience.

renting an apartment or a duplex. The benefits and disadvantages of renting an apartment vs a house.

The benefits of living in an apartment complex:

They are usually very easy to move into. If you have a very short time-frame to find a place to live, you can sometimes get a lease signed on an apartment building within a day or two. Most apartment complexes have an empty unit at any given time so itโ€™s fairly easy to get in because they have so many units. Duplexes come up for rent less frequently because there are fewer units.

A maintenance man. Most apartment complexes have a hired maintenance worker who will show up if anything in your apartment breaks. This isnโ€™t always true for renting a house or duplex.

Free trash service. Most apartment complexes have a shared dumpster that all of the apartments can use free of charge.

Neighbors. If you are a social person, or have children, having several neighbors can create a fun community experience that you can benefit from.

A park. Many apartment complexes have a playground area that is nice if you have younger children. One apartment complex that I lived in also had a community pool and a โ€œclub houseโ€ which was basically an upstairs garage with a couch, bean bags, a video game set and free WiFi.

Air conditioning & a dishwasher. Most apartment complexes provide each unit with an air conditioner (or central air) and a dishwasher.

Free snow removal and lawn mowing. Itโ€™s so nice to not have to worry about these chores!

It can be very cheap. In my area, some complexes have efficiency apartments which are lower in rent than anywhere else I have found ,by about $100 a month. If money is extremely tight then going with an efficiency apartment could be your cheapest option.

The cons of living in an apartment complex:

Lots of neighbors. You will likely have people living on both sides of your apartment, and above and below you. If any of these people are not mindful of their noise-level, that can be problematic.

Frequently changing neighbors. People tend to move more frequently in and out of apartments. In one of our apartment complexes, we had great neighbors at first but they moved and were replaced with more rowdy neighbors.

Yearly leases. In the complexes I have been in, they require that you sign a fresh 12-month lease at the end of each lease. With duplexes, weโ€™ve signed a 12 year lease up-front but then it became month-to-month. Of course, read the lease before moving in to see if this is how your apartment or duplex lease will work.

No private yard. While your complex might have some yard, it will be shared property with other residence so lounging around outside alone isnโ€™t really realistic.

Cheap furnishings or decor. Most apartment complexes that I have been in have very cheap, thin carpet, and those thin, easy-to-break window blinds. My town does have some higher-end apartment complexes but they tend to be rather expensive to rent.

The benefits of renting a duplex:

A more private yard. While you will be sharing it with another person or family, itโ€™s pretty easy to divide a yard in half if the duplex is side-by-side. When renting duplexes I try to consider โ€˜my yardโ€™ the area from where my half of the house begins over to the edge of the property line. The other tenants have just naturally assumed this as well so we have our own โ€˜halvesโ€™ and donโ€™t feel like we are invading their space when spending time outdoors.

More space. Duplexes tend to have more living space than apartments, especially in the bathroom and kitchen areas.

It feels more personal. When I was living in an apartment complex, seeing all of the apartments lined up and all my neighbors made it obvious I was โ€˜borrowingโ€™ a portion of a building. My duplexes are more spread out, and had a bit of a yard, etc so it feels more like my own space.

They can sometimes include additional space such as an attic, basement or garage. At my current duplex we have a two car garage. In my first duplex we had a small shed outside that we could use to store yard or garden items that werenโ€™t in use.

More freedom to customize. Our landlords were happy to let us paint, garden in part of the yard, plant flowers, etc. These are nice benefits for anyone interested in gardening, improving decor or planting flowers but they also help me feel like the space is more โ€˜oursโ€™ seems how we have customized it a little.

Only one neighbor sharing a wall with you. When you only have one person sharing walls with you, the odds of dealing with noise late at night or early in the morning is lower. I also personally found it easier to become closer with my neighbor when I only had one. They were the only people I knew who had the same landlord, and they were the only people sharing the building with me so if I had questions about anything it was natural to want to talk to them about it.

The ability to choose location. When we began looking at duplexes, we saw some in town, some in suburb-type areas and some in the country. Itโ€™s pretty rare to see apartment complexes outside of a city, so if you have an interest in country living than duplexes can be a great benefit in that way.

More likely to have washer/dryer hook-up. Complexes tend to have a shared coin laundry area. Duplexes are often converted from single-family homes so they have a higher chance of having a washer-dryer hook-up. One of my favorite benefits of living in a duplex is having my own washer and dryer so I donโ€™t have to use a coin-operated laundry room or go to a laundry-mat anymore.

The cons of renting a duplex:

No on-site maintenance man. If you need something repaired, you will need to contact your landlord and wait for them to either hire someone for the job, or to fix it themselves. In our first duplex, our landlord would say he would hire someone to make repairs for us when he had the money, but after months of nagging he never got around to it.

Lawn and snow care is usually your own responsibility. This requires more time and effort on your side if you can do the job yourself, or youโ€™ll have to spend money to hire these services.

Quality of the house can vary a lot. When renting a duplex itโ€™s really important to look really closely at the home before signing a lease. We looked at some duplexes that looked okay at first, but on closer inspection had water leakage issues in the sink area and we realized the roof leaked due to stains on the ceiling. Not all landlords are willing to make major repairs such as a new roof for tenants so itโ€™s important to know what you are moving into before signing anything.

The home-owner/landlord may still live in the other half of the home. I have friends who rented a duplex, and the home-owner lived in the other portion. The home-owners still had the attitude that the entire home was their own, which left the tenants feeling like the duplex wasnโ€™t really โ€˜their spaceโ€™ which was uncomfortable for them.

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In my experience, apartment living is ideal if:

You value the convenience of not having to take care of your own yard work, garbage and/or household repairs.

You are very social and enjoy living in a busy community.

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On the other hand, duplex living is more ideal if:

You value having a large yard, and lots of space to yourself.

You prefer a quieter space that feels more your own.

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If you still have conflicting feelings about whether an apartment or a duplex is right for you, try looking for the best of both worlds. For example, maybe you donโ€™t want to pay for snow removal ,but you would like a space for your children to play outside. Perhaps the โ€˜best of both worldsโ€™ for your family would be choosing an apartment complex with a playground and pool. Or, maybe you can find a duplex with a landlord who is willing to hire snow removal services for you when needed.

Have you lived in an apartment complex and a duplex? Which did you prefer?

Comments 5

  • Tyler Meredith

    Itโ€™s interesting to read about some of the differences between renting an apartment vs a duplex. It makes sense that a duplex would be more like a home in that youโ€™d have to collaborate with your neighbor to maintain the area. Iโ€™ll have to remember this because Iโ€™m considering building a condo and it could be good to know if the other resident is able to help with yard work.

  • Angie

    I have lived in 3 apartments. It reminds me of living in a college dorm. Too many weird or nosy ass neighbors. My last apartment was broken into and my TV was stolen plus another neighbor brought in bed bugs. Iโ€™m in a duplex now in an older home. Some problems are to be expected . Like the water due to old galvinazed pipes. But structurally Ive had no problems. Alot of newer complexes donโ€™t have as much fire safety as you think at your at higher riisk for being a crime victim because in an apartment people are just stacked together

  • Becca Holton

    Iโ€™m actually having conflicting feelings about whether an apartment or duplex would be better, so this was helpful. I can see how itโ€™ll be helpful to start by seeing the best of both worlds. It could even help to consult with a real estate agent to help figure out what would best suit you.

  • Julie

    I have lived in a duplex for almost 8 years now & for the last 3 it has been almost unbearable. This neighbor has a dog who barks a lot if the owner isnโ€™t home.The tenant himself is younger than myself but was not one of the original 3 roommates who rented this duplex. He was dating one of the girls & the other girl got upset BC he was spending time, lots of time & didnโ€™t want to help with the bills.Ok she moves out so the guy roommate & one girl are left. He is made to feel like an intruder in his own home by this guy & girlfriend so he moves.Now the 2 lovebirds have the duplex to themselves. They break up & now he has this 3bed/2bath. all to himself, he didnโ€™t have to pay a deposit, nothing. The noise level is bizarre, ridiculous, rude. I have spoke to him in person, on the phone, by text & explain to him how thin the walls are.I have had 2 roommates both of whom left BC of the amount of noise. Landlord does nothing. He was using my trash can but I had to prove it so I did. It got a little quieter after his girlfriend moved out. It has been over a year & omg another girl moves in. Noise level out of control. Guess its time to move. But before I do move I will get him for animal cruelty. Poor dog never gets to go outside s*** on the floor he tells me this. I did not get upset at the dog barking because he canโ€™t talk. I have offered to walk the dog for him occasionally several times he said I could not handle it because the dog is a pitbull.He has the dog for 1 reason BC he is a drug dealer. Have seen it with my on eyes. Landlord doesnโ€™t care.

  • Wesley Willis

    I live in utter hell day after day w/in a Chicago Duplex. My newer neighbor is the noisiest of now 5 sets of neighbors over many years. His chubby loud-mouthed girlfriend has moved in now (landlord prob has no idea, and the dummy thinks I dont know she is sleeping, sh*tting, toothbrush & clothes are here, nor notice her loud voice rings daily when she gets excited talking, et). Man she has a heavy motherf*ckung step (shes like 35, still lives with her parents, so sheโ€™s a new love edition for my neighbor & his Unit, and hell for me). Old house. I dont want to listen to music when they do. I dont want to smell when they smoke weed or make food. I loathe when I hear them f*ck (Irish guy, probably smallish, so he goes at it hard -headboard city). I dont want to hear music until 5am as they snort inhalants (white Columbian marching powder).

    Oye, I want out, but Ive lived here longer and I hate to get pushed out by an oblivious Party Boy & Party Girl. I liked this house and location, for many years. But, I think Im going to bail. Forgive the rant. Oh yeah, I live on the top floor, yet their door slamming and heel-to-toe, oblivious walking shakes the building. Why they pace from one end to the other incessantly, no fโ€™ng clue. No way to live hearing others you CANT TUNE OUT. Just my $0.02.
    *Check quality of construction before moving into a space. Or, make sure your neighbors arenโ€™t selfish putzes! I dont complain (Ive hinted), but complaining would make things even more uncomfortable). The dude is Ok, I kinda liked him, but Im sure I piss him off now too as I cant contain my disdain for he and his heavy hitting g/f, rocking my world.

    Fat g/f edition along w/ my new(er) neighbor have completely voided my once comfy apartment of ANY safe, soundproofed space! I have NO SAFE SPACE, it SUCKS!!! (if theyโ€™re home, I can hear them, period). Stereo placement, always 1 of the 2 are home, they love to party.

    I think I f*cking hate this place the more I type. Ive just convinced myself its time to split. Landlord can put some lipstick on this pig and charge more $$, so everyone but me wins (unless new tenants are Trust-Fund Sumo Wrestlers who never have to work, have the heaviest of steps, I can only pray). Regretfully yours, Leasing Blues (learn from the rant peeps) I love you all ๐Ÿ˜€

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