Moving to a college apartment – what to expect?

There is a lot of independence to be gained when you are moving off-campus. It takes some time to accommodate to doing things that you haven’t done before. It can come as a surprise that you need to buy items such as furniture, lightbulbs, kitchen utensils, and others. When you make a list of your belongings, you might realize that you have more stuff to move than you have thought. In that case, you should look for residential movers Gaithersburg MD to help you out with the move. However, we have made of list of things that you can expect when moving to a college apartment. Hopefully, this will makes the entire process much easier for you.

Do some preparations before moving to a college apartment

Make sure to locate apartment complexes close to both the place that you work and to your school. In this way, you will surely cut down your fuel expenses and gas money. Complexes are also a safer option since they usually have more security like locked buildings or gates. Another important thing to do is to determine if the complexes let you have a co-signer. It is not likely that you’re going to earn a lot more than your actual rent while you are a full-time student. Therefore, when you are searching for complexes nearby, make sure that they allow rental agreements or co-signers.

Make sure that you have established a budget so that you know what you can afford as a college student. Perhaps you cannot afford to live in an apartment independently and need to consider having a roommate. Think of expenses such as utility bills, food costs, and monthly commute costs. Find a good internet provider that ensures that you have a stable connection. Check if you have electricity set up in all of the places that you’d need it.

Make a list of essential things for your apartment, stock up on supplies, and prepare packing material

Keep in mind that a lot of things that you take for granted may not be present in your college apartment. Items such as furniture items in each room, small appliances, cookware, utensils, dishes, and other necessities may be absent. Make a list of all of the items that you need to get. After that, contact your family members and ask if they have got any spare ones.

Before you move in, make sure to stock up on supplies. Go to a discount store and buy some cleaning supplies and non-perishable foods, so that you have a good start when you move into your new place. After that, see what you can move into your apartment and what you can store. Find a fully secure storage facility that offers both long and short-term storage if you need to put your items away.

Once you have determined that, go ahead and get all of the necessary packing supplies. You can then hire a moving truck, and load all of your stuff into it. Alternatively, you might want to consider hiring professional packers to do the packing for you. Not only will they pack your items up properly, but they will also move them for you. This will leave you with enough time to settle into your first college apartment and wake up fresh for the next day.

Moving into a college apartment

Before you move into your college apartment, make sure that the utilities are set up and working properly. Next, make sure that you have got all of the furniture that you need. Ask your family, visit thrift stores and discount furniture stores to pick up everything that you require before the move-in day. In case that you have a roommate, check with them if they want to bring something for the communal spaces. Doing so will ensure that you avoid unnecessary conflict and cluttering.

Another thing to think about is parking passes. Make sure to get them from your leasing office, and to do so before it closes on the move day. You don’t want to get into a situation where your car is getting towed away. There is also a chance that you will need to get a parking pass ready for the movers. They need to park their truck somewhere after all.

Furthermore, make sure to mark your communal stuff if you have a roommate. This includes glassware, decorations, books, and more. By doing this, you are effectively marking your belongings, which is crucial when the move-out day comes. Make sure to discuss this way ahead of the actual move day. The less conflict you have around that time period, the better. Another way of mitigating stress would be to take pictures of the apartment prior to moving in. This will prevent you from getting charged for stained curtains and scratched walls that were already in that state.

Fill out the change-of-address form and locate laundry services

Change your address, in order to avoid mail still going to your parent’s home or college campus. Filling out the change-of-address form ensures that you receive all of your mail. Also, you’ll receive mail with yellow tags from your previous address if you forget to alert businesses or other individuals. It serves to alert you that you need to update your address and tells you where to do so.

Last but not least, try to find out if laundry services are present in your apartment complex. Ask what payment methods are accepted and what are their work hours. If your apartment complex does not happen to have a laundry service, then locate laundromats that are nearest to you. You would either have to bring your own washing powder, purchase it from the laundry facility, or share it with others.

Final verdict

Consider all of the things mentioned above when moving to a college apartment and make an effort to get everything done on time. Do not be afraid of cosigners, as it does not reflect badly on your credit balance. Moreover, having a cosigner might enable you to rent out an apartment that you might otherwise not be able to. To make the entire process easier, look for the best moving companies in Maryland to handle the moving for you. After all, you’ll have one less thing to worry about and can enjoy your new college home.