It’s Tuesday, and you know what that means (we hope).
That’s right – it’s time for another edition of What I Rent; our weekly series that explores the reality of renting around the world.
Last week we were in South Norwood, London, with Grace and Nick, who pay £1,500 a month for their two-bedroom house.
This time around we’re in another two-bed property – but a good 4,000 miles away.
Today we’re chatting with Dani Klarić, 22, who rents an apartment with her boyfriend in Miami, Florida – and their cat, Jello, and dog, Nalu.
Dani is an interior decorator and content creator, so she knows how to make a space look amazing.
Born in Mexico, she spent most of her life in Miami, then lived in Spain, Los Angeles, and Colombia before making a return – describing the city has having ‘always been home’.
Here’s what she rents….
Hey, Dani! How much do you pay to live here?
We pay $5,100 a month for the apartment.
Amenities like wifi, electricity and water are around $250 a month. Plus an extra parking space that isn’t included with the rent and two storage units that are located inside the building (I have a lot of extra furniture because of my projects)
So our monthly expenses end up adding around to $5,700 per month.
And what do you get for what you pay?
An apartment with two bedrooms (with two walk-in closets), two full bathrooms, and a den.
Do you feel like you have a good deal?
Being completely honest, I don’t think it’s a good deal. The price is definitely very expensive. But because of the location and city I’m in, the price makes sense.
Whereabouts is your home based? What do you think of the area?
I live in Miami, FL. Around the Wynwood / Design District area! It’s a great location since it’s in the middle of Miami!
The area is definitely very up and coming, there’s always a lot of construction and new buildings, but I actually really enjoy living here since there’s always new things happening like art events and new stores!
The only bad thing is the traffic and chaos.
How did you find this property?
My realtor!
How have you made the apartment feel like home?
I decorated the whole place with all my favorite decor and art.
In the beginning it was a little scary to decorate such a modern apartment since my style is very vintage and retro, but somehow we made it work!
It feels so homey now and I love being home.
Have you found it difficult to decorate when renting? Is your landlord happy with you doing bits?
I’ve never really had a problem while decorating!
All my landlords have been okay with me painting walls and hanging stuff up as long as I return the apartment in the same condition it was received. Or if I don’t, they’ll just keep the deposit, which is fine because they’ll try to keep it anyway.
Do you feel like you have enough space?
It’s a very big apartment. When we first moved in my boyfriend and I asked eachother how we were going to fill up such a big space since we had zero furniture.
Six months later and it’s hard to find a place for my new stuff because nothing fits!
I definitely think it’s a good space but as an interior decorator- there’s never enough space! I’m always collecting new art and furniture but I’ve officially run out of space and walls, unfortunately. That’s why I have two full storage units with vintage furniture (that I’m trying to sell all online!)
Are there any problems with the home you have to deal with?
This is a ‘smart building’ so basically everything is handled through your phone. There are no door keys, only an app on your phone.
It seems cool until your phone dies and you can’t get into your house. Also, when we moved in our app wasn’t working so we had to type in a 10 number code into the keypad every single time we came home.
The other issue is the package room. They keep all the packages in one small room and it’s always a mess since there’s around 700 apartments. When you get a package they send you a barcode on the app to get into the room but the system is normally always down!
So they have to hire someone to sit outside and open every single time someone needs to get a package. And once you get inside, there’s a million packages and it takes you 20 minutes to find your little Amazon bag that was hiding behind all the other packages.
Do you have plans to move again any time soon? What about buying a place?
I’m looking to get another apartment in NYC to travel back and forth for work and keep this apartment for another year. After that, we plan to buy a house together in Miami!
We definitely want to own. My boyfriend and I have been saving up to buy.
I don’t like renting since I don’t think it’s a good way to spend money! It basically feels like I’m throwing my money out the window.
Fair. Shall we take a look around?
What I Rent is a weekly series that’s out every Tuesday at 10am.
Check back next week to have another nose around a rented property.
How to get involved in What I Rent
What I Rent is Metro.co.uk’s weekly series that takes you inside the places people are renting, to give us all a better sense of what’s normal and how much we should be paying.
If you fancy taking part, please email [email protected]. You’ll need to take pictures of your kitchen, living room, bathroom, and bedroom, plus a few photos of you in your bedroom or living area.
Make sure you get permission from your housemates! You’ll also need to be okay with sharing how much you’re paying for rent, as that’s pretty important.
We’re not just after the prettiest places out there, by the way. We want the reality of renting, so if you’re currently renting a place you hate, we’d love to see that too (and sympathise greatly!).
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What I Rent: Dani, $5,100 a month for a two-bedroom apartment in Miami, Florida
