Tips for Community Living
“Yikes! Where did that kid come from?” You don’t want these to be the words you’re screaming while you slam on the brakes in your apartment parking lot. The fact is that living in an apartment community can be a much different experience than other types of neighborhoods. Special considerations need to be taken for children, elderly and others who may have physical impairments. The staff at Apartments.com has assembled some apartment manners for those who mean well but need to make the adjustment to community living. After all, you don’t want to be banned from the block party this year.
Tip 1: There are people around—watch out!
We understand you’re multitasking these days and those precious minutes you spend in the car every day on your way home are a great time to catch up on calls or texts. Hopefully you’re using an earpiece on the phone and NOT texting while driving, but once you get near your apartment, hang up! The National Safety Council recommends only making calls in emergencies and not while behind the wheel. This goes double for apartment living. Children often have no where else to play but the in street in front of your building or in the parking lot. Adults, including the elderly, may enjoy walks outside of their apartment and other recreational activities. A person with a handicap may have to travel to the central mailbox near the street. These are all reasons to slow down and pay extra attention when you approach your apartment.
Tip 2: Be courteous
In your college town, parents’ house or first home, you may not have been very concerned about things like taking care of your trash in a timely manner or keeping the noise down. In your new apartment, these little considerations could become major annoyances for your neighbors. Garbage bags should never be left sitting in outdoor areas. It may seem petty but if there are multiple dumpsters for your complex, use only those that are close to your unit. Neighbors tend to think it rude if you are constantly dumping your trash into someone else’s dumpsters, even if you consider all the dumpsters fair game.
When it comes to noise, it’s not just loud parties that will have 4F sneering at you in the hall. You and your roommate may love your raucous midnight monopoly tournaments which often end in belly-shaking laughter but the mom with three kids who shares living room walls with you might not find it so hysterical. The same goes for late-night cleaning sprees—vacuum cleaners are VERY loud. Remember that apartment walls tend to be thinner than you think. When it starts to get late, keep it down.
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