Tips for your first Winnipeg apartment

Winnipeg Apartment Bargains!

Whether you’re moving into your first Winnipeg apartment or you’re signing a new lease, here are a few tips to make the transition into your new home as smooth and cost effective as possible.

The Little Things

If you’re moving into your first apartment you may not be ready to invest big bucks in everyday household items and gadgets. Luckily, Winnipeg has Dollorama stores all over the city and dollar stores are a renter-on-a-budget’s best friend.

Even if you think you’re totally prepared, Murphy’s Law will have you missing an essential item right when you need it most. Plates, cutlery, cheese graters and even cleaning supplies, are significantly less money than those at the local supermarket.

Everything you see in the photo here I was able to purchase at a local dollar store for under $25.

Tenant Insurance for your Winnipeg apartment

Although your landlord has insurance on their apartment building, that insurance doesn’t cover your personal property or the personal property of other tenants.  Without tenant insurance, a bathtub that overflows and floods several suites could result in charges against you not only for the damage caused to your suite, but also to the building, the other suites, and the belongings of the other tenants.

Tenant insurance is very affordable with basic coverage starting at around $100 annually. Tenant insurance is also available through most insurance companies. For more information on tenants insurance in Winnipeg check out this newsletter (PDF) from the Manitoba Residential Tenancies Branch.

Find your Breaker Panel

Some apartments have breaker panels inside the individual apartments; others have them in the basement. Unless you enjoy a midnight scavenger hunt in total darkness, it’s best to find out where yours is located before you need to find it.

Get to Know Your Neighbours

When living in an apartment it is important to be respectful of others in your building, not just for their benefit, but also your own. If you show respect for your neighbours they’ll be more likely to give you the same consideration.  If this is your first apartment you may not realize what your neighbours can hear through the walls. Introduce yourself to your neighbours, let them know that if you’re making too much noise they should feel free to let you know and they’ll likely show you the same regard.

A few other things you can do to show neighbourly consideration include:

• Doing your vacuuming, hammering nails, or aggressive dishwashing before 9:30 p.m. You may be a night owl who can function on three hours of sleep and a pot of coffee, but that’s not for everyone.
• Keeping the volume of your music at a reasonable level. You may feel that you have the best taste in music but that doesn’t mean everyone shares your opinion, so keep the base beats to a minimum or use headphones.
• Letting your neighbours know that you’re planning to have people over. It’s polite, and if you feel comfortable doing so, give them your phone number so they can call you if they feel the noise level is becoming too extreme.

All the best in your new Winnipeg apartment!

Winnipeg Apartment Tenant Insurance – What you need to know.

Have you purchased Tenant Insurance for your Winnipeg apartment yet?

You’ve just rented an apartment in Winnipeg and you’re ready to move all your worldly possessions into your new home.  But are you? Have you purchased Tenant Insurance?

You may be asking yourself, why do I need Tenant Insurance, surely the landlord of a large apartment building has insurance to cover me, no? The truth is your landlord most likely has commercial insurance to cover the physical building, and liability insurance to cover accidents at the building. Tenant Insurance generally covers important things that your landlord’s insurance does not cover.

You need Tenant Insurance to cover your personal property such as furniture, electronic equipment and clothing in case of perils such as fire or theft. Tenant Insurance will also protect you if a visitor to your apartment home injures themselves while in your apartment. As well, tenants must pay for any damage they may accidentally cause in the landlord’s building, such as flooding due to water left running or a fire caused by cooking. Tenants can also be held financially responsible for damages that extend to other apartment suites, including any personal property in those suites.

Tenant insurance covers two basic areas – Liability and Contents

• Liability protects the tenant if they or their guest does something to damage the building or if a visitor to their apartment injures themselves and sues for damages.
• Content covers personal possessions.

Another feature of Tenant Insurance to consider is additional living expenses. This can cover costs associated with living outside of your apartment home while repairs are being made, should the damage be sufficient enough to prevent you from living there. Ask about limits on additional living expenses, such as whether meals are covered. Sometimes insurance companies will limit the costs allowed.

You will also need to decide on the type of coverage you wish to purchase. All Risk insurance covers a wide variety of possible misfortunes while Named Perils covers only those situations specifically named in the insurance policy.

Make sure to ask whether the Tenant Insurance policy covers your possessions at replacement value or at a depreciated value. You’ll also want to know what the deductible on the policy is, and if there are discounts available based on the apartment construction type or life safety equipment available on the apartment site.

Ask the right questions and ensure you have adequate Tenant Insurance. You cannot afford to be under-insured!