Stolen milk packets, missing newspapers, plumber not responding..…. it’s going to be another eventful day on our apartment resident’s WhatsApp group. You can grab your morning tea and lean in to the ensuing WhatsApp drama. I like the life in an apartment, its like a beehive, buzzing with activity. The quiet life in a bungalow is pretty pale in comparison.

Apartment life is rather complex if you are an owner and rather peaceful (and amusing) if you are renting. But then nobody takes this aspect into account when deciding whether to buy or rent a place in the city. Renting vs owning is considered a pure financial decision. We are currently renting in the city and am very happy with the decision and the choice of our apartment. The apartment is spacious, the surroundings green and situated away from the main road and hence peaceful and beyond the reach of traffic noise. But we can’t afford the price tag nor the mortgage payments. We could have compromised on another flat and bought in for the sake of ownership or rented out the place we actually liked.

As a lessee we are not involved in the day-to-day running of the apartment, which is the privilege of the owners. We have mix of owners and renters living here. And being a lessee, you are not emotionally involved in the decisions regarding the house as it is not personal for you. And it goes without saying that the WhatsApp group of the residents in our apartment is always whirring with activity and it is amusing to watch the problems people bring up, the heated arguments and finally the resolutions. There are heat of the moment exits, forming alternative groups, silent treatment etc all providing plenty of drama.

If you are an owner and paying an EMI for the flat – the mud on the carpet in the gym, the scratches on the service lift, the state of the garden, the lethargy of the security at the gate and many other things can eat you out. You spot lapses and are a stickler for rules. I am all for responsible renting as it is my home too and my surroundings speak about me. But the above mentioned things do not affect a lessee as badly as does an owner.

If you are considering buying an apartment, it would be advisable to gear up for the emotional upheaval in addition to the financial burden. Short term pains for long term gains ? Only if you plan to stay at the place for good, which in current scenario is unlikely as mobility is definitely a virtue in the current job market.

And now our presswala (ironing man) is threatening to quit…..why? and can the managing committee convince him otherwise….its a WhatsApp matineee 😁

Till next post, take care !!