Thinking about living in an apartment complex that has amenities? Amenities, whether a swimming pool, on-site fitness center, extra storage, or open common areas, can be great for your lifestyle.
Are apartment amenities free? This is a great question and one that you should ask your landlord or property management company early on in the process and especially before signing a lease. Find out if the fees are one-time or recurring (every month). If there are fees, inquire what benefits are associated with these fees. In general, most apartment complexes will include almost all amenities for free, and only charge for certain amenities, but you need to ask.
Below are some of the most common amenity fees you might see and the associated costs for each.
• General Amenity Fee – If charged, it can usually be up to $500 (one-time fee); or some might charge $30 per month. These fees, if charged, are typically more common in newer construction downtown buildings.
• Swimming Pool – If charged, $30 to $50 per apartment to access the pool for the season
• Parking – If charged, parking can range from $10 to $400 per month for an outdoor parking space and usually $50 to $600 per month for a garage parking space. It varies greatly depending on if you are in a major city, suburban area, or rural community.
• Bike Storage – If charged, can be $10 to $20 per bike per month.
• Storage – If charged, usually $50 to $200+ depending on the size of the storage unit, whether or not it’s climate-controlled, and the location of your building
• Valet Trash – If charged, usually a fee of about $10 to $15 per month
• Fitness Center / Gym – Usually free
• Club House – Usually free unless renting for a specific event in which case there is likely a small hourly rate fee and/or clean-up fee.
• Electric Car Charging Stations – usually you pay based on usage
• Package Management / Package Lockers – there could be a small nominal fee of $3 to $5 a month or sometimes just a small one-time activation fee of $30 to $50
• Special Services – special services such as dog walking, spa treatment, and more will usually involve a fee. Often times a building could set up relationships with third-party vendors that provide these services and you would pay that third-party vendor directly.
Note: These are ONLY meant to be a rule of thumb and could vary greatly from building to building.
