I wrote about renting in the previous post and that got me to doing some more reading on renting and being tenants. I found a potential good read in the book The Tenant Survival Guide: Essential Reading for Prospective Tenants and Those Already in Rented Accomodation. Written by Lesley Henderson, it is touted to be a definitive guide for tenants – both prospective and current – who need to know all sorts of things ranging from things to look for when checking out a place, deposits, inventories, contracts, and so on.
I found the book on Amazon and was looking for user reviews and comments but I could not find any. The excerpts that I read were enough to entice me to take a closer look at it, though. You can see the first page in Amazon if you want to read it for yourself.
Some information on the author. Lesley Henderson runs a family business and has been a landlord for most of her life – practically all her adult life. This should give tenant readers assurance that she knows what she is talking about. Of course, there might be a bias towards landlords, given her position but that is what I want to find out in reading the book.
If you are as interested as I am, you can find copies from $10 to $14, used and new, from Amazon. And if you do get around to reading it, maybe you would like to share your thoughts and opinions in the comments?
So we’ve talked about high rent, ill-kept apartments, and new job opportunities. What other reasons are there that might require you to leave your current place of residence?
To be nearer your current job
This actually happened to me many years ago. I lived in a very nice and comfortable condo with a friend. It was big and yet cozy at the same time. It was located in a very nice district in the city. The rent was steep but we split it so it was fine. However, my job was about two hours away. That meant a total of 4 hours travel time and a lot of money spent on transportation. Though it meant leaving my nice place, I had to move.
To follow your dreams
I may be being whimsical here but hey, we do have dreams and sometimes, they take us down paths that may lead us out of our comfort zones. Let’s say that you’ve always dreamt of living in a place with a warmer climate and you’ve spent half your life in Detroit. What’s stopping you from moving farther down south to enjoy the rest of your life? Or let’s say you’ve always wanted to study the French language. If you have the money and the means to do so, what’s stopping you from pursuing your dream and moving to France?
Moving is not a simple thing. It is not easy. But if you find a reason to do so, go ahead. You can always move again, can’t you? 
Some people seem to be born settlers. Once they have found a place to live, they do not feel the need to move to another home. If they do, it happens very rarely and for very compelling reasons. On the other hand, there are some people who seem to have nomad blood in them. They move every couple of years or so – even more.
How do you know when it is time to move? What are the justifiable reasons for one to move?
I suppose that the reasons vary from one person to another. As I mentioned in the first paragraph, some need very compelling reasons while others would move on a whim. So what is justifiable to one may not make sense to another. However, here are some common reasons why you should consider moving.
Your rent is too high or your current apartment is not kept well.
This one’s a no brainer. If the rent is too high for you, then you should immediately start looking for a more affordable place to call home. Otherwise, you will find yourself in financial trouble as time goes on. As for the ill-maintained unit, unless you want to suffer, you should consider moving on.
You have a new job prospect.
This is one common reason for people to move. In these times of economic uncertainty, moving because of jobs is even more common than before. If you find a more lucrative opportunity somewhere else and it entails leaving your pad, what would you do? I would move.
(to be continued)
