Amenities are one of the perks of renting. When searching for an apartment, you’ll likely come across everything from hardwood floors to movie theaters to on-site spas. There are so many different types of amenities and features that you might even find them a little confusing. What do you really need? Would you use an on-site fitness center? That rooftop deck may look amazing, but are luxury amenities worth the higher cost?
The National Multifamily Housing Council recently conducted a survey of more than 350,000 renters. This survey included the amenities renters consider must-haves and which are nice-to-haves. Hopefully, reviewing what other renters deemed necessary will help you decide which features you’d like to have in your next apartment.
As you consider your options, it’s a good idea to determine what you need vs. what you want. Filtering by the amenities you need can help you narrow down your apartment choices. But before we get to that, let’s look at what renters said are the best apartment amenities.
Best Apartment Amenities
Step aside, carpet. There’s a new floor in town. Well, okay, not exactly, but wall-to-wall carpeting has lost some of its appeal for many renters. Wall-to-wall carpeting first landed on our floors during the 1930s, reaching its pinnacle of popularity in the 1960s when shag carpet became the height of home décor. Today, only 16 percent of the renters surveyed prefer carpet. What do most renters want in their apartments? Hardwood! It came in at a solid 70 percent.
Renters were a little more evenly split when asked which stove type they preferred, electric or gas. The majority chose gas at 45 percent, while 37 percent said they prefer electric. The rest either had no preference (14 percent) or chose induction (4 percent).
The runner-up in the best amenity category is a little more surprising: soundproof walls. The survey found that 94 percent of renters want soundproof walls, up from 91 percent in 2017. Garbage disposal came in at 92 percent, followed by high-speed internet access (92 percent) and in-unit washer and dryer (91 percent).
The winner of Best Apartment Amenity? Air conditioning! A whopping 95 percent of those surveyed said they would not rent an apartment without central air conditioning. That’s up a full percentage point from 2017, when 94 percent considered central air the best overall amenity.
Here’s an interesting trend: 51 percent of renters said they wanted an apartment with an internet-enabled fridge. A smart fridge is preferred over all the following amenities:
- A fireplace (43 percent)
- Virtual assistants (43 percent)
- Stacked washer and dryer (47 percent)
- A fully furnished apartment (21 percent)
Best Apartment Community Amenities
While apartment amenities are what you’ll find inside the unit itself, community amenities are those things shared with other tenants, such as a swimming pool or clubhouse. When asked what community amenities they preferred, 91 percent of renters said they wanted reliable cell reception. While still the most preferred amenity, fewer renters chose this than in 2017, when 92 percent wanted reliable cell reception.
The second most-wanted community amenity is a tie at 85 percent: controlled amenity access and a swimming pool. These are both up over 2017, when the results were 84 and 82 percent, respectively. Controlled amenity access means residents can only access common areas like the swimming pool or fitness center with a key or keycard.
Here are some other top community amenities, according to the survey:
- Secure, self-service 24/7 package access (84 percent)
- Fitness center (84 percent)
- Extra storage space in apartment (83 percent)
- Recycling (79 percent)
- Visitor parking (76 percent)
Some trends worth noting: electric car-charging stations, while still near the bottom of the list at 25 percent, is up significantly over 2017, when it was considered a top amenity by just 18 percent of those surveyed. Bike repair areas are also climbing in popularity, up four percentage points from 2017 to 23 percent.
Apartment amenity or apartment necessity?
Which apartment amenities were considered necessary? Not surprisingly, central air conditioning topped this survey question at 74 percent. Renters also felt that a dishwasher (63 percent) and garbage disposal (56 percent) were necessities. Rounding out the top necessities list were a washer/dryer in unit (55 percent), high-speed internet access (48 percent), and a microwave oven (47 percent).
How have recent events changed what renters considered must-have apartment amenities? Surprisingly, being at home more hasn’t changed much. Looking at search filters used on Apartments.com, we found that “in-unit washer/dryer” was the most-used filter back in 2019 and that’s still true now (21 percent and 20 percent, respectively). Dog-friendly stayed the same at 13 percent, and air conditioning rounded out the top three at 11 percent.
Apartment Community Necessities
What do renters consider “musts” in their apartment community? The top-rated community necessity was reliable cell reception, coming in at 44 percent. Non-smoking buildings came in second at 33 percent, and visitor parking rounded out the top three at 30 percent. Here are some other must-have community amenities:
- Fitness center (29 percent)
- Swimming pool (27 percent)
- Reserved resident parking (24 percent)
- Gated community access (20 percent)
- Recycling (20 percent)
The amenities considered least necessary (below 10 percent) included:
- Valet trash service (8 percent)
- Clubhouse (8 percent)
- Additional storage outside apartment (7 percent)
- Sustainability/green initiatives (7 percent)
- Outdoor playgrounds (7 percent)
- Hot tub (6 percent)
- Rooftop space (4 percent)
- Community pet-washing station (4 percent)
- Sauna (3 percent)
- Community vegetable garden (2 percent)
Even though “on-site fitness center” came in fourth in terms of the most-wanted community amenities, 90 percent of those surveyed said their current apartment complex has an on-site fitness center. Of those with a fitness center, only seven percent use it daily. Most renters stated they use it a few times a week (25 percent) or rarely (24 percent). When asked why they didn’t use the fitness center, 45 percent said they had “no interest.” Another 27 percent said they prefer classes or already have a gym membership, and 25 percent said they didn’t use the fitness center because it didn’t have enough or the right equipment.
When asked what fitness option they most preferred at their apartment community, 67 percent said they wanted instructor-led fitness classes on site. As for equipment, 80 percent want their apartment fitness center to have treadmills and 62 percent want elliptical machines.
Future Trends for Apartment Amenities
So, what apartment amenities are on the horizon? You guessed it! (Or, maybe not.) Movable walls are the amenity of the future. Apartment spaces will provide more flexibility to use rooms in multiple ways. For example, the dining table might be stored away and hidden, only to be pulled out when needed.
Your future apartment will not only be flexible, it will be smart. Apartments could feature everything from smart bulbs you can turn on before you get home to your refrigerator alerting you when an item is close to its expiration date. Future apartment communities might be more relaxing, as well, with increased green space and on-site yoga studios.
Seasonal Apartment Amenities
If you put a swimming pool or a fireplace on your must-have amenities list, keep in mind that you’ll only be able to use these features for a limited time. While a pool may sound like a great idea in July as you are searching for an apartment, you may find that having a swimming pool isn’t a huge plus in the middle of January (unless you are renting an apartment in Miami). Picnic areas might seem great, as well, but how often would you want to dine al fresco? You likely won’t use these outdoor spaces when it is very hot or cold.
Other amenities that are seasonal might surprise you. Your balcony, for example. While a balcony or patio is wonderful during the summer when you can garden and enjoy the early morning sunshine, you’ll get far less use out of the space when it is snowing or pouring rain.
Perhaps you want a fireplace. While a fireplace is terrific during the colder months and well worth having, during the warmer months it will go unused.
When choosing seasonal amenities, consider your location, how often you’ll utilize the amenities, and how much you might miss not having that amenity, even if it is only for a short time.
What to Look for During Your Apartment Search
Now that you have a better understanding of apartment amenities and how other renters view them, it’s time to decide what your must-haves are for your next apartment. Make a list. Divide your list into two sections: Must-Haves and Wants. In the must-have section, put the amenities that you can’t do without, whether that’s air conditioning, pet-friendly amenities, a fitness center, or a swimming pool. If you aren’t sure, ask yourself: “If I didn’t have this amenity, how would it impact me?” If you find not having it unacceptable, add it to your list of must-haves. If it’s something you would enjoy having but you wouldn’t miss it if you didn’t have it, then it’s a want.
When you go to Apartments.com, click on the menu to the right of the search box. In the drop-down menu, you can choose the amenities you want to filter for. Click all that apply. That’s it! The apartments listed should have your selected amenities. Now, go find that perfect apartment with all your “best” amenities, whatever they may be.
