Are you hunting for the perfect home for your little family? Do you want the next property you rent to be safe for your children? Then you should make sure that when you are house hunting, you are taking into consideration what children need when moving into a new house. As you can imagine houses come in all sizes and shapes and you have to make sure that the one you rent will meet your needs as your family grows.
While you think about factors like clean air, local transport and school options, your children also need other things when you move into a new home. If you don’t know where to start, this article will act as a guide for you.
Choose a sofa with fixed cushions
As you can imagine children want to pull everything out of its place, and the sofa is no exception. If the property you intend to rent features furniture, you should check the type of cushions the living room sofa has. A fixed-cushion sofa will help you maintain your living room organised and the children will have lower chances to damage the sofa. This way you can ensure that, they will not get hurt while they are playing or when trying to build forts from your furniture items.
Stairs can pose dangers to children
If the children are under five, it’s advisable to check the properties with no interior or exterior stairs. As you can imagine, stairs can easily threaten your children’s health and even life, so you should make sure you protect them from any possible danger. If the entryway has stairs, you may have difficulties entering the house when you carry a stroller. Physical limitations are the last thing you want in a rented house. If there are no houses without stairs in your region, you should at least choose one that has a bedroom on the ground floor, it’s more child-friendly.
Noise proof house
When raising a toddler you want to make sure that you are moving into a house that will not disrupt their sleep hours. You should check if the houses are insulated, and the windows and doors keep the noise out. You may also want the child’s room to be located close to yours to hear them when they cry during the night.
It’s advisable to rent a house that is placed far away from busy streets, highways, night clubs and other factors that can disturb your peace. The house layout can tell you a lot about the privacy and noise you get when living there. Make sure that no neighbours are peeking into your bedroom, and no street noise leaks into the house.
The ideal family house has a yard
Children love to spend time outdoors playing with their pet or other children, so it’s recommended to check the ones with yards. A large fenced yard will allow your children to play safely while you are completing house chores. When staying in a house with a yard you can install a small swimming pool during summer and make snowmen during winter. But you should know that large lots are more expensive to manage and maintain than small ones, so you should also consider your budget.
It’s important the yard to be shady to allow the children to play outside even during summer. If the yard is large enough, for you to plant veggies, then you may want part of it to be sunny. So you should determine what its purpose will be to understand if it’s suitable for your needs or not.
Rounded furniture items
It doesn’t matter how spacious your house is, the possibility your child to run around and bump into a furniture corner is quite high, so you should try to prevent it. When renting a family home with furniture, you should check if it comes with rounded corners, or if there is any possibility for you to install bumpers. Furniture corners can damage your children’s head so you should stay away from any item that has a sharp edge. If the house you rent is empty and you have to purchase furniture, you should keep this aspect in mind.
Neighbourhood facilities
Let’s start with the school, you should make sure that you are moving into an area that meets the kids’ school needs for at least 5 years, You should check rankings for the local schools to make sure that you are moving into the right area.
You should also check the play spots, parks and libraries children could access in the area where the house is located. You want the parks and play spots to be located close to your house not to spend time on the road.
While some people love their cars, for parents it’s important to stay in an area where speed is limited, or even car access restricted. The areas with high walking potential should be top of the list when searching for a house for rent. Check the bicycle and walking paths to ensure that your children can ride their bike in safety conditions.
Pet-friendly landlord
A pet is essential in your kids’ life, it will teach them how to be responsible from a young age and it will keep them active. But when looking for a house to rent you should make sure that the property you choose is pet friendly because the last thing you want is the landlord to tell your kid to get rid of their turtle. It will break their heart.
If you have a dog, alongside a pet-friendly property owner you also want the neighbourhood to accept people walking their pets around the streets. You should check if there’s a space especially designed for dogs to play and if your neighbours have some uncommon pets like chickens that can become a target when your dog is in a playful mood.
When renting a house in a neighbourhood governed by a homeowners’ association, you should check if they have additional restrictions when it comes to pets because you may consider them a member of the family, but not all people may share your opinions.
