Navigating Independence: My Journey Through Rental Living

Embracing Independence: The Challenges and Triumphs of Rental Living

Living in a rental apartment is not for the faint-hearted, but it’s a necessary step for those seeking independence. According to a report by The Village, 54% of Russians believe that young adults should leave their parental homes at 18 and start living independently. I spoke with two young women about their experiences with rental living and the lessons they learned.

Svetlana, 27, Saratov

My journey into independent living began for a simple reason: I got into a university, and my parents lived outside the city. Commuting daily from the suburbs was an option, but renting an apartment seemed more convenient and safer. My first move was a lengthy and tedious process. I was 16, and everyone—parents, relatives, friends—helped me. It felt like I was being sent on an expedition to a distant land.

Now, I can pack all my belongings in an hour. I’ve moved out from my parents’ place several times. In this regard, I’m like a star on a farewell tour, currently looking for an apartment to move into again. My family reacts calmly each time because I’m an adult with my own life, and it’s normal to live independently.

The Search for the Perfect Apartment

Initially, my parents paid for my apartment. When I started working, they helped with moving, repairs, and groceries. Each time, the process begins with the decision to find an apartment and live separately. The right apartment always finds me—sometimes a friend rents out a room, other times someone is looking for a roommate to share the rent. I’ve tried finding apartments through ads and realtors, but they often offered terrible places at inflated prices.

One apartment I rented had half of it owned by a crazy old lady. I couldn’t get internet, hang anything, or remove her belongings. I only found out about these issues after agreeing to move in. The biggest headache during my search was dealing with realtors pretending to be owners and scammers renting out apartments they didn’t own. There are also unreasonable landlords who think their smelly, Soviet-era apartments are Buckingham Palace.

Dealing with Challenges

When you start looking for an apartment, you must accept that you’ll encounter places people mistakenly call homes. Or maybe not, because some people get lucky and find their dream apartment right away. I wasn’t so lucky, even though my requirements were minimal: hot water, sober and non-party neighbors, a warm and dry apartment, and no pests like mice or cockroaches.

One of the downsides of renting is the risk of frequent moves. You need to get used to this. In six months, I had to move four times. By the end, I didn’t even unpack my things; they just stayed in large 120-liter trash bags, which could also fit a body or construction debris if needed.

Financial Independence and Lessons Learned

At 16, you’re not truly independent, even if you rent an apartment. My parents didn’t just help me; they supported me. But by my fourth year of university, I was almost autonomous and paid for my apartment myself. Living in a rental apartment is a rollercoaster of emotions—constant moves, uncertainty about whether you’ll still be living there next month. Landlords can ask you to leave suddenly, and it’s usually unexpected.

In 90% of cases, my moves were because the landlords had relatives who needed a place to live. But there’s a plus side: you don’t accumulate unnecessary things, not even personal belongings, just the essentials. Rental living teaches you to let go of materialism and embrace minimalism. By the end, I had two trash bags of belongings. Anything that didn’t fit was thrown away. Minimalism is key.

What I love most is not having to report to anyone about not coming home for three days. Now, I don’t have that luxury. By seven in the evening, I get calls asking where I am, when I’ll be back, and how long I can stay at work.

You rely solely on yourself. If you have a financial shortfall, you’re the only one responsible. This teaches you to think about consequences and manage money wisely. Your landlord doesn’t care if your salary is delayed, if you’re on vacation, or if you’re unemployed.

Roommates and Freedom

Roommates are a given because renting an apartment alone is expensive. You never know what your relationship with them will be like until you start living together. Living with parents is easier and calmer, but you don’t have freedom. It’s like being a dog on a very short leash. Now, my parents know if I have a boyfriend. They know everything about me because I’m very emotional.

Now that I live with my parents again, nothing has changed. I still hate bringing anyone into my space. But it’s naive to think that everything will fall into place once you move out. New problems and responsibilities will arise, but at least there’s no leash.

Rental living is full of hardships, but you need to find the positives. When I started paying for everything myself, I realized that I could afford McDonald’s and a movie once a month. This brought some variety to my life, which otherwise consisted of everyday groceries from Auchan.

Financial difficulties are great motivators for finding a job to improve your living conditions. Soon, I could afford travel, better groceries, and larger purchases. But no matter how pleasant adult life is, no one is immune to setbacks. At one point, I burned out, tired of running this lifelong marathon. I quit my job and returned to my parents to heal.

For six months, I stayed home, half-heartedly looked for a job, and barely went out. My parents silently waited for me to rest, and they did. It’s important to remember that returning home is not bad; it’s worse when you have nowhere to return. Knowing that you have a place where you can heal and be accepted in any state gives you strength and confidence.

To those who are hesitant about moving out of their parental home, I say don’t be afraid. Yes, it’s a big change, and living independently is scary with a series of problems. But leaving the nest and starting your own life is necessary as soon as possible. It will be tough at first, but it will be your life, your routine. You can choose not to iron your clothes, not to wash dishes, not to worry about mess, or, conversely, arrange everything by color and shape. Either way, it will be as you want, and a little as the landlords want.

Daria, 23, Krasnodar

I decided to rent an apartment when I realized that living with my parents was very difficult. Since I was 16, I’ve been used to independence: I lived with my grandfather while my mother and father arranged their lives in their own homes. There was no sadness about the family as such, because I was used to taking care of myself.

I had my own room where I created coziness out of nothing, and freedom of action, which was limited only by the uncomfortable conditions that my grandfather created. Next to him, I grew up, and new interests and goals appeared in my life, but there were no opportunities to realize them in the conditions in which I lived.

I started dating a guy, but bringing other people home was strictly prohibited. But the scandals on this basis were the least of the problems. I was used to seeing chaos around me and came to terms with the fact that nothing could be fixed. I was simply ashamed to bring friends or young people home. Maybe I was just looking for excuses.

Constant quarrels and hysterics with my grandfather heated the situation to the limit: I packed my things and left to live with my father. There I was waited by a wonderful house, full of care, affection, and comfort. I didn’t need to cook, clean, or worry about anything. My father’s wife took care of me as if I were her own child. This paradise was far from the city, so soon I faced the problem of time.