‘What Renters Want’ with Jessica Fiur: Micro Units: Yay or Nay?

Some things that are “micro” are awesome. Like, um, Micro Machines, those metal toy cars that really freaking hurt when you accidentally step on them. There are micro minis (which make regular mini skirts look absolutely conservative). Uh, Microsoft Word. And microscopes. Yay for science! And now, micro-unit apartments are gaining popularity.

Are you jumping on the micro-unit development bandwagon?

There are certainly benefits to renting out micro-units (and there are several ways to market them). Less square footage means you can have more units in your building than you would with traditionally sized apartments. That means more renters, and more income for you. And it appeals to people who are more interested in the location than the actual apartment, or who don’t spend much time hanging out there. (It gives you phenomenal cosmic power, in itty bitty living space.)

But these micro units tend to have a higher turnover rate. After all, they might be good for single people, but if the renter gets married or has kids, then the person will have to get out of the lease in a hurry. (And, actually, now I’m having terrible flashbacks of a family vacation years ago when I had to share a cruise ship cabin—which had no windows—with my parents and my little brother. Those midnight buffets were not doing us any favors either.) So you’d constantly have to be marketing and showing these apartments to potential renters.

Then again, who would choose to live with a roommate if they didn’t have to, especially if you’re more than a few years out of college? Micro units make it impossible to have that fight with a roommate about cleaning those dirty dishes in the sink, A. because there won’t be anyone else in the apartment, and B. because there is literally no room for the dishes to pile up. That’s extremely appealing to renters.

But, when you think about it, what’s a couple of dirty dishes among friends to live somewhere that doesn’t start to feel like one of those pods everyone is hooked up to in The Matrix? Micro units are certainly not for people with claustrophobia, which could make it difficult to appeal to some people when showing the units.

What do you think? Do the positives outweigh the negatives to you regarding micro units in your buildings? Or are you sticking with traditional units?

-Jessica Fiur, News Editor

Photo credit: Rashchektayev