South Florida rentals get an amenities makeover

As many, young and old, opt to rent rather than buy, a race to upgrade amenities on rental buildings has ensued, the Sun Sentinel reported. Rentals that used to come with a pool and maybe a small gym now come with upscale social events on site that include wine tastings and cooking demonstrations by chefs from local restaurants.

“Rent isn’t a four-letter word anymore,” Mike Larson, a housing analyst with Weiss Research in Jupiter, who rents a unit at the Satori Apartments in Fort Lauderdale, said. 

At AMLI at Flagler Village in Fort Lauderdale, tenants have access to a fenced-in dog park, yoga, spinning and dance classes, all of which are included in the monthly rent. The Falls at Marina Bay in Fort Lauderdale features a theater where they show movies. And when completed the Altis at Sheridan Village, a 300-unit development in Pembroke Pines, will give give tenant the ability  to grow organic vegetables and herbs on plots that include composters, when they aren’t using the building’s resort-style clubhouse, activities pavilion, soccer field or dog park.

“It’s luxury living,” Alexis Isalgue, a resident of the Satori said. “In years past, there was a stigma attached to renting. Now I say to people, ‘Want to come see where I live?'” [Sun Sentinel] —Christopher Cameron