Buying a house is the next step for renters who have lived in rented apartments. While there is nothing wrong with living in rented apartments, owning a home may be a significant achievement for some.
However, owning a home doesn’t relieve the individual of the expenses. They still have to bear some costs related to owning a house, most of which will be mortgage payments.
Some people may view mortgage and rent payments as similar expenses and opt out of owning a home.
However, there are some differences when it comes to mortgages and rent. Before understanding the differences between rent and mortgage, it is necessary to understand what both of these mean.
What is a Mortgage?
A mortgage is a loan that homeowners can get against their homes. Mortgages come with set payments that homeowners must pay against the loan, similar to any other loan. Usually, people looking to buy a house cannot afford to finance it fully. Therefore, they must take a loan to finance the purchase of a house.
However, when they take a loan against their home, they don’t completely own the home until they fully repay the mortgage.
A mortgage also gives the lender the right to repossess the house if the homeowner defaults on their payments.
What is Rent?
Rent is the term used to describe the payment against the use of a property. Generally, it refers to the amount a tenant or a lessee pays the landlord for using the landlord’s property.
Unlike mortgages, rent is not a loan but a payment against the use of an asset. Almost all properties used by someone other than the landlord will generate rent.
Differences Between Mortgage and Rent
The differences between mortgage and rent are listed below.
1) Equity vs Expense
The main difference between mortgage and rent is the difference between equity and expense. A mortgage is a payment towards equity, while rent is an expense.
That means every time a homeowner makes a payment toward the mortgage, it contributes to the home’s equity.
Mortgage payments may also include a portion of interest expense, which is an expense rather than equity.
However, most of it will be equity or principal payments toward the mortgage. On the other hand, every time a tenant pays rent, it is only an expense that is irrecoverable.
Property Appreciation
With a mortgage, when the value of the underlying home appreciates, the homeowner directly benefits from it.
Usually, the home value will appreciate over time under suitable conditions. However, mostly the amount of appreciation will depend on the market conditions of the home.
An appreciation in property value will also increase the equity in it. On the other hand, with rent, any appreciation of the home’s value will not benefit the renter. Instead, the landlord benefits from it.
However, there is also a risk of depreciation, which will affect mortgage payers negatively, but not have any impact on renters.
Property Maintenance
Property maintenance is also a big part of any homeowner’s expenses. Depending on the home, some homes may require regular maintenance, meaning homeowners will need to set aside a portion of their budget.
Maintenance and mortgage payments may take up a big proportion of a homeowner’s budget.
On the other hand, in rental agreements, the tenant does not have to worry about maintenance as it is the landlord’s responsibility.
However, the landlord may adjust the cost of the rent.
Property Insurance
Another difference related to homes is insurance. When a homeowner buys a home, they must also get homeowner’s insurance.
A homeowner’s insurance can be helpful in case of damage to the home and sometimes any other belongings inside it. With rent, the renter does not have to worry about insuring the property.
Home insurance, in that case, is the responsibility of the landlord. However, the renter may want to get insurance on their belongings inside the property.
Similarly, while renters may not pay insurance for the property directly, their rent may already include insurance adjustment, as with property maintenance.
Property Taxes
Like insurance and maintenance, homeowners will also need to pay property taxes. These taxes differ according to every jurisdiction.
Homeowners may get a tax advantage for paying mortgages, though, as interest payments on mortgages are tax-deductible up to a specific limit.
Property taxes may not be a problem for renters as they fall under the landlord’s responsibility.
However, as with all other expenses not borne by the renter, the landlord may adjust this in the rent.
Conclusion
Owning a house can be a significant achievement instead of paying rent on someone else’s property.
However, owning a house may come with mortgage payments compared to rent. There are many differences between mortgages and rents.
The first difference is that mortgages are equity payments, while rents are expenses.
Homeowners can also benefit from property value appreciation, while renters can’t. Homeowners must also pay property maintenance, insurance, and taxes, while renters and landlords may have already adjusted these in the rent.
