Quick Links
With residential rental units added inThe Sims 4: For Rentto expand on the apartment feature and allow us even more freedom with how we own and rent properties, some Sims aim to be the very best tenant they can be. And for these Sims, we recommend grabbing the Discerning Dweller aspiration.
Meant to teach you all about what it means to rent a residential unit in the expansion, the Discerning Dweller aspiration features several social events, maintenance events, and relationship-building with your landlord and neighbors. Get ready to abide by the rules, make friends, and perform some maintenance.
If you, like us, don’t always want to build your own residential rentals, you’re able to always check out the Gallery to see what other players have been uploading.
The lot we used in our screenshots for this guide come from aresidential rental lotin Tomarang that was made bylilsimsie.
Discerning Dweller Aspiration Overview
Although The Sims 4: For Rent puts a lot of its focus on purchasing, maintaining, and renting out properties, you can alsorent a unit on a residential rental lotas a Sim yourself, too.
And if your Sim is particularly pointed in being the verybest tenant and neighborthey can be, consider giving them the Discerning Dweller aspiration.
The focus of the Discerning Dweller aspiration is all aboutteaching you the ins and outs of rentingas a tenant in the expansion.
You’ll bethrowing partiesfor the other Sims in your complex, spending time inshared spaceson the lot,growing close with your landlordacross visits, and ultimatelybeing a good tenant.
Between events and emergencies, your Sims will be learning what it means to live in a residential rental. This is a fun challenge for those seeking to expand on their City Living apartments, or who just want a challenge after masteringtheir landlord dreams.
Helpful Traits And Skills
Like plenty of the other aspirations that came with the For Rent expansion, the Discerning Dweller aspiration is asocially focused aspiration.
Though you’ll be doing a fair few things on your own, you’rerelying on your landlord and neighborsfor several of the tasks, which meansfostering good relationshipswith all of them.
Traits likeOutgoing, Cheerful, or Party Animal(HSY)will make all the chatting and befriending in your Sim’s future that much more enticing.
And with this in mind,any traitsthat make socializing more difficult (likeLoner, Overachiever, or Eviltraits will probably beless helpfulto use in pursuit of the Discerning Dweller aspiration.
If they’ve already completed the Party Animal aspiration, the Perfect Host reward trait for it can also help here, as it boosts the score of all parties hosted by your Sim.
With the bulk of your focus on being a good neighbor, theCharismaand Comedy skillsare both good ideas for your Sim to build, as they’ll have better luck with growing their relationships.
Additionally, with plenty ofmaintenance events at rental unitsin the For Rent expansion, having theHandiness skillbuilt up a bit wouldn’t hurt - in fact, it may evensave your Sim’s life.
Every Milestone Of The Discerning Dweller Aspiration
In the table below, we’ve kept track of each step in the Discerning Dweller aspiration for The Sims 4: For Rent.
Included, you’ll find a complete listing of each task you’ll need to complete, as well as helpful tips and links to other guides to help you complete them.
First-Time Renter
Live in a Residential Rental.
If you’re creating a Sim that has the Discerning Dweller aspiration, you’re able to simply move them into any vacant rental lot currently placedin your world. If they’re already in a family, you can split from the household and move into a vacant rental unit.
Meet a Residential Rental Neighbor.
Either knock on the doors of the other units on your rental lot to meet your neighbors, or introduce yourself while someone is out in common areas on the property.
Have the Property Owner Visit Your Unit.
On the Home tab in your cell phone, you’ll be able to Call the Property Owner to Visit. You’ll also already begin with the landlord(s) in your Sim’s Relationship tab, and inviting them to hang out at your current lot while you’re at your rental unit also works for this task.
(There’s also a “Call Property Owner to Visit and Switch” option if you’re renting a unit froma Sim in one of your active households.)
Seasoned Tenant
Fix Something During an Emergency Or Maintenance Event.
Maintenance or Emergency Events will occasionally happen in rental properties and see both the tenant and landlord Sims need to contend with issues like lost electricity, power leaks, and more. During one of these events, have your Sim fix one of the broken items themselves instead of having the landlord or a contractor do it. This will typically require a bit of Handiness skill to complete.
Host a Neighborhood Potluck or Pool Party Event.
Use your phone’s Social tab or your in-game calendar to organize a social event, and while planning it, choose the Potluck or Pool Party event type. The score for this event doesn’t particularly matter, but it’s always good to try your best for the sake of your relationships!
Use an Amenity in a Shared Space 10 times.
When moving into a rental unit, you’ll likely share some common space with the other tenants living on your lot. Your Sim wants to use one of these to complete this task. Shared space items typically include grills, pools, gym equipment, andgardening planters. Do any of these ten times.
Respected Resident
Achieve Gold in a Neighborhood Potluck or Pool Party Event.
When throwing either a Potluck or a Pool Party, earn gold on the event to not only earn a special prize for that particular event type, but also to mark this task as complete. Be sure to complete event goals and keep your guests in the best moods possible for the duration of the event. It should go without saying, but although you can technically throw a pool party even on a residential rental lot without a pool, this won’t be the best idea if you need a gold-rated event.
Become Good Friends with Your Property Owner.
Continue to work on your relationship with your landlord by consistently using friendly socials while they’re around, and by sticking to the rules they’ve set inthe rental agreement.
Successfully Break a Unit Rule.
When living in a rental unit, you’ll have a set of rules listed in your rental agreement by which you’ll usually need to abide. Except, to complete this task, you’ll need to break a rule on purpose.
Once you’ve completed the final task in the Respected Resident milestone and finished the Discerning Dweller aspiration, you’ll be rewarded with theNeighborly trait.
Sims with this trait have an easier time with rental units in general. They’rebetter at negotiating rent forgiveness, havehigher relationships with neighbors,host better events, and theywon’t have their stuff repossessedby property owners anymore.
