Young families often face the tough decision to buy a house and settle down, or rent a home that will meet their current needs and move later if they outgrow the space. If you’re currently looking at these two options, there’s plenty to consider.

Owning a home has many advantages, but it locks you into a space for a long period of time, and mortgages can be more expensive than rent. When you compare savings and freedom against the long-term commitment of a 30-year mortgage, renting is often the smarter move.

Here’s why more families are choosing to rent – at least in the beginning.

Young families often want a nice home with beautiful scenery in a peaceful neighborhood, but that doesn’t require a cookie-cutter house and a white picket fence. Many apartments are situated in beautiful neighborhoods with family-friendly amenities.

For example, you’ll find luxury apartments in Tampa’s historic Ybor City with access to plenty of fun for kids, like museums, parks, and a streetcar. Every January, Tampa hosts the Gasparilla Pirate Festival, complete with a host of activities for kids, including a bicycle safety rodeo, a children’s parade, fireworks, and more.

When you rent an apartment in a nice neighborhood, you not only get a sweet location with great views, but maintenance won’t be your responsibility. Whether you rent an apartment or house, you won’t have to pay for things like plumbing or electrical repairs, new shingles, paint, or worry about a broken HVAC system. All of that falls on your landlord. When you have kids, the less hassle, the better.

In addition to paying 38% more for a mortgage than rent, owning a home comes with an endless string of surprise expenses, like increasing property taxes, insurance premium hikes, and sudden repair bills. Often, homeowners find that an increase in expenses isn’t offset by a proportionate increase in home value. As a renter, you don’t have to worry about this at all.

Renting takes all of that off your plate. After your initial lease expires, your rent might go up periodically, but that’s somewhat predictable, and you’ll have at least a month’s notice. Compared to emergency repairs that can force you to shell out thousands on the spot, renting is a pretty sweet deal.

Without having to foot the bill for surprise expenses, you’ll be able to put more money into your retirement fund, education savings for your kids, or start investing. The financial flexibility of renting also makes it possible to invest in your health by eating quality, organic food.

When you’re not sure exactly where you want to settle down, renting first gives you the chance to explore schools, commute times, and local culture before buying a home in the area. Sometimes locations seem ideal at first, but the flaws quickly come to the surface. While no location is perfect, taking your time will help you decide which flaws you’re willing to accept and where your deal-breakers are. For example, you’ll get to try out the restaurants, feel the local vibe, and check out the nightlife to see if it’s your style.

As kids grow, space requirements shift. You might need additional bedrooms in one year, and less yard space the next. Renting gives you the flexibility to adapt by downsizing or upgrading your home easily as life evolves.

If you plan on taking out student loans or starting a business, having a mortgage can make approvals challenging. Renting will keep your credit lines open and accessible for the things you want to do in life.

Owning your home means having to take care of all the amenities, like your swimming pool, hot tub, pool table, and home gym. If anything breaks, you’re on the hook for repairs and replacements. Add in regular cleaning and your pool can be an energy drain. On the flip side, renting an apartment with a fitness center and pool gives you access to your favorite amenities without any responsibilities.

Renting will lighten your load significantly so you can focus on your family. Without weekend repairs or endless yardwork, you’ll have more time to spend with the people you love. Don’t make paying for surprise repairs your full-time job. When the right home comes along, you’ll be ready.

Until then, save your money and spend your energy making memories, not fixing gutters and leaky pipes.