Apartments need Rent

[Imora]

Someone who quit WoW around the start of MoP would have no idea what a mess the current game is. Heck, I don't know from personal experience either and I was playing until end of Legion. I do know that one of my friends who also plays this game was a dedicated WoW fanboy (would put a WoW patch ahead of expansion release here) and about 3 months ago went "I can't take this anymore", cancelled his WoW subscription then uninstalled the game.

But then none of that has anything to do with the housing situation here.

Does the game need more gil sinks? Yes. But if the goal is to increase apartment popularity while reducing demand for houses, attaching a gil sink to apartments would be counterproductive because it would only reduce the demand for apartments. Increasing the cost of something already considered less than desirable by many does not make it more desirable.

Gil sinks are not "punishment" and it's ridiculous to refer to them as such. The game gives us gil for playing through most content. We in turn decide how we want to spend it. Either we're willing to pay the price to get the optional item being offered, or we don't. There is no punishment involved.

They're punishments when implemented poorly.

I feel rent on apartments is poorly implemented.

They'd have to start charging rent for houses too or it wouldn't be fair.

I, for one, wouldn't pay it on principle, and let my apartment lapse.

If they want to make apartments more attractive, adding balconies or terraces or even penthouses with outdoor areas would be a good start. Price accordingly. I have a ton of outdoor furniture my retainers keep bringing me that I can't use.

[Besame]

They're punishments when implemented poorly.

I feel rent on apartments is poorly implemented.

They'd have to start charging rent for houses too or it wouldn't be fair.

I, for one, wouldn't pay it on principle, and let my apartment lapse.

If they want to make apartments more attractive, adding balconies or terraces or even penthouses with outdoor areas would be a good start. Price accordingly. I have a ton of outdoor furniture my retainers keep bringing me that I can't use.

I'd dump my apt before I'd pay rent. I only use it these days as a shop made up for xtra furniture.

[Jojoya]

They're punishments when implemented poorly.

Stop exaggerating in an attempt to push emotional buttons. It is not punishment. No one is being assessed a penalty for any perceived wrong-doing they have engaged in.

The most it would be is poor content design, and that would be a subject for debate.

I haven't read all of the comments, but some people do know that not all apartments are rented right? You can own an apartment just like a house. Its actually common in many areas with limited space or for wealthy individuals.

Depending on where you live, they can have different names depending on whether the individual units in the building have separate owners (condominium where I live) or if the entire building is owned by the same person/company renting them to various individuals/families (apartment). If you say apartment in this part of the world, people who grew up here are going to automatically assume the latter.

The name used doesn't really make a different for this discussion, though. The OP was making a suggestion they felt would increase demand for apartments. Responses have shown why it would have the opposite effect.