Child Star Drops Jaw-Dropping Truth: Why Renting Beats Owning—And Your Horoscope Might Agree!
Added on August 22, 2025 inCelebrity News Cards
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Is renting really just “dead money,” or could it secretly be the VIP pass to hassle-free living? Jennette McCurdy, that charming former child star of iCarly, throws a wrench in the usual home-ownership gospel with her surprising take: she much prefers renting to owning a home. After a stint as a homeowner that turned into a maintenance nightmare – think leaking showers, falling stairs, and surprise plumbing bills – Jennette decided the elusive dream of “putting down roots” wasn’t quite her jam. Instead, she’s found pure joy in the luxury of having a landlord just a call away, taking the pressure off her travel-weary mind. Maybe it’s the Mercury retrograde or just good old cosmic timing, but sometimes the stars align perfectly for us to realize that some comforts aren’t built in bricks and mortar – they’re in the ease of simply letting someone else handle the headaches. Ready to rethink what ‘home’ really means? LEARN MORE.
Although its been drummed into us that renting is ‘dead money’, this child star reckons its much better than owning a home.
Jennette McCurdy reckons that the luxury of having a landlord at her beck and call is well worth the pricey fees she pays each month.
The iCarly actress, 33, is speaking from experience too – as she previously got her foot on the property ladder back in 2013.
But after just three years of being a homeowner, McCurdy had enough off the responsibility and ended up selling the pad for barely any profit.
Over a decade ago, she purchased a two-story Mediterranean home in Los Angeles‘ Studio City neighbourhood for $905,000, according to the Los Angeles Times.
But soon after moving into the cosy three-bed home on a cul-de-sac, which boasted wide terrace balconies and stunning scenic views, McCurdy realised she didn’t want to put down roots there.
Jennette McCurdy, 33, much prefers renting over putting down roots (Taylor Hill/WireImage)
During an appearance on The Iced Coffee Hour podcast in June 2021, the Sam and Cat star revealed her new property quickly became a huge pain to manage.
“I intentionally went in thinking I want something turnkey, I want something that’s very low maintenance,” she told hosts Graham Stephan and Jack Selby.
“I don’t know about fixing up, that’s not my thing. I got something that I thought was turnkey and then wound up…it was like encroaching another property, so I had to pay that.
“Then I had to do work on the underbelly of the house – not even cosmetic stuff – just like redoing plumbing and piping and whatever.
“Then the shower leaked from the top floor onto the couch, so I then had to get all new furniture, fix the bathroom…a stair fell off.”
McCurdy said the home, which she believes was built in 1992, felt like it was plagued by ‘many issues’ – and she didn’t enjoy dealing with them.
The actress explained she soon became sick of the maintenance involved with her Studio City home (YouTube/The Iced Coffee Hour)
After three years, she made the decision to get rid of her Studio City pad, even though she ‘made a very little amount of money’ from the deal.
It sold for $995,000, according to reports, meaning she walked away with just $90,000 in profit.
“I didn’t like that experience at all,” McCurdy said of being a homeowner. “But I hear constantly that ‘you got to buy a house’, ‘why aren’t you doing that’ and ‘you’re crazy’, whatever.
“And I’m like, ‘Well, I had one for a couple of years and that experience was more maintenance and upkeep than I expected.'”
She explained that she had instead switched to a rental property and was ‘truly so happy’ living in her apartment.
“I love renting,” the I’m Glad My Mom Died author said. “I love that anything that goes wrong, I can just send an email. It’s fixed the next day or within the week, for sure.
“The ease of it…I love just being able to get up and go. Not that I couldn’t do that with the house, but there was always something that I kind of had to half have my mind in the house for when I was travelling.
“I love it. I’m definitely not [in the market for a house].”
Despite admitting owning a home was ‘way cheaper than renting’, she insisted that having a landlord to rely on to assist with the upkeep of the property was worth its weight in gold.
However, she says her time in Studio City was at least ‘worth something’, adding: “I can now go [into a home] knowing what I did like, what I didn’t like.”
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