Apt Hunting Advice: How to Find Landlords


Hello all
So I have been back in the rental jungle for the past 3 weeks. I am trying to do it without a realtor. So have been relying mainly on Craiglist and footwork to find a sunny, spacious, petfriendly and well maintained 1 BR apartment for about $1200-1300. I have been looking in Prospect Heights, Crown Heights and Prospect Lefferts Gardens. So far I have been appalled by the no fee brokers on CL not showing up to their appointments, and being 30 minutes late etc. I have seen few by owner listing even in the by owner sections of CL. So how to find owners that are looking for good tenants? Any apartment hunting advice for me? Is there a list of Brooklyn management companies so I can really deal directly with owners? Any and all advice appreciated.

By Acajou | 06/14/2010 11:55 AM | Comment

Hoods for an Affordable 1BR?


Hello all
I am a single professional female looking for a sunny, petfriendly (dog) one bedroom apartment for about $1200 a month. Besides being sunny and petfriendly I would like the apartment to be close to the subway and preferrably have 2 train options since I work in lower Manhattan. Currently, I live on the Prospect Heights/Crown Heights border. Its been a great place to live but my quality of life would be improved by getting a dog so now I am on the lookout for a new hood that would fit my needs ( plus I’d like to start saving for a downpayment). I can deal with stepping down a bit on amenities (bars etc) if I can get a nice space. . So far I have been looking at Crown Heights and Bedstuy. For the most part my price range has cut me out of FG, CH and PH. Any suggestions for hoods to look in that fill my criteria?

Categories: Renters
By Acajou | 04/26/2010 1:30 PM | Comment

No Rent Reduction: Stay or Go?


So I live in Crown Heights literally on the “real” border (Washington) with Prospect Heights. I pay $1500 for a 1 BR in an owner occupied building. The first time I renewed my lease there was a 3% increase to my current rent. When it was time to renew last year he wanted to increase rent again because of increased expenses ( heat, electricity for common areas) on his end. In the end he didnt cause I was a “good tenant”. My landlord has been ok though he has been slow to fix issues or with the sink, toilet and even ignored problems and with the roof.

This year I had a sick family member staying with me for a few months. My landlord knew about it in advance and hasnt said anything. Its time to renew again so I sent a letter asking for rent reduction of $75 per month and allowing me to have a cat ( an issue I have raised with my landlord before). My landlord said no to the cat. Further he said I should consider myself lucky that he isnt raising my rent given the added expenses of another occupant in the apartment.

In the past, the apartment I have was below market. Because of the rental market however that is no longer the case. In the last month I have seen many just as affordable apartments in CH, PH and CH. My current landlord keeps wanting to increase the rent and is often slow making repairs. I am thinking about finding a 1.5 BR (should the sick family member still need to stay with me) in the same area I live in now. But given my family situation I am not so sure about signing a year lease with my current landlord . I would be more willing to sign the year lease if there was something to keep me (space, additional savings, pet).

Am I being reasonable? Part of me is really tempted to leave but when I think about the hassle of moving I rethink it. On the otherhand I dont think my landlord (who is a first time owner-landlord) has really thought about the cost of repainting, repairs that have been ignored etc needed to prepare for a new tenant. Anyone have tips for negotiating with my current landlord? If not what do you Brownstoners think: should I stay or go?

Categories: Landlord
By Acajou | 07/31/2009 9:48 AM | Comment