May 15, 2008

Altantic Ave by Clinton St

I'm considering renting an apartment on Atlantic Ave by Clinton St. What are your thoughts on the plusses / minuses of that location (particularly being on Atlantic Ave itself)? Is there anything in particular to be aware of?

Thanks!

May 12, 2008

Landlords: How long did it take to rent your apt's

hi,
so my tenant who has been with us for 4 years just let us know she is moving out of the country and is leaving June 5th. Her lease was up July 1st - so she rents a 2 br 1.5 bath fully renovated nice duplex with w/d/dw on 14th street and 6th ave for $2500 - we are thinking of listing it for June 15th move in for $2800. Will I get serious interest? How long can I expect to have this apt sit empty.... or am I overpricing?

April 29, 2008

need help with some projected costs

Okay, I am trying to persuade my mortgage co to give me a loan to buy a 5 story townhouse. I have to make them a financial projection. How much, roughly, would insurance be annually? It is a 4 family, 3 units would be rented, which I am sure will raise the insurance. And what would the monthly water bill be?

April 23, 2008

Shady landlord lease question

My husband and I are have been living in our apartment since August of 2006, when we signed a one year lease.

When the lease was up for renewal last summer our landlady raised our rent by $200 and asked for an additional $200 in deposit (plus an extra $300 pet deposit for a second dog). We agreed and have been paying our rent in full and on time every month ever since.

However, she never gave us a new contract to sign. She claims to be too busy but, as is typical of her M.O., I suspect she likes to have the freedom to kick people out or raise rent at any moment and therefore has conveniently forgotten for what has now been nearly a year.

Now we have bought an apartment elsewhere and are planning to move out by the end of May (mid June if she’ll accept a pro-rated rent for that month). Am I correct in believing that we are free to leave as long as we give her 30 days notice given that we are technically now on a month-to-month lease?

I’ve done a little research online, but haven’t been able to find a concrete answer.

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

April 20, 2008

Best Time to Rent?

I've always heard that the best time to rent and get a competitive price is in the summer. I have a tenant who is flexible about his departure and could leave either at the end of May or the end of June. Will I able to get a better rent in June 1st or July 1st? Or is the there any difference? Thanks.

April 18, 2008

tips for showing a rental apartment?

I am showing my apartment by owner for the first time this weekend, and I'm wondering if anyone has any tips for doing this. I know all about selling a place.. Thanks so much in advance. Also, any suggestions of where to post other than craigslist? My posting got a flurry of responses at first, but now seems to be buried under the pile of listings.

April 10, 2008

June 1 rental -- are people looking yet

I am interested in the views of landlords, realtors and prospective tenants. Are people looking yet for June 1 rentals, or will the real hunt be on closer to May 1? I don't see a lot of 6/1 listings on Craigslist yet.

April 2, 2008

how does renting an apartment usually work?

I bought a house in 2006 that came with renters. They're moving out for the first time, and I'm wondering what to do! (In lots of things -- getting a broker or not, renovating or not).

However, my main question is how things normally work. Say my apartment was in good shape, but needed painting, how does a landlord normally do it? Renters want to move in/out on the 1st, right? How does the apartment get painted in time? Or cleaned up? Or do landlords generally just bite the bullet and go a month without tenants? Seems painful just for a couple minor fixups.

Thanks in advance for any advice! (Or if you want an apartment :) ...

March 31, 2008

Rent Control Revisited

I recently looked at a four story house that is divided into an owners duplex, one rental with no lease, and one additional rental that is rent controlled. I believe the rent controlled tenant inherited the apartment from his/her mother.

I read the posts on this site following the NYT article on rent control this past October. I'm wondering -- is anyone willing to share stories on rent control buy-outs or evictions? Does that ever happen? If so, how much time and money have owners spent to remove rent controlled tenants?

Condo Sublet Issue

Someone in our condo building is trying to split their duplex unit into two and sublet it out to 2 different people. Is this legal?

Forum: Renters