Questions for those in apartments

Laura14 · ‎06-09-2014

I am looking to rent my first apartment in about 20 years and things have changed.

Rather than trusting a leasing agent to tell me the whole story, can any of you give me an idea about some of these new utilities and features?

Back in the day, I had my own electric, phone and cable and that was it. Everything else was included in the rent. Nowadays, it seems like valet trash (whatever that is) is included and I pay for every utility on top of the rent.

The biggest surprise is the water bill is apparently not just my water bill but everyone else's including the landscaping. There is now some sort of formula that the apartments are using to bill everyone off of one meter.

As a single person, that scares me as I do not want to be subsidizing or paying for the couples or families next door or the complex's spinkler system if they choose to run it non-stop during the summertime.

Can anyone give me an idea of what kinds of things you pay for besides your rent? And if you have this water formula thing, is it in line with what you expect every month? I just want to be prepared since I don't know what I don't know anymore.

Oh and how do you guys pay your rent? I'm seeing a lot of renters mention they are tied into an auto bank draft or they face fees to pay any other way. Just looking to see what the nickels and dimes are these days for everything that's expected of a renter's wallet.

Thanks!

NicksmomESQ · ‎08-19-2014

I own a condo that I rent out.My tenant mails me a rent check every month.He pays for his own heat & electricity. The heat is electric so it’s on his bill. He’s on budget billing & this adds about $125 to his expenses each month.

CelticCrafter · ‎03-09-2010

@Laura14 - I think a lot of it depends on the complex and the managing company.

My daughters first apartment in NJ included everything - trash, water and heat. She was responsible for the electric, the air conditioning and cable.

The next one she rented included nothing in the rent.

Both times there was a monthly rent charge for her cat and the pet deposit was non-refundable.

Laura14 · ‎06-09-2014

Thank you both. That's helpful. I was wondering about how much I should budget extra over the rent cost.

No pets so I am knocking those fees off. There is no such thing as no pets around me but as far as I can tell that's not a group fee.

Would you believe I found one complex around me that seems like it bills $35 a month for your parking spot? This is not NYC or even a walking area. Not even in public transportation. That one got me which is why I am wondering what other creativity is out there.

2blonde · ‎03-10-2010

@Laura14 Hi Laura! Is there any chance that, instead of a large apartment complex, you could rent a small condo? I've owned my rather large condo (3 floors, 3 bedrooms) for over 26 years, so I do have some experience with them!

This is a large complex (263 units) with a pool. The water and sewer here are controlled by the city so, as an owner, I do have to pay those. The water is according to how much I use (about $20/mo), but the sewer is a set rate for all city homeowners, which is billed every 3 months at $77.......even though I obviously don't use as much as the large families (just another way we single people get shafted).

I'm all electric, so I pay that. We have a choice of whatever TV-internet-phone provider we want, and pay them directly. Of course I don't have to plow snow or do yard work, but I do pay a tidy sum for association dues, which are charged pro-rated according to the square footage I have (mine is $225/mo, but it might be included in your rent). I do like having my own fenced in patio, parking space, and garage at my back door, and being able to just walk outside without taking an elevator or walking across a huge parking lot!

The rentals here are capped at under 20%, but the going rate is around $800-$900 per month.

Laura loves cats!

Mom2Dogs · ‎03-09-2010

In my area there are not a lot of apartment buildings. Most rentals are homes that are owned and the owners rent them out....there is some government housing that is based on income.

Generally there is the rent charge plus utilities.

I would guess if you do not want to subsidize other peoples utiities, and I don't blame you.... can you fiind a small home that is for rent? Of course if you go that route you would be responsible for lawn care and snow removal.

Is the area you are looking in a large city?

Cumbercookie13 · ‎05-06-2016

I may be looking for an apartment within the next month or so if my house is purchased by a flipping group. This would be the first time I would be renting. I would prefer a private owner because they usually tend to cover water and sewer, and some will also do snow removal and grass cutting if the property has a yard. I'm trying to avoid yard maintenance and snow removal because it will be just me, have no pets.

I used to work for a non-profit that housed the homeless in an apartment complex and we also did regular rentals so I have some knowledge of costs, rules & regulations, but when you're doing it yourself, it's quite different.

Laura14 · ‎06-09-2014

@2blonde Wow! I really need to move to where you are.

They do have some townhome rentals even in the apartment complexes but they are obviously more expensive than a one bedroom apartment. They are about $300-500 more. There is one with an attached garage which is about $1300-1500 compared to around $1000-1100 for a one bedroom.

With shared utilities that everyone seems to have here, I am wondering if that would jump my bills even more to have a two bedroom with garage. It just depends on what they calculate that formula on. I'll have to ask.

That was another one of dilemmas: apartment versus stand alone and I am not sure the stand alones are worth the extra money every month.

Laura14 · ‎06-09-2014

@Mom2Dogs wrote:
In my area there are not a lot of apartment buildings. Most rentals are homes that are owned and the owners rent them out....there is some government housing that is based on income.

Generally there is the rent charge plus utilities.

I would guess if you do not want to subsidize other peoples utiities, and I don't blame you.... can you fiind a small home that is for rent? Of course if you go that route you would be responsible for lawn care and snow removal.

Is the area you are looking in a large city?

@Mom2Dogs I am in the suburbs of Atlanta. The homes around me are almost twice as much as an apartment would be which kind of prices me out of that option. Real estate is expensive here with the smallest homes being sold in the high 200,000s. I would be better off buying and I don't want to stay here.

Laura14 · ‎06-09-2014

@Cumbercookie13 wrote:
I may be looking for an apartment within the next month or so if my house is purchased by a flipping group. This would be the first time I would be renting. I would prefer a private owner because they usually tend to cover water and sewer, and some will also do snow removal and grass cutting if the property has a yard. I'm trying to avoid yard maintenance and snow removal because it will be just me, have no pets.

I used to work for a non-profit that housed the homeless in an apartment complex and we also did regular rentals so I have some knowledge of costs, rules & regulations, but when you're doing it yourself, it's quite different.

@Cumbercookie13 I have never done a private owner. My only concern with that is you need to have a responsible one. Watch me get the lone person who doesn't respond to maintenance calls when needed. I can see my episode of Judge Judy now. I wonder if there is a way to vet them as well as they do us.