Local Rent Hikes?

[nafe.livejournal.com]

Quick question for the assembled Davis Sq. renters:

Have those of you who have recently signed a new lease, or are about to, received rent increases? If so, how much, and for what sort of space? Any decreases? Any info you could supply, I'd greatly appriciate.

Also, if anyone knows ways of checking on neighborhood rent trends, that resource would also be very helpful.

Thanks!

Comments

[sadotter.livejournal.com]

just received a $75 rent increase on a 2-BR apartment this past month. first increase in three years. explained as due to the significant increase in property taxes in the past few years.

[hammercock.livejournal.com]

I've lived in the same place since 1999, and the landlord has never yet raised the rent, though it seems that he would definitely do so if he got all new tenants, or all new tenants but, say, one person. We have a 2-story, 5-bedroom apartment and it's $2500/mo. I don't know square footage, but it's quite spacious. The place could use a bit of work after 6 years, and the landlord seemed afraid that he'd have to raise the rent if he did everything that we listed as a concern, but some of that stuff isn't as expensive as he'd feared, and some of it we're willing to take care of ourselves.

In contrast, I think the 5-bedroom, 1-story + Philly room apartment downstairs actually pays more rent, even though they have far less space, because the tenant turnover is very high and he can do that.

[desiringsubject.livejournal.com]

What's a "Philly room"?

[fanw.livejournal.com]

Philadelphia-style houses split three stories between two apartments so that both apartments share the second floor. In most Somerville houses this means that the lower apartment gets the first floor plus one room on the second and the top apartment gets the top floor and most of the second floor.

[ert.livejournal.com]

Wow. That's a much more eloquent description than the one I usually use.

[desiringsubject.livejournal.com]

The apartment we vacated in May had its rent lowered for the next tenants by $100. I don't know what the apt we moved into (the other apt in the same building) went for before we moved, but we moved from a 2 to a 5 bedroom and only had a $50 increase over the old apt.

[fanw.livejournal.com]

After a few years of no increases, my landlord raised the rent for last years lease. I think it was 3% then and it's 2% for the new lease. Basically it just keeps up with inflation.

[bigrock.livejournal.com]

We have lived in the same 4 bedroom apartment starting on our 4th year. We have not had any rent increases since we moved in, and our rent is $1800.

[mrpet.livejournal.com]

Landlord upped the rent around 4 years ago and hasn't touched it since. He is always grumbling about the high costs, yada yada, but he won't spend any money to do something that can actually lower costs like putting in a zone valve and fixing the windows. We have to open our windows in the Winter to regulate the temperature since there is no way else to control it (all of the control valves on the radiators are rotted and if we touch them they spray water) Since we can't control the temp he pays for the heat.

The apt is a 4BR on two floors and rents for $2600 inluding heat and water.

[protogeek.livejournal.com]

I have a two-bedroom *right* in Davis Sq (next door to Sauce) that I've been paying $1650 for the past year (yes, I know it's highway robbery, but it's a really nice place and of course it's Location Location Location). I'm moving out, they offered to keep it the same price if I stayed but they're asking $1725 from the next tenants. Which may explain why they've shown the place about 50 times since June 1 and haven't found renters yet.

Also, the realtor who found us a new place apparently decides each year whether he'll get his commission from the renters or the landlords (depending on the market). This year he's getting it from the landlord, so it seems to be a renter's market.

[aslant.livejournal.com]

i have a one-bedroom that was listed at $900 two years ago. i offered $875 and they agreed to it and haven't raised rents since. we rented through sillari realty, which has fairly large holdings across somerville, if that makes any difference. maybe they are getting their profits elsewhere.

in terms of comparing neighborhoods, you could at least look at the google/craigslist housing maps...doesn't show you historical data, but you could get a feel for where rents are a bit lower. some areas close to davis square vary greatly in price range.

[enochs-fable.livejournal.com]

how do you check out those housing maps?

[ert.livejournal.com]

http://www.housingmaps.com/ (http://www.housingmaps.com/)

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

We have a small 3rd floor 2-bedroom that has been a stable $1100 for 5 years. Every house on the street (Bay State Ave) is an identical model, going condo faster than you can say "Welcome to New JP."

It's the big 1st floor 3-bedroom (Philly-style, as I've just learned from this thread) that fluctuates in price. In 1999 the landlord was getting $3000 for it. He just signed on a new tenant for $1650, and doesn't know how he's going to manage the mortgage. So yes, it is a renters market right now.

[tsuki-no-bara.livejournal.com]

my rent went up $40/month this year (currently $1440 for a two bedroom, will be $1480 in sept.) it went up $40/month last year.

[talonvaki.livejournal.com]

Mine's a funny little place on Hancock & Summer. I've been there since May 2000, and it's been $950 the entire time. It's a 1-bd railroad apartment (all the rooms in a row; you stand in the front room and can look all the way to the kitchen in the back) and it's basically an attic. The location kicks serious ass (10 blocks to the Somerville Theatre & Davis T, 1 block to Porter Square mall), and the apartment, with its close stairs, steeply sloping ceilings, lousy insulation and poor heating (it's only in the kitchen and has a hard time getting to the front room or bathroom) are a pain in the ass...which, I think is why my rent hasn't gone up. I've been there 5 solid years. I'm the longest-term tenant now, and I'm 40. So he wants to keep me in there to counter the kids sharing the two larger places in the house. It's a weird little place that really needs work, but I don't complain about it much and the landlord likes stability, so I think there's an unspoken sort of truce going on.

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

My landlord sent out a (~$160) rent increase notification, which I expected as last year we got a new fridge, a new stove, and all new windows (yay!), but I talked to them and got them to agree to keep it the same. Yay! (I just had the conversation yesterday so am still in the afterglow of the very unexpected success. :)

It's a huge 4BR, silent street, three minutes' walk to the Square.

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

Rent is going down. My boy and i just moved and got a bigger place for the same we'd been paying before.

[cold-cold-water.livejournal.com]

i resigned in april, and there wasn't any increase. i live on orchard between day and chester and have a 2 bedroom for 1450.