'soft' rental market?

[an-art-worker.livejournal.com]

So I rent in Davis not far from the Rosebud (I like it - but I never expect 'cuisine' - it's just a diner. Never had anything but good service. I do miss the restaurant that used to be behind Rosebud - what a great secret spot that was for a meal or a drink).

Anyway... my lease is coming up in a month and I am prepping for the go-round with my cash-in 'elderly' landlord (she regales me of how hard her life is and then hits me up with absurd rent increases - or doesn't remember what we agreed upon and then jacks it).


So I am paying $1200. for a 1 bedroom (first floor - no porch - no parking) - though she claims it is a 2 bedroom. It is a 2 bedroom only if you get a curtain for the arched living room entrance or a door for the middle/dining room and don't mind someone walking through your bedroom to get to the true bedroom. In other words, this is a 1 bedroom with a dining room that can't be used as a bedroom.

I've been here a long time and have put up with a lot (or rather - have tolerated a lot of not fixing up). On the plus side, it's close to everything, my cat can go out, I have a washer/dryer hookup. A couple of years ago I was going to move but she offered to redo the bathroom and did, so I stayed. Last year I was going to move but she offered to repaint the place, and did: bringing in this painter SWAT team (who pinched my espresso pot) but ok. So here we are again. The kitchen is old. OLD I tell you! I mean linoleum peeling under foot old. No cabinets (though there is a pantry). Old sink. Mainly the floor bugs me.

What I don't know: is this market rate? I've been in some rehabbed places around here and f@@#$ing hell - I feel like a sucker for putting up with this. Inertia.

So I've been perusing the CL apt ads but I can't tell condition. Do you have a $1200. 4 room place in great condition? Maybe I can get them to whittle it down to $1000? Or do I go 'round again and just deal with the state of things.

group mind....... it's always reliable ;-)

Comments

[elements.livejournal.com]

I think it's certainly worth looking and seeing what you can get. How about going out with a realtor a few times even if you don't know if you're moving, just to test the waters?

I also once had a landlord claim a 1-bed as a 2-bed. We were broke that year so we put a curtain up across the living room entrance and called it the second bedroom. It worked OK, but eh. It's really only a trick you can pull on a broke person, who will then want to get the hell out as soon as they can. Tell your landlady that that doesn't fly anymore, and that $1200 is perfectly reasonable, even on the higher end, for a somewhat dilapidated 4-room 1-bed. FWIW I know folks in Arlington Center paying 1000 for nice 1-beds, too. It seems ridiculous to pay any more than 1200 just for being in Davis.

[chuckm.livejournal.com]

Mines a 3 room in AWESOME shape with off street. I loved it. New kitchen (when I moved in), new bathroom, new everything AND off street parking. The landlord lives above you and is a little eclectic (weeds play heavy into his other income sources). It's about the same price ($1250), so I'd say par for the course.

[ron_newman]

It looks like they're about to reopen the room behind the Rosebud as an Italian restaurant. But I should make a separate post about that.

[chenoameg.livejournal.com]

Regardless of what's in your lease, the landlord is required by the state sanitary code to maintain the apartment in good repair.

[turil.livejournal.com]

Yes, peeling flooring in the kitchen is a big violation of code. Also, a bedroom is only a legal bedroom if it has a closet (and at least one window). The more you know your rights, the more respect you'll get, and the less landlords will try and get away with in general.

Oh, and we are being way, way overcharged for our large one bedroom, in not very good condition, at $1300. But we're moving anyway (landlady is selling the place) so we're hoping to find another decent sized place for much less.

[ellf.livejournal.com]

I live off of Mass Ave, within walking distance of Davis, and pay $1800 for a one bedroom with a dining room, living room, large and relatively well-kept kitchen, and a garaged parking space.

$1200 does not strike me as unreasonable for a less-than-ideal apartment.

[turil.livejournal.com]

Woah! You're paying so much! Though I don't know how much a non-shared garage usually costs to rent (our last place had one, but the whole house shared it and we didn't use it for cars. Maybe that's what you're paying for?

[ellf.livejournal.com]

We do pay a decent bit, but the apartment is extremely nice, and in great shape. Also, it's a shared rent between myself and my girlfriend, which helps a bit.

[inahandbasket]

sadly it's about average IME.
Not to say you can't find a better deal...
Look around, browse craigslist, see what you can find. Frankly I don't think she'd have trouble replacing you if you left, so keep that in mind as well.

[noire.livejournal.com]

I own a 2-family about 10 minutes walk from Davis (near Somerville Hospital.) The apartment has 5 rooms, 1K square feet, period (1910 orante plaster work, woodwork) detail, brand new marble bath, 2002 eat-in kitchen w/granite counters, dishwasher and pantry, and sole use of a washer/dryer in basement and basement storage. I live upstairs and while the yard is not looking great I do care about maintaining the place at the same level as my own unit. No parking (but on street is not difficult.) I'm currently getting $1450 for it and allow pets.

[tracy-rolling.livejournal.com]

I live in a two-bedroom with a full finished basement (front half above ground--windows and everything) which has three more rooms, so 8 rooms in all, in Teale Square, ground floor, great back porch and a little yard with a BBQ for $1625. But I think I have a sweet deal. I'm thinking about moving to get closer to my kid's kindergarten in the fall. Maybe I'm nuts.

There was a nice single-family house with a huge yard in Davis for rent a while back for $2400. I never went inside, though.

[ron_newman]

minor nitpick: Teele Square, not Teale. (Don't mean to pick on you specifically, it's just that I see this error often.)

fyi

[thegecko.livejournal.com]

Legally, you can't call something a bedroom unless it has a closet in the room. just got through looking at a bunch of places, it amazes me that even realtors will call something a bedroom when it doesn't have a closet. realtors & landlords should know better.

Re: fyi

[mrpet.livejournal.com]

I believe it must also have a window to qualify, and be above grade. I used to own a house that pretty much every room in the house had a closet and a window so it had mad bedroom capability. Even the bathroom had a big closet in it ;)

Re: fyi

[mattdm [typekey.com] (from livejournal.com)]

And heat.

Re: fyi

[hermionesviolin.livejournal.com]

Really? My apartment is considered a three bedroom, and it always struck me as odd that the third bedroom didn't have a closet (and it made it hella difficult to find a new housemate when our current one moved out) but I had no idea there were rules about that sort of thing. Do you have a reference for that?

[enochs-fable.livejournal.com]

That extra money you're paying is for location. If you want something cheaper, you're going to have to look further outside of Davis.

[artic-monkeys.livejournal.com]

You should look around though, to see what is out there. There are some nice, up and coming areas around porter, spring hill, union square, and inman square. I remember seeing some really nice studios and one bedrooms around Spring Hill when I was looking for a place for my Wife's sister. You are far enough out of the city to at least have a porch or some yard space that you can enjoy.

http://boston.craigslist.org/abo/179439738.html

http://boston.craigslist.org/nfb/181079114.html

http://boston.craigslist.org/nfb/178646446.html

[artic-monkeys.livejournal.com]

Landlords seem to have different philosophies. Some want to raise the rent when ever they can, and others want to keep the rent stable as long as they are making a fair amount. They believe that if their rent is a little less than average they can retain better tenants that take care of the place. I would feel a little nervous living with a landlord that always wants to raise the rent. Or maybe some landlords use both strategies, depending on the tenants. If I really liked the tenants i would want them to stay.

[mattlistener.livejournal.com]

Yup, you're paying a big premium for being a 5 minute walk from the T. If you go out to a 15 minute walk from the T, your $1200 would get you a much nicer place.

There are $1000-or-less 1 bedrooms to be had in the area as well, some of which will still be better quality than yours (at the 15-minute walk range). They may take more effort to find though.

[cutieperson]

i'm a 5 minute walk from the T, but in the other direction. the place has a foyer that is almost big enough to be another room, lr, dr, huge kitchen & pantry, 3br, bath, massive yard, enclosed back porch and open front porch. all for $1650.

you don't _have to_ be a 15min walk from the T to get lower prices.

[turil.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but three bedrooms are always cheaper per bedroom. One bedrooms are more expensive per bedroom. So you can't really compare prices.

[watchamacallit.livejournal.com]

Agreed. I have a true one bedroom in decent shape (kitchen and bathroom are intact but, eh, not terribly awesome), driveway parking in the winter, heat included (no other utilities included though)... for $900. My 'walk' to the T is about 20 minutes but I just hop on a bus.

[amethystmoon.livejournal.com]

The steep price seems to be based a lot on location. I live in Ball Square, which is certainly walking distance to Davis (quite a pleasant 10-15 minute walk), and there's buses to Davis, Sullivan Square, Lechemere, and Arlington at the end of my street.

I pay $1200 for a 2-bedroom, with livingroom, dining room, foyer, large (though 70's-style) kitchen. The bedrooms each fit a queen bed, dresser, and giant desk. The home is in impecable repair (even the kitchen looks brand new, which is amazing considering it's very 70's style). The down-sides are that we can't really use the front and back porches, no dishwasher or W/D hookups, and no off-street parking.

Also, the landlord seems a bit OCD, and he lives upstairs, so that can get a bit awkward, but it seems to have a lot to do with the great condition of the place, so that's kind of a tradeoff.

Your landlord

[closetalker11.livejournal.com]

The way I see it, the problem here isn't your rent, but your landlord. I'd say that if you're considering being a renter for any more than one more year, get a new place. I'll bet you can find a place for at least what you pay now (or maybe a little more).

Here's an example: right now I'm in a 2 bed with washer and dryer, big kitchen, living room, GREAT landlords and even a little back deck for $1300. I'm moving into a one bed that's the same square footage with the same ammenities for the same price. Both are an 8 - 10 min. walk to the T (depending on how fast you walk). My point here is that if you look around, you can find something nice. And this way, you can maybe have a landlord that remembers to tile your floor!!