If I didn't have rent control on my unit, I'd be paying nearly double what I'm paying now.

I pay barely half what it would cost in mortgage and maintenance if I bought my unit, so yeah, I'd say we underpay.

I live in a huge apartment in Boston (making it pricey in and of itself), and while the kitchen and bathroom could use updating, they did just refinish all the hardwood floors, the space is HUGE, I can paint whatever I want, and I KNOW that if they did the updates there'd be NO WAY I could live where I do...so I'm keeping my trap shut :)

I'm lucky (for the time being) because I'm getting a pretty good deal for the area that I live in. Rent in L.A. is absurd.

I live in West Hollywood which is rent controlled...so nice!

I just moved into my first apartment.

It's a 1 bed/1 bath, 853 sq. ft (instead of a balcony/patio, it has a "sunroom") about 1 hour south of D.C. Newer place, nice and clean community, built in washer/dryer, dishwasher, AC, built in desk nook, walk in closets, high ceilings, big windows. I've been really happy with it so far. For the distance away from the city I think it's a little expensive at around $1,086/month. But I am getting a lot for that money, so it just comes down to budgeting the rest of my expenses properly.

@myself, wall to wall ugly beige carpeting though. :(

my rent is SO HIGH $1600 for a one bed downtown orlando. for the area, it's ridiculous. i cannot wait until my lease is up.

Yes, yes, re-negotiate your rent so your landlord can no longer afford the mortgage on his/her property and enjoy the level of service you get living in a foreclosure. Good times!

I did that this past year...told them I wasn't going to pay the increase they asked me. The office hemmed and hawed and danced about it, but caved pretty quickly.

@GingerVitis

It can be expensive for a landlord to have to find new tenants, so it generally behooves them to negotiate on the rent with current tenants. Also, if the landlord is operating on such a thin margin that losing an extra $20/month brings on a foreclosure, they were not good landlords to begin with.

My rent includes utilities, which I absolutely adore.

"re-negotiate your rent so your landlord can no longer afford the mortgage on his/her property and enjoy the level of service you get living in a foreclosure. "

Last time I checked, flat-rate mortgages don't increase on an annual basis the way many landlords want to with rents.

If the landlord was dumb enough to get an ARM with an annual reset or an interest-only balloon mortgage, he/she deserves to lose the place.

@Mlle. Cara

doesn't cost me a thing to find new tenants they pay the realtor fees. I've never had a vacancy and I've been a landlord for 8 years now.

operating on a thin margin doesn't make anyone bad landlord. no idea where you got that idea from.

my tenant helps me pay my mortgage and my expenses and since i include utilities in the rent, i expect the tenant pay more when it costs me more (they aren't guests).

my rent is in line with the going market, my house is clean and safe and exceptionally well maintained. if they think the rents too much they are welcome to move someplace else.

I don't pay rent at all at the moment. The landlord has done major roof and penthouse renovations that have cause extensive leaks and other damage to my place for the last year. They are finally finished and getting ready to renovate my apt in the near future. I've enjoyed living rent-free for the last 6 months, but will be happy not to have plaster falling from every room.

My rent is actually a bit low for my area but not by a huge amount and it's still a bit mroe than what one SHOULD be paying per month in rent out of their budget which should be no more than 30%.

It's clean, decent shape, has not had anything break or go dead requiring service, I have one electric baseboard heater that's deat but it's in the hall and is overkill so I don't miss it not working as I have another one in the bedroom and a long one on the north wall in the living room and yet ANOTHER one by the front door that I never use.

It's also a 600SqFt 1 bedroom with a balcony and a view and have been fortunate that they don't jack the rents for current tenants except for a $25 increase due to the garbage rates going up and I've been in there almost 6 years and love it.

Back in College Station, TX (when I was a student), we paid ~$1000 for a 950ish sq. ft. 2b/2b place. Almost brand new, washer/dryer, big master bath, high ceilings, big garage, and patio. I thought it was pricey considering the 'big, fake, ugly box' syndrome it suffered from, but it was new, clean, and had plenty of luxuries so many other complexes didn't. Most importantly- it was NOT geared towards students (mostly families, professors, grad students), so it was much more quiet (our top priority along with cleanliness). I guess if looking at other options it still comes out with flying colors, it wasn't overpriced.

So true Mlle. Cara.

Also, if they have a loan on the property, their interest rate and monthly payments adjust only every 3 or 5 years at most, per commercial banking standard loan structures (assuming the property is an apartment building).

I live in a very desirable area of Los Angeles, Beachwood Drive. For my 600 sq ft pet friendly one-bedroom, with one parking spot, I pay $1,495, utilities are not included. It's a lot but it's worth it to be safe and waking up to gorgeous views and having a fenced courtyard for my dog to run around in.

@larchgirl

I'm glad you have had such good experiences with tenants and vice versa. However, I don't think your good fortune is typical.

I admit that I don't live in the LA area and am unfamiliar with the rental market there. In Chicago, the landlords do pay to advertise and show vacant apartments. No matter how the lease gets signed, most landlords clean and paint in advance of the new tenant, which means materials and labor costs.

As for my other point, my friends and I have dealt with at least 40 different landlords/management companies. In our collective experience, the landlords determined to nickel-and-dime tenants were the worst.

I'm on a similar thought to larchgirl. I'm a landlord w/ three properties. I havent had a bit of a problem renting out my places & wouldnt worry a bit about finding someone new. I operate on a somewhat low profit margin that allows me to cover any necessary repairs to the place over time. Remember that the costs to the landlord are NOT always fixed...there's repairs to the property PLUS rising property taxes that do cut into the cost of the place.
But to all the tenants out there, you may as well TRY to renegotiate rent. Cant hurt. I'd always be happy to work with tenants to get them a deal...perhaps offering to pay for several months in advance, or to sign a long term lease in exchange for a discount.

negate my "too much" vote. i dont' live in california

While Denver is not a very expensive place to live in comparison to NY, San Francisco, Seattle, etc., it has its spendier neighborhoods. However, we COMPLETELY lucked out when we found our gorgeous Congress Park apartment at a fraction of what my friends pay! For 850 sq. ft. with beautiful hardwood floors, arched doorways, 2 bedrooms, and a large-ish kitchen, we pay $725/month... and that includes our heat and water! We plan to stay here until we plan to buy. It's the best thing going in Denver!

My place is somehow at about market value for Montreal but still not the best bargain around. There are definitely 2- and 3-bedroom places still available for $650-950, you just have to know the right people!

i pay too much in LA for what i have - just as much as i paid in NYC which makes me crazy.

Rent in LA is way too high! Rent nowadays is akin to mortgages, which is ridiculous.

I live in LA in a studio apartment with a full kitchen and a garage and I pay 1,500. I feel like for a studio it's really high, but I ADORE my apartment and neighbors. It's a gorgeous building that is fully landscaped and has fountains, so it's worth it. I could pay the same amount for almost double the space in a not-as-nice building.

I live in San Francisco, which pretty much automatically makes me pay too much rent (and for what? I'm constantly asking myself), but even for my little neighborhood, I pay waaaay too much rent. But that's the ONLY con to living there, and I kinda don't want to take a chance somewhere else. So for as long as I can take it, I'll pay it.

3000 sq feet with a commercial lease in LA. My landlord is pretty relaxed which is good. But I think rent control is a sure fire way to make sure that the city has fewer rental properties that it otherwise might.

My rent is *perfect* (knock on wood... I don't want to jinx it!) In fact, in my neighborhood (Venice Beach), the houses around me are SELLING at 600 & 700K (yes, people are buying houses in this neighborhood at this price). My boyfriend at I pay $1500 for a two bedroom HOUSE. I feel so fortunate -- and we love our little post-war cottage :)

We pay about "average" price for our SF apartment. 1 BR/ 1 BA Lower Pacific Heights neighborhood. $1895/ month
I agree with SuSi... as long as we can handle the rent I do want to stay here. There is just so much to do in the city and the neighborhood. Living in a suburb and paying much less $$ still doesn't sound appealing yet. For my husband, though, he's ready to pack it up.

kakoivisto - I'd say so, you lucked out. I haven't lived in the Denver Metro area since the mid 90s but I live in Colorado Springs and pay $760 mo $30 for my cat and dog utilities.

It's your basic 2 bedroom 1 bath apartment built in about 1986 - 855 sq. ft. Though, we do have separate entrances, a pool (they try to keep it open year round), workout room/clubhouse, computer center (though I prefer my own computer), security (sort of) and the property backs up to a park. We can paint if we'd like and replace the apartment blinds (I didn't because I thought I was going to be here a max of 3 months).

Anyhow, given the area that I am familiar with of Congress Park, that's practically a steal!

We have a lovely 3BR/3BA duplex in a great neighborhood in Chicago. The first place we tried to rent fell through. It was the same size, same neighborhood, and more expensive by $610/mo. Needless to say, we're VERY happy with how things worked out.

I'm in Michigan in the Detroit 'burbs and it is very, very reasonable to rent. My husband and I got incredibly lucky and found a cute little brick ranch on 1 1/2 acres for $900. No extra for pets either! The best part about it is, we have a very nice landlord who lets us paint and do whatever we want with the decor and yard.

900 sq foot 1 bed 1 bath...dining area...living room...on suite laundry...$600 a month...for my area...thas very high.

I think that I'm pretty lucky, my rent is pretty cheap at $775 a month for a 1 bedroom, with full basement and a small backyard/patio area, especially for living in Philadelphia.

I live in LA in a studio apartment for $995 plus $125 for a parking space, which was the only way I was going to move into this area.

@Landlords posting comments: You guys seem to be taking it personal that other individuals out in the world, who do not rent from you, feel that they are being over charged. If you're not a landlord who is guilty of it, then why so defensive? People know when they are getting fair rent, and people also know when they are getting ripped off. And in LA and most major cities, the landlords that rip off good tenants far outweigh the ones who don't.

My previous apartment was also a studio, with no parking available at all, for $800. And it was cute, clean, in a safe and well maintained building and in a great area. As the end of my one year lease was approaching I was told I could sign a two year lease and my rent would only increase to $875. However, if I decided to go month to month it would increase to $950.

The point is is that if I could afford a $1,000 a month studio (which is what you come close to paying every now and then with the cost of the occasional parking ticket) then I would have rented one from the beginning. I moved into a place I could afford and still pay my bills. To then make it unaffordable 12 months later is completely heinous. And is how some people get trapped into living above their means and racking up debt. I was a great tenant with awesome credit, references, never a day late with a check and never had a single neighbor complaint.

Some landlords are simply greedy, greedy, greedy.. so please stop acting as if that is simply unfathomable.

I think we pay rent that is mostly fair but maybe a bit high, especially considering it's going to be raised every year.

We pay $925 for a 1BR/1BA in Philadelphia, large windows, hardwood floors, dishwasher and washer/dryer in unit, parking space included.

The one thing that I think is unfair/kind of weird is that the landlords make the tenants pay the annual high occupancy fee and annual alarm fee (each unit has an alarm system) so you end up paying an extra $50-100 every year.

I'm currently lucky to have a decent landlord. His rent is below market because the building is long paid for. Rents in this area are $1000 - $1200 for a one bedroom. I pay $700 for a 500 sq.ft. one bedroom. It's cozy like crazy but I open my door onto a park.

I've had landlords that wanted every penny they could get, including making illegal apartments out of attic space, stuff like that. There are some landlords who purchase old houses in decent areas and break them into a semblance of apts. and sit back and rake in the money. Places that ended up with unknown defects like walls that were soaked with damp year round and cockroaches that were impossible to annihilate. Usually the rent is lower than market but the places are slums hiding in the suburban neighborhoods they inhabit.

I don't think there are blanket truths about landlords vs tenants. In this area there is often a lot of turnover and I've found that landlords value tenants who stay and are responsible. They will make an effort to keep good tenants. I make a point of being a good tenant. It works both ways. However the landlords who didn't care if you stayed or left do seem, in retrospect, to have been the crummier caretakers of their properties.

"...something envious here in Los Angeles where rent is usually the largest cost of living"

Isn't that true everywhere (rent or mortgage)? Or are there places in US where people pay more for food or gasoline? Now I am curious.

Also, I don't think rent can be envious (as it is a feeling), but rather enviable (which provokes a feeling).

I think we overpay a bit based on what I have since learned about the area, but we calculated the cost of moving to a cheaper apartment versus the knowledge we will only be here 1 more year (10-12 months). So we decided to suck it up for that time period and find a killer place next time. When we moved here, we didn't know the area so rented based entirely on location.

We have to be cognizant of our area- we live a block away from the cinema, bookstore, library, our gym, and the restaurants and Whole Foods. We are not paying for luxury apartments, but for the location. And I have to say, the location really is worth it. I love not having to drive to go on a date with my significant other.

I'm in Indiana -- two bedroom, one bath - w/d hookups - ample closet space - dishwasher - eat in kitchen - balcony - cathedral ceilings. All for $569 - let me know if that is expensive.

I live outside the Greater Toronto Area and I pay for my 700 sq townhouse. 2 bedrooms 1 bath 900 a month plus utilities. I think many of you pay great prices for rent!

ChrisGal...depends on the neighborhood,

i may pay $600, but other one bedrooms even two bedrooms rent for $475 in my city.

I'm paying $700 for a decently-sized studio in Baltimore that has hardwood floors, central air, new windows, and insanely high ceilings. I'm pretty satisfied with it.

Khrystena - I'm at 800sq ft 1 bdrm, $730, Utilities included, and I was starting to think I was paying too much :)

I've been in my apt. for 5 years, and before signing my new lease, I asked my landlord if he'd cut me a break on the rent. The units on each side of mine are empty, and I figured he'd be stoked to have me stay. I was right. He cut the rent by more than $50 a month. Score.

2bd/1ba about 850sq ft maybe 900; loads of cabinets in the kitchen, a separate dining room - new appliances, new bath, new carpet, I can paint and I love it. The one drawback - smaller closets than last place - a concession to get an 8' x 40' covered "mardi gras" balcony with a view of the river and a small backyard where I can garden. It's $550 a month and includes sewer/water/heat = thereby reaffirming my faith in a supreme being.

Bee.T.

I am in a similar situation to you. My rent is a little high, but I live in a very desirable part of the city in what is called a "luxury" apartment. I am also within a couple blocks of groceries, cafes, movie theaters, shopping, and a park.

The extra dough is really worth the fact that I don't have to drive.

I live in a low cost-of-living area anyway, but my rent is low for the area. It's better than 99% of other rental communities (we live in a townhouse), too. I sing its praises every chance I get. Still, I'm 'moving on up' to a highrise when our lease is up. It's near downtown, but much cheaper than if it were actually downtown. It feels like such a good deal I keep worrying the owners will figure it out before we move and start charging double.

jayjay5 -- Greenwood, Indiana is where I call home. Been looking around online - seems like all the comparables are at least a hundred dollars more, so I guess this place is cheap.

ChrisGal,
That depends. I'm in Bloomington IN and am paying $520/mo for 700sq ft, 2br 1ba with large patio. The real selling points, though, are A) that it's super pet friendly (no size or breed restrictions on dogs) and B) the large field behind my building, which is a de facto dog park for residents. The cons are that maintenance is a little slow and there is wall-to-wall beige-o-rama carpet.

I've been here four years and through two small rate hikes, and I don't intend to leave any time soon.

Well what attracted us (I know you guys hate it but it's tiring sometimes) to this place is the washer/dryer hookups and it's convience to shopping districts, restaurants, and the fiance has less than a 15 minute drive to work.

There isn't much to compare it to around here - most two bedrooms are bigger but they do cost at least $50 bucks more.

Yes, location was a definite deciding factor for me, too. Just a few blocks from grocery and shopping, but also on the edge of town, but alsotoo, only about 10-15 minutes from campus/work. And it's situated between two established neighborhoods, so it doesn't feel like you're living in apartment hell. It's pretty much ideal.