Renting

We all have deal breakers in just about every facet of our lives—from dating to jobs, and of course, to our homes, there are some things we just can’t deal with. And those deal breakers are different for everyone—for one person, a roommate leaving dishes in the sink overnight could feel like the end of the world, while for another person, cleanliness (or lack thereof) is a non-issue compared to whether or not they get along with their roommate on a personal level.

Timeout: Mark-Paul Gosselaar, star of the beloved 90s show Saved By The Bell, is renting out his Sherman Oaks, California home. Gosselaar, whose career took a turn for the dramatic with series regular status on NYPD Blue and TNT lawyer drama Franklin & Bash, has listed the five bedroom, five bathroom home for $13,500 per month. The 5,266 square foot “custom French country” home sits on a .44 acre lot and was built in 2005.

Contrary to what some might believe, avocado toast isn’t what’s keeping Millennials from buying houses—rather, a shortage of affordable homes is stopping prospective homebuyers from their purchasing dreams, no doubt combined with things like student debt (according to Forbes, more than 44 million people face a total of $1.3 trillion of student debt, more than any other kind of debt, outside of mortgages).

No matter where you live, everyone dreams of scoring an affordable apartment with awesome amenities. Whether it’s a proper doorman or a shared laundry room, for many of us, the communal comforts offered in an apartment building is what makes or breaks the decision on whether or not we’ll live there. But how much are we really paying for these perks?

There’s a lot about the roommate experience that can be tricky. Like chores, chores and, uh… chores. But even after you’ve mastered homekeeping, there are still some things about sharing a home that may come as a surprise. For example, your roommate’s renter’s insurance policy might not cover your stuff.

In this week’s episode of “So You Think Your Place is Small?” we bring you this “renovated” studio in Boston’s tony exurb of Brookline, wedged just between all of the urban universities and the suburban ones in the city of 1,000 colleges.

Daydreaming is usually reserved for the impossible—such as musing about what it would be like to live in a giant penthouse in New York City when even a tiny studio is out of your budget, or to quit your job and travel the world without having to worry about a thing. But sometimes the things we don’t often think about as daydreams can become our biggest fantasies.

As a renter, you know what your price range is and what you’re looking for in an apartment, but do you know your rights? Last year when I was apartment hunting in Brooklyn, I was shocked to learn that it was possible that a potential new landlord might ask for 6 months’ rent up front for my security deposit (luckily that didn’t end up being the case, but still!).

Much like finding out your new boyfriend is actually the heir to the throne of a small European country, living a life without rent is something that most of us will only dream about. But there are actual, real, human people living that life—who eat, sleep and work in the five boroughs without spending their hard-earned cash on their apartment. How do they do it? They’ve managed to co-opt the conventional “hard-earned cash” equation and cut out the middle man.

Nationwide, home renters are on the rise. So much in fact that according to a recent study by ABODO based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau, 36.4% of the American population is renting their household—the largest percentage the nation has seen since the 1960s. And as the number of renters continues to grow (there were 1.4 million new renter households in 2015 alone) so do renter-dominated cities. As of 2015, renting has the become the majority in 21 cities across the United States.

As if renting an apartment wasn’t stressful enough: Between the cutthroat competition, massive upfront expense, and daunting paperwork, now renters in more than 1,000 cities can add the panic-inducing thrill of online bidding wars to the process. Rentberry is an online rental marketplace that allows prospective tenants to bid for available apartments.

California is one of those places people (at least the ones who didn’t grow up there) dream about moving to some day. Between the glamour of Hollywood, the laid back vibes and the beautiful beaches, it’s definitely a desirable destination. But have you ever wondered what living on the California coast really looks like? We combed through rental listings to find apartments, condos and houses in cities up and down the coastline, so you can see for yourself.

Ever wonder what it’s really like to live in the most expensive neighborhoods in New York, or if it’s even possible to afford it (let alone live on your own there)? To satisfy your curiosity, we looked for the most affordable studio apartments on the market right now in the 5 most expensive neighborhoods. These 5 neighborhoods are based on RentHop’s 2016 Q4 rental trends, and were chosen because they have the highest median rent for studios in Manhattan.

There are plenty of legitimate benefits to home ownership (like tax credits and one day—in 30 years—getting to own a home outright). And of course there are obvious differences between renting and buying in terms of what you can and can’t do, but there are also a lot of myths—and unnecessary moral implications—surrounding home ownership and renting that you absolutely don’t need to buy into.

Interior designer Alissa of Lenore Design has had the task of turning her family’s rental into a warm home that matches their personality. With an industrial feel (think: overhead pipes meeting very little overhead lighting), the space wasn’t an easy project to tackle. Thankfully, Alissa’s design skills were just what this space needed, to transform it from a standard rental to a warm and welcoming home.

Looking to move to New York, but don’t know where to actually look for your new home? NYC is full of amazing neighborhoods and each one has something special to offer, but if you’re looking for a less expensive start, these neighborhoods in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens can boast more affordable rent, tons of parks, amazing food and plenty of culture—not to mention an easier commute.

If you’ve ever searched for an apartment in New York City, you’ve probably heard the term “pre-war” before, but are you familiar with what it means? Pre-war apartments refer to buildings that were constructed before 1939 (AKA those that were built before World War II began). Pre-war style came about during a population boom in the city in the 1880s, according to Street Easy.

As a renter, no doubt you’ve experienced the annoyance of paying rental application fee after rental application fee while searching for a new place. $20, $30, sometimes even $50 a pop—these fees can add up quickly. What’s more, if you live in a particularly competitive rental market, like Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Seattle, or Portland, you’re likely to lay out $100+ on fees before finally beating out the throngs of other applicants and landing a new rental.

If you’re reading this from New York City or Boston or San Francisco (or really anywhere!), I don’t have to tell you: the rent is too damn high. (It’s an old meme, but it checks out because it’s still too damn true.) Wages aren’t keeping up with the cost of living, and housing in metro areas is getting prohibitively expensive. “Prohibitively” expensive?

Find boxes? Check. Pack your entire life into said boxes? Check. Hire movers to get said boxes to your new home? Check. You’ve got everything for your upcoming move totally covered, but there’s one small-but-important step you might be forgetting: Take photos!

If you’re new to the apartment hunt, the idea of using a broker might be a very confusing concept—especially so if you’re moving from a lower-demand rental market to a bustling (and crowded) one like those in NYC or San Francisco.

Two thousand square feet is massive in almost anyone’s book, so you can expect that apartments in this tier are going to fetch top dollar in any region. But “top dollar,” it turns out, is quite different depending on where you happen to be apartment hunting. Although SLC and NYC don’t seem all that different when you abbreviate them, living in a rental in the former would be about $6,000 cheaper than the latter.

Anyone who’s ever started on an apartment search knows the basic math of renting, delivered here à la Biggie Smalls: Mo’ money, mo’ square footage. If you have more dollars to spend, you can get yourself into a bigger apartment. Much bigger, in some places. From the deep South to deep in Manhattan, here is what it costs to rent five 1200-ish-square-foot apartments across the U.S.

There’s a bit of difference between what’s considered a small living space across the country. In Manhattan, 900 square feet can feel like a palace, while some Southern coastal cities would consider anything under 1,000 square feet to be on the small side. It shows, too, in what rent the same size apartment can fetch across the country.

Whether you’re considering a move soon, or you’re just curious about how the rest of the country lives, this should prove to be a fun adventure: Take a quick tour of the country—five apartments at a time—to discover how rent can fluctuate from city to city and coast to coast. First up, a sampler of 500-square-foot units.

While not as expensive as San Francisco and New York, Boston does claim the number three spot for highest median one bedroom rents in the nation ($2,800). Nearly 700,000 people live in the city proper—many of them students—and they have to live somewhere, for something a bit more reasonable. We took a look at Boston, Cambridge, Somerville, and Brookline to see what $1500 can rent you, right now.

I move a lot. Like, a lot. I even wrote an article about the benefits of being a serial mover like myself. And in moving so much, I’ve gotten really good at finding great apartments, the newest one always better than the last. (Ask my friends, they’ll back me up!) I’m currently in my seventh Seattle apartment with a view of the Space Needle from my living room. So I promise, I know a thing or two!

Maybe you found the perfect apartment after weeks of fruitless searching, but the rent is just a wee bit out of your budget. Or maybe you just received the renewal notice for your current apartment from your landlord, and your rent is getting bumped up a lot more than you’d like for next year. Your first step, in either case, is to negotiate a lower rate. But what do you do when the landlord won’t budge?

Moving is a huge process full of high and low points. Some moments will have you doing a celebratory dance, and others will have you more overwhelmed than you thought possible. Whether you’re signing the lease on your first apartment or you’re trading spaces for the 15th time, your move will probably look a lot like this: Your lease is almost up, and you’re ready to move into a new apartment.

It’s time for a congratulatory toast. We’re halfway through the year! It’s a great time to take a style inventory, get some projects done and tackle a really important topic: Am I going to stay in this apartment? If you know you’re going to renew your lease into 2017 (So far away! That doesn’t even look like a real year, does it?), make sure your summer plans include tackling some updates to make your apartment into a home.

What do you do when you’re a design lover but your rental is less than inspired? Well, you get creative. We tallied up 7 common nuisances experienced by renters and paired them with stylish solutions so you can get your temporary pad feeling more like home. Design Woe: Generic flooring Stylish Solution: Rugs on rugs on rugs It might seem silly to layer a rug over carpet, but the visual effect of a graphic or colorful floor covering really helps to distinguish a space.

Do you like your apartment, or do you like like it? When you’re living in modest digs with modest means, you’re likely always going to think about whether the grass would be greener or the carpet would be cleaner if you moved to a new place. But deciding whether to renew or re-locate shouldn’t be a daydream decision. There are real, solid strategies you can start to think about as you near the end of your lease.

Q: After two months of apartment hunting, I finally saw an apartment today that I absolutely loved. It’s in one of my favorite neighborhoods for a very affordable price (all utilities included, and central heat/AC to boot!). It’s 1,000 square feet and has modern finishes, gorgeous hardwood floors, and in-unit laundry.

A lot of the spaces that we feature on Apartment Therapy have gorgeous, soaring ceilings. “Sure,” I hear you say, “it’s easy to make a space look good when your ceiling are 14 feet tall.” But what if your living space is a little humbler, with ceilings no higher than the standard eight feet? There are still things you can do to make your home look fantastic — and spacious to boot. Here are four ideas, with plenty of (low-ceilinged) examples to inspire. 1.

Need to be away for a while but don’t want to eat a chunk of rent? You might be in the market for a sub-leaser. Letting someone in your home comes with plenty of issues so let’s wade through them together. Read on. You have a set of guidelines for your tenancy; it’s your lease. Check it to see the rules for sub-leasing. In the event that it’s not addressed, you really need to bring it up with your landlord.

If you’re languishing in a dorm room, sublet or any other type of temporary housing, you’re probably facing a particular kind of decor dilemma. On one hand, you’re living there so you want it to be nice. On the other, the idea of putting tons of time into fixing up a place where you won’t be for very long is exhausting. What to do? Read this. If you know you’re gonna be on the move again soonish, it’s worth it to figure out how to weed your belongings down.

Last week we talked about warning signs to heed in order to avoid getting stuck with a bad landlord. But remember, it takes two to tango. Are you the best tenant you can be? Maybe you have the best of intentions but are still making some unwitting mistakes. Here’s the cold hard truth. Rules are there for a reason, unless you reeeally need to do your laundry after midnight, right? Sorry no.

Even a great rental will be hell if you’re stuck with a bad landlord. Don’t be blindsided by a dud. Heed these warning signs before you commit to a lease and it’s too late. Even if the apartment you tour looks immaculate, be wary if the rest of the building seems surprisingly run down in comparison. What about the landscaping outside, the lounge or the laundry room?

While buying a home often seems like the mark of adulthood and stability, there are plenty of reasons home ownership is not all it’s cracked up to be. So whether you aren’t in a position to buy a home at this point or you just aren’t sure about taking the plunge, here are some reasons to celebrate your non-homeowner freedom. If you buy a home, get ready to take on the management and expense of every single thing that goes wrong.

The landlord v. tenant relationship can be a tricky one to master; there are so many minefields to step around when dealing with your home and his property. But going into any discussion with the right knowledge and attitude can significantly improve your chances of request success. Here’s where to start. The number one secret to getting extra-good service from your landlord? Be the kind of tenant your landlord wants to keep around.

Dear Landlord, I’m your future tenant and, I get it, your priorities are a little different than mine. You want things to be durable, long-lasting and, usually, cheap. I, on the other hand, would really love them to look nice. I heard you’re doing a little work on the place before I move in so I wanted to share some do’s and don’ts, my wish list and no-no list. Some of them come at a cost, but others won’t cost you a penny.

You’ve tried so hard to spice up your rental but it’s just not quite doing the trick. Is it time to consider the horrible-of-all-horrible four letter words? Is it time to move? Answer these six questions to know for sure. There are lots of ways to change the aesthetics of your place, but some things just can’t be fixed.

I’m having a love affair with my neighborhood. The industrial Westside of Atlanta has been experiencing a total resurgence lately, something my boyfriend and I have been lucky to witness for the four years we’ve lived in our 1100-square-foot 2-bedroom apartment — the one with the tiny kitchen but a great view of the city skyline.

Carpet is a bit like upholstered furniture: it tends to hold on to dust, stains, and other marks of wear and tear. (Even after a professional cleaning, undesirables tend to resurface.) And those signs of other tenants’ lives are something you probably prefer to live without. Following are some tips for refreshing carpet that’s seen better days. Fluff Dents with an Ice Cube.

If you aren’t allowed to paint your walls or you simply don’t want to commit, and if the though of hanging even removable wallpaper gives you hives, we should be friends. Also, you should consider brightening up your standard-issue walls with a lovely wall hanging. A few tiny tacks is all it takes.. TOP ROW: Jesse & Lucas’ Simply Stylish Home + Studio: A vintage Egyptian tapestry livens up the white walls in their son’s room.

When you’re looking for a new apartment you no doubt have a laundry list of what you’re looking for and what you’re not looking for. Some criteria you may be uncompromising about (like the maximum price) but there are always secondary criteria that are more flexible. Which floor the apartment is on likely falls into this category and there are pros and cons for each floor. I live in Brownstone Brooklyn where most apartment buildings are 4 story walkups.

Knowing what you want in a rental apartment is pretty easy: space, location, storage, beautiful floors, light, etc. Finding all of those things within your budget can be a bit more difficult. But before you even start contemplating your rental possibilities, you should probably know what your budget is, and fortunately, this step isn’t all that difficult.

Everyone has moving horror stories, but there are just some things you don’t think to check until you’ve already signed a lease. Here’s 10 things that should be on everyone’s “must-check” list. 1. Hallway/Doorway Size: Sometimes it’s easy to get carried away with great architecture lines of square footage, but sometimes (Even if you buy small furniture) things simply don’t fit in awkward hallways.

Just because you don't own your apartment doesn't mean you can't dress it up.

This subject has been on my mind lately as I wrap up a renovation in the second apartment of the home I bought last year. I am preparing to put the apartment on the rental market within the next few weeks and have been thinking about the best way to price it.What not to do is take your actual monthly mortgage plus expenses such as yard maintenance, and charge half of that cost to a future tenant (assuming the space is comparable.

They often call getting married and moving in together as “taking the plunge,” but if you ask us, moving in with someone you know and love is a lot less scary than moving in with a stranger. Don’t go into the roommate interview unprepared; we’ve got the questions to consider before you both sign the lease.