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Utilities included usually means the landlord pays the utilities, but depending on how high your rent is you're probably paying for them anyways.1
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Oh so either way I’m laying them? Lol and the rent is pretty high but they include cable ,water,electric,sewage too0
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Be careful, sometimes there may be a cap on utilities and if you go over, you have to pay the difference. Definitely ask, but yes, usually utilities included is a good thing. Less headache IMO0
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Did you pay utilities at your last apartment?0
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I am a landlord and I do not pay any utilities. Also I am only responsible for repairs that are $200 and over0
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I am a landlord and I do not pay any utilities. Also I am only responsible for repairs that are $200 and over
My buddy owns an apartment building and he said that a tenant once called him because a light bulb went out. LoL!
He has told me other stories that where not as funny though. One couple got housing assistance for years and years so the state mailed him their rent check directly every month. He never had a problem and the state paid every month on the 1st without issue so he didn't mind.
Well they lost their funding somehow ( he doesn't know how, he wasn't told that part of the story) and they had to begin paying their own rent. They where 2 months behind and he told them they had to catch up by paying extra on top of the new rent due on the first of each month. They must've assumed that it meant they could pay whatever whenever they wanted. They would drop off$20 and 50$ at a time. Well the first of the month came rolling around again and he told them they owed $1500 for the previous months plus the new month that began that day which was 800$. They said " no we just paid you $50!"
They really thought that they didn't owe any more because they where making payments on the past amount owed. I guess they didn't think they where responsible for the new months rent as well.
He took them to court and they finally got removed but he said that is the last time he would try to let anyone make payments because it was very clear that people just don't get it or maybe just don't care. At court they said they where going to be homeless with their 7 kids but the judge didn't fall for it thankfully because the landlord brought proof that both worked and still got housing assistance for many many years anyway.2 -
So many landlords here. You guys are kind of freaking me out. I thought you were just regular people not *kitten* landlords. I would never admit to being one in mixed company.
I had a suspicion that you where actually jin le Wang's landlord this entire time! I hope they found the girl who slashed his tires.1 -
I think if you have rented a similar size place in the same area, you would be able to make a pretty good estimate on whether the rent is a good deal or not with utilities included (based on your past utility bills + rent).
In my area, renters almost always pay for water, trash and sewage in addition to the bigger utilities like gas and electric. It is rare (near me) to have utilities included. I rented one place for 3 months during my divorce that included all utilities, cable & internet, but it was also fully furnished and considered an "executive apartment" so it was generally not a long-term residence for anyone and most people staying there were temporary and had homes elsewhere. It was perfect for a short-term space while selling a house and taking care of all that. I quickly ran the math on what I'd paid for utilities (and wireless internet) for a 1600 sq ft modest house and the apartment was like 1000 sq ft so the amount was less, but not drastically less. It seemed completely fair to me.
Once in the past, I found a duplex where they included lawncare (just regular mowing and trimming branches on trees after storms) and I learned even that was rare for my area. Most places in my area if it is not an apartment (renting a house or duplex) you have to mow your own yard. I find that so weird because when I was in college and renting, sometimes moving from apartment to duplex I sure as heck wasn't going to run out & buy my own lawnmower! I think of that as homeowner stuff and actually, I don't even do that now as a homeowner (we just pay a guy and it's super cheap anyway).
BTW I think all the horror stories about bad tenants pretty much happen to every landlord. I know people with low end properties renting to whoever has cash and people with extremely nice (expensive for our area) properties who run extensive background checks & request letters of reference and huge deposits. Either type...ALL of them have these crazy horror stories! I know one guy who rents nice 3- and 4-bedroom houses to mostly professional people who are in the area on 1 yr contracts and it's not unusual for them to take all the light bulbs & sometimes closet shelving that was installed beforehand, or the plates from light switches and outlets! So weird...after hearing those stories, I kind of understand why as a renter I'd get back most or all of my deposit even with a couple stains in the carpet or a scratched hallway wall!
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OP, I would suggest you try to speak to as many people in ur prospective neighborhood to find out what most people are paying. All of us on here live in different areas where the cost of living varies. Good luck on your apt search!0
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Will_Workout_for_food wrote: »One of my old tenants didnt tell us about a leak in the house. We covered heat and water. I was wondering why the water bill was so high. This went on for months. We confronted them and they said they knew and just didnt tell us. No real reason why. We figured they were a bunch of *kitten* so we told them we are upping the rent by 5% ( we havnt raised their rents in like 2 years and ur allowed to raise it yearly ) and they got pissed and decided go squat and not pay rent for 3 months. so they lived here rent free cause thats the grace period tenants have to look for a new apt before legally being able to be kicked out. Hate being a landlord honestly
It's well known among the common, working, wage earning folk - whose rent isn't subsidized by government handouts - that landlords are very prone to raising the rent on tenants who complain about anything, especially repairs. Of course they aren't going to tell you this because they want you to like them. That's why they didn't tell you about the leak, because they were afraid you'd raise the rent and that's exactly what you did. If they have no choice but to pay market rent, which you dictate. And they are completely at your mercy. All landlords know this and without question have the upper hand in all negotiations, even though they all say they hate landlording.
When a landlord visits his or her rental property every 10 weeks, after giving proper advanced notice to the tenants which is applicable by law, the landlord can inspect the premises and communicate with the tenants. Repairs can be made automatically before they turn into a problem, if the landlord is so inclined to be gracious enough to make those repairs out of respect for their tenants - even it's just replacing a doorknob that fell off, mending a cracked window that was like that before the tenant moved in, snaking a drain that drano won't unclog, or replacing the hinges on a cupboard that's hanging loose. It isn't customary with landlords to do it this way, because it's dollars they aren't willing to spend and time they aren't willing to bother with.
Occasionally they hire property management companies to make quarterly inspections of the units for them, but these companies are notoriously slimy when dealing with working class tenants. They typically don't give tenants proper notice before inspection, blame tenants for repairs that they shouldn't be blamed for. And of course, use any attention that has to be paid to keep a unit in good working order as an excuse to hike the rent on some waitress or retail employee or administrative filing clerk or non-union construction worker to make way for a university student whose well-to-do parents pay the rent or a Section 8 tenant who only has to come with a third of the rent and the government pays the rest. Which is why landlords hike up Section 8 rents as high as they can possibly go according to the "market" statistics and trends. This makes it increasingly impossible for honest, working class renters with good references - who can't afford to buy and don't qualify for Section 8 - to be able to rent at all unless they're living with 6 other people in a 2 bedroom apartment who all chip in to pay an unjustly inflated rent that exploits the working poor who pay their own way.
This is really biased and nonsense. First off, I did not come out of the womb some privileged *kitten* that got handed all kinds of properties and real estate to rent out and screw the common man. I was poor as dirt and have worked my *kitten* off my whole life, to change my life. I grew up in rented projects, and rented for many years as an adult, so I know damn well both sides of the story. There are just as many scummy tenants as their are landlords, and some tenants actully have mire money than the landlord. The bottom line is I offer my house or building to be someone else's home. I expect them to take care of it and have pride in it. I expect nothing less. There also comes a certain responsibility in maintaining a dwelling you live in to a certain degree. I am not a hotel and I don't offer room service. I will not be there to change light bulbs or do nonsense things that the renter can and should do for themselves. It's about being accountable for yourself. I do not coddle people, I offer a nice place to live....that's it. And prices go up, just like everything in life, so as the cost of owning the property may increase so will the rent. That's just a fact of life and we all need to deal with it. I will make sure my rental properties are well maintained and in return I expect them to stay that way. If I rent to someone with a lower income I don't expect them to treat my place with any less respect than if I lived there. And if I rent to someone with a higher income I don't expect to be on call at their every whim. It's a misconception that landlords are rich fat cats trying to milk the lower class. That stereotype infuriates me. Every goddamn renter I have has is living in a FAR better place than I came from, and everyone of them have the responsibility of taking care of their own day to day maintenance. I think I allow them to be prideful of where they live. I know that's all I wanted when I was renting.11 -
Great response bojack. Not all landlords are evil. Tons of regional differences, too.
Sort of unrelated, but the thing that annoys me most is peers who decide to rent out properties when they are not equipped, financially or otherwise, to handle the role. Usually people who got stuck with their starter house that didn't sell and moved into a bigger place. Then they rent out the smaller/older property hoping to make a buck and can't really afford to do the necessary upkeep & repairs, and don't know how to screen and handle their tenants. Every time I hear stories about this I just roll my eyes. I guess because I've had other family & friends who took it very seriously and were well-prepared. It's not as simple as "Oh I'll find someone to rent to, so I can pay the payments plus make a few hundred on my old place! With no effort from me, ever. Genius!"3 -
Will_Workout_for_food wrote: »One of my old tenants didnt tell us about a leak in the house. We covered heat and water. I was wondering why the water bill was so high. This went on for months. We confronted them and they said they knew and just didnt tell us. No real reason why. We figured they were a bunch of *kitten* so we told them we are upping the rent by 5% ( we havnt raised their rents in like 2 years and ur allowed to raise it yearly ) and they got pissed and decided go squat and not pay rent for 3 months. so they lived here rent free cause thats the grace period tenants have to look for a new apt before legally being able to be kicked out. Hate being a landlord honestly
It's well known among the common, working, wage earning folk - whose rent isn't subsidized by government handouts - that landlords are very prone to raising the rent on tenants who complain about anything, especially repairs. Of course they aren't going to tell you this because they want you to like them. That's why they didn't tell you about the leak, because they were afraid you'd raise the rent and that's exactly what you did. If they have no choice but to pay market rent, which you dictate. And they are completely at your mercy. All landlords know this and without question have the upper hand in all negotiations, even though they all say they hate landlording.
When a landlord visits his or her rental property every 10 weeks, after giving proper advanced notice to the tenants which is applicable by law, the landlord can inspect the premises and communicate with the tenants. Repairs can be made automatically before they turn into a problem, if the landlord is so inclined to be gracious enough to make those repairs out of respect for their tenants - even it's just replacing a doorknob that fell off, mending a cracked window that was like that before the tenant moved in, snaking a drain that drano won't unclog, or replacing the hinges on a cupboard that's hanging loose. It isn't customary with landlords to do it this way, because it's dollars they aren't willing to spend and time they aren't willing to bother with.
Occasionally they hire property management companies to make quarterly inspections of the units for them, but these companies are notoriously slimy when dealing with working class tenants. They typically don't give tenants proper notice before inspection, blame tenants for repairs that they shouldn't be blamed for. And of course, use any attention that has to be paid to keep a unit in good working order as an excuse to hike the rent on some waitress or retail employee or administrative filing clerk or non-union construction worker to make way for a university student whose well-to-do parents pay the rent or a Section 8 tenant who only has to come with a third of the rent and the government pays the rest. Which is why landlords hike up Section 8 rents as high as they can possibly go according to the "market" statistics and trends. This makes it increasingly impossible for honest, working class renters with good references - who can't afford to buy and don't qualify for Section 8 - to be able to rent at all unless they're living with 6 other people in a 2 bedroom apartment who all chip in to pay an unjustly inflated rent that exploits the working poor who pay their own way.
This is really biased and nonsense. First off, I did not come out of the womb some privileged *kitten* that got handed all kinds of properties and real estate to rent out and screw the common man. I was poor as dirt and have worked my *kitten* off my whole life, to change my life. I grew up in rented projects, and rented for many years as an adult, so I know damn well both sides of the story. There are just as many scummy tenants as their are landlords, and some tenants actully have mire money than the landlord. The bottom line is I offer my house or building to be someone else's home. I expect them to take care of it and have pride in it. I expect nothing less. There also comes a certain responsibility in maintaining a dwelling you live in to a certain degree. I am not a hotel and I don't offer room service. I will not be there to change light bulbs or do nonsense things that the renter can and should do for themselves. It's about being accountable for yourself. I do not coddle people, I offer a nice place to live....that's it. And prices go up, just like everything in life, so as the cost of owning the property may increase so will the rent. That's just a fact of life and we all need to deal with it. I will make sure my rental properties are well maintained and in return I expect them to stay that way. If I rent to someone with a lower income I don't expect them to treat my place with any less respect than if I lived there. And if I rent to someone with a higher income I don't expect to be on call at their every whim. It's a misconception that landlords are rich fat cats trying to milk the lower class. That stereotype infuriates me. Every goddamn renter I have has is living in a FAR better place than I came from, and everyone of them have the responsibility of taking care of their own day to day maintenance. I think I allow them to be prideful of where they live. I know that's all I wanted when I was renting.
Nothing I said about current day renting is nonsense. Everything I sad about it is true. All landlords aren't the same and some are good people with a heart and I've known them. But I'd say the majority of them are exploitative to one degree or another YES. If you aren't exploitative, good, and I really mean that. But you're a landlord and I'm a working class tenant who's never been on government assistance one day in my life, including during my childhood. Our definition of what's exploitative might be subjective and differ wildly. I'd be happy to have you as a landlord if I can afford the rents you charge and can live in my own private unit without a roommate. The rent I can currently afford would be $800 a month with heat and hot water included and of course I would respect your property and my neighbors.
Most landlords are working class as well. And many have huge debt by just being a landlord. And it's easier to exploit the system as a tenant than a landlord. It's a nightmare to evict a problem tenant, but you mistreat a tenant as a landlord and it can mean anything from a civil suit to jail time. And let me tell you, it was pretty freaking hard not to mistreat a tenant that drove her car right into my house while she was drunk and on her cell phone. For every *kitten* landlord story I can match it with an equally shittyh tenant story. People are good and bad on both sides.0 -
What doesnutilities included mean ? So i pay them with my rent or are they included ? Is it better to have utilities included or not included ?
When I rented a house our rent also covered water/sewage, trash pick up. We paid electric, gas (propane) and internet/phone/cable/satelite if we wanted it on our own. The rent was the lowest for the area.
I would expect that if you are not paying utility companies directly that your rent will be higher to cover the included costs. You could look up average rent and utility costs for your area to see if the landlord is asking a fair amount.
The advantage to not having to pay utlities seperately is convenience (less things to remember, one place to deal with, not having to get services set up) and payments would be averaged instead of going up or down with your usage which could make budgeting easier. I suppose a disadvantage might be higher rent, not choosing which company to go with, paying more if you are not home a lot because other tenants use more than you might if you were paying utlities seperately.
http://realestate.syracuse.com/rentalliving/2017/06/pros_and_cons_of_utilities-inc.html
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Okay i have a question , i have two apartments for rent in my area near my budget and so many people are looking at them but i have no furniture and i don’t wanna pass up a good chance of a decent apartment but i also don’t want to rush. Should i wait until i have furniture or move in and buy a little as i go?0
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Okay i have a question , i have two apartments for rent in my area near my budget and so many people are looking at them but i have no furniture and i don’t wanna pass up a good chance of a decent apartment but i also don’t want to rush. Should i wait until i have furniture or move in and buy a little as i go?
Get the place first, add furniture slowly. It’s not a race it’s a marathon1
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