Last month the Boston City Council voted unanimously to petition the Boston Zoning Commission to change zoning rules so that no more than four college-level students can occupy an apartment.
There has been some outrage over this from the SPOA (Small Property Owners Association). The only reasoning I was able to find as to why they are changing the zoning rule and almost blatantly discriminate students as a “Problem Tenant” is the need to reduce partying in certain residential areas were students live.
Overall I don’t think it will have much affect on the rental market as a whole but it will certainly cause a spike in lack of availability and lead to higher rents in the student-congested areas in and around the city.
After working with hundreds if not thousands of students to find them housing I can maybe remember a dozen cases were more then 4 people were sharing the same unit.
It’s also worth mentioning that there is always a very low inventory of 4+ bedroom units regardless of who is looking.
Apartments tend to be smaller in the city. Landlords have an easier time renting smaller apartments. At one time there were larger apartments, but property owners broke those larger units into many smaller ones because they could make more money.
Living on top, under and beside students at various periods of my life I find that you don’t have to live somewhere to participate in a party, so the argument of less people living there = less partying is, to me, irrelevant.
Overall I find the argument that led to the zoning change outrageous but I don’t think it will have much affect on the market.
IG
Filed under: Current Trends by IG on
01.22.2008
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Rather than talk about how painful parking in Boston, in particular, the neglected areas of South Boston during the snow season, I want to make a suggestion to city officials.
As we all know, in many neighborhoods in and around Boston, people who shovel their parking spot claim it with some sort of a marker.
Some of my favorites from this year:
- an old TV – Really old
- A mail box
- Some twisted version of frosty the Snowman (This marker is for single-use only)
Although the rules of marking a spot require that the marker be removed 48 hours after a storm – the vast majority keep their marker until most of the snow melts and you can find a spot without having to trudge home from Castle Island.
This year I noticed two things that made the situation worse.
- Snow removal was slow, late and insufficient with more snow and ice makes piled on top to add to the mayhem.
- The city, without warning, decided to pay its workers to remove some markers at random.
Here is my suggestion:
Reinstate Street Cleaning Rules for one week, after a major snow event, to facilitate snow removal. And I mean removal by wheel loader and dump truck. Why are workers being paid to remove markers instead of snow!?
Preferential Treatment
Unless Boston passed some new “Preferred Traction” law for the Back Bay I don’t see a reason for South Boston’s street corners and crosswalks to be totally iced up two weeks after a storm and in the Back Bay you can pretty much eat off any curb you see because it’s so well cared for.
Thanks,
IG
Photos: John Tlumacki, David L. Ryan, Boston Globe
Filed under: Current Trends, Tips and Tricks by IG on
12.22.2007
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Most experts recommend not spending more then 35% of your income. Many landlords will take your gross annual income and divide it by 35-40 to feel comfortable taking you on as a tenant. For example, a $35,000 a year income earner should budget $875 – $1,000 per month for their rent.
GrandCentralApartments.com created a rent calculator to make budgeting for your rent simple.
Keep in mind your responsibility for utilities. Obviously the best case scenario is finding an apartment where the rent includes all utilities. If not, be sure to get an idea of what your heating bill, electric, phone, cable and internet expenses will be and factor that into your budget as well. Your landlord should be able to help you estimate your utilities.
A recent article in the Boston Globe reported that the amount of low-income renters that spend upwards of 50% of their income on rent increased dramatically over the last 8 years (almost doubled).
Low income refers to people making no less then the minimum wage and no more then 120% of the median income for an area.
IG
Filed under: Apartment Renting, Current Trends, Tips and Tricks by IG on
10.14.2007
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