In the greater Boston area, many of the rental units are in extremely old buildings and the combination of an inefficient heating system with poor insulation can lead to 100’s of dollars per month in heating costs.
The best case scenario for renters is to get the heat and hot water included in the rent. That way any insulation or efficiency problems are the landlord’s responsibility.
Before signing a lease:
When visiting a potential apartment you want to ask what kind of heating system they have in place.
- A gas-based furnace that heats a hot-water baseboard is, in my opinion, the most economic.
- Gas bills are somewhat cheaper than electric or oil.
- Oil based burner – Oil, like, we all KNOW is expensive right now.
- Electric baseboard - from my experience this is the most expensive heating system to the renter.
Another questions or observation should be the windows – are they new, old?
As far as insulation goes, try and see if the unit is drafty. If you place your hand on an outside-facing wall (from the inside) in a poorly insulated unit, you can sometimes FEEL the draft. That draft is heat and your $$$ escaping and being replace by cold air from outside.
Another good bit of advice is to call N-Star, KeySpan or the previous tenant or landlord what the average bill is during the winter season.
Like anything else, some landlords might be willing to negotiate the utilities when paying a higher rent price.
Hope this helps.
IG
Filed under: Apartment Renting, Tips and Tricks by IG on
12.12.2007
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An article for property owners, property managers and Sec. 8 voucher holders.
Unfortunately, Section 8 voucher holders face many challenges while trying to secure housing. Often, property owners are hesitant to rent to someone who relies on government subsidies, or they don’t keep their property in good enough condition to pass Section 8 inspection.
The best advise I can give you, the voucher holder, is to seek out professional help in the form of a Housing Advocacy Group, of which there are a few in the Boston area such as ABCD or Home Start or use a professional service that has already pre-screened the listed properties. This will ensure that you are treated with the respect that you deserve and that you are sent to apartments that you will be welcomed in.
Often when you, the property owner, hears about Section 8 you think you might not be interested in renting to voucher holders because of some negative connotations that go along with having to use government subsidies. In my experience, I have found that most Section 8 voucher holders are regular folks that just need some financial assistance to sustain their family. And from a business perspective, a Section 8 tenant is one of the more secure ways to insure you get the rent paid on time every month since it is being paid for by a government agency.
If you, the property owner are considering accepting a Section 8 voucher, the procedure is roughly as follows. A prospective Section 8 tenant becomes interested in your unit, they tell the issuer of their Section 8 voucher about your unit and then an appointment is scheduled for an inspection. If your unit passes inspection, you sign an agreement, and that’s that.
Hope this helps,
IG
Filed under: Apartment Renting, Tips and Tricks by IG on
11.24.2007
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Renting with pets always makes the apartment search more difficult because only a small portion of available units allow pets.
There are four main reasons why landlords and property managers are often not open to the idea of having a pet in the apartment.
- The obvious reason is the fear of wear and tear to the unit as a result of having an animal live there. Some of the fears are obviously justified and some are not. I guess it depends on the type of animal, cat, dog, bird or even the pet owner.
- Another reason is liability. In some cases, to protect themselves (and their property) a landlord will buy extra insurance. Extra insurance means extra cost. In order to avoid that they don’t allow pets, period.
- Allergies – some people are allergic to pets, so it might cause a problem in an apartment building setting.
- Some people just don’t like animals.
What to expect?
When you start calling pet friendly apartments you will learn that pet friendly does not necessarily mean you can move in with your cat or dog. Often pet friendly will mean either “cats only” or “dogs under 25 lbs.” or “pets negotiable” based on the landlord’s impression of your pet after you meet.
The toughest situation is when you have a medium to a full size dog or even worse, when you have multiple pets moving in with you.
What to do?
Consider the suburbs. Living with a pet is easier in a suburban setting than it is in the city, simply because of the availability of outdoor spaces like a yard, a deck or a porch. The suburbs are also not as congested, so you are far more likely to find a single or a multi-family house that will agree to take you and your pet. (The fewer tenants are involved the better).
Referral for your pet. If you have already rented an apartment with your pet be sure to get a letter from the previous owner that states how good of an experience they had with it.
Pet deposit. Expect to pay it or offer to pay it if that will seal the deal if the owner is on the fence. Usually the equivalent of month’s rent> The money is deposited into an escrow account and it is used for cleaning and fixing any pet damage the unit suffers during your stay.
Negotiations. Anything can be negotiated, so if you feel there is even the slightest chance of the owners agreeing to take you and your pets try and negotiate a solution or use a professional to help you.
Over all I believe that using an apartment finding service or a real estate agent can make a world of difference when you are moving in general but especially with pets.
Hope this helps.
IG
Filed under: Apartment Renting, Tips and Tricks by IG on
11.02.2007
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