Rent

[Crazed Vampyress]

I have a one bedroom apartment which the landlord just raised from $465 to $495 a month. I live in Mt Clemens. It is not part of an apartment complex. Its one of those deals where once upon a time this was a regular house, and later someone converted it into apartments. When I moved in 4 years ago rent was $425. I do not have laundry facilities. I do not have a pool. I do not have a garage. Just my apartment and a driveway to park in. The landlord fits the definition 'slumlord' rather nicely, but since rent was so cheap when I got it I didnt mind the little things (like having to go to the laundromat) My water pressure sucks. My apartment is always freezing in the winter, I have like no control over the heating. I dont pay electricity because all three apartments are wired together. I dont pay heating gas because I have no control over the heat. But raising the rent up by $30 just seems ridiculously high to me. So far the people Ive talked to have all told me that for $500 a motnh they have nice apartments, in a complex, with pools or laundry or carports or various other things that I just do not have. but they do have to pay electric/heating bills.

This is the only apartment Ive ever lived in where it was mine, and i paid all the bills, etc... So i dont really know whats average or high or fair any more. Im looking for some feedback here.

Is this reasonable? Should I be grateful its only $30?

Or

Is this ridiculous? Should I tell the landlord to shove it and look for someplace else?

[Msterbeau]

It sounds like a sucky price for a shit apartment.

[Hellion]

Average rent in The US is usually $500and up for a one bedroom,but sometimes you find lower deals here and there.

[Onyx]

I don't think you are getting your money's worth, especially for a 1 bedroom and freezing in the wintertime.

Save your cash and take a look around. (Also a lot of apartment complexes do deals in wintertime because people hate to move then). Start saving up some $$$ for a deposit and I bet if you keep your eyes open you can find a MUCH nicer and more convenient place (with a range and comfortable temperatures) for at or about the same money.

[honeymustard02]

I pay $500 for my 2 bedroom. We have a laundry room but its small and you can't use it until 8am. So I never use it.

Honestly I think I pay too much for what I have. Considering my landlord ignores me anytime I tell him something is broken. :/ I wrote him notes and he ignores them.

Not to mention some rather bullshit stuff that happened recently with a leak in my bathroom that he blamed me for. But that finally got looked at once it came close to starting a war between me, him, and the neighbors it was leaking on.

But anyway...no venting.

Oh yea and they raised rent to $515 not to long ago but I moved in before hand and signed for lower so they didn't charge me.

[creatureofthenyte]

Ok, newsflash here.

your rent is cheap!

I guess its the difference in regions.

Out here in CT,

you couldn't touch a 1 br apartment for less then $600-$650/month,

and if there are any areas here that you could,

they're probably cheaper only cuz the apartment is crappy,

or in a crappy area or both.

And a 2br ? yer lookin at probably at least $800 maybe almost damn near $1200/month

CV, kinda sounds like you are gettin screwed alittle as far as the heat goes.

But $495, with utilities included ? thats a friggen steal!

So yeah the rents in your area are waaaaay cheaper then in my area.

But the jobs pay more out here.

[Reaper]

My old roommate and I whom lived in Canton at the time payed $1000 a month for a 2 bedroom 2 bath luxury townhome. After he moved out, I had to assume the responsibility for the whole months rent. What a struggle that was even if the place was real nice. It had a garage, washer, dryer, oversized microwave and big rooms with nice scenery. But I would never pay $1000 again. Last place before that was a condo in South Lyon for $640 a month for a one bedroom with garage.

[Falstaff]

Hm. I'm renting a two bedroom, one bathroom, single story house for 600 a month, split between me and a roommate. Detached garage, all appliances I could ever want, small backyard.

Which is actually a step down from the last place I lived. 3 bedroom, bath and a half, big backyard, back deck, detached garage, washer and dryer for $175 a month. It was on a short street in Garden City and all the neighbors were retirees. I wish I could get that place back.

I guess it's all in who you know and how well you haggle.

[freydis]

We're in Ann Arbor, have a two bedroom, 775. But that includes 20 bucks pet rent, and 25 for the covered parking spot. So i guess its more like 730. Thats average to fair for ann arbor. For what we pay vs what ive seen, we also have a lot more room.... close to 1000 sq. ft. , i think.

[Rayne]

I lived in Chesterfield in a ghetto apartment complex with people above us who I swear played soccer all hours of the night .... we paid $575 for a 2 bedroom apartment (No laundry, no pool, no nothing, they even plowed my car in the carport everytime it snowed and I had to wait for guys to push me out). We moved back down here to Wayne County in an equally crappy neighbourhood and paid $775 for a three bedroom (newly gutted and remodeled - albeit cheaply - duplex, fenced backyard - and we only got that after we told the landlord we'd rent if he fenced it because we had small children and a dog).

Now I live in a larger house in a better neighbourhood just outside of Ann Arbor ... you don't want to know what we pay here. .... and that's not counting the property taxes, which are nearly the amount of our house payment per month!

Your getting off good.

[Hellion]

Its sad that the cost of living in America is skyrocketing out of control.

[honeymustard02]

Its cost of living

Just because it's cheap doesn't mean you're making way more money.

Ok, newsflash here.

your rent is cheap!

I guess its the difference in regions.

Out here in CT,

you couldn't touch a 1 br apartment for less then $600-$650/month,

and if there are any areas here that you could,

they're probably cheaper only cuz the apartment is crappy,

or in a crappy area or both.

And a 2br ? yer lookin at probably at least $800 maybe almost damn near $1200/month

CV, kinda sounds like you are gettin screwed alittle as far as the heat goes.

But $495, with utilities included ? thats a friggen steal!

So yeah the rents in your area are waaaaay cheaper then in my area.

But the jobs pay more out here.

[hunhee]

I live in Farmington Hills, 1 bedroom, washer/dryer, The only thing is I don't have a dish washer, but I didn't want one. They would have put one in for me, but my kitchen is small enough.

I pay 705, but that includes my heat, (not electricity, although that's like 20-40/month) and my pet (25). I get a free gym membership out of it to Powerhouse, there's an indoor and outdoor pool, tennis courts, Every holiday they have some dinner or event that they host for the residents. When I resigned my lease, they only charged me 20 dollars more, and they sent me flowers. What apt. complex does this shit? The only thing is I don't have a carport, but hey, I live in a decent neighborhood, and I'm pretty central to a lot of things. This is definitely a good price for the neighborhood.

[Msterbeau]

The house I'm going to rent in Southfield is $800 a month. That's for a 800 square foot house with a full basement and attic (All VERY well kept and clean) two car garage and a large yard, again well taken care of. Some of you are getting ripped off....

[Onyx]

If it were me, I'd rather scrape together a bit more money each month and have some decent water pressure and a warm place to live. I was curious that some were saying you have a good deal, so I did a search here:

apartmentguide.com

and found a few 1 bedroom apartments in and around the area where you are for $545 and up. It wouldn't hurt to look.

It would drive me nuts not being able to get warm in winter and having no control over the heating.

Here's a couple other places to search:

http://www.move.com/

http://www.rentals.com/Michigan/

[creatureofthenyte]

Its cost of living

Just because it's cheap doesn't mean you're making way more money.

well perhaps it is.

I do know though, if I transferred my job to a location out there, I would most likely be getting paid significantly less money. Which, given the expenses I have now, and having to live on my own out there, may not workout so well. If I could somehow alter the US map, and put CT where Ohio is, I would in a heartbeat.

[Fierce Critter]

We pay $625 a month. The place we live is a big house divided into 2 apartments, we have the entire downstairs and half the basement. We pay all utilities. We also have to maintain the grounds.

The upstairs has been vacant since the 2nd month we lived here. It's been nice.

This is an older house. So the bedrooms are very tiny. We have a king-sized bed, and it wasn't going to work in the bedrooms here. So we turned the living room into a huge bedroom. There is a big room that can either be a den or formal dining room, so that's our living room. We use one tiny bedroom as a giant walk-in closet, the other tiny bedroom as a sort of storage room/office. The basement has laundry facilities, we don't have to pay to use them. The kitchen is a decent size, but the bathroom is miniscule.

$25 of our rent is for the dog.

In downriver cities such as Lincoln Park and Ecorse, you can rent full houses for about $600 and up. Apartments run from about $350 for a 1-bedroom up to generally the mid $600's for 2-3 bedroom apartments or flats. Get into better cities like Wyandotte, Allen Park, Taylor, Trenton etc. and the rents go higher.

There's a lot of stigma against living downriver. I seem to hear this mostly from east-siders or from residents of the "rich" suburbs like Bloomfield, the Pointes, etc. Frankly, I think they're full of shit. I won't live in Lincoln Park or Ecorse, and frankly, if I were to buy a house I wouldn't do it anywhere but Wyandotte. But you can find really good living arrangements for much less than you'd pay in cities like Farmington Hills.

[Crazed Vampyress]

thanks to everyone for your comments and feedback. im using this information to make a decision, instead of just being :thumbsup:angry and running off my temper...

[Dubh Aingeal]

The house I used to rent in Ypsi was 625 for a 2 bedroom 1 bath w/ a basment, decent yard, and nice neighbors. Which is still for rent last I knew.

[Vivian]

*pokes at FierceCritter* When did you move back up to michigan??

Anyways. Paying what you do, *barely under 500 a month*, isn't really that bad. Granted its not the greatest, but you pay what you can. If you aren't happy with what you've got, I would agree with Onyx. Save some money up and look for some good deals. If you are looking for a place to live in the long run, I would look into some rent to own houses. Or even HUD housing. With a rent to own, you pay slightly more then you would in a regular renting agreement, but you're also investing in your future. Also, with a rent to own, once you've signed the agreement, the owner of the house cannot sell it from under you. If the owner wants to sell it out right, they have to get you to sign over your share to recieve profit. (If you agree to the sale that is.)

I live in a little shitty house in Detroit now, but I have no payments, other then the utilities and property taxes. My mortgage is paid up. It's the greatest thing in the world, to own your own home.

If you want to try something a little different, try craigslist.org (or was it dot com, i forget). It will give you an idea of what the market is like, from a seller's point of view. Those other places Onyx suggested are wonderful too. I would also suggest going to the library and finding a book on your rights as a renter. You are entitled to certain rights, and if your landlord isn't supplying them, you could always talk to a lawyer. It just depends on how unhappy you are. Look over your renting agreement, to see if there is a clause for raising your rent on whim. Find out why your landlord is increasing your rent. Also talk to the other people renting in your apt/house and see if their rent is going up too. Heh, if all else fails, invest in some space heaters as well.

Hope my two cents helped. Good luck on your housing.

~V

[nilhil_glory]

love downriver

lp is spotty where you go my dad lives there i used to live with him on the allenpark melvindale side it was really quiet neighborhood lots of elderly

and his house is awsome

any who i have no quelm with downriver im from here i love it its not like what ive heard people talk about it and a lot of people talk about yes i still live with my mom but why leave at 20 when no ones ever home seriously i only see one other person at this house maybe less then once a day and my dogs... when i do move out which i will before im 25 im just trying to get my shit together for life...i have no problem living in a modular/beefed up trailor

in fact id perfer it my buddy dennis baught a beat up one for 400 fixed it up and now hes only charged maybe a 50=100 dollar a month land use and then his utilities in south flat rock

me on the otherhand

i would perfer taking out a home loan for maybe less than an acre of land and put a modular on it.. i reasearched it about a year ago .. you can do it for around 50,000, 60,000 smackers with a new modular running at 12,000 and the land depending on where it is will be the price plus the cost of running construction for the pad on the ground utitilaty lines and pipes .... and if you havent checked out the new modulars i would do so becouse they are really spiffy.... for sure tho if i do this .. im definitly building a moat with a draw bridge =)

[odims_sphere]

I've paid all the way up to 905 a month for a 2 bed, no garage apt. But it was a really nice place. At that price though I decided that I may as well be owning something. Hence my 1233 a month mortgage for a 3 bed on a slab with no garage. I suppose it's all relative.

[jane dazzle]

I have been in your apartment and I think you should tell your landlord to go to hell and move out. That is an outrageous amount for your TINY apartment. You cant even move in your bathroom. You can find something WAY better in your area for the same price....I certian of it. I have started looking at places to rent in the same area as you and there are plenty. Just pick up a Macomb daily and check them out.

[Crazed Vampyress]

I have been in your apartment and I think you should tell your landlord to go to hell and move out. That is an outrageous amount for your TINY apartment. You cant even move in your bathroom. You can find something WAY better in your area for the same price....I certian of it. I have started looking at places to rent in the same area as you and there are plenty. Just pick up a Macomb daily and check them out.

haha.... right! an apartment with a bathroom you can actually get into would be nice.

[Fierce Critter]

*pokes at FierceCritter* When did you move back up to michigan??

<-- pokes back

July, 2005.