Finding A Rental House

[savory]

We will be searching for a house to rent in the next couple of weeks in another city. We have a fairly clear vision of the type (size, price, layout, etc) of house. We also have a few towns picked out that would be reasonably close to DD work location. Walkability and town amenities will be weighed against the trade-off of a longer daily commute.

So far, we have checked Zillow, Trulia, Craiglist and the local newspaper. At this point, we are not sure a realtor could really help us but this is part of my question.

As I know some of you rent property (so I assume you promote it) and others must have been successful with searching, what other sources would you suggest? Are there sometimes 'hidden gems' that landlords promote more selectively? Do realtors bring value to searching (and perhaps negotiating) for rental property? We have cats, should we assume they are negotiable or if the ad says no pets, that means no pets? Other thoughts?

Thanks and let me know if you have any questions that would help in your suggestion.

 

[Another Reader]

Landlords do not generally like cats. The smell is hard to remove.

Is this rental for you or DD? If it's for DD, she needs to do the looking and applying. Moving her in if you are the ones on the lease will result in a problem, possibly an eviction.

Hotpads.com and Realtor.com are two other places to check. Agents will show you what's listed in the MLS. Look for "For Rent" signs in the neighborhoods that interest you as well.

I prefer word of mouth for filling vacancies. The open market has too many problem people.

 

[Senator]

Anything is negotiable, mostly.

Look on Craig's, Zillow, HotPads, etc. If your cat is a spayed, declawed female, it is not problem. If it is a male, more difficult. Plan on paying an extra $25 per cat/pet in my rentals.

If you have bad credit, I do not want you. No matter how much money you have. And I want decent credit for any adult living there, even if they are not paying the rent.

 

[savory]

Anything is negotiable, mostly.

Look on Craig's, Zillow, HotPads, etc. If your cat is a spayed, declawed female, it is not problem. If it is a male, more difficult. Plan on paying an extra $25 per cat/pet in my rentals.

If you have bad credit, I do not want you. No matter how much money you have. And I want decent credit for any adult living there, even if they are not paying the rent.

Thanks for the info. Your reply made me think of another question.

DD, SIL, DW & me live together now and rent. With DD new job, we are moving but living together. Not a financial issue we all have income and good credit.

However, DD is military and it would be great if she and her SIL were on the lease and we simply shared the house. Key reason is if she is required to move with orders, she would be able to end the lease with one month notice. It is unlikely but it could happen. Given your experience, do you think landlords would be willing to allow only DD/SIL sign the lease? We would be happy to share credit information as we would pay our share to live there.

Thanks

 

[Winemaker]

In my rentals, everyone older than 18 gets a credit check and signs the lease.

If one or two sign the lease, then move out, how would I know who is in my unit? The judge, would laugh me out of court if I sued for back rent or eviction and didn't even know who was in my property, and didn't have a lease. And I did so willingly? The lease is a contract determining who pays and what is provided by the lease.

As long as I get my money by the 5th.....

 

[Scuba]

I would also suggest VRBO.com. Although it's geared to vacation rental properties, some landlords are willing to offer better terms for longer term stays and they might be more flexible on term of lease. We have a small indoor dog and have found that some landlords will negotiate on that and some won't.

 

[Sunset]

Have you seen the neighborhoods of where you are thinking of renting ?

In Kansas I thought I should rent closer to work, so went to look at a house. It turned out to be close to work, which is a fine area, but the area the house was in was going downhill fast. Even had a stripped car on the street 1 block over.
I decided the 20 minute commute was fine

 

[Another Reader]

All adults must be on the lease. Otherwise, they are not liable for the rent and the other terms.

If DD is career, doesn't she know when the current assignment ends?

Overall, I have had good military tenants. Only one that did not keep the house and yard up. He got divorced in the second year and moved one of his buddies in. Both were qualified, but the first guy had custody of his kids on weekends and neither one did house work or yard work. So generally, I look favorably on members of the military as tenants.

 

[HawkeyeNFO]

Military tenants are preferred for 3 reasons:
1. First, my experience is that they take care of things far better than my civilian tenants have, such as fixing small problems on their own, and just generally taking ownership of their rented (my) property.
2. Second, it is easy to come after them if you understand how their chain-of-command works, in the unlikely event that they fail to pay rent or damage something. Luckily I never had to do this as a landlord, but as a military officer, I have seen how it works. Good motivation for them to to be outstanding tenants.
3. Their income is maintained, even if they get hurt and can't do their job for a few months.

Regarding any and all adults being on the lease, I would have every adult tenant on it in writing, and check their credit. Anyone staying more than 2 weeks is a tenant, and anyone staying less than 2 weeks is a guest of the tenant. Your state probably has laws and regulations defining this.

And I hate cats. No cats!

 

[Amethyst]

I love cats, but I also know how some cats can be...so a non-refundable cleaning deposit would be my part of the "negotiation." Also, even though I would personally love them, I would not allow more than two cats in my property.

The real issue with pets is flooring damage. The problem for landlords is that it can be hard to collect on flooring damage, especially carpet, and especially in a state/municipality that is tenant-friendly. Judges laugh at landlords expecting carpets to remain pristine.

 

[CoolChange]

My personal experience it that a lot of rental inventory is only marketed via a For Rent sign in the yard/window/etc.

This continues to amaze me in today's digital age.

 

[travelover]

I recently rented in a relatively hot market (Greater Portland). My strategy was to fly there, rent an Airbnb room to stay in and look at all the rentals that fit my needs listed on Craigslist, Padmapper, Zillow, etc. Craigslist seemed to be the most current and most likely to have rentals by an individual as opposed to a rental agency. I was able to find a rental from an individual landlord that would take my 60# dog. The competition was so stiff that I basically had to decide to take it based on a walk through or lose it.

The only bad part was that I've since discovered the next door neighbor is a bit of a crack pot who is frequently in trouble with the police and who causes problems (loose mean dog, petty vandalism if he doesn't like you, etc). Had I had more time, I'd have knocked on some doors and asked about local issues.

 

[Sunset]

I love cats, but I also know how some cats can be...so a non-refundable cleaning deposit would be my part of the "negotiation." Also, even though I would personally love them, I would not allow more than two cats in my property.

The real issue with pets is flooring damage. The problem for landlords is that it can be hard to collect on flooring damage, especially carpet, and especially in a state/municipality that is tenant-friendly. Judges laugh at landlords expecting carpets to remain pristine.

Some folks are really bad with taking care of their pets.

That damage can go right through the carpet and padding into the chipboard/plywood underneath, even with the carpet ripped out, the chipboard/plywood has to be cut out and replaced.
Sometimes you can paint a couple of oil based paint coats over it to seal the smell into the wood as long as the wood has not been rotted out.

I guess Judges have not had to do the fix.

 

[Amethyst]

We never had to go that far, but I imagine a bill for the underfloor repairs would hold up in court. As far as carpet goes, though, you'd have to show that it had been brand-new. Anyway, these are major reasons why few landlords, even those who love animals, will accept pets. Of course tenants will try to get around this with "service animal" scams.

My advice for OP would be to go through a property manager that also finds tenants. Our experience with them is that they are not as picky about tenants as an owner can be. You just need to pass the credit check. The rent does tend to be higher, since they also charge the landlord a tenant-finder fee.

Some folks are really bad with taking care of their pets.

That damage can go right through the carpet and padding into the chipboard/plywood underneath, even with the carpet ripped out, the chipboard/plywood has to be cut out and replaced.
Sometimes you can paint a couple of oil based paint coats over it to seal the smell into the wood as long as the wood has not been rotted out.

I guess Judges have not had to do the fix.

 

[Senator]

I recently rented in a relatively hot market (Greater Portland). My strategy was to fly there, rent an Airbnb room to stay in and look at all the rentals that fit my needs listed on Craigslist, Padmapper, Zillow, etc. Craigslist seemed to be the most current and most likely to have rentals by an individual as opposed to a rental agency. I was able to find a rental from an individual landlord that would take my 60# dog. The competition was so stiff that I basically had to decide to take it based on a walk through or lose it.

The only bad part was that I've since discovered the next door neighbor is a bit of a crack pot who is frequently in trouble with the police and who causes problems (loose mean dog, petty vandalism if he doesn't like you, etc). Had I had more time, I'd have knocked on some doors and asked about local issues.

You should have asked what the rental qualifications were, and rented the one that you just barely qualified for. Hopefully the neighbors would have also been screened with that criteria.

I often get prospective tenants that ask if I take Section 8, which I do not. Once I say no, they want to see the place.

 

[Brat]

You should have asked what the rental qualifications were, and rented the one that you just barely qualified for. Hopefully the neighbors would have also been screened with that criteria.

I often get prospective tenants that ask if I take Section 8, which I do not. Once I say no, they want to see the place.

House rental in decent neighborhoods in Portland Metro is about as tight as the Bay Area.

You can get a nut-case neighbor even if you buy.

 

[travelover]

You should have asked what the rental qualifications were, and rented the one that you just barely qualified for. Hopefully the neighbors would have also been screened with that criteria.

I often get prospective tenants that ask if I take Section 8, which I do not. Once I say no, they want to see the place.

This was a house in a relatively new and nice neighborhood - $350K ish homes.

House rental in decent neighborhoods in Portland Metro is about as tight as the Bay Area.

You can get a nut-case neighbor even if you buy.

True. When we buy next spring, I'll be knocking on neighbor's doors

 

[Starsky]

You could try googling relocation rentals in the area you're moving to. The leasing agents are paid buy the renter, not the tenant, so they are all very willing to help serious lookers; and they try to keep an active inventory on hand of listings to rent.

 

[Huston55]

I recently rented in a relatively hot market (Greater Portland). My strategy was to fly there, rent an Airbnb room to stay in and look at all the rentals that fit my needs listed on Craigslist, Padmapper, Zillow, etc. Craigslist seemed to be the most current and most likely to have rentals by an individual as opposed to a rental agency. I was able to find a rental from an individual landlord that would take my 60# dog. The competition was so stiff that I basically had to decide to take it based on a walk through or lose it.

The only bad part was that I've since discovered the next door neighbor is a bit of a crack pot who is frequently in trouble with the police and who causes problems (loose mean dog, petty vandalism if he doesn't like you, etc). Had I had more time, I'd have knocked on some doors and asked about local issues.

House rental in decent neighborhoods in Portland Metro is about as tight as the Bay Area.

+1

We did the same thing in The Bay Area when we rented several years ago. One additional potential resource is “NextDoor”, which sometimes has the latest rentals available.