Housing Decisions

[psychpei]

After finally getting an acceptance, I am now faced with the dilemma of finding some place to live. I have 2 medium/large dogs (my babies) and finding a place for us to live is not looking good right now. I started off by looking at apartments, but have had no luck. However, while searching for apartments, I began to notice house rental listings. These houses are the same price, and in some cases, lower priced, than the apartments.

 

I would really prefer living in a house: quieter, more space, having a fenced backyard, etc.; but I know nothing about how renting a house works. I assume there is more expense in upkeep and utilities?

 

After seeing what apartment options offered in the area I am moving to, a house seems more realistic. So, does anyone have experience with renting a house?

[QASP]

Consider posting on the city guide forum for your area, as some of this can be area specific.

 

I've rented houses where there was an expectation of owning/using a lawnmower yourself and also doing most of the rest of the upkeep was expected, and also rented houses in situations where all maintenance was included and taken care of. It's hard to give a single clear answer. Also, consider just sending emails to the people renting these houses so they can let you know what the expectations are.

 

Good luck!

[likemythesis]

Have you asked advice from any current grad students in your program? If any of them have pets, they may be able to steer you in the right direction.

[psychpei]

Thanks for the replies! I would post in the city guide forum, but the city I am moving to is not on there. I have no problem with outdoor upkeep as long as it is small, which is really what I am looking for anyway. I will email the individuals renting the houses. I won't be moving until a month before my program starts this fall, but wanted to be prepared since my housing needs are complicated.

 

I will definitely seek out current grads in my program and get their advice

[pearcema]

Hi psychpei! I have a small dog and I've rented houses for the last few years in Michigan. The first year I had my dog I lived in an apartment.

In general, I would say the pros of a house are: more privacy, more distance from neighbors, a yard for your dogs (and maybe a grill!), more space (maybe you'll have a basement), and you have a better chance of finding a place with a garage or at least a driveway. I love not having to brush snow or frost off the car in the morning.

The cons are you're typically responsible for yard work - cutting grass, shoveling snow, raking leaves, etc. I don't really mind this because it's outdoor exercise and it's usually a good destresser for me. Occasionally this will be included - ask the landlord. A few places I rented had lawnmowers at the house for the tenants to use. You could pick one up on craigslist for pretty cheap if not. Also, with a house usually you pay all the utilities whereas some apartments will include a few utilities like water or heat. I would ask the landlord or fellow grad students for utility estimates in your area.

I have strongly preferred living in a house the last few years. The garage and fenced in yard alone have been worth it to me! If you don't mind doing yard work and the price with utilities is still in your range, I say go for it! I would love to get a house for the fall but it looks like it will be out of my budget good luck and let me know if I can help with anything else!

[juilletmercredi]

Renting a house ALL depends on the owner/landlord.  Some owners fix broken things (overflowing toilets, broken boilers) while expecting the renter to do the routine maintenance (mowing the lawn, shoveling show).  Some owners do even the routine maintenance tasks, and some owners are completely MIA and expect the renter to take care of any maintenance issues.  You'd have to meet the owner and have a serious discussion about expectations for upkeep first before you moved.

 

In my city it's not tenable, but if I were living in the suburbs with two large-ish dogs I would much rather rent a home with a fenced yard.  Most of the time it'll be basic yard maintenance.

[rising_star]

Oh man. The dangers of renting a house are all about the routine maintenance and the emergency maintenance. You need to rent from a good owner that cares about their property or a management company with a good reputation. The last house I rented was from a large management company with over 600 rentals. They had a FT maintenance crew to do all work. This was important because right after I moved in, I discovered part of the stove was broken, which caused a gas leak and led the gas company to disconnect the stove. This all happened on a Saturday. On Monday at 9am, they had a repairman at my house working on the stove. He stayed until it was fixed, except to go get parts. That is a good company. A lesser company might've made me wait a day or two, not cared about the problem, etc. Another great experience I had was renting from a private owner that lived nearby. He owned a landscaping company so he took care of all of the plants and trees outside for me, which was awesome.

 

By contrast, I have a friend that's renting from a private owner right now. She's in the northeast and the polar vortex led to a pipe freezing and bursting in the uninsulated basement. The landlord blamed her, took weeks to get everything fixed, and is holding her responsible for the increased water and electric bill incurred due to the pipe leaking and the heaters needed to dry out the basement. That's a negative rental experience for sure but those folks are out there.

 

Apartments, by contrast, usually have copious reviews online you can read. They also usually employ their own maintenance staff which can make it easier to get things fixed. I live in an apartment now with my small (~22lb) dog. The max size here is 70 lbs per dog and you can have up to 2 per apartment so I do have neighbors with large dogs. I assume they live here because a 2 bedroom apartment is $100-200/month less than a 2 bedroom house and you don't have to worry about yard maintenance.

[psychpei]

Thank you all for the great info! I did some more searching today and emailed a few people (house rentals and apartments) with questions, so hopefully I will get an idea of what costs and responsibilities I will have either way. I really am going back and forth between renting a house or an apartment, both have positives and negatives.

 

Right now I am in the process of figuring out my finances for my future grad student life, so a lot will depend on what I will be able to afford housing wise. It sure is a lot more difficult finding a place when you have pets I wish it wasn't; my dogs are my life and I will not go if they can't come with me.

 

I really appreciate every one's input