3 People in a 2BR Apartment, Mount Vernon/Bolton Hill (apartments, renters)

[corman842]

So, my girlfriend and a friend of ours are trying to move in together into a 2 bedroom apartment. Simple enough, right? We've been running into a lot of unexpected trouble in trying to do this. We've been looking in the Bolton Hill and Mount Vernon areas, and pretty much every 2 bedroom apartment we've looked at has turned us down because there were 3 of us in a 2 bedroom space (even a 1400 SF apartment with more than enough space for the 3 of us!). Any thoughts on places in those areas that might be willing to take a trio such as us? We're looking to spend about $1200/month or less. We didn't expect this to be so complicated! Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[davecj]

Well, from a landlord's pov, if three unrelated people are needed to do a $1200 rental, then inevitably when one leaves there could be financial strain and cause headaches collecting rent. For a 2br in MD, legally you could have 5 people in it (2 * number of beds + 1) but given that there are currently no shortage of single renters, I'd be inclined to do the same as what the previous have done.

[corman842]

Well, generally the response I've been getting has been that it creates more wear on the apartment than 2 people would in a 2BR apt. Given that most landlords would be okay with a couple living in a 1 bedroom apartment, I feel like the logic behind this is a little wonky. I had one landlord offer to let us take the apartment with a $200/month spike in the rent, which seemed like way too much. I'd understand maybe $75/month more, but $200 seemed to be taking advantage of the situation. I'm really hoping to find something that works. From a renters perspective, it's quite frustrating.

[End-User]

Originally Posted by corman842

Well, generally the response I've been getting has been that it creates more wear on the apartment than 2 people would in a 2BR apt. Given that most landlords would be okay with a couple living in a 1 bedroom apartment, I feel like the logic behind this is a little wonky. I had one landlord offer to let us take the apartment with a $200/month spike in the rent, which seemed like way too much. I'd understand maybe $75/month more, but $200 seemed to be taking advantage of the situation. I'm really hoping to find something that works. From a renters perspective, it's quite frustrating.

That does sound odd to me, but is it possible that they simply told you this because they thought the truth would sound insulting (the truth being what davecj suggested)?

[davecj]

Understandable by all accounts but renting property is a business and risk management is a very large part of it. Our 2br rented in 2 days for almost $1500 so that seems like a fair deal.

[MrRational]

I don't care about the sleeping or emotional arrangements between the three people...
but I do recognize that all of those things can, do and WILL change over time.

Consequently... there WILL be a maximum of one person per available bedroom. No exceptions.

[mrboltonman]

MrRational has a very good point and that's why I have a maximum occupancy of 2 for my 2 bedroom apartments.

[sl0622]

As someone who is about to become a landlord, unless I got a really good vibe from all three people, and their credit checks and job references came out well, I wouldn't rent to them if I could easily find two folks. Wear and tear would be my reason, too. I would probably want $100 more if I rented to three people - that seems reasonable to me, I think.

Just out curiosity - - landlords - - with your 1 BRs, do you prefer to rent to a singleton? Or are couples equally as favorable? In theory, what was brought up above about situations changing (i.e., people breaking up, moving out, etc.) could happen with a couple - - and then you might be stuck trying to recover rent from one person who couldn't afford the rent by themselves. Or that person will want to work with you to move out early, etc - just more hassle. But at the same time - in the building that we hope to close on, the couple's apartment is SOOOO tidy and clean - and the single guy's apartment is - well - foul! ha.

[Bong477]

You are going to have trouble with this. Be persistent and you will eventually find someone who doesn't care but I wouldn't rent a 2 bedroom to 3 unrelated people either. I'm hesitant to rent to an unmarried couple too... not a moral judgement just worried there will be a breakup and i'll be stuck with tenants that can't pay rent. Granted, married couples split too, but its at least a little less risk.

[Bong477]

Couples renting a 1 bedroom is a pretty normal situation. Still has some risk but its probably acceptable to most landlords. Ideally at least one can afford it on their own...