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My girlfriend just moved from Marsh Properties duplex's in Sedgefield but they were month to month. The 2bdr option she had was $750/month. They don't have dishwashers and it was about 800 square feet. But for 6 months it may be a viable option. It is a little further from the University area but not too far from 77.
Then there are the landlords who will hold you accountable for the remainder of the lease term provided they make a good faith effort to rerent the property. Sometimes it is immediate. Others it can take a few months to find a suitable and qualified tenant. In this case you are responsible for the rent even though you aren't there. Do not bail on a lease. A landlord can file a Complaint for Money Owed and slam the brakes on your new home purchase. No lender is going to write a loan if you're being sued. You are possibly going to have to increase your budget in order to find a good property with a short term lease.
As far as dogs...well, "my" dog never tears anything up/pees on the floor etc. We hear this All the time when dealing with applicants. Your dog may be the best dog ever but don't plan on a LL taking your word for it. But there will be damage of some sort caused by the dog. If not damage proper, there will most likely be the additional cost in removing hair or odors. And you my not notice the odor but it could very well be there. You never know if the next tenant has a pet allergy so we have to be more careful about cleaning up after tenants with pets.
All of this I 100% agree with. A really good point about getting sued.
....
I do appreciate that *most* landlords are not keen on month to month or short-term leases, but I was curious if there were ANY that were okay with it. ....
Landlords don't like it because there are always turnover costs when re-renting a place plus lost income while nobody lives in it. It can have a serious impact on cash flow. The only time I can see where a landlord would consider it, would be if they could get a significantly higher month to month rate than they could by having someone sign a binding lease. Vacation rentals fall into this category, but there isn't much of this here in Charlotte.
My girlfriend just moved from Marsh Properties duplex's in Sedgefield but they were month to month. The 2bdr option she had was $750/month. They don't have dishwashers and it was about 800 square feet. But for 6 months it may be a viable option. It is a little further from the University area but not too far from 77.
It would be worth calling around - I know you were hoping to avoid that with this thread! But places that advertise one year leases will often provide shorter terms, for higher monthly rent. I did do a search on socialserve for short term leases, something OK might be there. On a quick glance, most of those are in not-so-great areas, but I didn't look that closely.
On the subject of "dogs". I would narrow my pool of renters by 60% if I did not rent to people with dogs. Of course I say all the usual LL things about "big dogs...no", "dobermans...my ins. co says no" and all the rest. The fact of the matter is I don't like renting with dogs BUT it is what it is and I try to ease the pain as follows:
1. My pet deposit of $250 is non refundable. No if ands or buts. No damage...still no return.
2. I look at the dog owner and listen carefully as to what kind of renter this person will be and generally the "dog issue" will work out.
The larger companies that owns several properties will have 3,6 and 9 months at a higher rate. Try Camden, Colonial etc. They should have something in the area. Also with the university there, I would think they would have summer only leases before the students come back in the fall? I would ask there. I also agree with the other posters and suggest you rent for a year to really see which area you would prefer. Plus now there is a slight demand which drives prices up. I would wait till it comes down a bit.
You are in a tough spot with 6 month lease and a dog, prepare to pay more for a decent place.
In my experience it is at least 15% more a month for a shorter 6 months lease.
Good luck!
Then there are the landlords who will hold you accountable for the remainder of the lease term provided they make a good faith effort to rerent the property. Sometimes it is immediate. Others it can take a few months to find a suitable and qualified tenant. In this case you are responsible for the rent even though you aren't there. Do not bail on a lease. A landlord can file a Complaint for Money Owed and slam the brakes on your new home purchase. No lender is going to write a loan if you're being sued. You are possibly going to have to increase your budget in order to find a good property with a short term lease.
As far as dogs...well, "my" dog never tears anything up/pees on the floor etc. We hear this All the time when dealing with applicants. Your dog may be the best dog ever but don't plan on a LL taking your word for it. But there will be damage of some sort caused by the dog. If not damage proper, there will most likely be the additional cost in removing hair or odors. And you my not notice the odor but it could very well be there. You never know if the next tenant has a pet allergy so we have to be more careful about cleaning up after tenants with pets.
Good post.
Also a dog is many times detrimental to attracting or keeping other tenants in the building due to barking, etc.
On the subject of "dogs". I would narrow my pool of renters by 60% if I did not rent to people with dogs. Of course I say all the usual LL things about "big dogs...no", "dobermans...my ins. co says no" and all the rest. The fact of the matter is I don't like renting with dogs BUT it is what it is and I try to ease the pain as follows:
1. My pet deposit of $250 is non refundable. No if ands or buts. No damage...still no return.
2. I look at the dog owner and listen carefully as to what kind of renter this person will be and generally the "dog issue" will work out.
Not trying to hijack the thread, but just wondering how you handle the non-refundable pet deposit for renewals? My current tenants are at the end of a 2 year lease, and was thinking of adding back another pet deposit on the renewal.
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