Two couples moving from DC to Denver, housing advice (Aurora: sublease, apartment)

[ganjaprenuer]

Me and my fiance and another married couple are planning to move from DC to Denver this June or July. We have a another friend who will probably also join us. We want to live together within a four mile radius of lodo. I've been searching on padmapper and I've seen some promising three bedroom houses that fit the bill, but I'm unsure of how to present myself to the owner as none of us have jobs lined up, although one of us will be a PhD student at University of Denver. For context, my and my fiance currently live with six other people, so we're excited about the prospect of living with three friends in a new city, this isn't just a money saving extreme measure sort of thing.

I know we shouldn't move without jobs, but I'm currently waitressing and know I can get a waitressing job in Denver and we have some savings so we're not worried about the first few months rent at least and with all five us we can afford to pay up to $3,000 a month total.

My fiance and I are considering moving out to Denver first and finding a student sublease for July and using that time to find jobs and look into more permanent housing. Hopefully we will have found something by the end of July as our friends will definitely need to have a place before the beginning of August when classes start.

Any advice on short term housing options other then craigslist? Also would appreciate any insight into how much of an obstacle not having a job will be in getting an apartment or house. Also is our price range reasonable?

Thanks!

[tteeddzz]

Crazy how many ppl have the dream of getting there. #1 city lol. We should chip in for cost savings and then split up and or purchase sooner than later. They say housing is 10% over asking, and, 10% appreciation per year. Maybe I can stay in touch as I can't really move for at least 6 months. But would like to hear about your service industry job hunting exploits, mkt, nightly tips etc. to get a feel for what I'm getting into. Headed for fine dining-ruths chris or elways per say, but not afraid of volume if moolah is there. Good LucK!

[blondmoray]

With the rental market so tight, not having a job will be a problem. Also, having so many unrelated people living together in a single family home is a "Common Code Violation" in Denver, so landlords (at least those who follow the law) will deny your application. You could leave all of the others off of the lease, but sooner or later your neighbors will report you to the city.

Your best bet would be to find student housing for the two of you through DU. Unfortunately, in this rental market it's every man for himself.

Good luck!

[brown_dog_us]

This is from Denver's website:

Too many unrelated people
Any number of persons related by blood, marriage or adoption may live together in a single-family residence. In a single unit zone district, two unrelated persons per household are allowed, and with a home occupation permit, an additional unrelated person is allowed. In a multi-unit zone district, four unrelated persons per household are allowed, and with a home occupation permit, two additional unrelated persons are allowed.

[kevin_in_Denver]

As winter comes to a close, the tight Denver rental market seems to have dialed up the crazy.

The statistics show a 12.7% increase in the last year. Top 10 Rent Growth Markets of Febrary | Multifamily Executive Magazine | Rents, Rent Trends, Management, Revenue Management, Effective Rents, San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA, Denver-Aurora, CO, San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA, Sacramento-Arden-A

We've recently seen double that in our niche, which is 420 and pet-friendly small homes.

We are reluctant to rent to large groups of roommates, mainly because the situation rarely lasts more than a year. The City never acts on, say, 4 or 5 unrelated people living together unless there are complaints from the neighbors. A good lease will say that you must comply with local laws. That means if you are busted for 5 people, it's your problem, not the landlord's. You should be fine because you are married.

Anecdotally, several folks who have dogs and are honest about their intent to "have a grow", say they are absolutely desperate to find a place.

As far as having a job lined up, we don't really care because they offer to pay several months in advance.

[SkyDog77]

I'm with Kevin on renting to roommates. I avoid it because roommate situations almost always fall apart. I like the stability of a couple.