Rentals for 1k or less that don't have crazy pet deposits? (Des Moines: apartments, homes)

[caterpiller]

Hi, I am looking for help finding rental apartments, homes, or modular/manufactured homes with 3 bedrooms. 2 if we have to, but the master bedroom needs to be big enough for a king size bed, and a baby's crib. We have 2 animals. A cat, and a crate trained dog. She's about 25lbs. Everything I have seen so far has $100 + deposit for EACH animal, a $200-$500 one time fee for EACH animal, as well as a $25-$35 increase in rent for EACH animal. We are looking to spend $800-$1050 a month, but really hoping more on the lower side (of course. right?) Getting rid of either animal is not an option. Willing to live pretty much in any part of Des Moines and the surrounding area as we will be using the time we are renting to figure out where we want to live long term, and will be buying something as soon as our rental lease expires.

Bonus points if the apartment is in walking distance (1-2 miles) of anything like a park, a library, or anything that my soon to be 12 year old would enjoy, and my not yet born baby will grow to enjoy. lol

Any help at all is highly appreciated.

[Rocko20]

It seems you have far too many demands to be a renter. I'm not sure any landlord would agree to all those conditions without a substantial security deposit upfront.

[BlessedLife]

Besides the pet deposit/rent, a 3/2 for $1K is a tall order. Not just in DSM, but a lot of places, even those considered affordable. We were paying that well over a decade ago (before the recession). And the place did not allow pets at all. I don't really think you'll find it, especially with pets, to be honest.

We moved here recently and rented with pets but found the non-refundable deposits ($200/pet in our case) reasonable. Also the place was in decent shape and the owner clearly wanted to keep it that way and we respected that as renters.

[Meemur]

OP, you'll need to look for "word-of-mouth" places through your church or other person network to find that sort of deal in the Des Moines Metro. You might look into rentals in the smaller towns, like Indianola, if you are able to commute: prices will be lower for rent but then you have higher gas costs.

It was such a pain finding a rental that I went ahead and bought a house, 4 years ago, and recently, I sold that and got the one I really wanted. I'm glad I went that route because the apartment I would have rented flooded out in the bad rainstorm at the end of July.

[sasie123]

Originally Posted by Rocko20

It seems you have far too many demands to be a renter. I'm not sure any landlord would agree to all those conditions without a substantial security deposit upfront.

Most landlords are greedy by nature.........and they will go the extent of finding any excuse to raise the rent.

[Meemur]

Originally Posted by sasie123

Most landlords are greedy by nature.........and they will go the extent of finding any excuse to raise the rent.

On the other side of the coin, there are some pet owners that don't clean up well after their animals and totally trash an apartment, well beyond what the security deposit covered. I understand why a lot of landlords want all that money up front.

And I didn't agree with that, which was why I got a house. I wasn't about to pay that sort of money for my pets, not to mention all the hoops the landlords wanted me to jump through. It was easier and faster to just buy a place.

[BetterCallPaul]

Home ownership might be a better option for you in this case. That price point it is pretty tough to find a pet friendly rental from what I've heard.

[caterpiller]

Thanks. I found a few options. Should be moved in around November!