Rentals and Neighborhoods in Fort Collins (Elizabeth: how much, townhouse, tenants)

[coatimundi]

Hi and thanks for reading.

My wife is looking at a job in Fort Collins, and I had a few questions about rentals there.
I'm excited about the possibility, because I've been to Fort Collins many times and have always really liked the city. But we live in a college town now, about the same size as Fort Collins, but with a larger student population. The rental market is set up so that you have to rent August 1 to July 31 (leaving you homeless on that last night), and you have to renew by January or February for the following August. I hate this and I don't want to deal with it anymore.

My questions:
- Is Fort Collins similar where all leases revolve around the school year?
- How much should I expect to pay for a ~1500 sf house less than 5 miles from campus?
- Same question, but for a ~1500 sf townhouse?
- Is there a somewhat dedicated student area, or are they spread out throughout the city?
- Aside from Old Town, or there any other walkable, active neighborhoods in the city?
- How are landlords about pets? Never had issues in other cities before, but they're very weird here. We just have two cats and that's always been a problem.

I'm sure I have other questions, but that will give me an idea of how to proceed.
Thanks in advance!

[Mike Weber]

A significant number of leases in Fort Collins are set up with the same timing: August 1 to July 31, especially near campus. However, the farther from campus you get, the less likely you are to run into that. It is a large enough town that all business does not revolve around the school.

Rents are usually based on number of bedrooms more than square footage. A base number you can use is roughly $400+/- per bedroom. Good resources include padmapper.com and rentometer.com. Prices will probably not be significantly different between homes and town homes. We have a pretty active craigslist here that might allow you to find some options and get a feel for rental rates.

You may encounter students just about anywhere in town, but you will find most students within a mile or so of campus. To the west of campus, the student population spreads a bit farther.

The whole town is pretty active, with parks spread throughout. Most neighborhoods have small neighborhood shopping areas nearby. Sidewalks and bike paths make getting around without a car pretty easy.

Landlords will typically require an additional deposit for pets, if they allow them at all. When the rental market is tight, they may prefer to only lease to tenants without pets to decrease the potential maintenance or repair issues that come with pets in a property.

Good luck!
Mike Weber

[barefootmeg]

I've seen people moving into and out of rentals at all times of the year (and I live in Old Town). So, like Mike said, some places might be on a school schedule, but I'm sure you'll be able to find many options that aren't, even semi-near campus.

As far as walkable neighborhoods, it kind of depends on what kind of walking you want to do. If you're way on the (mid-to-north) west side of town, there are still some open spaces that are lovely for walking. I've discovered some great dog walking spots just behind Lincoln Middle School as well as just over the river from that area. And that's near the bike path. There's a lot of nice walking areas by the Spring Canyon park (and whatever the park is that's just north of that). And you can hike right up to Horsetooth Reservoir if you end up near the Ponds.

But if you're looking to walk near businesses, you might want to aim near Elizabeth on the west side, maybe north east of Old town (if you're trying to stay out of Old Town itself), and anything nearish to College Ave.

I don't know if any of this helps, but if you come up with a specific neighborhood and want to get a better sense of it, just ask. We might know some pros or cons. :-)