3 strikes you're out? Grad student apartment hunting approach (Pittsburgh, Oakland: real estate, sublets)

[fleetiebelle]

Originally Posted by head_start

I emailed Mozart to double-check and you definitely have to have a cosigner if you're a graduate student. Good credit, age, employment/rental history, savings in the bank, etc. None of that matters if you're a student at any level. I emailed a couple of the other management companies as well, but I won't be shocked to hear the same thing.

Do you have to rent through a management company? An awful lot of rentals in Pittsburgh are with private landlords who may be able to throw you a bone, but they're probably not advertising this early for what you need.

[head_start]

No, I won't have a job when I move to Pittsburgh.

[I_Like_Spam]

Originally Posted by head_start

No, I won't have a job when I move to Pittsburgh.

Unless you can explain to a landlord how you will be paying your rent, and convince them that you will pay without fail, you have a difficult row to hoe.

Its difficult, and time consuming to evict someone in Allegheny county, as the poster from ML pointed out a couple of years ago.

Maybe if you pay for the year up front?

[Moby Hick]

Originally Posted by I_Like_Spam

Maybe if you pay for the year up front?

I would think paying for a whole year up front would put you in a very vulnerable position. You'd have no leverage at all if the place wasn't kept up. A double security deposit seems more than reasonable.

[head_start]

Originally Posted by fleetiebelle

Do you have to rent through a management company? An awful lot of rentals in Pittsburgh are with private landlords who may be able to throw you a bone, but they're probably not advertising this early for what you need.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure I'm going to end up with a private landlord.

Before I got a clue about cosigners and whatnot, I was only leaning towards management companies because a lot of times it's easier to get things sorted out from a distance. Mozart said they'll be posting their August availability mid-February and I'd imagine the other companies have a similar timeframe. I've only ever had to give 2 months notice at max when moving out of apartment. I'm guessing the private landlords wouldn't be posting until after April if they have shorter notice periods? Or maybe they're on the same timetable as the management companies? I'm not too far away (Philly-area) so I can take off work for a few days to go pound the pavement after the private landlords start advertising.

[PghCity]

Here is something that might help you. There is a group on Facebook where people post places that need rented out. Usually they are college students and have roommates. I am sure there are people on there subletting and/or needing roomies that don't care about co-signing if you can provide enough money up front.

Check it out: "Housing and roommates at Pittsburgh" https://www.facebook.com/groups/293902804037190/

[head_start]

Originally Posted by Moby Hick

I would think paying for a whole year up front would put you in a very vulnerable position. You'd have no leverage at all if the place wasn't kept up. A double security deposit seems more than reasonable.

I could pay for a whole year, but a friend warned me away from that option as well. Maybe even just a few months in advance would make a difference.

In terms of how I'll prove I can pay, I have quite it a bit in savings and could show proof of that with a bank statement. I'll also have the financial aid letter from my school that shows a scholarship covering tuition and the student loans (about 20K year) that are meant to cover living expenses. I'll use my savings to cover many things, but I don't want to deplete it down to $0.

[_Buster]

You could use an escrow account, as opposed to giving a full year to a landlord directly.

[head_start]

Originally Posted by PghCity

Here is something that might help you. There is a group on Facebook where people post places that need rented out. Usually they are college students and have roommates. I am sure there are people on there subletting and/or needing roomies that don't care about co-signing if you can provide enough money up front.

Check it out: "Housing and roommates at Pittsburgh" https://www.facebook.com/groups/293902804037190/

Thanks for this! I've been looking at Craigslist as well to get a feel for the whole roommate thing. That'd be weird. I've lived on my own for so long now! But you do what you gotta do.

[Moby Hick]

Originally Posted by head_start

I could pay for a whole year, but a friend warned me away from that option as well. Maybe even just a few months in advance would make a difference.

In terms of how I'll prove I can pay, I have quite it a bit in savings and could show proof of that with a bank statement. I'll also have the financial aid letter from my school that shows a scholarship covering tuition and the student loans (about 20K year) that are meant to cover living expenses. I'll use my savings to cover many things, but I don't want to deplete it down to $0.

I gather things have gotten more stringent since I was in school, but paying all in advance is ridiculous. You get bad apples everywhere, but as a class, landlords are bigger cheats than tenants. Be sure whatever you do pay is written down on the lease so nobody tries anything.