Moving to Portland soon (South Portland, Scarborough: apartment complexes, rentals, crime)

[lvlovestwins]

Hi there!
We will be relocating to Portland in September, due to a new job at MMC. I want to rent for a year or two before getting a house, and was wondering what are some names of good rental places... any information would be very helpful! It doesn't matter if it's in the city or burbish, I just want a SAFE place.
Thanks!

[lrfox]

Hi! Welcome to Portland (can I say that if I don't live there anymore?).

Congratulations on the job at MMC. You've successfully avoided one of the most difficult parts of adjusting to life in Maine as the job can be tough to come by.

I think you have the right idea with renting first. I would check craigslist.org for private rentals (they also have some companies too) as you can find MANY good deal via that community (that's how I took care of all but one of my Portland rentals). My favorite management company to go through is H.H. Sawyer and Daughters. They tend to have the best prices and really avoid the B.S. when it comes to hidden fees and additional costs. Port Property Management is the one I avoid. They have a lot of properties and some of them are very nice, but the advertised rents are never what you end up paying. They add in some insane fees (i.e. $10 water surcharge/month, $25-100/mo pet fee, $25 lawncare fee, $10 Sewage fee, etc) in addition to the fact that no utilities or trash removal are included. Again, I don't know what your budget is and they do have some nice properties, but they do nickle and dime you to death.

Now, as far as locations to live go, there is no such thing as a "Bad" or "Dangerous" Portland neighborhood. Bayside is a bit run-down and industrial, but that's about as bad as it gets (trust me, REALLY not bad). Furthermore, Portland is small enough that it gets "burbish" (almost rural in spots) within the city itself. In fact, there are really only about 3 or 4 neighborhoods (aside from downtown which has a small geographic footprint) that would really constitute "urban" (i.e. nearly wall-to-wall buildings) and those include, Munjoy Hill, Parkside, West End (only parts of it) and a LITTLE of Bayside. Other than those 4 areas (and downtown of course) the city is suburban in set up. Oakdale, Rosemont, Deering and Back Cove are really old style suburban neighborhoods. They're quite nice, actually. They are loaded with some nice older homes (lots of Victorians) complete with little yards and quiet, tree-lined streets. As you get out towards the Westbrook and Falmouth town lines, the neighborhoods are more of those 1950's and 60's style smaller single family homes. Close to the city lines there are many neighborhoods that abut large tracks of open, undeveloped land. In short, you can live in various types and densities of neighborhoods within the city limits.

For you, I'd say the West End would be ideal. It's a charming neighborhood with some incredibly beautiful old homes (many of them now house rental properties) and great, quiet streets. It abuts Downtown Portland on one side (furthest East) and Maine Medical Center is sort of smack in the middle of it. From most areas in this neighborhood, you could walk to work. Parts of this neighborhood (particularly closest to downtown) have densely packed homes, but much of it has a more suburban feel.

Parkside would also put you within walking distance of both downtown and the Medical Center. It has an abundance of rental units.

Munjoy Hill is very pretty and only a quick drive (or bus ride) to the Medical Center. This neighborhood is on a hill and affords stunning views of Casco Bay. If you can get a place along the Eastern Promenade (many units are affordable here), you wouldn't regret living a bit further away from the hospital.

For a bit more quiet, check out some of the rentals in Oakdale (near USM), Deering and Back Cove. These neighborhoods are old style suburbs that are still VERY close to downtown Portland and Maine Medical Center.

If you're looking for a newer style suburb, there are a large number of newer apartment complexes in Scarborough, Yarmouth, and Falmouth. These towns are very close to Portland and you would have easy access to MMC (which is JUST off of exit 5 on I-295). South Portland may also have some good rental options too. I'd look into the area of South Portland near SMCC and Willard Beach as it's very pretty.

Good Luck!

[lvlovestwins]

Thank you soooooo much for all of your help!! That was a very thorough description!! Thank you, thank you! I am so excited!!

[dubthang]

I would def. try to rent within the West End since it is so close to your job. Being able to walk to work (or take the #8 bus) will be a huge benefit. After you get more comfortable with the city, you can always look to rent else where.

This is assuming that you will be working at MMC, and not one of its satellites (like Brighton Medical.)

[lvlovestwins]

Thanks! I'm looking in the West End- looks nice and I love the idea of being able to walk to work! Are there any neighborhoods in the West End or streets to avoid?

[dubthang]

The streets closest to MMC and to the south of it are all nice. The places towards Congress St. are a little bit ratty, but not awful. I live right near MMC on Congress. Price will be a huge factor since anything on the Western Prom will be expensive.

[lvlovestwins]

Thanks for the advice- I don't mind spending a little extra to live closer to MMC.

[diablogun]

I ended up in South Portland because the taxes are a little lower and crime is a bit less. At the same time you can literally be a couple of minutes from work.

[shadeofgreen]

I rented from Port Property Management and didn't have any of the problems lrfox described. My heat and hot water were included, I never paid for trash pickup and didn't have any surcharges. My only beef with them was that they would never let tenants go month-to-month even after the initial lease was up. It ended up being a non-issue, but I was job hunting out of state at the time and I didn't like being stuck.

I rented a place from Storrey Property Management for a while, and that wasn't so great. There were times in the winter when we had literally no heat, and they never actually did anything about it. There was no emergency maintenance, so when a fuse blew one night, we were SOL until the next day, and they really didn't seem to care.

I lived in the West End for a couple of years and then in West Bayside for a while. It was great. I loved being able to walk to everything downtown, and I honestly never felt unsafe anywhere. My one recommendation for living in Portland would be to make sure you have off-street parking. Dealing with restrictions and winter parking bans is a huge pain.

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by shadeofgreen

I rented from Port Property Management and didn't have any of the problems lrfox described. My heat and hot water were included, I never paid for trash pickup and didn't have any surcharges. My only beef with them was that they would never let tenants go month-to-month even after the initial lease was up.

Good to hear. I should clarify, I am specifically talking about Redbank and Mill Company Gardens in S. Portland. I know some of their other properties don't have the additional fees (specifically downtown) and DO include trash removal. I do know some who felt the same way you do about them.