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My apartment lease is up on April 30. I have no money whatsoever to put a deposit on a room or apartment by then. I will have to stretch the money in my bank account just to survive to the end of the month.
I have reserved a storage room for the remainder of my stuff (have already sold all I can).
I have no family in the area. I cannot immediately move back home (there are no jobs-small rural town three hours away).
On the 29th I get my paycheck and I will have around $500 to deposit on an apartment but I won't have a place to live in May. What are my options?
I would go on CL or another type website and look for someone who needs a roommate. You would just need enough money to pay rent esp. if they just need someone short term.
Sounds like you could try staying temporarily with a friend and help them with expenses. Just be very clear that it's temporary and communicate very well that you will be moving out within a month or two.
Otherwise, you could look for a less expensive place or hunt for a roommate.
I had a friend who lived out of his car for a month last spring until he could get the money together for a place, though I wouldn't advise that for most people.
Cameron Village apartments (formerly Smallwood Apts) have vacancies and are only $575 a month. They're pretty flexible about deposits. You could ask a potential landlord if you could break the deposit into a couple of payments.
Also, several people offer rooms for rent in their homes, which are usually much cheaper than a full apartment. CL or the newspaper might have something listed. Just be clear on the terms.
Do you have friends or relatives who could loan you the money or the possibility of a short term loan from your employer?
Good luck finding something! I've been where you are and know how it sucks.
Thing is, unless you are indigent, or there has been a disaster (fire/storm/etc) there aren't many resources out there for housing. Failure to plan for living expenses (saving up for a deposit when you know your lease is up) doesn't qualify a person for emergency financial help.
I would look into roommate options if you are unable to renew your lease. Will your landlord give you a positive referral? This may help you talk a new landlord into delaying the new deposit until you can get the deposit back on your current apartment.
Also, look for apartments that have move in specials that offer free rent.... you may be able to talk the property manager into giving you some leeway on the deposit instead of the advertised special.
And something you may look into is renting in some of the undesirable neighborhoods. Landlords are more lenient because vacancies are common.
You did not list where you work, we may be able to find some places nearby if we knew a location.
Extended Day Hotels may be an option. They charge less per day the longer you stay and they are furnished with kitchenettes so you would be able to prepare your meals (that should save).
I do think the idea of renting a room may be less expensive, though.
I second the idea of looking for a sublet or room to rent on Craigslist. I did that when I first moved here. I didn't find what I was looking for in a search, so I posted an ad for what I wanted and actually got a lot of responses, including several people that offered to let me stay at their place for free. I rented a room in someone's house, no security deposit required. Just make sure that you take the time to talk to and meet the person in advance to make sure it's a good fit. Because even if you're just going to do it for a few weeks (like I did) or months, you still need it to be a good fit for all parties involved. Good luck!
Take over a college student's lease for the summer. Lots of them are on 12-month leases that will end in August, but have since decided that they want to be somewhere else for the summer (internship, travel, etc).
A lot of times you can sublease for less than the cost of the current lease. This will give you a few months to try to save up money and get a new place.
Extended stay hotels will negotiate a price with you if you are staying more than 7 days. For example, when my husband came to NC to look for work, he stayed in a hotel in Cary. He told the manager that he really wanted to stay there rather than the hotel down the street, so could he could give him a discount--the price went from 68 to 49 per night with agreement that my husband would stay there three weeks. The room had a kitchenette. Sweet deal IMO. It might not always work, but it's worth a try. Ask in person--not over the phone. They don't need your life story; just ask the question and be sincere.
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