Moving to Sacramento, Short-term Housing? (Davis, Elk Grove: extended stay, real estate, apartment complex)

[Fedguy86]

I have just received a transfer in my agency and I will be working out of Davis, CA. My wife and I will be driving from central IL and taking about 4-5 days to do so. One of our main concerns is housing. We want to buy a house in the Sacramento area but we don't want to arrive and get stuck in an apartment with a 1 yr lease. I want some time to get to know the area and do research before we get into a house.

Do any of you know of any decent short-term housing or apartments that have no more than a 6 month lease? It's looking like an apt or an extended stay America but those can get pricey if living there for 2-3 months.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

[2sleepy]

Originally Posted by Fedguy86

I have just received a transfer in my agency and I will be working out of Davis, CA. My wife and I will be driving from central IL and taking about 4-5 days to do so. One of our main concerns is housing. We want to buy a house in the Sacramento area but we don't want to arrive and get stuck in an apartment with a 1 yr lease. I want some time to get to know the area and do research before we get into a house.
Do any of you know of any decent short-term housing or apartments that have no more than a 6 month lease? It's looking like an apt or an extended stay America but those can get pricey if living there for 2-3 months.
Any help is greatly appreciated.

You might call the extended stay program desk, they have some pretty reasonable 60 day minimum rates. 888-844-0952. I did a search on craigslist for "6 month lease" and there were several listed.
sacramento housing, apartments, real estate, etc "6 month lease" - craigslist If you see something you like come back here and you will probably get some feedback on specific properties. I'm in Carmichael and there are lots of vacancy signs on apartments around here and in Fair Oaks but I don't know what the lease terms are.

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

You can go ahead and sign a 12 month lease, because it's legal to break a lease in CA. A landlord then has to make a reasonable effort to re-rent the unit, and you would only be responsible for paying rent until the LL gets rent coming in again. The courts generally figure 30 days is enough time, especially if you make it clear you are willing to help the LL re-rent the place and cooperate with showings, etc.

So, if you give 30 days notice, and say you're willing to keep the place clean and cooperate with all showings for the next 30 days, the odds of having to pay much rent past your 30 days is pretty minimal.

I used to be an apartment manager. And normally, after a tenant moves out, it would take about a week to coordinate painting and any repairs, new carpet, etc., necessary before the next tenant could move in. You would only be on the hook for any out-of-pocket to the LL for breaking the lease - so you could be responsible for a week's rent, or however long he can justify "losing" money because of you breaking your lease. If there are any advertising costs, you'd be responsible for those, too.

BTW, in CA a landlord cannot charge you any non-refundable fees, including any lease-breaking fees.

The legal term is "duty to mitigate damages." Here are some resources:

Breaking a Lease and Leaving Early | Nolo.com

California Tenants - California Department of Consumer Affairs

[2sleepy]

Originally Posted by NoMoreSnowForMe

You can go ahead and sign a 12 month lease, because it's legal to break a lease in CA. A landlord then has to make a reasonable effort to re-rent the unit, and you would only be responsible for paying rent until the LL gets rent coming in again. The courts generally figure 30 days is enough time, especially if you make it clear you are willing to help the LL re-rent the place and cooperate with showings, etc.

But even if you can get away with it..is it worthwhile given that the landlord will most certainly give you a bad reference in the future?

[caligirlz]

You can rent any apartment/condo with a month to month lease, it's just going to cost you more.

If you're going to be working in Davis, I'd suggest checking for rentals on the west side of Sac, like West Sac, No Natomas or even Elk Grove. It will make the commute much easier and you wont have to deal with all the commuter traffic heading towards downtown.

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

Originally Posted by 2sleepy

But even if you can get away with it..is it worthwhile given that the landlord will most certainly give you a bad reference in the future?

Depends. How bad is the reference? Did they always pay on time? Did they leave owing you money? Did they do damage? Leave the place clean?

I used to be an apartment manager and if someone came to me in the middle of their lease and said they just hate it there and are willing to pay what's necessary to get out of the lease, and othewise have a good reference, I'd not think of that as a bad reference.

I might worry they'll not stay a year with me, but that's the least of your worries when looking at a tenant. A tenant who costs an owner money is what you want to avoid.

If a tenant's history is that they move every 3 months, I wouldn't want to rent to them. But, if their history is good, but they're telling me they hate the current place, I'd be more inclined to believe them. We've all been there.

Most landlords will look at that whole picture and tenant history.

[Fedguy86]

Thanks for the responses. I wasn't well versed on CA tenant laws so thanks for the info, although I don't like breaking leases if I can help it. Being that I will work in Davis I'll look at Elk grove, North Natomas, etc and hopefully I'll find something there. I have found a couple places that do month to month on CL.

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

The commute from Elk Grove would be horrendous to Davis. North Natomas would be better, but be aware of flooding in that area.

[Fedguy86]

I have found a short-term lease apartment complex called Laurel Oaks in Natomas. I'm not sure if it's a decent area or not? The pictures look decent and the price is pretty good. I just want a relatively safe area, I don't care if it's not upscale or anything because this will be temporary.

[aerodriver]

Originally Posted by Fedguy86

Thanks for the responses. I wasn't well versed on CA tenant laws so thanks for the info, although I don't like breaking leases if I can help it. Being that I will work in Davis I'll look at Elk grove, North Natomas, etc and hopefully I'll find something there. I have found a couple places that do month to month on CL.

Do not plan on renting an apartment with the intent to break a lease. Just because Sacramento is very pro-tenant, does not mean it's a good idea to do whatever fits your contract needs.

There are a lot of better options as stated above, versus screwing a landlord, then having to go to small claims if you end up in a dispute over money.