SF rental market is insane (San Francisco, Oakland: good credit, hotels, houses)

[checkup]

Originally Posted by clongirl

Maybe the other applicants had a better credit score and better references? It's not always solely about income.

Also, during the last really tight rental market during the 90's when my family was trying to find larger accommodation, a man offered the landlord to put in new carpeting...he's the one the got the place. There were plenty of stories of folks bribing landlords with expensive gifts, season tix to 49's games, artwork, etc. Sadly, it's nothing new here.

Dunno, they literally decided within an hour on a Saturday. Hence I dont think they contacted any references. My reference wasn't contacted. They also explained that they weren't doing credit checks until after picking a candidate. My credit is good anyways.

I have no idea what their criteria was. Maybe this place in Pac Heights preferred someone of a particular age, gender, race? The app itself was just a menial listing of personal facts

[uptown_urbanist]

Don't waste too much time trying to second-guess it. I don't think they check references or any of the rest of it until they've already decided on their top candidate. I think sometimes it might just be first come, first served (assuming everyone else also has a great job, great references, great credit, which is likely the case) or they randomly pluck an application from the pile and that person is the lucky one. The market is just so crazy now and honestly, I don't think most landlords are spending much time carefully debating the merits of tons of different applicants. I'd guess that the person who got the place within the hour showed up with credit check in-hand, however. Sometimes they'll run their own, but a lot of landlords will accept a copy of a recent one that you've run yourself.

And yeah, a lot of people out there these days offering higher rent or to pay a bunch up-front. (we tried offering six months up-front but that wasn't enough to even guarantee us a phone call back.)

Just keep at it and don't waste time on the ones that got away. Move fast, and one of these days you'll be the lucky one who gets his application looked at first. I'd also try networking through work; maybe some of your coworkers know of some places that will be coming up for rent soon or have some other leads that may allow you to get to a landlord before they get around to formally posting it anywhere else.

[mdwstrnkid]

Originally Posted by checkup

Dunno, they literally decided within an hour on a Saturday. Hence I dont think they contacted any references. My reference wasn't contacted. They also explained that they weren't doing credit checks until after picking a candidate. My credit is good anyways.

I have no idea what their criteria was. Maybe this place in Pac Heights preferred someone of a particular age, gender, race? The app itself was just a menial listing of personal facts

I think that apartments in Pac Heights are going pretty quickly these days, at least what I've heard from other people looking for places in the neighborhood. While a $200K+ salary is well above average for San Francisco, it's pretty ordinary for Pac Heights, so your income alone won't make you stand out among the people vying for the apartment.

[beb0p]

Originally Posted by checkup

Dunno, they literally decided within an hour on a Saturday. Hence I dont think they contacted any references. My reference wasn't contacted. They also explained that they weren't doing credit checks until after picking a candidate. My credit is good anyways.

I have no idea what their criteria was. Maybe this place in Pac Heights preferred someone of a particular age, gender, race? The app itself was just a menial listing of personal facts

I'm guessing you did not offer to pay above the asking rent when you submitted the application. It's possible that whoever got it, did.

Paying six months rent in advance, bidding above the asking rent, etc - tactics that help renters get ahead.

And yes, many landlords prefer a certain gender who are perceived to be cleaner and less likely to destroy the place.

.

[mkdude_08]

A friend of mine just learned that his rent will DOUBLE in August. He's choosing to leave a look elsewhere. As beautiful as I found the Bay Area I am quite glad I no longer live there...

[7x7er]

Someone explain this to me - why are there such long lines at open houses? Why do landlords get flooded with phone calls as soon as they put a property on the market?

I'm just thinking it from an economics perspective - If I'm a landlord, and I list a property at $X, and 100 people with good credit are dying to pay $X to rent my apartment, doesn't that signal to me that I've listed the property below market value? Wouldn't I continue to list it at higher values until I had only a few people willing to pay? Especially given I might be stuck with that rent-controlled price I charge for the next 30 years?

[Ultrarunner]

Originally Posted by Natural510

In other news, Oakland has a high crime rate.

I have notice quite a turn around in the Oakland residential rental market due to people being priced out of SF...

My the applicants for my most recent rental, almost without exception, were those priced out of SF.

I've seen it happen before... but, never to this extent.

SF loss is the East Bay's gain.

[Ultrarunner]

Originally Posted by mkdude_08

A friend of mine just learned that his rent will DOUBLE in August. He's choosing to leave a look elsewhere. As beautiful as I found the Bay Area I am quite glad I no longer live there...

Almost the exact scenario for a friend of mine son... he's been working one year since graduation... making a little over 100k in SF and learned his rent was going up 75%...

He just signed a lease for a larger apartment near Jack London Square in Oakland and commented that the people he has met so far were all from SF.

[jupiler]

Originally Posted by 7x7er

I'm just thinking it from an economics perspective - If I'm a landlord, and I list a property at $X, and 100 people with good credit are dying to pay $X to rent my apartment, doesn't that signal to me that I've listed the property below market value? Wouldn't I continue to list it at higher values until I had only a few people willing to pay? Especially given I might be stuck with that rent-controlled price I charge for the next 30 years?

I was wondering the same thing!

[Radio Flyer]

Thank God I lived in S.F. a long time ago and not now.

Early 80's...I was young and free. I decided that I had had enough of my room-mate. I worked at Tower Records at the time. Fun job, low pay.

I walked up Columbus on my lunch break and saw a "For Rent" sign in a window. I called when I got back from lunch, met the owner of the building after work. No credit check, no references. We just shot the breeze. I moved in the next week.

My rent on a studio apartment between Fisherman's wharf and North Beach? 350.00 a month.

I really, really feel for everyone searching right now. I moved out of the city years ago and out of the bay area eight years ago. I had no idea S.F. was this competitive now. This thread is shocking to me!