Apartment vacancy rate? (Tampa, Lakeland, Brandon: apartments, renter, condo)

[INeedAChange]

Are there a lot of available apartments in the Tampa metro area, or are they mostly filled? Also--I know this is a generalized question, but maybe someone has an idea--how strict are they about income? If you don't have a job lined up yet will they let you put down a couple of months rent? (I don't have a specific neighborhood/town in mind--I'm pretty flexible).

[JSnFla]

ive gotten apartments down here without having a job. it depends on the place though. if u can show some decent funds in the bank without a job some places will let u rent, others wont.

[Rocket3857]

A ton of apartments that need rented in Tampa......you will have no problem at all !
Rocket

[jessiegirl_98]

I agree. There are a TON of places. Every complex I looked at had vacancies. Tampa was more strict about income than Chicago (odd, huh), but what is nice is all complexes I looked at let me show my last years W-2's, so if you were making money and aren't now, you should be fine! (just make sure to bring it with you). I also showed a savings account just to cover my bases.

[yukon]

Check on Craigslist - renting a condo or townhome might be a better deal as you'd be dealing with the unit owner. Often, individual owners will rent to those relocating if you have good, verifiable rental references. They might want a larger security deposit, however. Also, MANY of the nicer complexes in the metro area went condo last year and the owners (who thought they'd be able to flip the unit fast) are resorting to renting and they're desperate. The downside is many of these owners aren't doing criminal background checks, so there's no telling who your neighbor will be.

Keep in mind, our "season" starts in October and runs until March or April, and sometimes getting a private rental can be tough then.

[INeedAChange]

I thought about this but I've been wary of this for years because I rented a co-op unit from an owner about 5 years ago and:

1) he wanted me to pay for a certain % of cost of any repair to the apt, which I'm not sure is even legal. Basically he was the worst landlord I've ever had--he only wanted to collect a check every month
2) he decided to sell after I'd only been there 9 months. But he didn't bother to tell me this. I only found out when strangers started knocking on my door to view the property. I should add that I always paid on time and never caused him problems. I had paid a 1 month fee to a broker to get into this stupid place and then was kicked out after 1 year thru no fault of my own.
3) there were all these different entities -- management company, co-op board, landlord, -- as a renter there I felt like I had no rights and everytime I tried to get something done one of these entities would tell me it wasn't their responsibility and pass the buck

Originally Posted by yukon

Check on Craigslist - renting a condo or townhome might be a better deal as you'd be dealing with the unit owner. Often, individual owners will rent to those relocating if you have good, verifiable rental references. They might want a larger security deposit, however. Also, MANY of the nicer complexes in the metro area went condo last year and the owners (who thought they'd be able to flip the unit fast) are resorting to renting and they're desperate. The downside is many of these owners aren't doing criminal background checks, so there's no telling who your neighbor will be.

Keep in mind, our "season" starts in October and runs until March or April, and sometimes getting a private rental can be tough then.

[INeedAChange]

Thanks for the info--unfortunately I will have to move there during that time period if I do it. Is it extremely difficult to find something at that time? I would like to live in Tampa/Pete but I'm open to Lakeland and other outlying areas as well.

Originally Posted by yukon

Keep in mind, our "season" starts in October and runs until March or April, and sometimes getting a private rental can be tough then.

[marlene Sokol]

I'm interested in talking to people who have tested the rental market recently. I'm a news reporter. You can reach me at (813) 269-5307 or sokol@sptimes.com. Thanks!

[mquintana]

I am an assistant manager for an apartment community in Brandon and there are a lot of apartment communities who aren't as occupied as they were before. A lot of residents hop from one community to the next, but we are getting a lot of people who are purchasing homes-it's the right time to buy now...
With that being said, a couple of years ago it was a breeze to be 100% occupied, now to be anywhere between 90-95% is a struggle. Most average around 90% occupied, maybe 88%-93% leased, but think of all the move outs, so it's hard to get ahead because you can move in 10 people, but if 14 people move out, your occupancy drops.

[mquintana]

Originally Posted by INeedAChange

I thought about this but I've been wary of this for years because I rented a co-op unit from an owner about 5 years ago and:

1) he wanted me to pay for a certain % of cost of any repair to the apt, which I'm not sure is even legal. Basically he was the worst landlord I've ever had--he only wanted to collect a check every month
That's crappy that he treated you like that. It is to my understanding that the landlord is responsible for repair, but a lot of landlords will deduct the money from your rent for any repair you have made, given that you provide a receipt.
2) he decided to sell after I'd only been there 9 months. But he didn't bother to tell me this. I only found out when strangers started knocking on my door to view the property. I should add that I always paid on time and never caused him problems. I had paid a 1 month fee to a broker to get into this stupid place and then was kicked out after 1 year thru no fault of my own.
I thought it was a law that the landlord had to inform you that they were selling their rental property...??
3) there were all these different entities -- management company, co-op board, landlord, -- as a renter there I felt like I had no rights and everytime I tried to get something done one of these entities would tell me it wasn't their responsibility and pass the buck

Out of all of them the management company should have been responsible. They are hired to deal with the rental property for the owner...