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I am a Florida native that has lived in Orlando my entire life and plan to move to DC this fall, hopefully to start a life there but mainly for my newly-graduated Partner's (unpaid) internship at the Holocaust museum which starts mid-August.
I have some unusual circumstances, and any advice would be greatly appreciated.
First off, my partner wants to start off the move on a month-to-month lease, just in case things don't work out (mainly, if we are unable to find jobs, if the internship doesn't turn into a job offer, etc). We have a few thousand bucks saved to tide us over for maybe a month or two, and hope before the money runs out we will find employment that will allow us to continue paying our rent/bills. We both have bachelor's degrees and experience working for reputable, world-recognized companies that excel in guest service (Disney, Universal).
We've had nothing but bad luck using Craigslist, with most housing posts turning out to be scams and the ones that were legit only willing to lease for a year, minimum.
We also have pets- a cat and a small dog. The dog loves people and is not destructive, but can be overbearingly energetic towards new people (jumps on them, demands attention by getting in peoples faces and not leaving them alone) so most people get overwhelmed by him. Thus, I don't think a roommate situation would work out, nor a situation where we rent out a room in someone else's home.
Here in Orlando our rent is $912 a month for a two-bedroom apartment, and we're looking for a one-bedroom near DC (no more than 30-45 min away from the city, preferably)... it doesn't have to be a big place or a nice place, but in a generally safe area. We live now right around Universal Studios, which isn't the best part of town, and have loud crazy neighbors and see drug deals/cops getting called all the time, so we're not afraid to live somewhere with a "bad rep" as long as it's not so bad I'd have to fear for my safety walking the dog at night, or walking from my car to the front door. We just want it to be reasonably close to the city with rent that isn't astronomically high. Though of course, we expect to pay more than we would in Orlando.
So as a DC resident, does this seem like something impossible? A couple with two animals, looking for an affordable place near DC that isn't incredibly dangerous? Is it even less viable to find a place like this with short-term leasing options? We are at a complete loss and can use all the help and advice we can get. If you know of an apartment complex that fits this description, a management company who could help us out... that would be great.
In Orlando I used a free service called Apartment Hunters that located apartments for you based on certain criteria, and they got a commission of sorts once you moved in. Is there anything like that for DC that you know of?
It all depends on what you consider to be "affordable" and how small of a space you are willing to cram into.
$912 a month won't get you more than a very small studio apartment, not a one bedroom apartment, in any safe area in or near DC. You probably need to get up to $1,200 a month if you want an actual one bedroom apartment.
For comparison, a few years ago my brother rented a studio for $1,075 a month that was so small it couldn't fit a real refrigerator, just a mini-fridge. And that was still considered a good price for the neighborhood he was in (Logan Circle). Logan Circle is one of the more expensive neighborhoods, but still, any apartment for around $1,000 a month in a good neighborhood will be no more than one room with no separate bedroom.
Craigslist is how 90% of people I know in DC found their apartment. If you are mostly finding scams there you are doing something wrong. Craigslist is very useful. It sounds like you are searching in the wrong part of the website because you said you are getting leads for places that want you to sign a full year lease. That suggests you are looking in the "apt/housing" section. But there is a separate section for sublets and temporary housing, which is what you want: washington, DC sublets & temporary classifieds - craigslist
You are probably finding scams because your budget is unrealistically low for this area. Any apartment under $900 to $1,000 a month is likely to either be a scam or in a very unsafe neighborhood in which you don't want to live. If I were you, when searching Craigslist I would set the minimum price to at least $900, maybe $1,000, to weed out all of those posts that aren't worth your time.
Last edited by stateofnature; 06-10-2014 at 03:56 PM..
Another thing: how are you expecting to get a landlord to rent to you if you have no income and only a few thousand in savings? No one will rent to you if you don't have some proof that you can pay.
You might have to be willing to pay all of the rent for the short-term stay up-front.
Is it not common for people moving from out of state to need a month or so to job hunt? I assume DC and the surrounding areas get plenty of out of towners as students and interns that have no professional job lined up yet. My partner and I have income now, but will obviously have to quit before moving.
We may be able to get a family member to co-sign... or is that not something that landlords/leasing companies go for very often in DC?
Thanks for the tip of looking in the sublets/temporary section, I just wasn't sure that anyone would want to sublet to someone with two animals.
We know now that $900/month won't get us anything there, and have thusly increased our budget. $1,200 is, I think, something we could swing, esp. with DC's higher minimum wage.
What sane landlord would just rent to somebody with no proof of ability to pay and just take their word for it that their "job hunt" will be successful? I'm sure there are some dumb or apathetic landlords out there who would do that, but if so they're definitely a small minority. You don't want to have to limit yourself to them because you've already narrowed your options with the two pets thing.
Co-signing is pretty common. I think you should definitely make sure you have that family member to co-sign, otherwise this search is going to be a lot harder.
As for the sublets being willing to take pets, just a quick glance at the Craigslist sublet section shows several postings that say they will take at least one pet. So I don't think it is unrealistic to expect that with some time spent searching you can find one that will take two pets.
Thank you for all your help. I've never moved anywhere outside central Florida, so I just didn't know a lot of these things. We will definitely talk to some family about co-signing, or see what we can do about offering the rent up-front.
Will also check the sublets section again. Thank you!
With no job, I'd look into some basement rentals in DC, or more likely, Virginia. Some are completely separate, some share laundry to even an entrance or more. But they can be cheap.
I guess one good thing is that the Holocaust Museum isn't far from the metro so you could live in a lot of places the commute wouldn't be terrible.
My first place in DC I rented was month to month, paid first and last months rent to secure it, and found it on Craigslist. Lot of people rent their basements out and are just looking for some extra cash. If you have a good referral, I think you stand a good chance. Good luck. Ha, I know of a lot of people in Central FL. Hate hearing about their cheap rent! ($912 for a two-bedroom?!)
Hello Lunar! I actually moved to DC from Orlando myself, to be honest with you the COL (Cost of Living) in DC is EXTREMELY high compared to Orlando, when I first moved here I was in sticker shock! If you want to live in the city in a safe area (NW DC) expect to pay at least $1500+ for a small studio apartment, I am not saying this to scare you away, it is just a reality, DC is very expensive and it is very difficult to get around this unless you are willing to live in a shady high-crime area. There are alternative suburban areas outside of the city such as NOVA (North Virginia) and Maryland where you may possibly find slightly more affordable housing options but keep in mind that the further away you go from the city your commute costs will rise and any neighborhood that is metro-accessible still comes with a premium cost.
Another factor to think about is securing housing considering that you will not have a paying job lined up, most landlords will give you a hard time with this. Thankfully I moved here with a job lined up so was able to use that as proof of income which most landlords will require along with upfront deposits and payments, many landlords also require you to make an income of 2 times and sometimes even 3 times your monthly rent..
My personal recommendation to you is that you both closely consider this move as you may potentially find yourself in a very difficult financial situation if you are unable to secure a job early on and will also have difficulty finding housing without an income source in place. Also think about this, is picking up and moving out-of-state for an unpaid internship really worth it? Best of luck!
I am a Florida native that has lived in Orlando my entire life and plan to move to DC this fall, hopefully to start a life there but mainly for my newly-graduated Partner's (unpaid) internship at the Holocaust museum which starts mid-August.
I have some unusual circumstances, and any advice would be greatly appreciated.
First off, my partner wants to start off the move on a month-to-month lease, just in case things don't work out (mainly, if we are unable to find jobs, if the internship doesn't turn into a job offer, etc). We have a few thousand bucks saved to tide us over for maybe a month or two, and hope before the money runs out we will find employment that will allow us to continue paying our rent/bills. We both have bachelor's degrees and experience working for reputable, world-recognized companies that excel in guest service (Disney, Universal).
We've had nothing but bad luck using Craigslist, with most housing posts turning out to be scams and the ones that were legit only willing to lease for a year, minimum.
We also have pets- a cat and a small dog. The dog loves people and is not destructive, but can be overbearingly energetic towards new people (jumps on them, demands attention by getting in peoples faces and not leaving them alone) so most people get overwhelmed by him. Thus, I don't think a roommate situation would work out, nor a situation where we rent out a room in someone else's home.
Here in Orlando our rent is $912 a month for a two-bedroom apartment, and we're looking for a one-bedroom near DC (no more than 30-45 min away from the city, preferably)... it doesn't have to be a big place or a nice place, but in a generally safe area. We live now right around Universal Studios, which isn't the best part of town, and have loud crazy neighbors and see drug deals/cops getting called all the time, so we're not afraid to live somewhere with a "bad rep" as long as it's not so bad I'd have to fear for my safety walking the dog at night, or walking from my car to the front door. We just want it to be reasonably close to the city with rent that isn't astronomically high. Though of course, we expect to pay more than we would in Orlando.
So as a DC resident, does this seem like something impossible? A couple with two animals, looking for an affordable place near DC that isn't incredibly dangerous? Is it even less viable to find a place like this with short-term leasing options? We are at a complete loss and can use all the help and advice we can get. If you know of an apartment complex that fits this description, a management company who could help us out... that would be great.
In Orlando I used a free service called Apartment Hunters that located apartments for you based on certain criteria, and they got a commission of sorts once you moved in. Is there anything like that for DC that you know of?
Thank you for taking the time to read my post!
Dog: can't live in DC with a dog. In an area you want to live at, you're looking at about $2400 for 600 sq ft.
Partner: Your partner is playing it too safe, and that will never work. It's either you commit or you don't.
Few Thousand Bucks in Savings: Not enough money...
Month-to-Month Lease: If you can find one, it'll be about 300% more than what you'd pay for 12 months lease. That's in the area that's safe.
Jobs: Get one before you come here. And when they send you their offer, ask for more. If they tell you they don't cover moving expense, ask for signing bonus for moving expenses. It's really taxes, and budget team that's saying no, not your manager or the CEO.
Size of the Apartments: In Orlando or Georgia, you can find a 1200 sq ft apartment with 3/3 for $1000 or so (+/- $300). In DC, you can find a 1200 sq ft apartment with 3/3 for $5000 or so (+/- $2000).
As someone who is a pet owner, I'd suggest Northern Virginia, and get a house where you have about two to three roommates, with a backyard. and you commute by taking the bus to metro to work.
Just forget about what the southern apartment complexes are like. It's just chaos here.
Hot Pads - get the app, and call a lot of places. Craigslist works, and Google Rent search works too.
Just remember. 8 miles away from DC takes about an hour commute by metro, depending on the time you leave. if you leave at 6 on certain days of the week, you can get in early. If you leave at 8, expect delay up to 2 hours or more.
Good luck.
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