It's so hard to rent in Clintonville! (Dublin, Bethel: apartment, rentals)

[midwesterndirt]

I've been living near Dublin (on Bethel) for the past year and don't like it up here at all. My wife and I want to move to Clintonville, where we have friends and can live in a nice, walkable neighborhood. The problem is, everyone must want to live here, because it is nearly impossible to find a decent place. We have been trying to find an apartment/duplex/townhouse/home to rent in West/Central/North Clintonville and we keep striking out. To make matters worst, we have two cats, so no one wants to rent to us, even though our cats are insanely clean. It doesn't seem to matter that we are really good tenants.

We found one place we really like, but the landlord wants way more than market value (and more than it's worth), all because when she bought it, she overpaid. Now she's trying to cover all of her mortgage/taxes/insurance instead of eating some of the costs and renting it for an amount any sane person is willing to pay and I can not do anything to convince her that she should lower the rent.

Does anyone have any advice for how to actually find somewhere to live in Clintonville? We only have five weeks to move and before we end up settling somewhere too expensive or cheap but really shoddy, I'm asking everywhere if there is some secret I am missing.

Any help would be immensely appreciated!

[CVCMH]

I presume you're checking Craigslist, and my only tip is to check it very frequently and pounce quickly on good, new listings.

My wife and I own half of a duplex in Clintonville and when we posted our Craigslist ad, we had five responses within 30 minutes. We ended up renting to the first couple that responded (who turned out be great tenants - with 2 cats!). I don't know if other landlords are using a "first come, first served" methodology, but vigilance can't hurt.

(And before you ask, their lease is not up until July...)

Anyway, best of luck!

[coyne.41]

My suggestion is to drive around and look for for rent signs. You can cover a lot of ground fairly quickly. Its worked for me!

[streetcreed]

Originally Posted by coyne.41

My suggestion is to drive around and look for for rent signs. You can cover a lot of ground fairly quickly. Its worked for me!

When looking in urban areas I have used this method as well. I find that when you are not renting an apartment/townhome from a large developer, landlord it is easier to find rentals by just driving. The only issue is that these days more of moved to online listings. I would suggest doing both.

Another issue may be the small supply of Clintonville rentals contrasted to the large demand. There are only a few apartment buildings, townhomes, etc. It is mostly housing for rent which is few and far between. Due to the recession there is quite a large demand for rental housing these days, and especially in a neighborhood that is sought after like Clintonville, but the supply hasn't increased by as large a percentage.