Is the rental market always this depressing? And what do landlords have against dogs? (Portland: real estate, apartments)

[quirkyone]

I've been looking to move from Yarmouth since about April (my lease is up at the end of June) and using craigslist is horribly depressing. There seems to only be rental communities with awful reviews (one of which I live in now) or extremely overpriced apartments. I am looking from York up to Portland and there seems to be NOTHING.

I also have a black lab who is extremely well behaved and every ad seems to say NO DOGS! This is getting to be a bit crazy as obviously I'm not going to get rid of her, but there seems to be nowhere to live that is reasonably priced. Do apartments just not rent in July? Am I better waiting for a different month?

[FNolan]

Try contacting the local real estate offices in that area, some also handle rental properties and will be a better choice than Craig's list. You can also try Rentals.com but they usually cater to bigger cities than Maine has.

[Hollytree]

I believe summer is tourist season in Maine and maybe they get short term high rents?

[slyfox2]

When I rented I said no dogs or cats. Many renters are totally irresponsible when it comes to taking care of the house. They seem to think that the landlord is a very wealthy dude who deserves to have his property damaged. And dogs and cats can really do it. I needed their rent to pay the mortgage.

And besides, when I offered it for rent, I got 100 calls. there are so few house rentals where I live that I didn't have to take dogs and cats too. As it was, I still got a deadbeat family, who had good references from the previous place. They probably had good references so the landlord could get them out. I should have become a detective; then I would have discovered the multiple DUI's and license suspensions.

[Mark S.]

Originally Posted by quirkyone

I've been looking to move from Yarmouth since about April (my lease is up at the end of June) and using craigslist is horribly depressing. There seems to only be rental communities with awful reviews (one of which I live in now) or extremely overpriced apartments. I am looking from York up to Portland and there seems to be NOTHING.

I also have a black lab who is extremely well behaved and every ad seems to say NO DOGS! This is getting to be a bit crazy as obviously I'm not going to get rid of her, but there seems to be nowhere to live that is reasonably priced. Do apartments just not rent in July? Am I better waiting for a different month?

Unfortunately, landlords have been burned by too many pet owners not being irresponsible. After the third time of having to completely replace a building's carpet due to pet urine, landlords gets fed up and simply ban pets. You can find pet-friendly rentals, but they are in the minority.

And yes, summer is the worst time to try to find rentals anywhere in southern Maine. All the rentals fill up with tourists. You'll have better luck in August/September, although you'll be competing with all the returning college students.

Craigslist is probably your best shot, although you should check the classifieds of local papers as well.

We never had any luck with realtors or places like Rentex. Most realtors simply want to cater to the wealthy tourists from points south, and most property management places like Rentex simply maintain their buildings at a "good enough" level and don't have terribly high standards of tenants. They want the $$$. All else else is an afterthought.

[mainegrl2011]

There are about four or five apartments in the first link below in the $1,000 per month range could include some or all utilities. Don't fall for the $599 per month per bedroom listings... 4 bedrooms I think... unless you want roommates. Notice I put a check in the "dogs ok" box on the left side. I think one of the listings has a requirement that your annual income doesn't exceed a certain amount.

https://maine.craigslist.org/search/...and&pets_dog=1

https://maine.craigslist.org/apa/5628195266.html ($800 for prompt payment includes heat)

[quirkyone]

I actually ended up finding a great place with great landlords! I have a professional job that requires a masters or higher and my dog is canine good citizen certified and had good reviews from her daycares (and the fact that we take her to daycare 3-4x a week) sold several landlords on us as tenants (plus I think our credit history of never having a late payment ever in 12 years helped). I think we'll stick this place out until we've saved up enough to build our house.

[mainegrl2011]

Originally Posted by quirkyone

I actually ended up finding a great place with great landlords! I have a professional job that requires a masters or higher and my dog is canine good citizen certified and had good reviews from her daycares (and the fact that we take her to daycare 3-4x a week) sold several landlords on us as tenants (plus I think our credit history of never having a late payment ever in 12 years helped). I think we'll stick this place out until we've saved up enough to build our house.

Good to hear and thanks for the update.

[Submariner]

Dogs and cats can perform major damage to a house.

Since 1985, we have owned apartment buildings at each place we have been stationed. Dealing with pet damage can be far more time consuming and expensive, than all of what goes into a bad eviction. Some of our previous tenants had pets.

Our first winter in Maine, we got a 2bdrm apartment, while I was working to complete our house. They charged us an extra $50/month to allow us to have pets.

We may soon own some apartments buildings again, I am not sure if I will allow pets again. I think it will depend on the condition of the building. If I had terrazzo floors, I would be more prone to allowing dogs. I am not sure how to prevent cats from shredding walls, doors and trim work.

[tarragon]

My tenants have a lab and we were reluctant about allowing someone to rent with any pets. We specifically told them that they had to clean up the dog pooh, no allowing around the gardens. Well, there has been tons of dog crap on the lawn. One day they invited me inside and the house smelled of dog.