Regent Square area landlords.

[groar]

some people just like to plan ahead. i don't think most people think so far ahead when it comes to rentals (i know i didn't when i rented), but some people like to feel secure that they won't be stuck when it comes time to move.

[BrianTH]

I agree it is probably mostly because some people just like to plan ahead.

That said, apartment hunting in Pittsburgh can be a little more complex than usual, although not necessarily in a bad way. We have a lot of different neighborhoods, and a lot of apartments are in small buildings or converted houses, which in turn can vary quite a bit in terms of style, layout, condition, and so on. So it is a bit different from cities where most of the apartments are in bigger buildings or complexes in fairly large areas, and I think that particularly comes up when people are hunting from a distance.

[raubre]

Originally Posted by kettlepot

This is a slight digression from a topic specifically centered on Regent Square rentals, but why are people anxious about finding something to rent?

When I was a renter in San Diego, I never worried about where my next apartment would be. I gave my 30 day notice and then began the search. There were always plenty to choose from.

Is it because the supply of decent apartments back east is very low?
Is it because my idea of an acceptable apartment is far lower than what other people expect?
Does Pittsburgh have rent control which restricts the supply of housing? (Odd to think that supply might be restricted in a city in which the population has shrunk nearly in half).

I just don't get the whole anxiety about finding housing thing.

Why would you give your landlord 30 days notice before you find an apartment?

Anyway, you ask about why people are asking why look so far in advance. In my case, my lease is up in September and I am not too happy where I am (nothing to do there.) I have sepecifics of where I would like to live. Public transit most importantly. Also, I want to be around shops,theaters, restaraunts, parks, etc. I also want to plan ahead and see what's out there to fit my budget. You also have to plan farther in advance so you can find people who are willing to help you move (trust me,no one like to help people move.)

As far as the supply as decent apartments being low, I don't know what you mean by "supply," but decent apartments can get limited. Especially in cities that have major colleges. Apaprtments empty out in spring and fill up in fall.

[kettlepot]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

I agree it is probably mostly because some people just like to plan ahead.

That said, apartment hunting in Pittsburgh can be a little more complex than usual, although not necessarily in a bad way. We have a lot of different neighborhoods, and a lot of apartments are in small buildings or converted houses, which in turn can vary quite a bit in terms of style, layout, condition, and so on. So it is a bit different from cities where most of the apartments are in bigger buildings or complexes in fairly large areas, and I think that particularly comes up when people are hunting from a distance.

BrianTH, I think you may have explained the difference best. Here in San Diego, most apartments are either 8 or 16 packs built in the 50s, 60s & 70s or larger complexes, that have kept getting bigger and bigger from the 80s, 90s, 00s. Therefore most apartments meet certain minimum standards, better standards for the later apartments, worse for those in the immediate post-war years. But what we have very little of, are old buildings chopped up into apartments sometime in the distant past. I can see the desire to avoid moving into a building that was built cheaply when it was put up in the 1910s, and was converted shabbily into apartments in the 1940s, or whatever the relevant time frame might be for Pittsburgh. Maybe that's the driving force behind much of the northeastern anxiety about apartment hunting. A shortage of quality apartment conversions until recently.


As for the other post about giving notice before or after finding a new apartment, the obvious reason would be to not have to double pay a full or partial months rent, especially when there is no need to. There have always been plenty of acceptable apartments to rent out here.

[BrianTH]

Of course some of the older buildings and apartments in them are spectacular. So I sort of see it as a quality-control/due-diligence issue: there are great apartments available in Pittsburgh, but unless you are willing to pay a little extra to go through one of the more expensive management companies, it can take a little legwork to find them.

[raubre]

Originally Posted by kettlepot

As for the other post about giving notice before or after finding a new apartment, the obvious reason would be to not have to double pay a full or partial months rent, especially when there is no need to. There have always been plenty of acceptable apartments to rent out here.

Don't get me wrong, if it works for you great (and that does sound logical) but with my luck, if I gave notice and couldn't find help or an apartment, I'd be on the street.

[whywecollapse]

There are many things that add to the anxiety of finding a house to rent.

One - price. A well-kept studio/one-bedroom apartment in the city can cost anywhere from 600 - 2000/month, roughly. I just graduated college and definitely can NOT afford that each month plus utilities. Especially since in January alone, my heating bill was over $400.

Reason two - monopolization of the renter's market. In Pittsburgh, there is a high concentration of rundown, poorly-maintained houses and apartment buildings that are rented out by complete slumlords. They are usually low-priced, but are not worth renting because of their poor quality. Most management companies around this city are in fact slumlords, who own 200+ properties each and who have multiple complaints and lawsuits filed against them yearly.

Reason three - neighborhood crime rates. Pittsburgh is a funny city. On one street, you have huge, million-dollar mansions with six bedrooms, manicured lawns, and classy Benz's sitting outside. You literally walk one block in either direction and you are sitting in the middle of a broken down ghetto where there are thirty people to a house and welfare reigns supreme. This is why it's really important to know where you are looking to rent, visiting the area multiple times to get a sense of who lives around you, and constantly research things about the neighborhoods around.

It's easy to find an apartment, just not one that isn't in a part of town where people get murdered on your front lawn, or in a building that comes complete with an infestation of cockroaches and black mold.