Furnished? Unfurnished? What's the usual rental situation where you are?

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
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Spawned from this thread, how do apartments usually come in your neck of the woods?

Furnished?
Unfurnished?
What’s usually included as far as appliances?
Is the rent weekly or monthly?
What do you have to pay up front (first and last month’s, security deposit)?
Does it include any utilities?
Are there more apartment complexes or apartments in houses or rooms in owner-occupied homes?
How difficult/easy is it to find an apt and what’s the typical price?

I’m in Massachusetts and typically they are unfurnished, stove provided (and often refrigerator), rent is monthly and you usually have to pay at least first and last month’s rent to move in and often a security deposit (typically one month’s rent) on top of that. Utilities may or may not be included, but the landlord has to pay the water bill. Heat, electricity, cable may or may not be included, depending on the landlord and the set up - --whether it’s in someone’s house or if it’s in an apartment complex makes a big difference.

There are furnished apartments available, but typically you would find a furnished room, more than a whole apartment. The room is part of someone’s house and they rent the room itself with kitchen and bath priveleges.

Prices can range from $500 or less per month for a room to $1800 for an apartment. But more typical is in the $800-$1000 range, I believe. (It’s been awhile since I rented, but going off of what I’ve seen in the paper.)

So what’s it like to rent where you are from?

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Apartments in Fairbanks, AK are currently $700-900 for one bedrooms, maybe $850-1000 for two bedrooms, but I’ve seen $1200-1700 for much nicer places. You can rent furnished, though typically they’re not, but include a stove/fridge, and sometimes a microwave and dishwasher. Most apartments are in complexes of varying sizes. Heat and garbage (in the city proper) is generally included, but not electric or water.

If you go slightly out of town, you can save a lot of money by living in a cabin. They’re $400-600/month and you generally pay electric and also for heating oil. The catch is that they’re “dry”, so you use an outhouse and haul in water. Since they’re so easy to build (no water connections and no foundation) they. . . vary widely in quality, let’s say. Luckily, it’s not too hard to find a decent one where you can live in some lovely secluded areas or close to ski/mushing trails. And hey, when it hits -40 and pipes start freezing, my outhouse never breaks.

Houses in the hills out of town aren’t on the sewer lines either, but they’ll have a septic system and a water tank that you can fill yourself or pay the water guy to come out and fill for you.

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Does this mean you have to go outside and sit in an unheated wooden shack to use the bathroom when it is -40 or are outhouses there much more upscale than what I’m used to?

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As for Long Island apartments, here’s what’s generally found:

unfurnished apartments

contains a fridge & an oven/stove

may or may not include utilities - I’d say some, at least, are usually included (heat)

rent is generally paid monthly; at least 1st/last month’s rent are also paid up front (generally security as well)

I’m not sure about the split between owner-rented apartments & apartments in complexes; these days, it’s probably 50/50ish - I’m sure that it tilts depending on the economy.

The ease (or lack thereof) of finding a place is, again, dependent on other factors. If you can physically access any type of place, you can get an apartment quite easily, depending on funds. A typical apartment (one bedroom, kitchen, living/eating area, one full bathroom), whether in a house or a complex can run anywhere from $800 (in someone’s house) to a more typical $1000 - $1500/month to $2000/month, depending on location & swankiness.

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That’s interesting Cosmopolitan, I would have assumed that on Long Island, the rents would have been higher. It sound pretty comparable to my area and I’m about an hour west of Boston. And it’s odd that ** Jenny’s** report sounds comparable as well…except for the outhouse thing. We do generally have indoor plumbing!

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Furnished, with a small European-style washer/dryer in the kitchen. Two bedrooms, rent is paid by the company annually.

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Is that typical of your area, Paul, or is it because it’s company-provided? Do you know how much rents are in the area?

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I have no idea, I have only been here a month. Most of us expats (80%) of the population get “free” housing in that the company pays. I guess.

9

I’m in the Chattanooga area, and I don’t know about apartments, but houses are typically unfurnished. What’s odd to me, being from the Ann Arbor area, is that most rental houses include lawn maintenance, but no refrigerator…

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Bahrain property varies widely, according to income. You can rent a small (read: tiny) 1-bed apartment unfurnished (i.e. no carpets, no curtains, no AC, no fridge, no cooker, no nothing) for maybe $500/month. You can rent a semi-furnished (carpets, curtains, AC and maybe whitegoods) 2-bed apartment for $1000/month.

A fully furnished 2 to 3-bed apartment with twice-weekly maid service will cost you between $2000 and $2700/month, and the building will likely have security, a gym and roof-top swimming pool.

If you want a house (either in a compound or private) with 3+ bedrooms (not including the maid’s quarters), garden and maybe a swimming pool, you will usually find a mix of semi-furnished and fully furnished, ranging in price from $3000 to $7000/month.

Of course, if you’re looking for an Ambassador’s residence, with 10 bedrooms, an equal number of bathrooms, 3 kitchens, 4 reception rooms and staff quarters for 3 maids, 2 gardeners and a driver, that will set you back about $27,000/month!

Local municipal tax (10% of monthly rent for expats, 2% for locals), water and electricity are usually charged to the tenant but you can usually negotiate for an inclusive rental.

As Paul mentions, a lot of companies in the Gulf pay their employees’ housing expenses as part of a salary package (either directly to the landlord or to the employee as an additional amount on top of the basic salary). Some large companies rent whole “compounds” (like gated communities of cookie-cutter houses, usually with a swimming pool, gardens and maybe a tennis court) for their staff to live in.

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Okay, so I’m in the process of moving, so I’ll break it down by state.

PA:
Unfurnished - oh yes. Sublets are typically furnished, but not leases.

What’s usually included as far as appliances? This will depend on your price range, I expect a fridge and stove. Most places will have coin-op laundry in the building. Washer/dryer and a dishwasher would be a perk.

Is the rent weekly or monthly? Monthly, with a one year lease.

What do you have to pay up front (first and last month’s, security deposit)? I just paid first month and a security deposit. Of course, they did a credit check.

Does it include any utilities? Yeah - my place includes water, trash and heat. Parking and electricity are extra. I’d say water/trash is pretty standard. Heat isn’t typical and is a perk.

Are there more apartment complexes or apartments in houses or rooms in owner-occupied homes? This area is probably about 50/50. There are lots and lots of homes converted into duplexes or rented out. But there are a fair number of apartment buildings. My place is a weird hybrid of the two - there are six apartments in the building, but it’s more of a house than an apartment complex.

How difficult/easy is it to find an apt and what’s the typical price? Pretty easy. Prices range - I pay about 500 for my studio, a 2BR would go for $700-800, depending on location, parking situation, and utilities included.

Now, for WI:
Unfurnished? Most ads I’m seeing are for unfurnished places, although there does seem to be one persistent company posting an ad for a furnished place 1-2 times per day.

What’s usually included as far as appliances? WI has thrown me for a bit of a loop by not always including major appliances. Most ads seem to advertise stove/fridge as a perk. I’ve seen a handful of ads that don’t include a stove. A few don’t have on-site laundry of any kind. But if you are willing to pay for it, stove, fridge, dishwasher and private washer/dryer can be yours. Oh, a certain number of WI ads list a garbage disposal as a perk too, which I’ve found a bit odd.

Is the rent weekly or monthly? Monthly. It can be month-to-month or with a year long lease.

What do you have to pay up front (first and last month’s, security deposit)? Most places just want a security deposit, although a few are advertising “No security deposit necessary”

Does it include any utilities? I’ve found the majority of WI places that I’m looking at include water/sewage. Some include heat. Parking with a garage also appears to be a big deal in WI (understandably).

Are there more apartment complexes or apartments in houses or rooms in owner-occupied homes? Again - I’d say 50/50 in the area I’m looking at. Downtown in the city appears to be mostly apartment complexes though.

How difficult/easy is it to find an apt and what’s the typical price? Prices appear to range from 500 for a studio to 700-850 for a one or two bedroom. Of course, the high end downtown apartments will go for thousands, but you’re paying for location and luxury with that price. I’m looking at quiet neighborhoods away from downtown, but not in the “scary” parts of the city either.

No place I’ve seen, short of some fancy downtown apartment complexes, advertises cable/internet as part of the package. Many places out here also expect their tenants to do lawn care/snow removal, which I’ve never run into before. A lot of people appear to be anti-pets as well, or want you to pay additional pet-rent, which vaguely bothers me. A security deposit for my pet, I understand, but pet rent? Come on.

Also - I’m curious as to how a thread about “Friends and Family in Germany” inspired this topic…

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Here in Topeka there are both furnished and unfurnished places, but way more of the latter. There’s one complex that’s furnished, and you can rent by the month or week but that’s not typical.

There are a lot of landlords/ladies, like me, who rent out divided houses. It’s typical to have a stove and fridge, but not a washer and dryer. Since my house is gas heat, I do furnish a gas dryer for the apartment. Used appliances, like a washer, can generally be found fairly cheaply. I live upstairs, the tenant(currently its’ a former Doper!) has the downstairs. They pay electric, I pay gas, since there’s only one gas meter, and the rent reflects that, since heat is on the gas. I also pay water/trash. Most apartments that don’t have rental assistance require deposits, which is usually equal to one month’s rent. I require a six month lease, but I don’t know what’s typical for other places, or for complexes.

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In response to Incidental’s question, “I’m curious as to how a thread about “Friends and Family in Germany” inspired this topic…”

Well, Quasi was talking about the expense of setting up an apartment in Germany. From that thread,
*Originally Posted by Quasimodem

I would have to sell pretty much ALL that I own (except for one guitar) to make that move, because it will take at least 10 k Euros to set up housekeeping (apartment, furnishings - remember an apt. in Germany isn’t the same as an apt here).*

So I was curious how it was different and then it went from there. I didn’t want to hijack that thread so started this one. Just curious how different it is in different places to rent an apt.

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I my old city, Lawrence, KS, the prices are pretty high (for the midwest) because it’s a college town and apartments are snapped up faster then they empty most of the time.

My last place in Lawrence was 1200 sq feet, 2 bed, 1 bath with washer dryer hookups and it was $720 ish a month. The place before that was similar, though smaller and in a rougher part of town. It was $500 a month and would have been very tight with two people living there. Rent went up an average of $20 a year.

I’ve never run across a furnished apartment there. Appliances were always included: fridge, oven, stovetop, microwave, most of them have dishwashers, and hookups for w/d, but sometimes (in complexes, mostly) the washer and dryer were in the apartment or in a shared laundry room. Water/sewer/trash was often included, but rarely anything else. One place had cable included as an incentive to get students. Leases were almost exclusively 1 year, August to August. If you didn’t have a lease signed by the end of March your search was going to be VERY hard.

Here in Portland rents are MUCH higher. Our last place was 2 bed, 1 bath and about 20 feet from a major highway (loud). It was $900 a month, with the rent going up by 100 to 150 every year. (My mortgage across town is only $1200). There are articles in the paper here every few months about how hard it is to find affordable housing. Though, as I searched for examples here, I’m seeing that rents have gone way down since we were looking in 2006.

I’ve only ever looked for one apartment here, and we took the first one we could that took a dog over 50 lbs.

15

Montreal apartments are usually unfurnished; many have appliances, many don’t. Rent is monthly.

It’s illegal to require anything up front other than first month’s rent but many landlords demand a hit. Utilities might be included, especially in complexes.

There are many towers, especially downtown, but the most prominent type of building are duplexes/triplexes (two- or three-story building in which each floor is an apartment or two apartments, each with a separate entrance or at most a shared stairwell) or walk-ups of up to three stories.

Montreal is known for cheap rents but they’re becoming more and more difficult to find, even in poorer areas or far from downtown. Most rents are still pretty cheap compared to, say, Toronto.

Montreal has lots of idiosyncrasies. Some may have heard of “moving day” – the vast majority of (though not all) leases end on July 1, so everyone moves on or about then. Yes, it’s chaos. (When we moved into our current place, we were supremely lucky that the previous tenant was able to move out about five days beforehand, so we saved a lot of money on movers.)

We also refer to apartments as 1 1/2, 2 1/2, etc.- meaning one (two, etc.) rooms, plus bathroom - so a 1 1/2 is what in other cities would be called a studio, bachelor, or efficiency apartment. We currently live in a 5 1/2 - two bedrooms, an office, a living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom.

Also, all rentals are rent-controlled, although landlords use lots of ways to get around that, from the semi-legal to the downright illegal, especially when tenants change.

16

West LA, Calif.

Most of the apartments I’ve seen, including mine, were:

-Unfurnished

-Most have a community coin-op laundry in the building; kitchens may not include a refrigerator or dishwasher.

-Rent is paid monthly, due on the first

-I paid first and last month’s rent up front, on a six-month lease.

-Water and trash are included. I pay for electricity. Internet and DirecTV hookups were present but service was optional. We have both. Heat is not necessary. Our unit includes one covered parking stall.

-I would say it is pretty easy to find a place. When I was looking, I restricted my search to 1bdrm/1ba, secured access, no pets, no smoking, within walking distance (~1mi) of my workplace, and near bus lines. I found several places meeting all those criteria.

My place is almost $1300 a month. My friend pays about $1600 on her 2bdrm/1ba. I understood these prices are in the “not bad, low average” range.

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Well, they’re better maintained than something you’d find in a state park or rest stop, but you pretty much have the right idea. You get used to it, and rejoice when spring comes. I keep a book of Jack London stories in mine. It adds to the ambiance.

It’s worth pointing out that while cabins are common enough to get their own listing in the classifieds, most people in Fairbanks do live in houses or apartments with running water.

If you have a pet, your options for apartments are pretty limited. Maybe one in ten or twenty ads will allow pets, often with a “non-refundable deposit” or a pet fee of $20-60 a month. Most cabins don’t mind pets, and the deposits are much more reasonable.

18

Sydney, Australia.

Prices are all over the shop, but rentals are almost always:

  • Unfurnished
  • Including an oven and (if appropriate) a washing machine, but no appliances that aren’t fixtures
  • Weekly rentals
  • Requiring four weeks’ bond
  • Landlord pays the water connection, tenant pays for the water usage and all of the electricity, phone and power bills
  • Mostly either houses or flats in blocks. Granny flat rentals aren’t common.
  • Finding a rental in some areas is really tough. In others, you’ve got your pick.
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