How Much Rent is Too Much Rent?
Written by dan the roommate man
You want what every apartment renter wants: most comfortable surroundings you can get for lowest possible monthly rent. Some of today's newly constructed apartment communities have taken luxury to an entirely new level. Some complexes have gas fireplaces, TV monitors by front door, drive-through mail service, and office equipment for their tenants, among other creature comforts. Every renter has to consider importance of amenities like these. Are they important enough to you to merit a rent increase of perhaps $200 more than rent you pay now, at a modest yet affordable complex? While some of us consider an apartment as just a place to hang one's hat, others place a premium on home surroundings. But how do you determine how much you can stretch your budget -- without ending up in poorhouse in process?One suggestion, provided by Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, is to spend no more than 25 percent of your monthly gross income on your rent. For example, if your annual salary is $30,000 per year, or $2,500 per month, you shouldn't plan to spend more than $625 per month on rent. And although it goes without saying, it's important to remember that extra money you allocate for rent in a slightly more upscale complex means less money for your other expenses -- utilities, loan payments, entertainment, food, and most important, savings. Here's a short checklist of factors, provided by Florida-based Apartment Hunters, that you'll want to consider when checking out a neighborhood. Of course, some of these factors may mean more to you than others, and you may want to consider some additional factors of your own. * Is it close to your place of employment? * Is neighborhood safe? * Is it close to a good school system? * Is it close to your church? * Is it close to stores, banks and post office? * Is it close to public transportation? * What are parking regulations (if you own a car)? First-time apartment renters share one thing in common: surprise at just how many hidden expenses they encounter. Hiring movers and paying your first month's rent only represent two small pieces of what can be a rather expensive pie. In addition, you're going to be subjected to a credit check, and you're required to prove that your gross monthly income is at a certain level, in order to provide your complex with some degree of security that you can pay your rent each month. So if you've overestimated your financial abilities in past, either failing to make rent payments or credit-card payments, now is time when that history could come back to haunt you. Here's a brief run-down of some of those hidden expenses -- and pre-move procedures -- of which many renters either aren't aware, or that they overlook in excitement and bustle of moving:
| | The Legal Process of an EvictionWritten by dan the roommate man
In event that a landlord decides to evict their tenant, he or she must follow certain guidelines. The landlord can legally evict you for three different reasons: 1. You miss a rent payment. 2. You violate rules stated in lease i.e. unauthorized pets, failure to leave after lease is up, etc. 3. You abandon rental unit for more than half of rental period and did not notify landlord you would be leaving. You can NOT be evicted for race, religion, children, nationality, or marital status. This is called discrimination. If you think this is why you are being evicted, you should contact an attorney because these things should not be a factor in your residency. If landlord has legal grounds to evict you, he or she must first notify you that there is a problem and tell you that you will be evicted if problem is not fixed. Once problem has been spoken about, landlord and tenant will usually draw up a written agreement to have whatever seems to be problem fixed by a certain date (usually within 7 to 10 days). If you refuse to correct problem within time frame agreed on, landlord then must file a complaint with county court. You will receive a copy of this complaint along with a summons to appear in court. The land lord CAN NOT legally evict you without a hearing. An eviction notice is much different than a court order. If he or she attempts to do force you out of your home without a hearing, contact police or an attorney.
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