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As I covered in Part One, it is extremely important to get employment offers in their entirety in writing from any prospective employers. This serves to protect you if they try to change their offer later on and also helps to consolidate all the info in one place so that you can easily review and compare offers. There is another area where it is vital to get obligations in writing and that is when renting an apartment.

Your lease is just as, if not more important than, your employment contract. It contains details regarding what you, the tenant, are responsible for as well as the obligations of the landlord. It will contain your monthly rent payments and the due date, contact information in the event something needs fixing around the house as well as lots of important information regarding the termination of the lease and the needed steps to get your security deposit returned.

Here are some more problems that arose for both others and myself while dealing with landlords and leases and more evidence that you should always make sure to get it in writing.

• Upon reaching the last month of a tenancy agreement, there was dispute as to whether or not last month’s rent had been paid up front. In the lease, it was clearly noted that only first month’s rent and a security deposit had been paid up front, and thus the tenant was responsible for paying that last month of rent. Also of note here, ALWAYS get a copy of your lease after signing – law requires it but you should always take the initiative here to protect yourself.

• A tenant was not given the full balance of their security deposit nor the resulting interest that it gathered over the two-year tenancy. However, after checking the lease, the parameters had been met for full return of the deposit and it mentioned that the interest accrued would be given to the tenant as well and the full amount was eventually returned.

• After a plumbing problem backed up sewage into the showers and toilets on the first level of the building, the landlord was called in to assess and resolve the issue. He tried to force the cost of the plumber’s work onto the tenants, but after conferring with the lease it was written that solely the lessor, not the lessee(s), would handle these types of costs.

• A friend of mine had all the yard work on the property taken care of by the landlord as part of the lease agreement. During the winter months, the walk and driveway had not been shoveled or salted, as had been the case with previous storms. In the lease was the number to call in the event that any work needed to be done, or hadn’t been taken care of, with regards to the property and the issue was quickly remedied.

As we can see through the examples here and in the preceding part to this article it can save you a lot of money if you keep up your end of the lease agreement and have a hard copy to back yourself up with. Additionally, it can just plain make your life easier and make the relationship with your landlord a smooth and pleasant one as opposed to an adversarial one.

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I was reading a blog post yesterday by Jim Chalmers of Chalmers Insurance Group here in Portland and thought the point he was making was too good not to share. Jim was discussing the necessity for Renters’ Insurance.

Many recent grads and first-time renters often over-look this insurance policy, even though it usually costs less than a hundred dollars a year. In fact, as Jim points out, recent grads always accepts benefits from our employers — from 401k, life insurance, health insurance, disability — and of course the financing and insurance for our cars but he goes on to explain that,

The most over looked part of establishing a well balanced personal financial plan is liability protection for those unknowns and accidents.

That’s where Renter’s Insurance comes in. What is renter’s insurance? A Renter’s Insurance policy provides a limit of liability coverage and personal property coverage. Most importantly, your insurance company has the duty to defend you — by providing an attorney and paying for your defense — if you’re responsible for any damage to your apartment or the building as a whole.

For instance, if you cause a fire in your building and are responsible to pay back the building owner for damages to the property and for injuries suffered to individuals, your wages can be garnished until those people are made whole again. Imagine being 35 years old and your wages are still being garnished because of a fire you accidentally started when you were 23.

For a small premium paid each year (again, usually under $100 and available as part of your auto insurance policy from the same companies), a personal liability insurance policy like Renters’ Insurance is well worth it!

source “Renter’s Insurance: Valuable peace of mind” [MaineBusiness.com]

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One of the biggest issues for many college students is finding good off-campus housing. Many Colleges and Universities have a large number of students seeking off-campus housing each year and the competition can be fierce for many of the best locations. The competition involved in finding an apartment however, is nothing compared to the competition many students face in finding someone to sublet his or her room for the summer. If you, or someone you know, are looking to find a sublettor for this coming summer then I have some helpful tips for you to follow in order to get that space rented.

1.    Draw up a list of the facts about the sublet
This should include the rent, the approximate cost of utilities, the size of the room available, the duration you are looking for a sublettor, if the room will be furnished or not and the general location of the apartment. Putting all these facts together will help you write a good advertisement for your space.

2.    Write and post an advertisement
Use the list of facts you just created as well as any other selling points, like a great view or easy access to public transportation, to portray your apartment in the best light possible. The Internet is a great place to advertise for free, using sites like Craiglist.org and Sublet.com and you can also post the ads in stores and around campus on billboards to attract as many potential sublettors as possible.

3.    Always include pictures
Especially when posting on the Internet some pictures of your room and the common areas of the apartment are a great thing to include because as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. Including pictures also makes it easier for those interested who may be coming from a distance to get a sense of which places to visit in person. Additionally, take pictures of the condition of your room before you sublet and after, in case there is a dispute about any damage.

4.    Prepare the necessary paperwork
You want to make sure you have a copy of your lease handy in case one of your potential sublettors wants to look at it. Also, it makes a lot of sense to have a sublet agreement written up stating the rent, utilities, the dates and acceptable forms of payment as well as the length of the agreement on it for both of you to sign when the time comes. Having these details in writing protects you in case the sublettor damages your space or fails to pay their share of the bills.

5.    The market is not in your favor
In most places, the number of available rooms for the summer or a semester is going to be much greater than the number of people looking to sublet those rooms. This works against those people trying to sublet their space. Oftentimes potential sublettors will try and negotiate a lower price, or get utilities included to get the best deal for themselves. You need to decide if you are willing to do this, and if not, state up front that these things are non-negotiable. You may get fewer replies, but those who do won’t try to haggle you.

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I recently read a very interesting piece in the March 17th issue of Newsweek entitled “Not Just for Tree Huggers” (I know, I’m way behind in my reading). It talked about the housing market and how although the market itself is down, green homes were still hot commodities.

While I am sure most recent grads aren’t looking to buy or build a home at this point in our lives, there was a lot of useful information in the article. It’s also good to know that being eco-friendly is becoming a more attractive option in housing construction, as it is a great way to reduce both costs and wasted resources long-term. When the time comes to start looking at potentially getting your own home, going green could be something to consider.

photo credit: taberandrew

Here were some of the highlights of the article that you can implement in your current housing situation, or ask your landlord to look into.

- Installing low-voltage lights, which use less energy their normal-volted counterparts. This type of lighting can be installed both inside and outside the building.
- Couple those low voltage fixtures with fluorescent light bulbs, which last longer up to 10 times longer and use 2/3 less energy than a standard incandescent bulb.
- Using a ceiling fan to circulate air throughout the house, especially in large common areas keeps your home cooler and can be a much cheaper replacement for using your A/C unit.
- Maximize the windows you have, and let in as much natural light as possible. Not only does it reduce your reliance on artificial lighting, it doesn’t make your house feel like a cavern anymore!
- Low-flow faucets – especially in the kitchen sink – utilize less water and still will get your dishes just as clean. As for going low-flow in the shower, if you haven’t seen this Seinfeld episode, well, tread carefully. I’ll stick to shorter, high-flow showers myself.
- Installing Energy Star appliances that are certified to use less energy.
- Recycling: This can be as simple as returning cans & bottles (for a cash refund where applicable) or restoring and renovating older furniture instead of buying new.
- Specialized windows that reflect heat, keeping the house warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.

Not all of these options are necessarily cheap, or ones you should be implementing yourselves – especially if you are renting – but all are relatively easy ways to save some money and energy in your home by increasing efficiency.

For those social-networking addicts among us, you can even use the “I Am Green” Facebook application to display to your friends how environmentally friendly (and money conscious!) you are.

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With the end of the spring semester fast approaching I decided to post a few quick tips for apartment searching. Anyone looking for housing for the summer or next fall can utilize these few tips to make the apartment hunting process all the easier.

Start Early:
This is the easiest way to get a sense for what is available and what the market rates are for the area you are looking to move to. Once you have an idea of where you would like to (or need to) live, do some preliminary searches to get a feel for price and availability. This holds especially true for any students looking for off-campus housing for the coming school year, as the places closest to campus go fastest. I suggest anywhere from 4-12 weeks in advance.

Know Your Budget:
This is where your early searching comes in handy, as once you have an idea of what it is going to cost to live in the area you desire you can match that to your budget. It’s been said that housing costs shouldn’t take up more than 30% of your income, so keep that in mind when looking at apartments.
A good way to cut down on costs is to have a couple of roommates to defer your utility costs, scale down the amenities that your apartment has and perhaps move to the outskirts/outside a big city. While you may be frugal in other areas of your life, if 40% or more of your income goes toward housing costs it becomes hard to pay down debt, start saving and have some financial flexibility. While having a studio apartment downtown with heat and electricity included would be nice, often this just isn’t feasible.

Fee vs. No Fee Listings:
One way to keep your housing budget down is to avoid paying a broker fee when you get a new place. There are a lot of great options available to rent without going through a broker and this just requires a little bit of searching and leg work on your part. If you have the time to go it alone, it’s a great way to save money and make sure you get what you want.

If you do decide to use a broker to find you an apartment, be aware of what their fee’s are. Some charge a flat fee of as low as $50-$100, others are one month’s rent, and some take 10%+ of a year’s rent. Once you know the costs going in, brokers can be very helpful finding places to look at, handling paperwork and saving you a lot of precious time and energy. They also usually have exclusive listings, which can only be rented through their agency, so the apartment of your dreams could be just a broker away.

Where to look?:
You can find great apartment listings in lots of places, some of which you may not have expected. Craigslist.com has a plethora of offerings and has a number of helpful search options, like fee vs. no fee, number of bedrooms and cost. Classified Ads in the newspapers are a great place to look, and if a college town is your destination, the student newspaper can be a vital and underused resource. Additionally, you can use various apartment brokers’ websites to search your desired neighborhoods and old-fashioned word of mouth is a great way to get the inside track.

photo credit: Sweet One

Sealing the Deal:
In apartment searching, a picture is NOT worth a thousand words. While the place you are considering may look nice in the online photos, what greets you when you move in may be radically different. Never rent an apartment without seeing it in person if you can help it, just to make sure everything is as advertised.

You should also make sure to get everything you agree upon with your future landlord in writing and make sure you are provided a copy of the signed lease. Your lease should outline what the landlord and tenants responsibilities including things like when trash is to be put out, when rent is due etc. Not knowing the contents of your lease is foolish and can lead to costly mistakes on your part, like loss of your security deposit or eviction.

Lastly, always feel free to negotiate with your landlord. Lowering the rent, covering the heat or electricity, making some small improvements before you move in – anything you can think of – are great things to bring up before you sign. At my last apartment, we got the landlord to totally renovate the living room/kitchen over the summer and discount our rent during the process.

Remember, wherever you end up, you are the one who has to live there so it’s imperative you make sure you are comfortable and can call that place home!

Technorati Tags: renting, roommates, apartment, college, real world

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The summer between my junior and senior years of college I had an internship in a city other than the one I grew up in, so I wasn’t able to live with mom & dad and had to be off on my own. I was lucky enough to find an apartment that was willing to rent to me for 4 months, but I knew I didn’t want to fill my new home with expensive fixtures that would drain my already dwindling bank account and would only be used for a few months before they’d need to be stored or sold. Knowing the pickle I was in, a friend recommended Freecycle to me and right away I was hooked.

According to Wikipedia, The Freecycle Network (often known as just Freecycle) is a non-profit organization that organizes a worldwide network of “gifting” groups, aiming to divert reusable goods from landfill. It provides a worldwide online registry, and coordinates the creation of local groups and forums for individuals and non-profits to offer and receive free items for reuse or recycling, promoting gift economics as a motivating cultural outlook. “Changing the world one gift at a time” is The Freecycle Network’s official tagline.

That summer I was able to find a table for the kitchen, a rug for the living room and a completely usable microwave all on Freecycle the first week I was there and I didn’t spend a dime. The items weren’t new and probably weren’t the best looking but they all worked (everything listed in Freecycle is required to be in working order, unless otherwise stated).

Then, when summer came to an end, I was able to “re-gift” all of these items and more (things I didn’t have room for back at the dorms) back to Freecycle users so that they could have new homes and new life breathed into them.

Everyone in the Freecycle community are warm, generous and grateful; it really is an awesome program. With a little bit of work, sometimes a lot of luck and the willingness to drive a little (items on Freecycle are for pick-up only and you’re expected to go get them), you’ll find yourself able to furnish your entire apartment for free.

The Freecycle Network is made up of 4,281 groups with 4,622,000 members across the globe. To find out of there’s a Freecycle group in your hometown, visit www.freecycle.org

Technorati Tags: freecycle, freecycle network, free stuff, money saver, rent, college, graduation

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This is part four of a five-part series on solving all-too-common roommate issues that arise when you move into your first apartment after graduation (click here for part one, part two and part three).

The fourth common roommate problem to tackle is the topic of: differing lifestyles. Even if you’ve known your soon-to-be roommate for years and your friendships run deep, if you’re about to move in with them, chances are you’re about to discover some things you didn’t know about them. If you’ve never met your roommate before: you’re definitely in for a surprise. She’s a partier, You’re more “chill”; He’s really into music, You’re really into sports; She likes to go to bed early, You like to stay up late… Anyway, you get the point. While these differences might have been easy to overlook while you were just friends, when you move in together, there’s a good chance they’ll get in the way.

photo credit: Lush.i.ous

So, what do you do? Respect and tolerance are of the biggest importance here. Remember, you’re roommates but no one ever said you had to be best friends. Many people actually enjoy living with someone different from them because you learn so much.

photo credit: Travis Seitler

Everyone has likes and dislikes, just as everyone has expectations of their roommates. It all comes down to being respectful - if there is something your roommate does that really bothers you, bring it up. Just be sure to address the issue sooner rather than later.Stay tuned tomorrow for the final installment of the “Solving Common Roommate Problems” series.

Technorati Tags: renting, roommates, college, graduation, the real world, apartments, party, lifestyle

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This is part three of a five-part series on solving all-too-common roommate issues that arise when you move into your first apartment after graduation (click here for part one and part two).

Today I’ll tackle the sticky subject of: Mooching. All too often one roommate may think it is fine to eat another roommate’s food or use your shampoo, while someone else in the apartment is very protective of their stuff. So, what do you do? Just like with almost all other roommate disputes, communication is of the utmost importance.

Have a talk early on when a roommate moves in (try having a big potluck dinner the night they move in) to set the ground rules and explain pet peeves - explaining that you don’t want your things messed with at this point in time, will come off as a warning, not accusations. Having the talk early will prevent bigger explosive arguments down the road.

And remember: if you’re already living with roommates, don’t assume that it is okay to use their belongings. Check with them first to make sure it doesn’t bother him or her.

Stay tuned tomorrow for part four.

Technorati Tags: renting, roommates, college, graduation, the real world, apartments, money

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This is part two of a five-part series on solving all-too-common roommate issues that arise when you move into your first apartment after graduation (click here for part one & part two).

Today’s common problem is one we’re all familiar with: Money. We all know how tight finances can be right after graduation - you’ve spent all of your hard earned savings in the weeks between graduation and starting work. You’ve spent money on a security deposit, your first month’s rent, and furnacing your new digs. Money’s tight and you’re living paycheck-to-paycheck. If that situation sounds familiar than you probably know that few roommate issues are tougher to deal with than money. If your roommate(s) isn’t paying their half of the bills on time, your temper will understandably flair.

photo credit: Ianan

Here, just like with all other roommate issues, communication is key and nipping the problem in the bud early will prevent a lot of headaches down the road. If you don’t want to continuously remind your roommate to pay up until everyone (including yourself) is sick of hearing about it, try keeping track of who owes who money (and how much) on a dry-erase board. Put it somewhere visible, like the side of the fridge, so everyone is aware of their financial situation and are constantly reminded to write those checks.

Or, if you’re comfortable enough with it and know that everyone living in your house will continue to live there for a long time to come, try opening a joint checking account. Have every roommate deposit the same amount of money into the account each month, so that when it is time to pay bills everyone pays equally without any hassle.

What have you tried? Did it work?

Stay tuned tomorrow for part three.

Technorati Tags: renting, roommates, college, graduation, the real world, apartments, money

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This is the first post in what will be a five-part series on dealing with roommate issues. While having a roommate — and thus dealing with roommate discrepancies — is something that’s familiar to most college grads, when you’re on your own in the real world (and are dealing with real world issues), any discrepancies seem to be magnified at least ten-fold. Today I’ll try and tackle issue number one: Messiness.

photo credit: miss pupik

Messiness is a common dorm room problem - in fact, you’d be hard pressed to find a college dorm room that isn’t at least a little messy. But all too often, graduates bring their messy habits into post-grad apartments with them. If you find your roommates clothes piling up in the living room, their dirty dishes sitting for days in the sink, or their toothpaste seeping out all over the sink don’t panic and don’t throw their clothes out onto the front lawn. Begin by letting your messy roommate know that their behavior isn’t cool with you; as with every problem — big or small — the two (or more) of you have - communication is the most important key to long-term success. After all, if you don’t tell them, your roommate may not even know that this behavior annoys you.

If the reverse is true and you’re the messy roommate, remember to be respectful of your roommates’ space and your shared common space. You’ll soon learn that, just like your dorm room, space in your new apartment is all too limited. Pick up and clean up after yourself and hopefully you’ll get the same service in return from your roommates.

Stay tuned tomorrow for part two.

Technorati Tags: roommates, real world, apartments, renting, college, graduation, mediation

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