patrick.net

I work in Santa Clara and want to make sure I find a safe area that is not ghetto.
Any ideas where to find good deals on rentals besides craigslist or rent.net?

@E-man well if I lose my job and have to move then selling a home would be a PITA. Renting is cheaper. Finding a less expensive rental is a challenge which is why I was asking folks here for some tips on where to find a better deal on a condo or apartment.

Find something under Rent Control.

http://www.dca.ca.gov/publications/landlordbook/appendix2.shtml

Don't rent from corporate landlords.

I'm being serious.

Ok well let me know. I need to move this month before end of June as I don't want to pay 2k for a one bedroom apartment.

SJ I feel for you. Having to move during the summer is a real pain in the ass, at least since last summer. Things went nutty about then and it is hard to find rentals that have comparable prices to recent years. If anything, I would advise staying put for 5 or so months so that you can then find a new 1-year lease that starts & ends in fall/winter when the market is cooler. From what I could tell last year, rents spiked in the summer & early fall, backed off a bit in the winter & are back on their way up now.

A $300 rent hike is shitty. My old place was in Central Park @ Whisman Station, big corporate managed complex, and the same shit happened. They wanted to up the rent $260 and I left. The new tenants came in paying $1100 MORE than I was on my old unit (I paid $2300 on a 3BR upstairs end unit, new folks paid $3400). I moved a couple blocks & found a 12-unit building (run by a property management company too, but a smaller one) and am in a 2 story 2BR/1.5BA 950SF unit for $1775. They may try to raise rent a bit this year and I doubt that I can argue with them since the market seems to be hot again this year.

Anyway, get out of the large managed complex. Those places are a really bad value proposition. They have the appearance of being nice, and you pay out the ass for it, but the actual quality isn't there. They don't give a rat's ass if you are happy since one vacancy is easy to cover with all the other units, so you will have a hard time negotiating rent. Yeah you have a pool...I still use the pool at my old complex all the time (5 minute walk) since the gates don't really latch lol.

With respect to the question in your title, I would advise renting from a private owner. They have more incentive to find and keep good tenants. Things have gone haywire in the BA since last year though and most people seem to know it. That does make it a bit harder for tenants to negotiate in their own favor since it is probably pretty easy to replace a tenant right now.

I feel your pain.

The world has 2 big bubbles right now, Facebook and Apple.
Both are in Bay Area.

Have you tried hotpads.com to find a place? It aggregates craigslist and others on a map so it's easier to tell where exactly the rentals are.

Have you tried haggling with your current landlord? I live in a large complex and I've renewed my lease twice, both times they've asked a crazy rent increase amount, and both times I've been able to get the increase to far less than that. It's getting harder and harder though, as I am "only" paying $1925 whereas some new sucker off the street would have to pay $2400.

Oh, I forgot to mention. When you *do* find a good place, I've had good luck in haggling down the rent for a longer term lease, say 15 or 24 months too.

xenogear3 says

I feel your pain.

The world has 2 big bubbles right now, Facebook and Apple.

Both are in Bay Area.

How is Apple in a bubble? Their stock price might be inflated but their company as a whole earnings wise don't seem to be.

xenogear3 says

The world has 2 big bubbles right now, Facebook and Apple.
Both are in Bay Area.

P/E of Apple = 13.88 which is lower than P&G's 19.58 and J&J's 17.67 both of which are hardly growing. Apple's earning is growing at ... wait ... 94%!!!!

27“But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29“Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either. 30“Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back. 31“Treat others the same way you want them to treat you. 32“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33“If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34“If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount. No suspects here 35“But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. 36“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

NASB

dodgerfanjohn says

Don't rent from corporate landlords.

I'm being serious.

You really think that makes a difference? When I used to rent I almost always got rent increases every year, but they were usually very small. That was from a big company (who also did have good maintenance habits).

Anyway, get out of the large managed complex. Those places are a really bad value proposition. They have the appearance of being nice, and you pay out the ass for it, but the actual quality isn't there. They don't give a rat's ass if you are happy since one vacancy is easy to cover with all the other units, so you will have a hard time negotiating rent.

I live in another Archstone, mostly because the location was perfect for what we needed. I agree with most of what you say but there are pluses also.

- It is very true that you have almost negotiating power, even if you are renewing and have been a great tenant. Local staff don't control rents. It's like trying to negotiate with the teller at McDonalds.

-However, it actually does work both ways. When market is up, they increase rent without any mercy, as has happened the past two years. When market is down, they adapt quickly down as well. This has actually happened in my complex the last few months. No negotiation needed if you renew. For sure the uncertainty should be a big consideration for anyone moving in, rent could change a great deal when it is time to renew (up or down).

-I agree that everything looks a bit fancier than it is. On the plus side they are good about service, if you have a minor or major problem they have it fixed within 24 hours every time.

I use to rent at Archstone cupertino, and they do send you renewal letters with ridiculous rent increases. However, I found that talking to them and offering an actual counter will usually get your counter accepted.

Archstone has very high turnovers, but very few apartments stay empty for long... so if they raise your rent significantly, it's because they are confident your room will be filled no matter what. Also, Archstone and most of the "corporate" apartment complexes in southbay have arrangements with local companies (apple, hp, etc) for long term leases for their foreign / traveling workers. Corporate rates are 1.5 x your "retail" rates.

No luck negotiating today with the Archstone drones who were clueless. I even showed them the comps for nearby apartments renting between $1200-1800. Looks like I will be moving. Thanks for sharing the hotpads.com site that is quite useful! Compare to locations on crimereports.com to make sure the area is not in a ghetto.

Find your inner loser. Get a sec. 8 deal somewhere.

@clambo well I make too much to qualify for section 8 :-(

How is renting cheaper if it is $2000 for a 1 bedroom apartment? My mortgage for my 3/2 house would be ~$2000 if i had $0 down payment

bighorse says

How is renting cheaper if it is $2000 for a 1 bedroom apartment? My mortgage for my 3/2 house would be ~$2000 if i had $0 down payment

Failure to disclose 1 bedroom apt rental in the same neighborhood as your house, along with the current sales prices of similiar houses(those sold in the past three months) is a death blow to any argument you are attempting, and failing, to make.

zzyzzx says

dodgerfanjohn says

Don't rent from corporate landlords.

I'm being serious.

You really think that makes a difference? When I used to rent I almost always got rent increases every year, but they were usually very small. That was from a big company (who also did have good maintenance habits).

If the homeowner isn't insulted by your offer...you didn't bid low enough!!!

Private landlords don't raise rents every year on tennants that pay every month on time and take good care of the property.

As actual landlords here have pointed out, its often better to have a good renter than to squeeze every dime out of them.

Most corporate landlords do not take the same point of view. Archstone is particularly harsh, and that goes for not only the Bay A rea, but also their developments in So Cal as well.

This is kind of against the law right? From $1500 to $2000 a year every year? California section code says no more than 10% a year given 60 day notice if you have a year lease and 90 day notice if your lease agreement is even longer.

I would look into it and make any claims in small claims. If your case applies should be an easy win. I doubt your landlord messes with you again afterwards.

I suggest you check out or get the book "The California Landlord's law book, rights and responsibilities" and make sure you've been correctly notified. Since the rent is more than 10% increase you should have been notified with a 60 days notice.

In MV rental market is hot because Google is there. There are plenty of people willing to pay $2k a month so the landlords can get away with it. Sometimes they are too eager and pay "mess up" in the process to raise the rent or kick out existing renters.

Actually without rent control the greedy apartment owners can jack up rent. I am using hotpads and see much cheaper places for 1400-1500 a month in Mountain View.