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Large Hardon Collider posted:Apparently my lease required 60 days notice that we weren't going to renew. The landlord is withholding the security deposit on the grounds that we didn't tell her that we wouldn't renew. Is this legal in Massachusetts? http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3266659
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Jun 11, 2013 13:02
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I have access to my apartment prior to my move in date (i move in on the 15th, they gave me the keys yesterday). Are there any pre-move in tasks that I should take advantage of?
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Jun 11, 2013 14:12
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This would be a good time for you to go through the place and make a checklist of any existing damages. Seeing as it is empty and you haven't moved in yet, you should be able to get a very thorough list of any problems with no risk of 'oh well that must have been your movers' or whatever. Take pictures of every room, including all the walls, doors, floors, and ceilings. If you are really paranoid, include a copy of a local paper in the shots to verify the date. If your landlord didn't provide you with a 'condition statement', google one up and fill it out - you can then send this to them documenting all the stuff you found. All this will help ensure that your landlord doesn't try and screw you on your deposit. Firstly it provides you with clear evidence of any existing conditions in the unit, but it also serves to tip the landlord that you are serious about handling the matter and makes someone less likely to try loving with you in the first place. You can also take this chance to measure out the rooms. If I can, I always like to set up a floorplan either in something like Sketchup or the Icovia site. This lets you do some advance work on positioning your furniture and stuff, so that you can know whether your enormous couch will fit against a wall before you put it there.
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Jun 11, 2013 14:27
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Yeah, measuring the rooms is so important. Sketch out a little diagram of the dimensions, then you have an easy reference for when you're at furniture stores.
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Jun 11, 2013 14:37
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Vivian Darkbloom posted:Would this layout work? The main problem is that there's not much room in front of the TV or on the east side of the bed, but in principle not that much room is needed? I don't know, this seems to maximize the possibilities of a captain's bed, at least. I had a pretty similair layout and college and it worked fine for me. I had a bookshelf about a foot and half away from the end of the bed and that's where I had my laptop setup that I used to watch stuff. Even now as a grown rear end man the TV is only 4 or so feet from the end. of the bed.
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Jun 11, 2013 15:40
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Has anyone been successful in trying to find a roommate (housemate) who wasn't a friend/connection before looking for a place? Oh, and this isn't a college town (and I don't really want to live with students). In my head this seems like it makes the most sense outside of getting a place with someone you know, but then in practice it might turn into online dating from Craigslist.
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Jun 12, 2013 00:07
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Marmalade Marinade posted:Has anyone been successful in trying to find a roommate (housemate) who wasn't a friend/connection before looking for a place? Oh, and this isn't a college town (and I don't really want to live with students). In my head this seems like it makes the most sense outside of getting a place with someone you know, but then in practice it might turn into online dating from Craigslist. Technically I was successful in that I lived with him for a year but he turned out to be really smelly and obnoxious and also last minute said 'oh I don't want that apartment we agreed a month ago on, my mom found this better one that doesn't fit any of your requirements, you enjoy talking to the other landlord' aaaand I was stuck with it because I was not in the same state as the place and it was my first apartment. So, yes, but NO.
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Jun 12, 2013 00:28
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Eggplant Wizard posted:Technically I was successful in that I lived with him for a year but he turned out to be really smelly and obnoxious and also last minute said 'oh I don't want that apartment we agreed a month ago on, my mom found this better one that doesn't fit any of your requirements, you enjoy talking to the other landlord' aaaand I was stuck with it because I was not in the same state as the place and it was my first apartment. So, yes, but NO. Ugh. Yeah, that's exactly the kind of thing I'm looking to avoid. Right now I'm paying just under 25% annual income (before taxes) on rent to live on my own, and I'd prefer to knock that to 20% or so, but living with someone miserable isn't worth that 5%. I have had decent housemate experiences on several occasions before, so I know I'm not the weak link here, but those were all in school. Living in a mostly suburban town seems to make finding a housemate without major problems an unlikely event.
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Jun 12, 2013 01:55
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My wife and I found another couple to share a bigass place with (it was supposed to a 4BR, so dividing it between two couples was pretty nice) We found them through a group that was specifically for cooperative living - ie, arrangements where you function more like a household than roomies, consolidating chores and groceries and stuff. So basically we would plan meals together, rotate cooking and cleaning duties, etc. Before deciding to live together we exchanged a few emails, and then we each hosted the other couple for dinner. So they got to see how we kept house, and we got to see how they did. It worked out really well for the time we lived together, but then me and my wife decided to have a kid and we needed more space for ourselves.
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Jun 12, 2013 02:40
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Ashcans posted:My wife and I found another couple to share a bigass place with (it was supposed to a 4BR, so dividing it between two couples was pretty nice) We found them through a group that was specifically for cooperative living - ie, arrangements where you function more like a household than roomies, consolidating chores and groceries and stuff. So basically we would plan meals together, rotate cooking and cleaning duties, etc. Before deciding to live together we exchanged a few emails, and then we each hosted the other couple for dinner. So they got to see how we kept house, and we got to see how they did. Let's be honest, this was a swingers house, wasn't it? It was a swingers house. I feel like that's what would happen if my wife and I ever shared a house with any of our couples friends, but maybe that's just our group? v  v
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Jun 12, 2013 02:54
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Large Hardon Collider posted:Apparently my lease required 60 days notice that we weren't going to renew. The landlord is withholding the security deposit on the grounds that we didn't tell her that we wouldn't renew. Is this legal in Massachusetts? I'm not a lawyer, but in my experience with renting and property - strictly speaking, it's not. But in a situation where you both go to the law, they might have you on the hook for 60 days worth of rent, plus the usual song and dance with your security deposit. So forfeiting your security deposit might be a tactically better alternative.
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Jun 12, 2013 03:15
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Tao Jones posted:I'm not a lawyer, but in my experience with renting and property - strictly speaking, it's not. But in a situation where you both go to the law, they might have you on the hook for 60 days worth of rent, plus the usual song and dance with your security deposit. So forfeiting your security deposit might be a tactically better alternative. http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3266659&pagenumber=280#post416407423
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Jun 12, 2013 04:06
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FISHMANPET posted:I had a pretty similair layout and college and it worked fine for me. I had a bookshelf about a foot and half away from the end of the bed and that's where I had my laptop setup that I used to watch stuff. Even now as a grown rear end man the TV is only 4 or so feet from the end. of the bed. Thanks. I might still do something like this, but I've decided I'm buying things piecemeal to make sure they work out and I'm not unhappy with the results. So far, I only have a print of this painting. I think I might do the room in matching colors. 
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Jun 12, 2013 05:16
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Large Hardon Collider posted:Turns out she made that 60 day thing up out of thin air -- see my post in the legal thread: Ah. In the jurisdictions I'm more familiar with (in a non-lawyerly way), there's a statute that says either party has to give 30-days notice to terminate a month-to-month agreement. 60 seemed a bit absurd, but laws can be strange, especially about real property.
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Jun 12, 2013 10:31
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The idiots at First American renter's insurance hosed up my cancellation request, ending it two weeks early instead of setting it up to end on my move-out date of July 3, and now my current landlord is up in arms about a breach of contract. Of course the apartment office is closed until tomorrow, and First American doesn't get back on the phone until Monday. So how much lube am I going to want?
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Jun 15, 2013 03:08
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Ciaphas posted:The idiots at First American renter's insurance hosed up my cancellation request, ending it two weeks early instead of setting it up to end on my move-out date of July 3, and now my current landlord is up in arms about a breach of contract. Of course the apartment office is closed until tomorrow, and First American doesn't get back on the phone until Monday. How does your landlord even know that your rental insurance ended early? Why would you tell them?
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Jun 15, 2013 05:13
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Thoguh posted:How does your landlord even know that your rental insurance ended early? Why would you tell them? I don't know, I sure didn't say anything. I'll have to find out tomorrow, but I presume First American told them when they decided to cancel me two weeks before I asked them to.
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Jun 15, 2013 05:15
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Was maintaining rental insurance, like, a condition of your lease or something?
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Jun 15, 2013 06:40
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On that note, are there better/worse rental insurers? Any recommendations?
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Jun 15, 2013 06:53
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Thanatosian posted:Was maintaining rental insurance, like, a condition of your lease or something? Yeah, $100k in resident property/liability. That seems to be the norm around here, it's the same at my next place which is why I arranged for the transfer that the insurer hosed up. I'm pretty worried about this, I can't fix it until Monday and I don't know what penalties I'm under for breach of lease if the landlords don't understand that it isn't my fault 
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Jun 15, 2013 07:46
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The penalty would generally be lease termination. And that takes time. So it's doubtful he could do anything about it prior to you vacating, unless there is some other remedy spelled out in the lease. They probably received notice because they're listed as an additional insured or an interested party on the certificate of insurance. As far as carriers, the only one I would advise staying away from is USAA. In my experience, they never want to pay, and often put their insured in a tough spot. Nationwide and State Farm have always been great.
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Jun 15, 2013 11:32
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I've had no problems with USAA, they've always been great for car insurance at least. I have renters insurance from them too but I've never had to make a claim. Is their renters insurance customer service that different from their car insurance?
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Jun 15, 2013 12:53
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Well today's the day! Moving into my apartment, hopefully heading to Ikea later. Quick question, I've looked online, and found a few desks from Ikea, but I'm wondering if they're quality?
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Jun 15, 2013 15:34
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Flash Gordon Ramsay posted:The penalty would generally be lease termination. And that takes time. So it's doubtful he could do anything about it prior to you vacating, unless there is some other remedy spelled out in the lease. They probably received notice because they're listed as an additional insured or an interested party on the certificate of insurance. Avoid Allstate, though.
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Jun 15, 2013 20:24
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Flash Gordon Ramsay posted:The penalty would generally be lease termination. And that takes time. So it's doubtful he could do anything about it prior to you vacating, unless there is some other remedy spelled out in the lease. They probably received notice because they're listed as an additional insured or an interested party on the certificate of insurance. I can't find my copy of the lease anywhere so I don't know what penalties are enumerated besides eviction. Should have asked the guy at the office while I was there, but I'm kinda pissed off and not thinking clearly about it (and anyway even if I'm moving in two weeks I'd rather not have it recorded as an eviction!) They wouldn't have received notice as an additional insured though because I switched carriers (to one of Geico's providers), mostly for ineptitude on the part of First American like I am presently experiencing. Guy at the office said that there's no problem as long as I take care of it on Monday, but he was just an office worker, the guy in charge was out, and the letter (honestly, they couldn't have called me?) said I had 72 hours from 6/13/13 to resolve things. So I don't know what the manager's gonna have to say.
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Jun 15, 2013 20:39
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I've rented in the same managed development for the last seven years. The rent's getting a little higher than what I'd like, to the point where the convenience (located literally three miles from office) isn't enough to keep me from considering other options. I've started looking at rentals on various websites and have found that the cookie cutter floor plans of these types of managed properties don't do it for me, but there are tons of privately owned condo's out there that have better (larger) layouts and are generally cheaper than comparable managed properties. Is there anything I should be looking out for when renting from a private owner?
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Jun 16, 2013 01:53
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Ask if they use a management company or if they have a maintenance crew on contract. I rent from a private owner and she has maintenance people on contract to fix stuff who are actually better than the guys at my old big managed complex. Some private owners think they can do their own maintenance like it's their own house, and that never ends well.
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Jun 16, 2013 02:18
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Just thought i'd update you all on my current status! I'm moved in (not quite living there yet, but i'm living on campus until the 25th, so I have 9 days to make it home-y) figured i'd share pictures and i'd welcome any advice on what types of things to get.  Living room as seen from my front door.  more of the living room, from the same spot  Left door leads to my "office" area, right door is my bare bedroom, Really need a couch along that wall on the left ;[  my bedroom (it's sad how bare it is) ;[  bathroom, Pretty much set on this, not sure if there is anything else I need for the bathroom. and finally, my office.  So anyone with any advice on where to get started with making my apartment more home-y? Let me know if this many pictures is too much!
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Jun 16, 2013 19:40
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Moving-wise, any comments/suggestions/reviews on guys like PODS, U-Pack, etc? Moving cross-country and have some amount for relocation expenses, but still looking to pick the best option to move an apartment's worth of stuff. Need to move my car too, though that might be more an AI question.
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Jun 16, 2013 20:05
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Any tips for furnishing my small box NYC apartment? Some sort of foldaway bed might be cool if it worked well.
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Jun 16, 2013 23:07
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movax posted:Moving-wise, any comments/suggestions/reviews on guys like PODS, U-Pack, etc? Moving cross-country and have some amount for relocation expenses, but still looking to pick the best option to move an apartment's worth of stuff. I used U-Pack, have nothing but good things to say about them from my personal experience. However, the moving guys I used when I moved two weekends ago sometimes do U-Pack loads/unloads, and they say they've seen some horrendous truck loading jobs when they're unloading for them whereas other times the truck is packed perfectly fine. It's kind of a crap shoot as to whether or not they contract good movers or not for you. There is the option to hire your own moving crew or do it yourself if you're worried about that part. Depending on the value of your car, it might just be cheaper to sell it then buy a new one when you get to where you're going. That's what I ended up doing. I think U-Pack also ships cars if you go that route.
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Jun 17, 2013 01:30
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Turns out my landlord got a letter from my rental insurer stating that my coverage would end on the 3rd and interpreted that as June, not July, without reading the letter. Aaargh, a whole weekend of anxiety attacks and not even a 'whoops my bad' from those assholes at the office today. God I can't wait to get out of here.
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Jun 17, 2013 18:05
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And so my hunt begins. Me+two roommates and our assorted pets are going to officially start looking for rentals at the start of next month. It's a small college town without much in the way of apartments, so we're mostly looking at three bedroom homes. What are some important things to consider or watch for when renting a house vs. renting an apartment? Yard care is the main one I can think of, but what else? How can we increase our chances of getting accepted for a place? I'm especially worried about finding a place to take us and our pets without being gouged too hard on a deposit/pet rent. A lot of pet friendly places I've investigated consider "pet friendly" to be allowing one cat or five pound dog. Between us we have three cats and a small dog. I think we all have fairly limited rental history and we're all students, although two of us are older than the usual student body, 28 and 24. Will that work in our favor? The climate up there is cool and wet. Is there a good way to check for mold or water damage without prying things open?
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Jun 18, 2013 00:06
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RabbitMage posted:How can we increase our chances of getting accepted for a place? I'm especially worried about finding a place to take us and our pets without being gouged too hard on a deposit/pet rent. A lot of pet friendly places I've investigated consider "pet friendly" to be allowing one cat or five pound dog. Between us we have three cats and a small dog. At least in my area, you are going to have an extremely hard time finding a place that allows more than two animals, and if you find somewhere that lets you have more, you are going to pay out the rear end on non-refundable pet fees. You're looking for homes though, and often times private renters will be more open to having more pets. I'd still expect no less than a thousand non-refundable fees for that many pets, since the home owners will (rightfully) assume they'll need to lay down all new carpet when you leave.
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Jun 18, 2013 00:26
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RabbitMage posted:And so my hunt begins. Look for a property manager. They will have a lot of different landlords with different pet policies and can help you out. We have five cats and had similar trouble.
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Jun 18, 2013 00:39
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I saw this and thought it would be useful for NYC goons: http://www.inman.com/2013/06/17/apartable-pulls-back-curtain-on-landlords-management-histories/ Apparently they let you check up on your landlord's record.
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Jun 18, 2013 03:13
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movax posted:Moving-wise, any comments/suggestions/reviews on guys like PODS, U-Pack, etc? Moving cross-country and have some amount for relocation expenses, but still looking to pick the best option to move an apartment's worth of stuff. My friend used a UHaul Box. She moved from the northeast to Texas on May 23. She still hasn't gotten her stuff. Don't. Seriouspostin', sell whatever you got and get new/new-to-you stuff when you get there. Cross-country is gonna be mad expensive.
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Jun 18, 2013 03:41
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I may be moving, complete lack of jobs where I live and I've been given an offer to move in with some family. What is the best way to move an expensive PC from California to Utah? I'll be taking out the HDD and carry it on my person, but how should I prepare everything else? Would UPS even be willing to compensate me if they damage a 1,200 dollar PC during shipping?
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Jun 18, 2013 23:40
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Leal posted:I may be moving, complete lack of jobs where I live and I've been given an offer to move in with some family. What is the best way to move an expensive PC from California to Utah? I'll be taking out the HDD and carry it on my person, but how should I prepare everything else? Would UPS even be willing to compensate me if they damage a 1,200 dollar PC during shipping? I don't suppose you saved the box for the case, with the nice styrofoam pieces that hold it perfectly?
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Jun 18, 2013 23:47
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Might be better off taking it to a UPS store and letting them pack it for you if you go that route.
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Jun 18, 2013 23:54
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