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Liar posted:What does it traditionally mean when you pay your first and last months rent at the time you move into a rental? Does this mean that the month I chose to move out is covered in advance, or does it cover the following month after I've moved out when the landlord will be cleaning the place for new tenants? Asking for the last month's rent is also illegal in several states.
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Mar 14, 2014 01:19
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Disco Nixon posted:So I just made an appointment to view an apartment. However, when I called they said that the apartment's rent was $650. Their ad said $600. Should I even bother asking about this? I'm still interested in the apartment even if it's $50 more than I expected. Print the ad & bring it with you.
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Mar 14, 2014 01:41
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ladyweapon posted:Print the ad & bring it with you. Is it through a real estate or private party? They have no real obligation to keep it at the advertised price, they just can't change it once you set the contract. (without formal notice etc)
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Mar 15, 2014 00:09
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He should definitely ask about it though. What's the worst that could happen?
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Mar 15, 2014 00:20
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Yeah definitely, I'm just saying it's not like they will give him the advertised price for proving it.
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Mar 15, 2014 04:24
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Initio posted:So if you signed a 12 month lease and didn't renew, you are prepaying the 12th month of rent. Or if you're month-to-month right now and you told the landlord that you're moving at the end of April, then it means that you've already paid April's rent.
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Mar 15, 2014 06:32
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I'm about to move to a new house and currently the electricity is with an energy co-op. Tell me if this sounds like a good deal: - $22.00 per month fee, then $0.065500 per KWH, flat rate year-round. And then there is this other energy company that I could switch to; - $6.50 per month fee, then $0.079127 per KWH during the winter (Oct-May) and $0.087881 during summer (June-Sept). This is in New Mexico. Not so cold winters, pretty hot summers. The heat is on propane so no electricity used to heat the house, only to cool it and run appliances. Which do you think would be the better deal? I like the idea of joining an energy co-op and not dealing with a giant energy company (as a member I apparently get voting rights and can come to board meetings which is pretty cool), but I am wondering if the $22/month is worth it. Also they will make me pay a huge (almost $300) up-front deposit. Which I will get back after a year or can use for my future monthly bills but still, that's a lot of money up front.
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Mar 19, 2014 02:58
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So let's assume an average of 656kWh per month (maybe not accurate, but average for New Mexico.) So with monthly fees, $723.84 = electricity company $779.6= energy co-op This isn't exactly accurate though, since energy use will be higher in the summer when it's more expensive and I just used the yearly average, but even using the higher rate for all twelve months, (656kWh * $0.087881 * 12) + ($6.5 * 12) = $769.79 Xandu fucked around with this message at 04:09 on Mar 19, 2014 |
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Mar 19, 2014 04:01
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I did some quick calculations too and the co-op seems to lose. Not by much, a couple bucks a month. I guess the big unknown is how much electricity we will use in the summer. I did a little more research and there is also a very large deposit for the electric company so I guess the deposit issue is irrelevant since I'll have to pay about the same either way.
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Mar 19, 2014 04:35
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Will you have a swamp cooler or AC? Swamp coolers aren't as good but I really love how low my electric bill is in the summer.
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Mar 19, 2014 04:38
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razz posted:I did some quick calculations too and the co-op seems to lose. Not by much, a couple bucks a month. I guess the big unknown is how much electricity we will use in the summer. With a capped electricity amount he could run aircon at full all summer and be laughing.
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Mar 19, 2014 12:43
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I got my last bill from my old electric company: $4.10/month + $0.037617/kwh My first bill from the new electric company: ~$0.287/kwh - $0.40/month I'm going to miss paying  . I'm going to be stingy as gently caress with the AC this summer.
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Mar 19, 2014 13:01
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Got mine yesterday, $113, not too bad.. considering it was summer.
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Mar 20, 2014 01:13
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My power bill is consistently over $150/month for a 2 bedroom apartment. We don't leave things running, turn out the lights and don't run the heat or a/c very much. It's an old building, but I feel like we're using way too much power or the billing is wrong, or something. It shouldn't cost $4/day to run the refrigerator, water heater and have the kitchen appliances plugged in.
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Mar 20, 2014 06:27
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GabrielAisling posted:My power bill is consistently over $150/month for a 2 bedroom apartment. We don't leave things running, turn out the lights and don't run the heat or a/c very much. It's an old building, but I feel like we're using way too much power or the billing is wrong, or something. It shouldn't cost $4/day to run the refrigerator, water heater and have the kitchen appliances plugged in. Turn off everything in your apartment, including the hot water heater and the fridge, the heat and the a/c. Every clock radio, every wall wart, everything. When you go look at the dial, it should be at a dead stop.The number of kilowatt hours should not increase, no matter how long you leave it in this state. (While you go to work all day, etc). If it does move, you either forgot something, or you're paying for someone else's electric items. Hot water, heat, and A/c can use a LOT of energy. You are probably just using a lot of energy. Turn the heat down, the hot water heater down, and the A/c up.
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Mar 20, 2014 08:14
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Discussing power bills in terms of money is also not really useful for comparison because lots of places have different rates and fees. It would be more informative to pull your last bill and see what you are actually using in kwhs, which you can directly compare with other people.
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Mar 20, 2014 17:03
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Canada goons: My boyfriend and I have been living in an apartment for about a year and a half now, and while it's had its problems (the landlords live upstairs and are not 100% respectful of our space or comfort regarding noise levels at night), for the most part we've had a pretty easy go of it. We have a community mailbox on our street, of which my boyfriend and I don't have a key to. We were never offered one. Over Christmas we noticed that packages that had been delivered were coming to our door a day or two later. We brought this up to them and they had been pretty good about bringing mail down after that. A package came for us last week and I texted my landlord asking if, when he was home from work, he could bring it down for us. I thought about it and decided to just ask him if we could have a key. His wife then emailed me saying "No, I've never given a tenant a key and don't intend to start." Does this seem odd to anyone else? I asked a friend and he told me from his POV it seems normal to not trust tenants with mail, but not everyone has a community mailbox, instead they get mail delivered to their front door, and that to me, seems like more of a risk.
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Mar 21, 2014 15:25
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Does your unit have a different mailing address from the landlord? Or are you guys essentially sharing a residence? Either way I would absolutely want control of my own receipt of mail and not want to trust the landlord with my mail anymore than they would want to trust me with theirs. I would maybe manually add a box near your wall and ask the mail person to deliver there, if that is even legal/possible. Otherwise I'd definitely be looking for a new place to live when the lease is up.
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Mar 21, 2014 17:57
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Try contacting the post office/postal inspector's office and ask them how things are supposed to work. While you are there, get a PO Box.
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Mar 21, 2014 18:17
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tesilential posted:Does your unit have a different mailing address from the landlord? Or are you guys essentially sharing a residence? We have the same mailing address, I usually put "bsmt" somewhere when I order anything online, though. Fedex will deliver straight to our door at the back of the house, but that's it. I don't think it's possible to put our own mailbox as our whole neighbourhood does community delivery, there's no more door-to-door in my area  Lease is up, we're month to month right now. Without getting too E/N, my boyfriend isn't sure about moving yet because he wants to find a new job, and we're considering getting a roommate in a 2bdrm, etc etc. It's a stupid, hosed up situation we're in right now. Guy Axlerod posted:Try contacting the post office/postal inspector's office and ask them how things are supposed to work. While you are there, get a PO Box. I asked Canada Post if we had the right to a key, and they basically said it's up to the homeowner. (Keys can be copied and locks can be changed, so I don't understand why it's an issue, but they're basically strange people anyway.) Keep in mind I'm 23, this is my first apartment and so these things are all brand new to me. I don't have much in the way of parental advice or support, so I'm left to figure all this out on my own.
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Mar 21, 2014 18:29
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I need to clean out my sink drain, it's starting to take forever to drain. One of those snake things should do it, right? I'd rather not use liquid plumber.
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Mar 21, 2014 18:38
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In the US, loving around with other people's mail (tampering, taking, delaying, etc.) is a federal crime. Is there a Canadian equivalent? Bringing it up obviously wouldn't endear you to your landlord, but it's up to you.
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Mar 21, 2014 18:42
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i like nice words
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Blast Fantasto posted:I need to clean out my sink drain, it's starting to take forever to drain. One of those snake things should do it, right? I'd rather not use liquid plumber. Try a Zip It first. They're disposable, but also less than $5. You should be able to find one at the hardware store.
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Mar 21, 2014 18:45
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vonnegutt posted:Try a Zip It first. They're disposable, but also less than $5. You should be able to find one at the hardware store. That sounds perfect, thanks! I'll pick of these up tonight.
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Mar 21, 2014 18:54
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AuntBuck posted:Will you have a swamp cooler or AC? Swamp coolers aren't as good but I really love how low my electric bill is in the summer. Swamp cooler. I hear they're more efficient but I am wondering what it's going to be like when it's 105 degrees outside 
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Mar 21, 2014 19:13
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razz posted:Swamp cooler. I hear they're more efficient but I am wondering what it's going to be like when it's 105 degrees outside You'll be just fine. I come from that part of the country and everyone has swamp coolers. The air is so dry that they're able to cool your place almost as well as a normal AC unit. I actually can't think of a single person in those parts who has AC.
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Mar 21, 2014 19:17
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Blast Fantasto posted:I need to clean out my sink drain, it's starting to take forever to drain. One of those snake things should do it, right? I'd rather not use liquid plumber.
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Mar 21, 2014 21:18
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razz posted:Swamp cooler. I hear they're more efficient but I am wondering what it's going to be like when it's 105 degrees outside I've had one for the last few years (New Mexico goon) and as long as it's well-maintained you will be surprised how low your electric bill is. I'm not kidding. They don't cool you down as much as AC does and there will be a few monsoon days where it won't make a dent in the temperature at all. There's also a 30 degree temperature drop at night. My parents have a ranch style house and used to run their AC nonstop during the summer because they're idiots. They'd get electric bills for $500 and up, but that's kind of unusual. I know there are a lot of variables here, but just FYI, I rent a 1000 sq ft apartment and my summer electric bills last year were in the $60 range.
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Mar 22, 2014 03:34
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We just closed on our first home today and are excited to furnish our new nest! The house is small and the only room we need to furnish is the living room so we're looking to splurge a bit on a NICE couch and loveseat and/or two accent chairs. We're looking mainly for a sectional. After perusing local furniture stores we've left every place feeling quite underwhelmed with their selections. We've been burned in the past by purchasing a sofa based on "customer reviews" online, and not doing enough research ourselves beforehand. My question is: What are the best quality sofa/sectional brands that are widely available? Also, are there any furniture stores that actually sell quality furniture? I feel like I'm walking onto a used car lot every time I step into Macy's or Raymore and Flannigan. I mean, I'd love to find a sofa with a kiln dried solid wood frame, 8-way hand tied springs, and foam cushions. Would be nice if it were under $5k and lasted more than 5 years...am I dreaming? fruition fucked around with this message at 05:20 on Mar 22, 2014 |
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Mar 22, 2014 05:16
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vonnegutt posted:Try a Zip It first. They're disposable, but also less than $5. You should be able to find one at the hardware store. Oh god the pictures on that site are terrorfying. That said I'm going to try see if Australian hardware stores have these, as my girlfriend seems to shed obscene amounts of hair.
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Mar 22, 2014 05:36
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davmo1 posted:Oh god the pictures on that site are terrorfying. That said I'm going to try see if Australian hardware stores have these, as my girlfriend seems to shed obscene amounts of hair. They also have other alternatives. Or if you know a plumber you can borrow an electric eel but you really only need those if your drain is legit blocked. They are heavy and expensive if you gently caress them up.
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Mar 22, 2014 05:52
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You're my hero, going to go grab that tonight.
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Mar 22, 2014 05:57
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fruition posted:Also, are there any furniture stores that actually sell quality furniture? I feel like I'm walking onto a used car lot every time I step into Macy's or Raymore and Flannigan. First thing I do when I get approached by a salesman is to ask their name. After I get that, I say "Steve, we're just looking - but I know you work on commission and if you will allow us to look on our own and not shadow us, I promise when I am ready to buy, be it today or next year, it will be from you, and it will be the easiest money you make." This works about 80% of the time. About 20% of the time they shadow 6 feet behind you as you browse, and interrupt every third sentence, and I get fed up and leave. I do not have a long case study about big-box furniture quality. I will say I was nervous about it. We ended up buying our whole livingroom from one of the shticky furniture outlet places in our area. You know, president's day weekend blowout sales where they pay the tax "for you" and you can let the kids play in the Uncle Sam jumper in the parking lot? It's like a furniture store caricature. Anyhow, when you get a sofa and loveseat delivered for $999, you assume it's not the best quality ever, in fact, it was among the cheapest sets in the store from a store that I did not assume was known for quality in the first place. But I'm sitting on it right now, 6 years later - it has held up really well. And listen closely to what I'm about to say - I'm tired of it. I might get through a few more years, it might make 10 - but long before I have rear end-shaped divots in the cushions, I will decide I'm sick of it and get rid of it. And I am SO GLAD I didn't buy the Sealy Couch-o-pedic for $5k. It might have lasted 50 years, but I'd have been sick of it after 10 anyhow. And I saved four grand.
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Mar 22, 2014 07:03
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fruition posted:I mean, I'd love to find a sofa with a kiln dried solid wood frame, 8-way hand tied springs, and foam cushions. Would be nice if it were under $5k and lasted more than 5 years...am I dreaming? Short of the "8-way springs" part, you can get everything you're asking from Simplicity Sofas for probably half that. They have a lifetime warranty on the frame and some of their cushion options, and if you don't love it they'll take it back for full refund within one year. Nice people, too, in all of my dealings with them.
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Mar 22, 2014 08:10
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As a renter, my house is full of cheap lovely furniture since I tend to move every year or two and furniture tends to get alot of damage from moves. I figure I'll just buy real furniture when I get a house.
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Mar 22, 2014 09:37
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davmo1 posted:As a renter, my house is full of cheap lovely furniture since I tend to move every year or two and furniture tends to get alot of damage from moves. I figure I'll just buy real furniture when I get a house. Yeah of course, that's how I was too until we bought this house but now that I actually have something to be proud of (that's "mine" as long as I continue to make payments and pay the taxes) I want to have nice things in it. Thanks for the advice guys, perhaps I'm over thinking it. Upon further research I did come across a local store that sells higher quality brands and american made furniture. Im eyeing up a few sectionals made by a company called Flexsteel and a couple by Klaussner. Ill report back for future goons searching the same question.
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Mar 22, 2014 16:07
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fruition posted:Thanks for the advice guys, perhaps I'm over thinking it. Upon further research I did come across a local store that sells higher quality brands and american made furniture. Im eyeing up a few sectionals made by a company called Flexsteel and a couple by Klaussner. Ill report back for future goons searching the same question. I grew up with a Flexsteel sofa. It had horrid ugly orange corduroy upholstery, but my parents bought that thing before I was even born and only got rid of it when I was in high school and it survived several long distance moves. Edit: the only reason I know the brand of my childhood sofa was because when I was apartment furniture shopping both my parents were all  GET A FLEXSTEEEEEL
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Mar 22, 2014 19:33
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We went to the higher-end store today and after seeing and sitting on every brand we ultimately went with a Craftmaster Sectional. The Flexsteel and Klaussner sectionals were nice, and the Flexsteel quality may be better but we absolutely loved the Craftmaster at first sight & sitting. We were also able to customize the upholstery and get exactly what we wanted. This is the model we went with: http://www.cmfurniture.com/css/801/CustomerContent/design%20options%20f9%20schematics.pdf Our configuration was about $2,300 all said and done with sales tax and customizations. Thanks for all your help!
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Mar 22, 2014 23:56
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Oh those are a great way to have the couch size you want, how to they attach to each other though?
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Mar 23, 2014 00:47
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davmo1 posted:Oh those are a great way to have the couch size you want, how to they attach to each other though? I had a similar sectional, on each section there were hooks on one side and a bar with holes in it for the hooks on the other. Once it's together it's very solidly together and it takes a very concentrated effort to take it back apart.
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Mar 23, 2014 01:15
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