leasing a house is very expensive

[pinkytoe]

Our quest to find our retirement house continues and we have decided to look for a property to lease for now. We are in a short term rental for the time being which is less than stellar. We haven't rented in decades but apparently the game has changed. I finally found a small townhouse in the right price range that accepted pets. However, one must apply and be approved through a management company. In this case, they want $55 per adult application fee (nonrefundable), $200 per pet acceptance fee (whatever that is) and also non-refundable, first and last month's rent up front and a $1500 security deposit. In addition, recent vet records for all pets. Geez- so that would be over $5000 right up front. Never mind...

[Tybee]

I'd be sorely tempted to look elsewhere, maybe buy something cheap and convert it to a rental after you find something you really want.
I'd try to find a next up and coming place.

[Gardenarian]

The application fee is particularly annoying. There are so many ways that could be abused; it should be illegal.

I hope you find a nice place soon.

[Zoe Girl]

Sounds pretty normal in the current rental market. I turned in immunizations for the cats, photos, a current vet visit, and so on. I actually fudged a little when I rented this place so I wouldn't have to pay $50 for my 18 yo son to be on the rental application. I just couldn't pay that in addition to everything else. Since I was still paying off my bankruptcy I turned in months of bank statements, credit reports, letters of references, paystubs, paid bill receipts. I had to show my child support since I was $100 short of making 3 times the rent.

I deal with the misunderstanding of how the rental market is with my parents who have not rented in about 50 years. They have really no idea what we do to take care of 'basic' things. Sorry that this is hard,

[sweetana3]

Just watched a show about renting in Japan. Sounds the same. They even have a "key price" which ends up being a mandatory "gift" to the owners. Ends up being $5-10,000 to rent with all the requirements.

[Miss Cellane]

Sometimes if you rent from a private owner, instead of a corporation or management company, you can avoid all that. Of course, then you run the risk of getting a slum lord instead of a good landlord. So you have to vet the landlord as much as they vet you.

Where I'm currently renting, I had a phone call with the owner of the building (an old 1900 2-family home converted to a 3 unit building), a tour of the apartment, and then I handed over one month's rent--about a month before the lease started, so she had time to deposit the check and make sure it wouldn't bounce. That was my first month's rent. The day I moved in, I paid two months rent--security deposit and last month's rent. There was no charge for my cat.

She's a great landlord. Things that break are taken care of right away. She does preventive maintenance. Every year she does something to improve the property--a new brick patio area for all the tenants, new plantings, improved laundry room, that sort of thing.

I will say that first and last month's rent, plus security deposit, is pretty standard in my area. And most places do charge a pet deposit, which is what that $200 per animal sounds like in the OP. What I don't understand is why that $200 isn't refundable if your application isn't approved. I suspect that while the accept animals, they don't encourage them.

[razz]

Sounds pretty normal to me as the number of people who default or destroy the property makes having tenants a challenge. Pets wreck carpets and other flooring, soil the outdoor spaces and make it harder to rent to the next tenant. Fleas are a huge problem to clear up later. Add in the legislation that seems to give tenants more legal rights than the landlord (in my area anyway) and I can fully understand all the protective steps that landlords need to take.

Having said that, I do empathize with your difficulties finding a new retirement home. It will work out but the waiting to see what and when is very trying.