Trying to find cheaper apartment
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| Mon, 01-31-2005 - 2:38pm |
My DBF and I decided some time ago that we would look for a cheaper apartment after the holidays. Well, I spent most of the weekend calling different buildings and asking around for March 1st. The problem is (in our area at least), you give 30 days notice when you leave your current apartment. That means landlords won't know whether they have anything for March 1st until possibly tomorrow or so. But we would have to give our OWN notice by the end of today.
I am scared to death to give notice and then start looking. I want to have a decent place lined up before I am forced to leave our current apartment. I don't want to end up having to take a divey dump because we couldn't find anything else in time. KWIM?
We looked at ONE place yesterday that had an affordable rent and was available March 1st, but the building was REALLY nasty. The apartment itself was okay - new appliances, new carpet, new flooring, new paint, but the common areas were really gross, and there was a huge hole in the ceiling where they'd had a water leak - almost immediately outside the apt. we looked at. Yuck!!!!
Am I being unrealistic? I have friends who live in decent buildings for far less rent than we are paying now - so I know there are good places out there. Should I just bite the bullet and give notice... and then scramble to find something before the end of February? People tell me that's how you have to do it around here, but frankly the thought just freaks me out.



All my best,
Danni
I hope you are right. I've always assumed that the "30 days notice" meant an actual calender month, like Feb. 1st to Mar. 1st, not Feb 3rd to Mar. 3rd. I always thought that if you give notice after the 1st of the month, then you would have to pay at least half the following month's rent (even if it means 40-45 days). I will have to carefully re-read my rental agreement.
I just hate moving. I've been in this current apt. over 2 and a half years - my record since leaving home 9 years ago! The thought of packing up and settling in somewhere all over again just turns my stomach. But we are paying way too much rent here - we have 2 bedrooms but really only need one, we are in a prime location (not a must, by any means), and we have an outdoor pool in the summertime that we NEVER use. We could save at least $250/month by going somewhere else - that translates to almost $10,000 in 3 years - unbelievable!
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Definitely a good idea to read your rental agreement - that document is the be all, end all.
All my best,
Danni
I mentioned to my DBF that our landlord would probably be lenient if we gave notice a few days late - he's really nice and he thinks we are suberb tenants - but my DBF is so "by the book" that he didn't even want to consider it. Plus he keeps saying that "landlords don't do that sort of thing", as if he knows every landlord on the face of the planet.
Men can be so stubborn sometimes.
I'll keep everyone updated on this.
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I always overlap by a few days. I'd rather pay an extra weeks rent than have to move all at once exactly on the last day of the month. The last time I moved I had no help (my dd is 4 and she tried to help), so I overlapped by 15 days. I rented my current place on for August 1, and gave notice at my old place on July 15th. I paid an extra two weeks rent, but for me it was worth it to know I had a place lined up before I gave notice.
Definitely read your rental agreement. Usually 30 days notice means 30 days. Also, you can tell your landlord verbally that you are looking becuase of money issues, but also that you don't know where to yet or when exactly, and just ask him to clarify how the giving notice works. Politely asking for information can be considered "by the book." Your landlord might appreciate the heads-up.