The Rent Is Too Damn High!

[Cantih]

Canlith solution thread#2: Cap auto loan payments to 10% of income over 3 years because my luxury coupe eats up too much of my paycheck. Roll car insurance into Obamacare too.

Quit being disingenuous, I'm not asking for four thousand square foot apartments for everybody, or even myself.

[BaneTheBrawler]

not one of you fuckers clicked my spoiler, did you?

[NynJa]

typically don't care enough to pick up after their pet like it was public property in fear of a fine etc.

LOL WHAT?!? What kind of scrubby scrubs have you been living near that go "oh hey fido, thats a nice shit you took on the floor, i'll just leave it there"?

[Aksannyi]

not one of you fuckers clicked my spoiler, did you?

I did, but it wasn't funny and/or relevant so I didn't comment on it.

[Acevalefor]

LOL WHAT?!? What kind of scrubby scrubs have you been living near that go "oh hey fido, thats a nice shit you took on the floor, i'll just leave it there"?

Try walking around any grassy common areas outside an apartment complex. Good luck not stepping in shit. This is what Senji was talking about.

[NynJa]

Try walking around any grassy common areas outside an apartment complex. Good luck not stepping in shit. This is what Senji was talking about.

Pet (in most cases)= flooring needs to be replaced and possible damage to trim, doors, walls + apartment pet owners typically don't care enough to pick up after their pet like it was public property in fear of a fine etc.

Sounds to me like he's talking about inside...
I dont think "I live in this apt with 20-50 other people, so I dont have to pick up my dogs shit" would fly in the face of a fine.

[Aksannyi]

You underestimate how nasty people can be. I had a carpet cleaning done when I moved out of my last place (paying $60 myself instead of losing my entire deposit - yes please) and the cleaning guy said that my carpet was one of the cleanest he'd ever seen. I had a small stain in the dining area and I was paranoid that they'd charge me extra to remove it and the guy actually laughed at my paranoia. Apparently some people fuck up their carpeting something fierce.

I like to walk around barefoot, if I start noticing that the floor is dirty I fucking vacuum - and I'm not obsessive about it, either. We're talking once every two weeks, if that. But some people apparently never pick up a vacuum in years of living somewhere. Like how do you even walk around? I shudder just to think of it.

[AidenCarby]

You need to join the house shoes master race.

[Aksannyi]

House shoes? You mean slippers?

I live in Florida. My feet are bare or in flip flops 99% of the time, with the exception of work, since this place (though not all places) frowns upon that.

[AidenCarby]

Flops are also acceptable.

[Aksannyi]

I just like being barefoot. I won't venture outside like that because people are gross and the pavement is omgfuckburninghot, but at home? Yes. <3

[Waraji]

^ Went outside barefoot to wash the car after coming down from Tampa, fucking almost melted my feet. Ran back in to grab the flippy floppies.

Spoiler: show

http://thecampusthrone.com/wp-conten...2009/05/do.jpg

[Mojo]

Holy shit OP. I would recommend researching the actual cost to own real estate and see where the money goes before forming such strong opinions. We all get it, nobody likes paying bills, but seriously dude. You're advocating extreme measures while admitting that you haven't thought about the issue thoroughly enough to understand what the consequences might be. If you think your rent is too high, you can find a cheaper place to live (albeit in a shittier location.)

To anyone bitching about rent - go look at real estate prices in San Franciso. Not to say your complaints aren't valid, but holy fuck. My company is pushing me to move to San Jose. I think I'd probably end up living in a van if I did (...only half joking.)

Also, anybody considering buying a house - You don't actually need a 20% down payment. You can still get loans without that, you just have to pay mortgage insurance until you've payed off 20% of the value of the house. Interest rates are going to rise about 1.5~2% in the coming few years, so it would likely save you money if you bought now instead of later if you're serious about it.

[Senji]

Sounds to me like he's talking about inside...
I dont think "I live in this apt with 20-50 other people, so I dont have to pick up my dogs shit" would fly in the face of a fine.

The areas outside, comparing the grassy lawn to public parks. I hope no one has to live with rogue turds in hallways. >.>

Small grass area, they may plastic bag it. That half acre, not a chance.


While part of the appeal of renting an apt is not having to deal with maintenance like repairs, landscaping, snow removal; people do turn into total lazy bastards who feel they don't ever need to lift a finger. Yes, you should plunge your own fiber dysfunction instead of calling management, no you shouldn't continue to feign ignorance when it was a toothbrush and you have no kids.

[kuronosan]

I'd rather get land and build a house.

[archibaldcrane]

I'd rather get land and build a house.

Hard to get a loan for new construction though. If you've got cash money homie, go for it.

[Serra]

I have always believed in the free market speaking for itself and the prices will always rate what the market can bear.

That said, I would love if my income would increase at the same rates as my rent, insurance, electric bills, gasoline, etc. What ends up happening is that you are essentially forced to move every two years because you can't afford to live in the same place with the constant raises on rent. But it becomes difficult because (as I've said earlier in the thread) you have to come up with deposits - and you surely don't get your old deposit back in time to use it toward your next place - and moving expenses, and probably taking time off of your job in order to move.

It was a long post, so I didn't want to quote the entire thing and only quoted the relevant part.

The difference between selling oranges or tomatoes at a market and rent is that the landlord cannot come back the next day, or next week, or next month and decide to change the cost of rent. They have to wait a year. If they're able to rent out every unit available at the current price, when it comes time to renew, why should they not raise the price? If the price goes above what you believe the product is worth, you should stop paying for that product. And yes, there are other factors involved, but for the sake of rent, your ability to impact the cost is to say "no, I'm not willing to pay this anymore, I'm moving somewhere else."

I understand not wanting to move. I hate moving. Honestly, one of the reasons I stopped renting was because I didn't want to have to deal with moving anymore. But if your position is "I cannot move" or "I refuse to move", just like if it was "I have to live downtown", I do not believe you can really complain about the price. In effect, by refusing to move, you've eliminated your ability to impact the market to reduce price -- if anything, your voice has just reaffirmed each increase in price.

[Aksannyi]

I understand that they can't just raise it every month or fluctuate it with the market, and I wouldn't want them to.

I could move and I've looked around, but for a savings of $10 or so it's not worth it - I just don't like that my pay cannot keep up with the annual increases in rent, and that's my major bitch. I don't claim to believe that it will change any time soon, it's just something that I will continue to bitch about. I don't think that having to change jobs or move every few years just to keep up with increasing costs is really reasonable. What happened to getting a job you like and/or a place you like and fucking staying there? (Purchase notwithstanding, I understand that purchasing a home is more permanent than renting and that your cost will not increase at quite the same rate, and let's not talk about the fact that some people actually can't purchase due to credit and other reasons.)

Just don't like it. If my rent has to go up, I'd like to see my pay also go up. Someone's getting those raises if the renting market deems it necessary to raise rates, but it sure the hell hasn't been me. I'd like to see how they make those decisions.

[Twilight Sky]

In Georgia it's almost 100%. Average rent here is about 700, with really ridiculous rates being in 2,000s. Expect over 1,000 if you're in a convenient location.

It is so bad that you have to look for rooming houses and pay like 150 a week.

I got lucky. Our shitty home with shitty landlords is 450/mo and it's about 50% of my monthly income. I guess the good thing is, with the exception of Low Income Housing(not ideal despite the name), you rent doesn't randomly go up. It's a static rate.

[Acevalefor]

But if your position is "I cannot move" or "I refuse to move", just like if it was "I have to live downtown", I do not believe you can really complain about the price. In effect, by refusing to move, you've eliminated your ability to impact the market to reduce price -- if anything, your voice has just reaffirmed each increase in price.

There's a huge difference between "I cannot move" and "I refuse to move". For me, I cannot move because I cannot come up with the money needed to secure a new place plus moving costs. Right now, I am living with 0 safety net month-to-month. I also refuse to live in an apartment because fuck living in close proximity to lazy idiots and dealing with bullshit contracts that the management can change at any time to fit their current whim. I also have a 2000sf house for about 70% of what an 800sf apartment is listed for.

It sucks, but I am stuck here until my income increases and if something goes wrong, it will all go to hell in a hand-basket. My story is not unique either. There are millions of people that are forced to live paycheck-to-paycheck in housing that is less than ideal and more than they can afford simply because they have no other reasonable option. It's not "I refuse to move". It's "I am already commuting 25+ miles each way in a car that barely runs and am living in the cheapest house/apartment I can find supporting 3 kids with a job that hasn't given me a raise in 4 years."

I am not talking about the guy in middle management that wants to bitch about his single life and expensive condo in San Fransisco.