VMRCVM c/o 2018!!

[Xaveri]

There's something that's be gnawing at me for a while and maybe someone can help me.

We are looking for apartments to rent starting on August and are planning to go around June to personally see what they offer. Once we decide over one, if we wish to secure it, do we need to pay all fees and charges right away?

We are moving to Virginia the first week of August, and it is my understanding that the student aid doesn't arrive until mid August.

Are realtors understanding and wait for tenants to pay an the end of the month when the funds are available? or do you have to pay when you sign the lease?

Some of them ask for more than $1400 between security deposits, pet fees and the first month. I'm poor! and that's why we are receiving student aid, we don't have that kind of money plus all of the expenses of moving there.

Am I being unrealistic or do they understand this situation?

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[WolvesDragon55]

I rented as well via craigslist from a private individual (older woman with an apartment) and she was great about it. No deposit due till I come back down to move in in August. When I actually went down and talked to her I found her much more flexible than her emails suggested. The other places I was looking at were similar situations (owned condos in apartment complexes) and they wanted a deposit now, and then pet deposit and fees upon move in. Some of the larger and more professionally owned places were more inflexible, wanting deposit, pet deposit and fees all at once upon lease signing,

 

[CanHardlyWait]

There's something that's be gnawing at me for a while and maybe someone can help me.

We are looking for apartments to rent starting on August and are planning to go around June to personally see what they offer. Once we decide over one, if we wish to secure it, do we need to pay all fees and charges right away?

We are moving to Virginia the first week of August, and it is my understanding that the student aid doesn't arrive until mid August.

Are realtors understanding and wait for tenants to pay an the end of the month when the funds are available? or do you have to pay when you sign the lease?

Some of them ask for more than $1400 between security deposits, pet fees and the first month. I'm poor! and that's why we are receiving student aid, we don't have that kind of money plus all of the expenses of moving there.

Am I being unrealistic or do they understand this situation?

Nope, they expect it up front at the lease signing. At least the corporate places do. Sorry

You could try and look to get a place as roommates of someone else already in a house and maybe they would be more flexible. The school should have or will send you a list of places available complied by a student organization (OTS).

 

[Philliab]

They treat their renters like unruly undergrads and have irritating policies. (We're married couple in our mid 30's. They know this, they ran our credit and everything.)

For example, they have a yearly inspection policy after the lease is re-signed. I have a dog that I can't fully trust with strangers in the house when I'm not there, so I have to be there every time. They're really inflexible about accommodating this, even though we pay a monthly pet rent for the dog. They are requiring that they take out of our pet deposit a fee for flea bombing the house when we move out, even though I'm a vet student who would gladly provide documentation of my dog being on flea/tick meds all year round. But when we had ants last summer, they told us that they don't provide service for "seasonal insects" and we would have to deal with the ants ourselves. They have a policy that after we move out, they will deduct a carpet cleaning fee from our security deposit, no matter that by that time we will have paid them rent for 4 years. In my opinion, a dirty carpet is their cost of doing business, which was more than covered by my 4 years of rent.
It's not really one big thing, just a collection of many small things. I realize most of them are a result of being in a college town, but if I had to do it again I would have went with a private individual to rent from. He/she would have benefited from my husband improving their property with repairs and improvements and from our steady, on time rent payments and I would have much lower blood pressure every time I have to call my landlord about something.

Oh My Gosh. Yes! Are you me? I could have written this almost word for word.

Townside totally sucks: office people are rude, never call you back, show your house without giving you notice and when you have a dog inside (I caught them in this, and they lie about contacting me. They also happened to show up during the same period we'd requested they not a couple days before, because you know what? We freakin' work during normal hours. I actually went through my phone history to prove she was wrong AND I refused to let the agent and couple in my house.), lie to your face about crap, "steal" your deposit but don't actually use it to clean the house after you leave, etc. etc. etc. Of course most rental places are like this so it's a necessary evil. I was so happy when I we finally bought a house and didn't have to deal with Townside.

Not the worst rental place I've ever dealt with, but still....Townside sucks.

 

[hopefulinva]

Psst, guys, you're the quietest class of VMRCVMers we've had on SDN. Y'all are gonna be in Blacksburg in just a few weeks, where's the enthusiasm!? You're getting ready to embark on what will arguably be the most difficult, most trying, most rewarding, most bonding experience of your entire lives, in what is unquestionably the most beautiful town on the face of this great country AND(!) football season is right around the corner.

Get excited!!