is this fair?

mallardmallard 452 Posts
edited December 2007 in Strut Central
i just moved into a new spot and there was a misunderstanding between myself and the people im moving in with. they said rent+utilities would come out to about $250 total, but apparently there were referring to cost if a 4th roommate moved in. i just talked to one dude and he said the landlord pays $600 on the mortgage and he's charging us $840 for rent alone. ive only rented one other place, but that sounds a bit ridiculous. the landlord doesnt do shit and the house is drafty as hell so heat is $$$$. i know things are different in different places, but i figure there is a pretty consistent mortgage/rent ratio. im wondering if i should already start packing up.

  Comments


  • Big_ChanBig_Chan 5,088 Posts
    Sounds like some bullshit but landlords can charge whatever they want for their property. You should pack up and try to get your own place and just take care of yourself. I could not deal with living with any room mates. Living alone is expensive, but it is REALLY nice to have your own place.

  • billbradleybillbradley You want BBQ sauce? Get the fuck out of my house. 2,905 Posts
    I take it you didn't sign a lease with the landlord. If you didn't the landlord can charge you whatever they want.

  • JustAliceJustAlice 1,308 Posts

    I dont know about "consistent mortgage / rent ratios" but what a landlord pays on his mortgage and what you pay for rent is really none of your business. You agree to pay whatever the rent is when you move in or sign a lease. What if the property was paid for?

  • jleejlee 1,539 Posts
    I suspect the real question you should ask yourself is "can i get something better for the money i am spending"?

    i personally don't see why you would be concerned about the landlords profit if you are paying a price that was competitive for the market. if you want to bitch about markup costs, talk to your local coffee shop that charges you $2 for a cup of coffee.

    now i do agree that subject to any local laws and appropriate ways of conducting business, the landlord should offer you decent living quarters (such as heat, proper maintenance, etc.), but i wouldn't really say that you are getting a raw deal out of this.

  • theres 2 dudes here already, one is moving out and im supposed to take his spot on the lease, but ive yet to sign anything. i suppose the $840 is on the lease and therefore pretty much non-negotiable, so more or less id just be Frickin' over the dudes on the lease.

  • SoulOnIceSoulOnIce 13,027 Posts
    I can't believe you're complaining about $300 rent,
    even living with two other people you would be lucky
    to pay under $450 where I live.

  • I can't believe you're complaining about $300 rent,
    even living with two other people you would be lucky
    to pay under $450 where I live.

    yes, that is an awfully different situation over there where you live. i know you don't know much about me, but, even considering that, you seriously can't imagine a situation where i would complain about $300 rent? just because i have access to the internet doesn't mean i have the money to pay for it.

  • SoulOnIceSoulOnIce 13,027 Posts
    I can't believe you're complaining about $300 rent,
    even living with two other people you would be lucky
    to pay under $450 where I live.

    yes, that is an awfully different situation over there where you live. i know you don't know much about me, but, even considering that, you seriously can't imagine a situation where i would complain about $300 rent? just because i have access to the internet doesn't mean i have the money to pay for it.

    I didn't mean it to be callous, I just can't "believe it" because $300
    rent has been a pipe dream around me for over ten years - if anything I
    empathize with needing to live with people to pay less rent, I can't
    afford to live alone if I want to live comfortably in this city, either.

  • CBearCBear 902 Posts
    I can't believe you're complaining about $300 rent,
    even living with two other people you would be lucky
    to pay under $450 where I live.

    yes, that is an awfully different situation over there where you live. i know you don't know much about me, but, even considering that, you seriously can't imagine a situation where i would complain about $300 rent? just because i have access to the internet doesn't mean i have the money to pay for it.

    I didn't mean it to be callous, I just can't "believe it" because $300
    rent has been a pipe dream around me for over ten years - if anything I
    empathize with needing to live with people to pay less rent, I can't
    afford to live alone if I want to live comfortably in this city, either.


    I've never paid below $450, and I've been renting for 12 years. That's always been with room-mates as well. Perspective dropped.

  • i just moved into a new spot and there was a misunderstanding between myself and the people im moving in with. they said rent+utilities would come out to about $250 total, but apparently there were referring to cost if a 4th roommate moved in. i just talked to one dude and he said the landlord pays $600 on the mortgage and he's charging us $840 for rent alone. ive only rented one other place, but that sounds a bit ridiculous. the landlord doesnt do shit and the house is drafty as hell so heat is $$$$. i know things are different in different places, but i figure there is a pretty consistent mortgage/rent ratio. im wondering if i should already start packing up.

    You're complaining about $250 rent? GTFOOH

  • sbonesbone 144 Posts
    is this weekly or monthly????

  • GuzzoGuzzo 8,611 Posts
    I could not deal with living with any room mates. Living alone is expensive, but it is REALLY nice to have your own place.

    I'm starting to get there myself.

    I've ranted on here about my room mates putting a stripper pole up in the living room and not wanting to put it down (4 dudes and a stripper pole and no women living there is some serious tacky shit). But Christmas came around and now shit is in full fratboy fantasy mode.

    The dining room now has this next to the table



    the stripper pole has taken precedent over other furniture so we now have the coffee table off to the side. there are also empty liquor bottles adorning all the kitchen windows, [sarcasm]which really helps cover up any of that pesky view of the hollywood hills.[/sarcasm]

    there is also one of these on display which just screams class.



    yesterday I came home (first time in 2 days) and there were only 4 empty beer cans in the front yard.

    I hate white people

  • mannybolonemannybolone Los Angeles, CA 15,025 Posts
    Mallard is in Kent Ohio.

    Average rent there, adjusted for 2006 costs is roughly $500 a month. I'm assuming this means a single-occupancy, one-BD apartment.

    I'll let the rest of the Strutters post up their own rent for their respective 'hoods but I'm going to go on a limb here and guess that you're not going to find much sympathy from most parts. In any major urban area (which Kent is, I'm assuming not), $300 for rent would be pretty frickin' good.

  • Big_ChanBig_Chan 5,088 Posts
    Rent sure is cheap in Kent Ohio.

    Living in Seattle

    Cost of Renting 1 Bedroom 2 Bedrooms
    Average Monthly Rent: $1,490 $1,830
    Average Rent Deposit: $ 374 $ 473

  • Mallard is in Kent Ohio.

    Average rent there, adjusted for 2006 costs is roughly $500 a month. I'm assuming this means a single-occupancy, one-BD apartment.

    I'll let the rest of the Strutters post up their own rent for their respective 'hoods but I'm going to go on a limb here and guess that you're not going to find much sympathy from most parts. In any major urban area (which Kent is, I'm assuming not), $300 for rent would be pretty frickin' good.

    no. you all are right. id just feel less asshurt about it if my ass wasnt so cold.

    also. odub should be on csi or something. i cant live in geographical anonymity with dudes like you on the case.

  • DB_CooperDB_Cooper Manhatin' 7,823 Posts
    I can't afford to live alone if I want to live comfortably in this city, either.

    Tell me about it. I have a rather large one bedroom to myself, and it's a steal at $1050. And I do mean steal???small studios around here go for $900-950. But I ain't exactly living comfortably either.

    Still, at least we're not dealing with NYC prices.

  • jaysusjaysus 787 Posts
    I bet i got the cheapest rent on here.

    $262.50



    share an upsatirs duplex with a metal girl who has lived there for 10 years.
    god bless craigslist.

  • knewjakknewjak 1,231 Posts


    if my ass wasnt so cold.


    If the landlord is to provide heat, there are laws that state the temperature the rooms are to be kept at. Look em up. Each city has a different rule. And typically it is a branch of the fire department which enforces them ('code enforcement' I think). Start calling around until you get the right department.

    for example:
    Chicago's Heat Ordinance requires that from September 15th to June 1st, rental units must be supplied with heat in order to achieve the following minimum temperatures:
    * 68 degrees from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.
    * 66 degrees from 10:30 p.m. to 8:30 a.m.



    I had to deal with this last year and got an entire months rent free for dealing with a broken heater. If you are worried about him raising the rent to 'cover heat costs' sign a lease with him before reporting his ass and then he cant do shit.

  • If someone told you one thing... then changed it after you agreed thats bullshit and illegal. Its also bullshit to make you pay a wierd share if your renting from the landlord. If you are renting through other tenents then I guess the wierd share thing makes sense... but If its a three bedroom for 900... you should pay 300 a month unless you have equal access to the third room, indefinately. If the landlord is renting the place out though... its his fault for not having the third room rented. Just go print whatever thing you found the room through... and those are the terms you will rent under. That being said... that rent is crazy.

    I pay 1200 a month for a 1 bedroom that i share with my girl... with gang graffitti EVERYwhere around my block. LA is fun though.



  • kent ohio!!! BWhahahahahaha!

    which also means he is seriously renting a trampled on shit house!

    what can you expect, its not like there isnt someone to fill your place if you jet.

    i feel for you, at least you guys have the cheapest pizza in the world there.

    if you moved to cleveland you would be paying slightly more, in akron a little less.

    $300 to share a place in kent is standard but i bet your right about that old rickety shitbox being drafty.

    i feel for you(only cause you have to live in kent)


  • waxjunkywaxjunky 1,849 Posts

    I dont know about "consistent mortgage / rent ratios" but what a landlord pays on his mortgage and what you pay for rent is really none of your business. You agree to pay whatever the rent is when you move in or sign a lease. What if the property was paid for?

    Yeah. He could either be profiting because (a) the market has gone up significantly since he bought the place or (b) he could have paid down the mortgage considerably since purchasing and then refinanced over another 30 years. Who's to say? In either case, everyone's got to go for theirs.
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