Going crazy trying to find Apartment in budget

[Tigger2ntinkerbell]

I have neighbors like that, their dogs do their business in everyone's yards and don't pick up. I never let my dogs out of the yard and pick as soon as there done. And if I have to leave the house more than 4 hours they go in their crates along with pee pads down.

Well frankly, lots people are nasty and let their pets do their business where ever and tear up anything and everything. Typically after renters with pets are gone, there has to be new flooring and major cleaning of the rental to include the duct work because of possible allergies in the next renters. Additionally, people let their pets tear up the yards as well. Some people just aren't good peoples sadly.

 

[verleniahall]

I have to agree with goofy - the pet deposit is so high becuase they usually have to do a really deep clean in case the next tenant is allergic. I know when we moved from our on base housing, they re-did all the carpet and the petguard since the next family moving in would not be having pets.

 

[Disneyliscious]

That sounds reasonable for a pet deposit to me (and also the fact that its nonrefundable). I have rental homes and do NOT allow pets. The few times we did, over the years, EVERY single time we were left losing money because of the "perfect dog who never does anything wrong". Often times, what a pet owner doesn't realize is that a landlord has to repair and pay for things the pet owner may never even realize is an issue.

Dogs:

Digging holes in the yard - even if its a small hole. If the next tenant moves in and trips/falls/breaks an ankle, the landlord can be sued. So the landlord has to take the time to go over the entire yard to make sure there are no holes and if there are, they have to be filled in.

Small dogs are the WORST about chewing holes in carpet. If a small drop of food gets down in the carpet, a small dog will chew holes in the carpet trying to get it. A large dog can actually rip the carpet up.

Scratching on doors, walls, shed doors (leaving marks).

Fleas - even after the dog is gone, the fleas remain.

Allergens - The next tenant might be allergic to pet dander. Special cleaning, which cost $$, has to be done. Its not just the carpets. Walls and ceilings have to be wiped down in every room or repainted. Porches and decks have to be pressure washed (even if they appear clean).

Cats:

Cats are notorious for messing up insulation. They will crawl under a house and pull the insulation down, exposing pipes and making the home less energy efficient. They will get into duct work and makes holes for the heat/air to escape. These are things a renter does not see but an owner has to crawl under a house and look for (and repair if needed). In apartments, cats can get into the vents (say a kid pulls a vent cover out of the floor - it happens) and cause all kinds of trouble. This is all aside from urine stains/smells. Cat litter gets ingrained down in the carpet. Puke? All cats puke and you can't predict when or where. This stains carpet.

Pet hair - Dogs and Cats - Pet hair gets into cracks in walls, on porches, in door frames, light fixtures, etc. Its EVERYWHERE, and you may not notice it because you are use to it. Someone who does not own a pet would notice it immediately.

These are all little things a renter usually doesn't think about. The landlord has to charge these fees so they can make sure the home is back to its original condition for the next tenant. Its also why most of us do not allow pets at all - its just easier to not deal with it.

Also, do NOT be fooled by the ads going around on social media saying if you pay a $65 to register your dog as an Emotional Service Animal that your landlord can't deny you or evict you. This is a lie and a scam to make money. Do not fall for it.

As frustrating as it is, just keep searching and hopefully something will come up thats affordable for you. I just wanted to shed some light on why pet deposits are so high and why they are non-refundable.

 

[Tigger2ntinkerbell]

I can understand what your saying. people who rent should NEVER take advantage of their Rental unit for any reason - period.
I don't think my dogs are smart enough to know how to dig(seriously) the oldest in 12 and the other one is 7. I couldn't keep any pet that would damage carpet or ruin the walls. It would drive me nuts.
And fleas scared my number 1 things that I can not stand is fleas(thank goodness mine have never had them), but I'm worried if I move to Florida is it easier for them to get them .
I am sorry you had to go tough all of that trouble because someone was lazy, plain and simply.

That sounds reasonable for a pet deposit to me (and also the fact that its nonrefundable). I have rental homes and do NOT allow pets. The few times we did, over the years, EVERY single time we were left losing money because of the "perfect dog who never does anything wrong". Often times, what a pet owner doesn't realize is that a landlord has to repair and pay for things the pet owner may never even realize is an issue.

Dogs:

Digging holes in the yard - even if its a small hole. If the next tenant moves in and trips/falls/breaks an ankle, the landlord can be sued. So the landlord has to take the time to go over the entire yard to make sure there are no holes and if there are, they have to be filled in.

Small dogs are the WORST about chewing holes in carpet. If a small drop of food gets down in the carpet, a small dog will chew holes in the carpet trying to get it. A large dog can actually rip the carpet up.

Scratching on doors, walls, shed doors (leaving marks).

Fleas - even after the dog is gone, the fleas remain.

Allergens - The next tenant might be allergic to pet dander. Special cleaning, which cost $$, has to be done. Its not just the carpets. Walls and ceilings have to be wiped down in every room or repainted. Porches and decks have to be pressure washed (even if they appear clean).

Cats:

Cats are notorious for messing up insulation. They will crawl under a house and pull the insulation down, exposing pipes and making the home less energy efficient. They will get into duct work and makes holes for the heat/air to escape. These are things a renter does not see but an owner has to crawl under a house and look for (and repair if needed). In apartments, cats can get into the vents (say a kid pulls a vent cover out of the floor - it happens) and cause all kinds of trouble. This is all aside from urine stains/smells. Cat litter gets ingrained down in the carpet. Puke? All cats puke and you can't predict when or where. This stains carpet.

Pet hair - Dogs and Cats - Pet hair gets into cracks in walls, on porches, in door frames, light fixtures, etc. Its EVERYWHERE, and you may not notice it because you are use to it. Someone who does not own a pet would notice it immediately.

These are all little things a renter usually doesn't think about. The landlord has to charge these fees so they can make sure the home is back to its original condition for the next tenant. Its also why most of us do not allow pets at all - its just easier to not deal with it.

Also, do NOT be fooled by the ads going around on social media saying if you pay a $65 to register your dog as an Emotional Service Animal that your landlord can't deny you or evict you. This is a lie and a scam to make money. Do not fall for it.

As frustrating as it is, just keep searching and hopefully something will come up thats affordable for you. I just wanted to shed some light on why pet deposits are so high and why they are non-refundable.

 

[ellie05]

Op unfortunately like with everything in life there is irresponsible people and responsible people. We have 5 pets (3 dogs,2 cats). We are landlords and renters so we understand for both sides. We knew that we will have to give a non- refundable deposit and we were prepared to give something significant thankfully our pm which knew the owners since they are our neighbors now talked to the owner (she also had 3 dogs and 2 cats). They reduce the pet fee without us even asking them we paid $500 total.

I made "resumes" for all our pets and provided vaccination records, etc. to every owner or pm when we were looking houses. We now have a really good relationship with our landlords and they love us, because we are responsible pet owners. Perhaps you will want to do that too. Again we saw some houses that were disgusting and they didn't even have pets so cleanliness and how the house is treated nothing gives you a guarantee.

As a landlord I don't allow pets that are outdoors only, that are not spayed or neutered, owner must provide proof that they up to date on vaccines and flea preventative. I usually give the vet a call too it is easy to determine if they are responsible dog owners or not that way.

 

[Madteaparty001]

The high fees are also because insurance companies are charging crazy high rates to landlords that allow dogs. This is the number one reason I have seen rentals excluding dogs. Honestly cats can cause way more damage then a dog IMO, but it's highly unlikely they are going to bite someone and damage them enough that a lawsuit is filed.

 

[NinaBella]

My son lives in Brooksville, Florida and pays $600 a month for a one bedroom apartment. He doesn't have pets, but I think the pet deposit is $250.

Also, check out Zephyrhills and Dade City. Maybe even Tarpon Springs.

 

[scrapquitler]

Looking to Rent Apartment around $900 to $1000 a month(dogs included in monthly fee).

We have check on Zilliow.com, Apartments.com, rent.com, Craigslist(makes us nervous about those ads).
Senior 55+ apartments are too high or either income restricted or my dogs are too heavy(was told they need to be under 10lbs each)

We have looked all over Sarasota, Tallahassee, Haines City,Jacksonville, Florida. Were having a hard time with the price. We need : 1 bedroom apartment , low crime , nice area, public transit .
we are retired, so no kids to worry about. If we wanted to go back to work it would be part time only.

Major issue: I have to call every place I find online the Rental rate is wrong or the listing does not include how much it is for dogs(I have 2 small dogs). And the amount they want for a non-refundable deposit is crazy.

I feel so overwhelmed,sad and frustrated. It's like I'm not going to find anything and we have looked for months.

Thanks for letting me ramble, but if anyone can help, please let me know . TIA

Have you tried contacting a real estate agent? That might be a good place to start because they often have listings for apartments or rental homes.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

Have you tried contacting a real estate agent? That might be a good place to start because they often have listings for apartments or rental homes.

I agree with this. When I relocated from Texas to Michigan, I had just 2 weeks to find a place to live and couldn't view anything in person ahead of time. I worked with a real estate agent that helped me find a 2 bedroom condo for my budget of $1000. She even visited some locations and took video walk-throughs on her cell phone so I could get a better feel for the finalists. And it cost me nothing extra because she got a commission for renting out the condo unit. I highly recommend trying this out.

 

[okeydokey]

Homosassa springs FL is a small town, affordable. But I don't think there is public transport. Even Tallahassee doesn't have great public transport and the small towns around it don't have any busses.

 

[NotUrsula]

Your best bet to find a place that will accept animals is to avoid apartments and try to rent a single-family home. You simply need to factor the cost of pet deposits into the cost of moving; IME, $500 isn't at all unusual for pets; it's traditional to charge large pet deposits in rental properties. Many many places will also charge you a deposit PLUS first and last month's rent -- if you are moving cross-country you probably need to set aside at least $4K for all of the various deposits and fees that you'll end up needing to pay in a move to a different state, though it's lower if you don't have vehicle costs.

I've moved many, many times, and IME, if you have unusual requirements, advertised places are not going to be all that workable for you. A much better bet is to go with a hotel-type lodging for a week or so while you look in person for a place in a neighborhood you wish to be in -- and preferably do so on foot or on a bicycle, which is slow enough to actually let you see signs in windows. In Florida, especially, many people rent MIL quarters but do not advertise them. That will also give you a better idea of what public transit exists, and in Florida, you won't find reliable public transit in too many small-town places. One of your best bets for that is Pinellas County, as it used to have such a large percentage of retirees and built up a strong system, and it has a lot of rentals that are designed for snowbirds, but which are largely available year-round. The downtown core there will price you out these days, though; it has become a very fashionable place to live, and rents have risen accordingly; you would have to go more suburban to find your price range.

 

[Sagginit]

I live outside of NYC and it can be really difficult here to find a decent place. My current place (which I have lived in for almost 5 years now) I found at an ad on a bus stop. My landlady wanted to attract young commuters and did not want families, so what she did is she placed ads at the bus stops only, near the luxury rental apartment buildings. Craigslist and real estate websites often have crap places that are over priced or places being rented out by big rental companies that have lots of rules. As others said you may want to actually go to the area you want to live in and do some hunting for ads in local places that aren't online to see if you can find a better deal. I had a friend who had a big dog and in the suburbs she couldn't get apartments easily, but she did find plenty of people who had garage or basement apartments they were perfectly happy to rent out to her. For a land lord with a single unit turn over costs can be high too (they have to hire painters, new carpet, cleaning etc) so long term I find they are better when it comes to rent increases, they will keep taking the same amount for longer as it costs too much to turn it over. Apartment complexes will increase as much as they can like clock work. They have handy men employed anyway so turnover isn't a big deal to them.

 

[PCCSakura]

Try giving hotpads.com a shot and see what you find there.

 

[petlvr1064]

That sounds reasonable for a pet deposit to me (and also the fact that its nonrefundable). I have rental homes and do NOT allow pets. The few times we did, over the years, EVERY single time we were left losing money because of the "perfect dog who never does anything wrong". Often times, what a pet owner doesn't realize is that a landlord has to repair and pay for things the pet owner may never even realize is an issue.

Dogs:

Digging holes in the yard - even if its a small hole. If the next tenant moves in and trips/falls/breaks an ankle, the landlord can be sued. So the landlord has to take the time to go over the entire yard to make sure there are no holes and if there are, they have to be filled in.

Small dogs are the WORST about chewing holes in carpet. If a small drop of food gets down in the carpet, a small dog will chew holes in the carpet trying to get it. A large dog can actually rip the carpet up.

Scratching on doors, walls, shed doors (leaving marks).

Fleas - even after the dog is gone, the fleas remain.

Allergens - The next tenant might be allergic to pet dander. Special cleaning, which cost $$, has to be done. Its not just the carpets. Walls and ceilings have to be wiped down in every room or repainted. Porches and decks have to be pressure washed (even if they appear clean).

Cats:

Cats are notorious for messing up insulation. They will crawl under a house and pull the insulation down, exposing pipes and making the home less energy efficient. They will get into duct work and makes holes for the heat/air to escape. These are things a renter does not see but an owner has to crawl under a house and look for (and repair if needed). In apartments, cats can get into the vents (say a kid pulls a vent cover out of the floor - it happens) and cause all kinds of trouble. This is all aside from urine stains/smells. Cat litter gets ingrained down in the carpet. Puke? All cats puke and you can't predict when or where. This stains carpet.

Pet hair - Dogs and Cats - Pet hair gets into cracks in walls, on porches, in door frames, light fixtures, etc. Its EVERYWHERE, and you may not notice it because you are use to it. Someone who does not own a pet would notice it immediately.

These are all little things a renter usually doesn't think about. The landlord has to charge these fees so they can make sure the home is back to its original condition for the next tenant. Its also why most of us do not allow pets at all - its just easier to not deal with it.

Also, do NOT be fooled by the ads going around on social media saying if you pay a $65 to register your dog as an Emotional Service Animal that your landlord can't deny you or evict you. This is a lie and a scam to make money. Do not fall for it.

As frustrating as it is, just keep searching and hopefully something will come up thats affordable for you. I just wanted to shed some light on why pet deposits are so high and why they are non-refundable.

Emotional support animals are not a scam. It is Federal law that if u have a note from your doctor saying why u need one or just that u do u can't be denied even in places that say no pets. U also can't be forced to pay the pet deposit.

 

[Bianca and Bernard]

Look outside Jacksonville. Middleburg and Orange Park. Green Cove Springs.

If you are looking seriously at Jax, avoid the North/West sides. Crime and gang activity are very high. South is starting to drop as well.

I have a 3 bedroom, 2 bath + garage and huge yard in Middleburg for $1200 (rent). I'm willing to pay more, because of the area I'm in (small cul-de-sac; quiet), but the apartments up the road from us (about 2 miles) run a lot less than that.


http://www.apartments.com/st-johns-landing-apartments-green-cove-springs-fl/hx9kfe2/

http://www.apartments.com/cypress-pointe-orange-park-fl/m8f600h/

http://www.apartments.com/arbors-at-orange-park-orange-park-fl/4bp63rh/

 

[Bianca and Bernard]

Emotional support animals are not a scam. It is Federal law that if u have a note from your doctor saying why u need one or just that u do u can't be denied even in places that say no pets. U also can't be forced to pay the pet deposit.

You really should check some facts. That's incorrect in the state of FL.

It is true, they cannot deny renting to someone who has a service animal.

Work and Tasks

According to the § 35.104 and § 36.104 (2010), examples of work and tasks performed by service animals include, but are not limited to:

• guiding people who are blind or have low vision
• alerting people who are deaf or hard of hearing
• providing non-violent protection or rescue work
• pulling a wheelchair
• assisting an individual during a seizure
• alerting individuals to the presence of allergens
• retrieving items
• providing physical support and assistance with balance and stability to individuals with mobility disabilities
• helping persons with psychiatric or neurological disabilities by preventing or interrupting impulsive or destructive behaviors
• reminding a person with mental illness to take prescribed medications, or
• calming a person with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) during an anxiety attack.

Crime deterrence or provision of comfort or emotional support do not constitute "work or tasks" under the ADA.

Also, you're missing some letters. Unless you're texting, there is really no reason to not type out the word YOU.

 

[rigs32]

How long do you plan to stay in the apartment? $300/dog over several years is nothing, when you think about it.

 

[petlvr1064]

An emotional support animal is not a pet. An emotional support animal is a companion animal that provides therapeutic benefit to an individual with a mental or psychiatric disability. The person seeking the emotional support animal must have a verifiable disability (the reason cannot just be a need for companionship). The animal is viewed as a "reasonable accommodation" under the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988 (FHA or FHAct) to those housing communities that have a "no pets" rule. In other words, just as a wheelchair provides a person with a physical limitation the equal opportunity to use and enjoy a dwelling, an emotional support animal provides a person with a mental or psychiatric disability the same opportunity to live independently. Most times, an emotional support animal will be seen as a reasonable accommodation for a person with such a disability. Failure to make reasonable accommodations by changing rules or policies can be a violation of the FHA unless the accommodation would be an undue financial burden on the landlord or cause a fundamental alteration to the premises.

That is the federal law. I am sorry I can't spell that well. I have a learning disability.

 

[danielleburns]

Not sure if your looking for a specific area but we lived in Clearwater for 4 years .The bus system is one of the best as we never owned a vehicle and we're able to get around with no problems at all and it's near the beach .I know they lots of 55 plus communities around .I would stay out of tampa and St pete but the other areas are pretty nice.

https://www.after55.com/senior-housing/fl/metro-tampa-bay/clearwater

 

[Shmily1]

How about Lake Mary area? It's not far from Kissimmee and was great when I have visited family there. Also, Windermere, but it may be a little more expensive.