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Post by happyrecer on Jun 1, 2016 9:17:48 GMT -7
Okay, I must vent today - with restraint, however.
I just received a rent increase - of SEVENTY DOLLARS A MONTH FOR A STUDIO THE SIZE OF A MATCHBOX!!!! I had to renew for one year because I've got too much else going on right now. I don't have the energy for moving out and finding another place to live at the present time. Nearly SEVEN HUNDRED DOLLARS a month for a studio. Do they not have rent control here in SLC? I have NEVER received a rent increase of this amount since I moved from my hometown 31 years ago. I have lived in K.C. and St. Louis and have never been faced with an increase of this size. Therefore...
After this lease expires next summer, I would like to move to somewhere more economical. May I please ask if anyone has any suggestions for more affordable housing - perhaps in the suburbs?
I would appreciate anyone's assistance here. I'm angry; however, I DID sign the lease, so I have to live with it. And from this point forward, I will stop complaining about it.
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Post by slcgl on Jun 1, 2016 11:20:47 GMT -7
Have you looked outside of the Salt Lake valley? Many REC employees live in Tooele, or north of SLC in Davis county. Perhaps look for a basement apartment in a private home? That could work out well if you found a landlord you got along with.
I'm sure if you could buy a small condo you already would have, but I'll suggest it anyway. The REC could have another December like the last two, which would let you get a down payment together.
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Post by happyrecer on Jun 1, 2016 20:30:08 GMT -7
Thanks for that info! I will look into that area; I should have probably put off renewing this stupid lease. But if I hadn't renewed it now, they could have raised the rent even more.
I am also afraid that with my other debts I cannot afford to buy right now. But I will keep your info. in mind and begin searching in about six months. That way I'll have something secured when the time comes!
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Post by Topple on Jun 3, 2016 16:39:36 GMT -7
Yeah, I've got to agree the apartment prices here are a bit much to my liking as well. I lived in Florida for a while and had a beautiful 2 bedroom, 2 bath apartment that was a 12 minute WALK to the beach, and I only paid $930 a month. Something in oceanless Salt Lake City as big and nice as what I had in Florida would probably run me over $1200. :/
Have you looked in Magna and West Valley City too?
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Post by happyrecer on Jun 3, 2016 20:29:48 GMT -7
Thanks for that info, Topple! I must admit, I signed that renewal lease before I should have. I should have taken your and slcgl's advice before panicking. My stupid landlord told me that if I didn't sign the renewal lease, the rent could be even HIGHER. Can you believe that their one-bedrooms in another location run $1400 per month? My God! I simply don't know how people afford it. When this stupid lease runs out next summer, you can bet I'm movin' on. Yes, I've heard that some areas of West Valley aren't as bad as others. I no longer wish to succor vulgar opportunism such as this. Do you know what my landlord told me - with no shame whatsoever? "We charge higher rents because we can."
Icky...
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Post by Topple on Jun 4, 2016 21:08:24 GMT -7
That's terrible... and scary! I really hope Salt Lake City does get stricter rent control, if we even have it to begin with.
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Post by lastrec on Jun 5, 2016 11:56:19 GMT -7
I don't think Salt Lake has rent control, unfortunately. When my now husband, then fiancé, and I were living in a small apartment, our rent suddenly jumped almost $100. The property manager gave us pretty much the same answer you got happyrecer: "it's what the market is now." That motivated us to each work a second job for a year, and scale back our big wedding plans, to buy a house.
I've known a few people who were able to buy one bedroom condos for what they were already paying in rent. It wouldn't hurt to look around some before your lease is up. Making that big payment every month hurts much less when it's your own equity you're building up.
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Post by happyrecer on Jun 5, 2016 14:50:10 GMT -7
Lastrec: That makes me angry - that you were forced to alter your wedding plans because of this manifest opportunism. You shouldn't have had to do this. I wish I could afford to buy; however, the REC will close some day. Let us hope this will not occur for a long, long time. But along with the mortgage payment would come taxes and all utilities. Here at my icky studio, all utilities except electric are covered. But I shall take your advice and start looking before my icky lease runs out. This sort of greed is deeply repulsive...
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Post by lastrec on Jun 6, 2016 9:00:29 GMT -7
Thanks happyrecer, but in retrospect we were better off without the expensive wedding. We still invited everyone we wanted to, but we had ceremony & reception in my grandparents back yard, simplified and chose less expensive options for almost everything. I'm really glad we bought our house around the same time we were starting our careers.
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