According to a WTSP News (CBS) Tampa report airing earlier this week, if you are renting a house or condo from a private owner, then YOU could now be liable for any unpaid Homeowners Association (HOA) fees! Why? Because as of July 1, 2010, Florida law now makes it possible for condo or homeowners’ associations to come after you for the unpaid HOA fees that your landlord should have been paying out of your monthly rent. That’s right, even if you are just the tenant renting from the homeowner, these fees can now be your problem. And it could be a big problem, even resulting in your eviction. As the WTSP News story explains, “Letters are already flying out from law firms throughout the Sunshine State threatening thousands of renters with eviction if they don’t start paying their landlord’s fees.”

So how do you know whether your landlord is keeping current? Well, you could certainly ask, and then hope that you receive an honest reply. If you’ve known your landlord to be reliable in the past, then it’s unlikely that you’ll have a problem. Typically, your first clue about any delinquency with HOA fees will arrive in the form of a letter requesting payment. “If you receive one of these letters demanding you pay your landlord’s fees – don’t, I repeat, don’t put the letter in your drawer and expect it to go away. The homeowners association has the ability to evict you for non-payment.” said the WTSP report, and “Your first call should be to your landlord to demand that he/she/it pay the fees within 48 hours.” If you are unsuccessful after contacting your landlord, you do have the right under Florida law to pay the delinquent HOA fees directly yourself, and then deduct that amount from your next rent payment to your landlord.

Unfortunately, if your landlord is delinquent in paying the HOA fees, then it is also possible that your landlord is similarly behind in making the mortgage payments! Thus, even if you pay the overdue HOA fees, you may still find yourself facing eviction by the bank, compounding your problems yet further. The bottom line, according to the WTSP report: “a landlord who fails to pay their homeowner’s fees after repeated warnings from the homeowners association is probably a landlord you want to cut ties with when you can.” Sounds like a good idea to me. For the full WTSP story: http://www.wtsp.com/news/columnist/story.aspx?storyid=140520&catid=79.

RB

Many of the renters in the Gainesville market are looking for semester leases this time of year.  This can, and usually does, prove to be a very daunting and frustrating task.  While some complexes offer semester leases, they only offer a limited number so you have to act quickly when the lease term is offered.  Most renters don’t like to be in this situation and like to wait and see what else will come available.  This is a double-edged sword.  Some new options may open up or the existing offers will lease up in the same time leaving the renter with no options at all.  At this point, some renters will be tempted to sign a 12 month lease and attempt to sublet the apartment for the remaining months.  While this is not impossible, it is very difficult and time consuming.  Of course, the obvious downside to this scenario is that if the apartment doesn’t get sublet the original renter is responsible to pay the remainder of the lease whether they are living there or not.

The best advice that can be offered on how to handle this dillema is to act quickly when you find a complex offering semester leases.  Yes, another complex may start offering semester leases later, but at least you are settled and are no longer stressing to find an apartment.

A recent article in the Tampa Tribune warned “apartment rents are on the rise”.

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/feb/14/bz-apartment-rents-are-on-the-rise/?news-money

The quote from the CEO of a large apartment builder and management company may seem ominous but on closer inspection he is talking about “in three to five years”.

What we are seeing right now and expect for the next year are terrific deals for the renter.

While some apartments are raising the rents slightly they are also offering some incredible incentives to lure immediate renters. We have many communities that are offering one, two and sometimes three months FREE.

Oftentimes they will prorate part or all of the special over the lease term, effectively lowering the monthly rent. The decrease can be dramatic!

For example a $1,000 apartment that is offering 2 months free prorated over a 12 month lease will cost $833 per month. That is a tremendous discount!

So, I’m not sure what will happen in three to five years, but I know right now is a GREAT time to be looking for an apartment.

With the recent condo craze/crash in Florida there are a lot of, what a friend of mine calls, accidental landlords. They bought hoping to flip quickly and now are stuck trying to rent them out.

For the renter, they represent a large source of quality housing, usually at a much lower rent. They can’t afford to sit on a vacant unit so they have to do whatever it takes to get them rented.

But even more importantly, they also tend to be more lenient on the qualifications to rent.

Large apartment communities are usually bound by rigid standards that they have to apply across the board. If you have a credit glitch or infraction with the law from errors made years ago you may find it hard to qualify with the big boys.

A private owner may be a great option to use while trying to repair that credit to be able to rent elsewhere or even buy later on.

On the flip side, they don’t always have the expertise or resources to deal with problems that may come up with the apartment (i.e. repairs). Be sure you discuss who will be responsible if something goes wrong in the property and make sure it is spelled out in the lease.

Renting in Gainesville can be a headache.  As we all know, there are a ton of options (a lot of the similar) from which to choose.  The problem lies in narrowing those options down to the few that fit your search criteria.  There are many choices to be made; furnished/unfurnished, washer/dryer, individual lease, and the list goes on.  Obviously price is a main concern, but a close second is usually location.  Many times these options clash with each other.  You can find an apartment in the price range you want but not the location or the amenities.  You can run around from place to place only to find out that the complex doesn’t allow pets, or doesn’t have a washer/dryer, or just isn’t available when you need it.  This can be extremely frustrating, especially with gas prices being so high.

Luckily, there is a way to avoid most of these problems.  Apartment Hunters can narrow your search for you and only show you the options that work for you.  All you have to do is contact us.  You can call us, email us, or just stop in the office.  Any way you choose you will have a personalized search tailored to your needs.

The days of driving around looking for an apartment, or worse, looking through the classified ads, are quickly disappearing.

Most people don’t have the time or patience for that and the best properties and the best deals usually can’t be found that way.

The internet has become a huge resource for people looking for a new home. But too often it has become a glorified ad, only telling you what the property wants you to know.

This is where an apartment locator can be a tremendous help. A true locator service differs from the sites that simply offer a searchable database. Again, these really are just ads from the apartment community. There is no one to talk to or ask questions about the property except the property personnel. Nothing against them, but their job is to sell you on their property not necessarily the best property for you.

A true apartment locator with personalized help should be able to offer both the database that you can search, but more importantly, an experienced local expert that you can talk to (or email). You can tell them exactly what your needs or wants are, what is important to you and what is not. They can often times make suggestions or properties or even areas that you may not have ever considered before.

Especially with the proliferation of the condo conversion and reversions back to rentals it can be difficult to know if a particular property is renting or not. Many private owners can offer significant deals but are difficult to find on your own.

It does not end up costing the renter any more to use a locator. They are paid by the apartment community out of their advertising budget and are under agreement to offer the same rates as to anyone just walking in.

Many times a good locator can save you a substantial amount of money by looking for specials that properties will offer at various times to try to quickly rent a particular unit.