If you rent a house... - Page 3

[onlyzombiecat]

We rented a house a few years ago.
rural Kansas- about $250 a month
We paid utilities.
We had to mow or pay to have the yard mowed.
A trash can was provided but we took it to the curb.
The landlord did do snow plowing on the drive.
The landlord was supposed to do maintenance to the actual house but did not.

I think you will have to research what is normal for your area. If all the other rental houses in your range are taking care of lawn care and such you probably want to do that as well.

[andisolo]

housing prices...

Its hard to say what to rent for, everything is a factor. Where you live, how are the schools? Is there a big crime rate? Its is best to check out the local paper or check out CraigsList where alot of people are advertising now.

I've rented 2 houses....1 the maintenance was taken care of for us and we paid the water bill.

The other whenever there was a repair we would get receipts and work off the rent. Are you willing to do that?

People who rent houses are adults and there should be no reason why they can't take their own trash to the curb. They can also get their own trash cans, unless you live in a town like my sister that requires all residents to use theirs. Then you would need to purchase one, or inform them that they would be required to handle this.

Always put everything in writing!

Good luck and happy renting!! =)

[I~love~pie]

LOL I cant believe what some pay for rent. OMG I cant believe what Im going to be paying for rent where we are moving : I cant belive we have lived here for as long as we have. I was just talking to my mother and the apt next to hers , her landlord just rented out for $1400 for a 2 bdrm apt.
If it comes down to it , I wont charge most those other things into the bills, id rather be renting it out for something than nothing. we basically we will be doing nothing with the property once we leave, well the rental agency said we could pick and choose what we want done and factored into the price. We would definatly have to have someone come out and trim our hedges in the summer. I would probably leave snow removal up to the tenant and basic mowing. theres nothing eles really that needs to be done on the property. im a big veggie gardener but I havent done anything this year yet this year. I do have raised beds. Should I just fill them in? leave them with just dirt in case the tenant wants to plant something?
there is so much to think about. I never in a million years would ever guess I could even have the possibility of being a landlord.

[Delicateflower]

Can't the rental agent give you an idea of what sort of rent you can charge?

[chinaKat]

I didn't read the rest of the posts, but I'm wondering if they meant paying the trash collection bill? I never paid a dime to have my trash picked up as a renter, and was surprised to learn that there was a 2x year bill for trash collection once I became a homeowner. Maybe some landlords pass that cost along to their tenants.

When I was a renter in the Boston area, our landlord paid somebody to mow our lawn and trim our hedge, but they were kind of sporadic about doing it so sometimes I'd take care of it myself if things were getting scruffy looking.

ETA -- we always had to shovel our own steps and sidewalks.

[JesiLynne]

SE WI, a middle class neighborhood, 2 bedroom 1 1/2 bath with den that we use as a bedroom. $1100. We were doing the landscaping but our yard is large and the landlord likes to keep it a certain length and it was just too much for us to handle with a push mower. He has a riding one. Plus a leaf blower and weed wacker, which makes things easier.

If something breaks he fixes it, replaces it etc...... I take out our garbage.

One bit of advice, if you can not afford to pay for the mortgage payments yourself, I wouldn't rent it out. This house was his and then they moved to another home, renting this place out. They still have a mortgage on it, and our rent goes toward the mortgage. But, almost 2 months after we moved in DH lost his job, and it was a hard thing for our landlord b/c we couldn't pay the rent always. He has been extremely merciful and kind, but I know it has but financial stress on him. Plus after a bit, everything started going to pieces, the fridge broke, had to be replaced, the oven broke, had to be replaced. My kids flushed a toy and he had to replace the toilet, which I pray I can pay him back for.

I have a friend who is living on her credit cards b/c they rented part of a duplex they own to a crazy guy who didn't pay his rent at all for 2 months, and had no intention of doing so, so they had to pay 1/2 of the mortgage on that one property.

Just a word of caution.

[I~love~pie]

One bit of advice, if you can not afford to pay for the mortgage payments yourself, I wouldn't rent it out.>>>

should I let it go into forclosure? I really dont understand this. If we cant sell it, what would be do with it? I can not afford rent and a mortgage. again I will be moving from the east coast to the west coast.
as for the rental agent telling us what to rent it out for, im still waiting for her to get back to me with the $ amounts we can sell it for, if thats to low then renting is our only option.
I just want to add as I probably didnt before, we are not moving for the heck of it, dh is getting a unexpected transfer. either be laid off or go.

[Shelsi]

We pay $1650/mo for a 3 bedroom old house with a good school nearby, we're in a high COL area (washington d.c.).

We mow, rake the leaves, etc. We pay all the utilities including water.

[ani'smommy]

We get $700/month or so for a two bedroom house. They do all yardwork (very small yard) and trash!

[SandyMom]

Originally Posted by I~love~pie

One bit of advice, if you can not afford to pay for the mortgage payments yourself, I wouldn't rent it out.>>>

should I let it go into forclosure? I really dont understand this. If we cant sell it, what would be do with it? I can not afford rent and a mortgage. again I will be moving from the east coast to the west coast.
as for the rental agent telling us what to rent it out for, im still waiting for her to get back to me with the $ amounts we can sell it for, if thats to low then renting is our only option.
I just want to add as I probably didnt before, we are not moving for the heck of it, dh is getting a unexpected transfer. either be laid off or go.

I think you are wise to use a rental agency given that you will be so far away.
In my experience they generally do a very thorough job of screening tenants and keeping an eye on your property. So much of it hinges on getting the right tenants in there.
The rental agent will likely know what rent to charge and how to handle specifics such as garbage collection and yard care.

[RiverSky]

Check local rental websites and Craigslist until you find some places that are in your neighborhood or a very similar one, so you can compare rental rates, to see what you can likely get for yours.

I think it's probably very wise to have your rental rate include landscaping service, as you will want to sell your house in a year or two and you will want it in tip-top shape.