Rental Season Is Upon Us!
Well, if spring is here, then it must also be the beginning of the Upper Valley rental season. Most landlords try very hard to have their leases end in the warmer months between April and October. It seems to work for the tenants as well, because who wants to move when it's ten below zero? So, as surely as the buds begin to show up on the trees, "For Rent" ads start to sprout up and calls start to come in for rental possibilities.
A large portion of the rental activity in the Upper Valley is centered around Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. Aside from the fact that DHMC is a super large employer, early spring is the time when medical school students are thinking about finding a place to live prior to beginning their journey into medicine. Medical school graduates who have matched DHMC for their residency are on the move and their opposite numbers who are finishing up either a residency or medical school are moving on to their next challenge.
Later in the year, the Tuck School entrants will be coming in and seeking accommodations, visiting nurses are on the move, renters who have become homeowners are leaving their apartments to start their new adventure, family sizes have increased over the last lease term and larger quarters are necessary. Marriages, divorces, new employment, loss of employment, job transfers and on and on contribute to the active Upper Valley rental scene. In most years, about 30-40% of rental units "turn over" in property management parlance and that keeps managers, carpet cleaners and maintenance staff plenty busy. All of this makes for an active and competitive rental marketplace.
If you're looking to rent a place to live, here are a few tips on getting the perfect rental:
- Start early, but not too early. Most leases give the current tenants 60 days from expiration to decide whether they are staying. So landlords do not know what will be available until a minimum of 60 days before leases expire.
- If you find a place you want, get your application back right away. Landlords are looking for the first qualified tenant they can find.
- Be prepared to deliver a deposit check as soon as your application is approved. Few landlords will "hold" a rental without a deposit.
- Be diligent. Work the newspapers, the rental websites, the bulletin boards, and follow up "word of mouth" leads.
Probably the most important thing to do in finding a new rental is to have been a good tenant for past landlords! Many leases are 4-8 pages long, but most property managers will tell you that all of that writing usually boils down to just three things:
- Pay the rent on time! If it's due on the first of the month, have it arrive on or before the first. Landlords love this and it will help to get you a good reference for next time.
- Don't disturb the neighbors! If your loud and annoying parties, pets, car, stereo, television, slamming doors, fighting with your room-mate etc. etc. generate a complaint, it hurts - a lot. Landlords hate these calls and will warn future landlords looking for a rental reference.
- Don't tear the place up! This includes keeping and then leaving the unit like a pig-sty. Just pretend your mom is watching. Wipe your feet, clean the oven, range and refrigerator, vacuum the carpets, and please, clean your own bathroom. Landlords just hate cleaning up after slobs and will tell the world how you treated their property.
Sooooooooo - Good luck and happy moving!
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