CasaSugar

10 Tips For Short-Term Rental and Sublet Agreements

CasaSugar — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 07:00:23 -0800

Did you know that Washington DC residents are renting out their homes for the Jan. 20 presidential inauguration? Residents can stand to earn a pretty penny: the pictured home is renting for $550 a day! The practice is becoming so popular that there's even a website dedicated to the cause. Whether you're a DC resident looking to rent out your house for inauguration weekend, or a homeowner or renter who'd like to do a short-term sublet for an upcoming vacation, it's better to be safe than sorry when offering your home to a stranger. Douglas Culkin, president of the National Apartment Association, notes that, "By taking some basic precautions, people can leave their homes feeling like they have done their due diligence to ensure a smooth renting experience.”

To see tips from the National Apartment Association, read more.

Draw up a basic, legally binding agreement to secure payment that includes a damaged property clause. Get 50 percent deposit in advance.
Give strong consideration to doing a background check of the resident. It costs about $30 to $40 and can be done in minutes. Search for “resident screening” to find a vendor. Incorporate the cost of the screening into what you are charging for “rent.”
Make sure you're protected with insurance - if someone injures themselves in your home you may be liable. Check your policy.
If you currently rent your home and are thinking of sub-letting it for the week, check with your landlord to make sure you are legally allowed to do so before you post your advertisement.
Make a duplicate set of keys. Send them via an insured carrier service but do not include your home address anywhere in the package, in case it gets lost or stolen before reaching its intended recipient.
Change the locks after they leave. Incorporate this cost into what you charge for rent.
What about pets? If your lease agreement allows them, you'll have to decide if you want to let a renter bring their pet for the week, but be clear if no pets are allowed so there are no surprises upon your return.
As a courtesy, alert your neighbors, who will see strangers entering and exiting your home during their stay, so they don't call the police.
You'll exchange emergency numbers with your renters, but in case you are not immediately reachable, leave a second local emergency contact number, especially if you plan to leave the area.
Clean out the fridge, make some closet space, etc. Schedule to have a cleaning company come before the renters arrive and after they leave. No one wants to see the other's leftovers.

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Do You Rent or Own?

CasaSugar — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 13:55:01 -0700

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Lauren Conrad's Pad Is Up For Rent

CasaSugar — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 09:53:36 -0800

I'm sure all of you Hills fans would kill to replace Audrina in Lauren Conrad's Spanish villa in the Hollywood flats. Well, something tells me that reality is not so far off. Conrad is renting out her 3,009-square-foot, four-bedroom, 3.5-bath home for $11,000 per month. Conrad and her BFF Lo Bosworth moved into a high-rise condo in the Westwood area of LA in favor of more security and privacy. I'm also guessing that Lauren's feud with her neighbors over the commotion of paparazzi and MTV crews at her digs might have motivated her to move elsewhere. To see interior photos of LC's pad, read more.

Would you like to rent out Conrad's pad? I certainly would! I actually think it's sad that she's decided to move; it's such a cute house. To each her own, right?

View 7 Photos ›

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Have You Ever Been Fooled Into Renting a Bad Apartment?

CasaSugar — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 11:00:47 -0700

Last night, in the first episode of this season's Ugly Betty, Betty moves into an apartment of her own in Manhattan. Unfortunately, she gives in to the realtor's pressure and signs a lease for the apartment sight unseen. When the Realtor assures her that the other apartment is just as charming as the one Betty doesn't get, Betty innocently believes her.

And as you can plainly see, Betty was duped. While I've never had anything this extreme happen, I've had my share of bad rental experiences. Before I bought my house, I did have to deal with everything from dirty apartments to bizarre landlords (one actually stole some of my furniture while I was living in the house). Have you had any bad rental experiences?

How-To: Find an Apartment on Craiglist

CasaSugar — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 09:00:07 -0800

Apartment hunting is a necessary evil. It's not fun, but you can't fake it either - unless you actually like crashing with your parents. Short of throwing money at a broker, there aren't too many secrets to apartment hunting; you've just got to search the local papers, classifieds, and online agency listings, cruise the neighborhoods you like for signs, and of course, scour Craigslist in depth. I'm sure you can handle most of this, but there is a method to the madness of Craigslist that you may not all be aware of. It doesn't guarantee you a dream pad for the price of a shanty, but it'll at least get you in front of what you're looking for. If you're looking for tips on how to up your credit score for a prospective landlord, you'd better check out SavvySugar. To hear my tips, read more.

First of all, if you're looking for an apartment from long distance, you should be extra cautious, demand to see many photographs and references, and don't sign a lease until you or someone you know has visited it.
Moving on - no pun intended: You should begin looking for a place two months in advance of when you want to move. Most places are listed about a month ahead, and in big cities, apartments will go in a day. But, if you give yourself two months, you'll get a better idea of what's available, what you can afford, what neighborhoods you like, and how quickly things are going.
You should already have an idea of what you're looking for. So write it all down in front of you, and don't be too picky; a penthouse apartment with maid, pool, gym, and ocean and mountain views for $700/month is never gonna happen.
The wonder of Craigslist is that it allows you to add your search terms to your RSS reader. To do so, go to your city's site on Craigslist, click "Housing," then fill in specifics like keywords, rent, number of bedrooms, neighborhood, and whether you need a pet-friendly place. Then, choose "apt/housing for rent" from the drop down menu, and check off "has image." Then, scroll to the bottom of the page and click the yellow "RSS" button. This will bring up the feed and allow you to add it to your RSS reader. Try Google Reader or Bloglines, if you don't have one already. Just so you know, you can use this same method for looking for furniture, cars, or anything else on Craigslist. And, you can download an app to your Blackberry or iPhone for your reader so you can read listings on the go.
If you're open to a range of living situations, neighborhoods, rents, etc., then your chances of finding a place are greater, but that also means you'll need to subscribe to more feeds. So go through the last step again until you've entered all the possible search terms and combinations.
I have 118 blogs in my RSS reader (a lot!), so if I were apartment hunting, I'd want to compound them all. You can combine a bunch of feeds into one with FeedBlendr.
If you're afraid to get dirty with an RSS feed, you can do it the old-fashioned way, by making methodical searches. Peruse Craigslist's various categories (apartments, rooms, sublets) the same way you entered a range of search terms. You never know: a temporary rental could last three years, or a shared apartment could be with someone who travels nine months of the year.
Whichever way you'll be reading the listings, you need to do so routinely. Get up first thing and the morning and then look again every few hours. Set an alarm if you have to remind yourself.
When you see something that you might like, click on the map link at the bottom of the CL page to verify its address (people lie about neighborhoods sometimes). Or better yet, use a Google Maps/Craigslist mashup like MapsKrieg, which allows you to see all the listings for your location on a map.

Stay tuned for tips on actually snagging the apartment you want once you've found it!

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Cool Idea: Maps Krieg

CasaSugar — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 13:00:28 -0800

In big cities, Craigslist is the master when it comes to looking for apartments. But, unfortunately people tend to fudge about what neighborhood their listings are in. Google Mapping dozens of listings a day can really cut into your day job - and who wants to be homeless and jobless?
So, along came MapsKrieg, a website that has mashed together Craigslist and Google Maps, so you can view apartment listings, photos, and details geographically on a map. Just type in the location you'd like to search by address and city or zip code, and it'll reveal clickable pushpins for each listing. Or, you can just navigate a listings table that lists the headline, rent, listing date, and says whether or not photos are available. Obviously, the site only supports cities that already have listings on CL, so you might be out of luck if you live in rural areas. The drawback is that as it stands, in beta, you can only search by location, not keywords like "studio," "furnished," "cat-friendly," etc. But, it's a start. I've got my own digs now, but I sure do wish I'd known about this handy site in my renting days.

Are You in the Market For a New Crib?

CasaSugar — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 11:00:27 -0700

If you're looking to buy a new home right now, this sour economy is probably working in your favor, as prices have been driven down. If you're trying to rent, your hand doesn't look as good, as rental costs have risen. Are you content in your pad or looking to move?
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How-To: Snag Yourself an Apartment

CasaSugar — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 11:00:17 -0800

Now that you know how to find an apartment on Craigslist, I'd like to give you some tips on how to snag the apartment you want. If you found a listing you like in the newspaper or on a sign, no need to put on the earmuffs: these tips apply to you, too.

First of all, if you see a listing that's even of vague interest to you, email or call the contact with all of your information, and do it fast. Some digs will go within a couple hours or a day.
You should have all of your credentials and references ready to show a potential landlord in case something pops up.

To hear the rest of my tips, read more.

When you've made an appointment to see an apartment, get there early! If you're first, the landlord will show it to you first, and if you like the place (assuming you have good credit), it's yours. If you come after it's been shown, you may lose out.
People can be flaky, and there are a lot of scams on Craigslist, so don't hold out for anything thinking you've found "the one." Keep sending out emails and visiting apartments until you've signed a lease.
On that note, don't be a flake yourself. If you've said you're going to visit an apartment, go! And, come prepared with anything the landlord has asked for, in addition to extra credentials and references. Also very important, bring a checkbook when you visit an apartment. Be prepared to put a deposit down, or even the first/last months' rent (if you want it) when you visit the place: it's pretty standard to ask for either of them.
Also, take photos. You'll be looking at a lot of apartments, and you'll want something to look back at if you end up deciding between places.
Finally, keep at it. Don't get bummed or frustrated. Don't panic if you need to leave work early. Apartment hunting is practically a rite of passage, and your bosses will understand.

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Ask Casa: Help With My New Living Room

CasaSugar — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:00:00 -0800

Hi Casa,

I recently rented my first apartment and now I have to furnish and make it my own space. Eeek! I feel like I need some serious help. The apartment is not very big and I'm not allowed to paint the walls so they must remain white. Right now I'm focused on the living area. As of right now I have a couch, chair, and an accent table. I'm need of a coffee table, but I was thinking instead of going the table route, of doing a cocktail ottoman. I found one at Target, the Kerry Rectangle Ottoman, I thought might work well. If you could give me some pointers I would be truly grateful. I've included a picture so you can get some idea of what I'm working with. Thanks, xnieves

To hear my suggestions for xnieves, read more.

Hi xnieves,

Thanks for writing in! How fun? Your first apartment! The space looks great. Your parquet floors are gorgeous, and that fireplace nook is great.

It's too bad you can't paint the walls, but you do have some alternatives. If you're allowed to, hang large-scale artwork to instantly bring color to the space. The wall above that fireplace is just begging for a big, bright painting. You can also hang textiles, tapestries, or curtains to bring in color. Another great trick is to wallpaper boards of plywood and just lean them against your walls - see what I mean here.

While I do like the idea of using an ottoman instead of a coffee table, I'm afraid it will be too hefty for this small space, especially in that dark brown color of the Kerry ottoman. If you really want one, I'd recommend getting two small ottoman cubes instead - something more like this. But honestly, I think the space would really benefit from a coffee table that's much lighter visually, such as a glass or Lucite one. For instance, the CB2 Smart Coffee Table ($199) would look great (and let those parquet floors peek through).

The biggest problem I see already here though is that you're headed in a very beige and brown direction, which is not very inspiring or intriguing. You need color in this space. I recommend adding colorful throw pillows to the couch, and maybe a small one to the chair as well. Since you can't paint the walls, your furnishings should take the lead on adding color and personality. You should also dress up that fireplace nook; read my post on Decorating a Nonworking Fireplace for ideas. Bring in color with accessories, too, such a candlesticks, books, vases, etc.

Hope that helps!

Cheers,
Casa

Have You Ever Rented Dining Furniture?

CasaSugar — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 10:59:59 -0700

In last night's episode of Gossip Girl, the Manhattan crew headed to Greenwich, CT, for a polo match. The fields (as well as the characters) were dressed to the nines in blue-blooded style with crisp white table linens and white folding chairs under white tents, which would have been rented for the occasion. Have you ever rented dining chair or tables for a party at your house?

Photo courtesy of the CW