Help me move
July 23, 2018 8:56 AM Subscribe
How does moving work? My husband and I have lived in the same apartment complex for 20 years, and it is well past time we moved on. However, I don't really understand how one manages giving notice at the old place, finding a new place, and paying all the associated costs. Am I missing something or is this really going to cost me thousands of dollars?
We live in an apartment complex in the Chicago suburbs and our rent is over $1500 a month. Our lease states we have to give 2 months notice if we want to move. (According to the lease we have a lease buy out option for $3000 if we need to move before the end of the lease term.)
Whatever new apartment we find will probably be comparable in rent cost.
What I don't understand is, how after giving two months notice, one goes about finding a suitable new dwelling which will magically allow you to move in right on or about the date you have to be out of the old place. Do people just pay double rent for a month or two? How??? There has never been a month in my entire life in which I could afford to pay rent on two places plus cough up a security deposit and moving costs.
Is there some way to manage this that I don't understand? Or do I really need to save up somewhere in the neighborhood of $6000 - $10,000 to move?
Bonus questions:
1. What is the best way to go about finding a new apartment in the Chicago suburbs? I've looked at Zillow but am wondering if there is something better.
2. Our credit rating is "fair" right now. Is this going to be a problem? Keeping in mind we've lived in the same apartment for nearly 20 years and both of us have very stable job histories.
We live in an apartment complex in the Chicago suburbs and our rent is over $1500 a month. Our lease states we have to give 2 months notice if we want to move. (According to the lease we have a lease buy out option for $3000 if we need to move before the end of the lease term.)
Whatever new apartment we find will probably be comparable in rent cost.
What I don't understand is, how after giving two months notice, one goes about finding a suitable new dwelling which will magically allow you to move in right on or about the date you have to be out of the old place. Do people just pay double rent for a month or two? How??? There has never been a month in my entire life in which I could afford to pay rent on two places plus cough up a security deposit and moving costs.
Is there some way to manage this that I don't understand? Or do I really need to save up somewhere in the neighborhood of $6000 - $10,000 to move?
Bonus questions:
1. What is the best way to go about finding a new apartment in the Chicago suburbs? I've looked at Zillow but am wondering if there is something better.
2. Our credit rating is "fair" right now. Is this going to be a problem? Keeping in mind we've lived in the same apartment for nearly 20 years and both of us have very stable job histories.
Best answer: Yes, some people end up paying double rent for a month.
But basically what happens is that it isn't uncommon for people to move in a day or two before the first of the month to give themselves some overlapping days in both places.
Here's a timeline for you...
You'll need to have first and last month's rent ready for a deposit.
Start looking for a place 2-3 months before you want to move. (I like PadMapper. Beware that Craigslist is scammy.)
Find a place you like. In my experience, they show places at the beginning of a month, with the lease to start the next month. But sometimes in big complexes they are constantly rotating.
Give notice for old place.
Start packing old place. Heck, start purging now!
A week before move, find time to get utilities in your name in new place and schedule utilities to be turned off in old place.
Move! (I think this is something worth spending money on... Pay people to disassemble, move, and reassemble furniture.) This is doable in a 2-3 day block of time probably.
Clean out old place really well. Maybe pay people to do it.
Try to get your old place deposit back.
As far as your credit, it may or may not be a problem. Maybe find some evidence you've paid rent on time for years?
posted by k8t at 9:08 AM on July 23, 2018 [9 favorites]
But basically what happens is that it isn't uncommon for people to move in a day or two before the first of the month to give themselves some overlapping days in both places.
Here's a timeline for you...
You'll need to have first and last month's rent ready for a deposit.
Start looking for a place 2-3 months before you want to move. (I like PadMapper. Beware that Craigslist is scammy.)
Find a place you like. In my experience, they show places at the beginning of a month, with the lease to start the next month. But sometimes in big complexes they are constantly rotating.
Give notice for old place.
Start packing old place. Heck, start purging now!
A week before move, find time to get utilities in your name in new place and schedule utilities to be turned off in old place.
Move! (I think this is something worth spending money on... Pay people to disassemble, move, and reassemble furniture.) This is doable in a 2-3 day block of time probably.
Clean out old place really well. Maybe pay people to do it.
Try to get your old place deposit back.
As far as your credit, it may or may not be a problem. Maybe find some evidence you've paid rent on time for years?
posted by k8t at 9:08 AM on July 23, 2018 [9 favorites]
According to the Illinois Tenants' Union, if a tenant moves out before the end of a lease, their landlord has to make a good-faith effort to find a new renter, and can only charge rent if they fail to find a replacement. You shouldn't count on that, but it's possible. If getting your ideal apartment requires paying double rent for a month, that's unfortunate but it might be worth it.
I haven't lived in Chicagoland for a couple decades, so my apartment hunting was done with newspaper listings. But unless things have changed, most leases were one year (unlike here in western Massachusetts where, after a year, they tend to go on a month-to-month basis). That means that landlords often know a few months in advance that they'll have properties available to rent. I did my searches in June or July for a lease starting in September. The most serious problem I faced was a landlord who had promised my apartment would be renovated by the beginning of September and the work wasn't done, rendering it uninhabitable; they ended up putting us in another vacant unit for a couple weeks and then paying two guys and a truck to move us the second time.
A couple points to bear in mind:
Did you pay your last month's rent when you moved in? It's common for leases to require first month's rent, last month's rent, and security deposit when signing. If you did, your landlord should have billed you for any increases to your rent over the last 20 years. That might ease the immediate financial impact.
Your security deposit is your money, and your landlord should have placed it in an interest-bearing escrow account. The interest won't be a lot, but it should be there. A lot of landlords are unscrupulous about the security deposit, but according to state law, they can only deduct the costs of repairing damage that you caused beyond ordinary wear and tear. After you move your possessions out and clean the apartment, carefully photograph or video the entire apartment so that you have documentation of the state in which you left it. If you have any doubts about whether a deduction from your deposit is justified, contact a tenants' rights organization.
Moving is expensive, no doubt, but it may not be quite as expensive as you fear.
posted by brianogilvie at 9:23 AM on July 23, 2018 [2 favorites]
I haven't lived in Chicagoland for a couple decades, so my apartment hunting was done with newspaper listings. But unless things have changed, most leases were one year (unlike here in western Massachusetts where, after a year, they tend to go on a month-to-month basis). That means that landlords often know a few months in advance that they'll have properties available to rent. I did my searches in June or July for a lease starting in September. The most serious problem I faced was a landlord who had promised my apartment would be renovated by the beginning of September and the work wasn't done, rendering it uninhabitable; they ended up putting us in another vacant unit for a couple weeks and then paying two guys and a truck to move us the second time.
A couple points to bear in mind:
Did you pay your last month's rent when you moved in? It's common for leases to require first month's rent, last month's rent, and security deposit when signing. If you did, your landlord should have billed you for any increases to your rent over the last 20 years. That might ease the immediate financial impact.
Your security deposit is your money, and your landlord should have placed it in an interest-bearing escrow account. The interest won't be a lot, but it should be there. A lot of landlords are unscrupulous about the security deposit, but according to state law, they can only deduct the costs of repairing damage that you caused beyond ordinary wear and tear. After you move your possessions out and clean the apartment, carefully photograph or video the entire apartment so that you have documentation of the state in which you left it. If you have any doubts about whether a deduction from your deposit is justified, contact a tenants' rights organization.
Moving is expensive, no doubt, but it may not be quite as expensive as you fear.
posted by brianogilvie at 9:23 AM on July 23, 2018 [2 favorites]
Best answer: If you're lucky, you'll find a new lease that starts a little earlier than your old lease ends. If not, you can rent a U-Haul, pack all your stuff in there and leave it locked & parked for a few days, and then move it into your new place.
If you put down a security deposit on your current place, you might be getting some of that back, which can help to offset some of your moving costs. If you paid your last month's rent when you signed the lease, you do not have to pay rent the month before you move out, which also offsets moving costs.
If you possibly can, try to avoid paying that $3000 early termination fee. If you need to leave before the end of the lease term, is it possible for you to sublet or sign over your lease to a new tenant instead? This will depend on your lease & your landlord.
Ideally, your order of operations will go something like this:
1. Leading up to your desired move date, save up enough for first month, last month, and security deposit for a new apt (aka, about 3x the monthly rent).
2. WELL BEFORE your required notice time is up, start searching for apartments. Look for a place that's available at the end of your current lease, with a couple of days' overlap. If the place you want has timing that doesn't quite work out, then start thinking about contingency plans:
- subletting your current place
- packing into a U-Haul
- temporarily renting a storage unit
3. Ideally, you will find your new place and SIGN THE LEASE before you're required to give notice at your current place. Without a signed lease, things could fall through and leave you homeless. Once you have that signed lease for your next place, you can give notice.
4. Plan & prep the move. Start cleaning/purging things you don't need and packing boxes asap. Ideally, by a week before the move, the only things left unpacked should be...
- a suitcase of the clothes/toiletries/etc. you'll need to live in an average week,
- a box of the most essential kitchen items (aka coffee!), and
- any big furniture like beds that need to be disassembled at the last minute.
Call in help from friends or professional movers if you need it. Unless you have a perfect move timing that allows you to shuttle everything over in your car bit by bit, then plan on renting a truck (~$150-500 depending on how many days you'll need it).
5. Move day. If you're not paying professionals, then budget for pizza/beer for any friends that help you.
6. Clean the heck out of your old apartment & do a walkthrough with your landlord. Take pictures to document the state of the apartment in case you need to dispute anything.
7. Hopefully, you'll get your full security deposit back at move-out or shortly afterwards, and that will replenish your savings account.
posted by ourobouros at 9:32 AM on July 23, 2018 [3 favorites]
If you put down a security deposit on your current place, you might be getting some of that back, which can help to offset some of your moving costs. If you paid your last month's rent when you signed the lease, you do not have to pay rent the month before you move out, which also offsets moving costs.
If you possibly can, try to avoid paying that $3000 early termination fee. If you need to leave before the end of the lease term, is it possible for you to sublet or sign over your lease to a new tenant instead? This will depend on your lease & your landlord.
Ideally, your order of operations will go something like this:
1. Leading up to your desired move date, save up enough for first month, last month, and security deposit for a new apt (aka, about 3x the monthly rent).
2. WELL BEFORE your required notice time is up, start searching for apartments. Look for a place that's available at the end of your current lease, with a couple of days' overlap. If the place you want has timing that doesn't quite work out, then start thinking about contingency plans:
- subletting your current place
- packing into a U-Haul
- temporarily renting a storage unit
3. Ideally, you will find your new place and SIGN THE LEASE before you're required to give notice at your current place. Without a signed lease, things could fall through and leave you homeless. Once you have that signed lease for your next place, you can give notice.
4. Plan & prep the move. Start cleaning/purging things you don't need and packing boxes asap. Ideally, by a week before the move, the only things left unpacked should be...
- a suitcase of the clothes/toiletries/etc. you'll need to live in an average week,
- a box of the most essential kitchen items (aka coffee!), and
- any big furniture like beds that need to be disassembled at the last minute.
Call in help from friends or professional movers if you need it. Unless you have a perfect move timing that allows you to shuttle everything over in your car bit by bit, then plan on renting a truck (~$150-500 depending on how many days you'll need it).
5. Move day. If you're not paying professionals, then budget for pizza/beer for any friends that help you.
6. Clean the heck out of your old apartment & do a walkthrough with your landlord. Take pictures to document the state of the apartment in case you need to dispute anything.
7. Hopefully, you'll get your full security deposit back at move-out or shortly afterwards, and that will replenish your savings account.
posted by ourobouros at 9:32 AM on July 23, 2018 [3 favorites]
I don't have experience in the suburbs, but I did rent in Chicago proper for ten years and moved a lot in that time. My experience is that for vacant apartments, Chicago landlords are usually willing to begin a new lease at the end of the current month (even if it's early in the month), but no later than that. For vacant apartments, they will usually be fine giving you the keys a few days early. So your choices are basically:
Yes, it likely does take in the range of several thousand dollars to move, for the rent you are talking about. You'll likely need to pay first and last month's rent and security deposit, so that's $4,500 right there on a $1,500 apartment, plus actual moving costs (truck, movers).
How much your credit score matters can really be a crapshoot. Standards vary wildly in Chicago. I had to pay three months upfront (plus last month, plus security deposit) once due to having little credit. Other places were much less particular.
posted by enn at 9:37 AM on July 23, 2018 [2 favorites]
- find a vacant apartment sometime between 60 and 30 days ahead and plan to pay for one month's overlap
- find a currently-rented apartment sometime between 60 and 30 days ahead which will become available at the same time as your lease ends, and try to negotiate a few days of overlap with either the new landlord or your current landlord (for example, the current tenant of your new place may also be leaving a few days early, or you may be able to stay a few extra days at your old place if there is no one lined up to move in right away)
- find a vacant apartment sometime between 30 and 0 days ahead; this can be very stressful if you find yourself two weeks out and haven't found anything you like.
Yes, it likely does take in the range of several thousand dollars to move, for the rent you are talking about. You'll likely need to pay first and last month's rent and security deposit, so that's $4,500 right there on a $1,500 apartment, plus actual moving costs (truck, movers).
How much your credit score matters can really be a crapshoot. Standards vary wildly in Chicago. I had to pay three months upfront (plus last month, plus security deposit) once due to having little credit. Other places were much less particular.
posted by enn at 9:37 AM on July 23, 2018 [2 favorites]
I am a landlord on the side. The main thing that keeps landlords from allowing new tenants to move in the same day as the old tenants move out is bringing the unit to move-in ready condition (deep clean, paint & patch the walls, shampoo the carpet, fix stuff broken by old tenants, change the locks, etc). This can be done in just a few days but that doesn't help you very much when most leases go first-to-last day of the month and you end up having to pay for a whole extra month as a result. So your best bet to avoid paying double rent is to let potential landlords know that you don't need these things done, or that you can do them yourself, or that you don't mind if they are done after your move in. If they agree, you can do both your move out and your move in on the last day of the month.
As far as your credit score, a high score is less important than your rent paying history. If you are able to show years of timely rent payments, do that and you are golden!
Good luck.
posted by rada at 9:52 AM on July 23, 2018 [2 favorites]
As far as your credit score, a high score is less important than your rent paying history. If you are able to show years of timely rent payments, do that and you are golden!
Good luck.
posted by rada at 9:52 AM on July 23, 2018 [2 favorites]
If you can’t arrange overlap at the end of the month, a moving company can help arrange storage for a day or two given enough time. Heck, if you pay the movers to pack for you (highly recommended!) they will store your stuff overnight as part of the package. You can then stay in a hotel or with friends/family for the night or two until the new unit is ready.
posted by crazycanuck at 9:59 AM on July 23, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by crazycanuck at 9:59 AM on July 23, 2018 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Domu.com is an apartment listing site for Chicago. Having recently moved into an apartment in Chicago, I agree with Rock 'em Sock 'em - there seem to be lots of vacancies. And yes, I came up for the weekend to view the apartments. Lease signing, utility sign-up, etc. was done online. And because the Chicago landlords by law have to put your security deposit in a separate account and pay you interest on it, I have found that very few places required a security deposit. Mostly there was a "move in fee" (~$300) with sometimes weird associated fees ($50 to reserve the freight elevator!), but that amounted to much less altogether than 1 month rent total.
Apartments.com, trulia also list apartments. Some people here had good luck with craigslist, but I did not get a good vibe from the apartments listed there.
For some apartments it seems impossible not to go through a realtor, as there is no "office number". If you know what you want, it might be worthwhile to spend some time looking at what they have to offer. It's free for the renter (at least I never got a bill for mine), and she showed me some places I would have never found. I ended up seeing maybe 7 places with the realtor and 7 without.
A couple of practical things:
1. Knowing I'll be seeing a lot of places, I actually created a check list that listed things that were important to me, this way I could do side-by-side comparisons over wine later in the day of the places I saw.
2. to avoid 1-day stress, if you're moving within Chicago I'd advise asking the new landlord to prorate a few days of the previous month. This way you don't have to load everything on the truck in one day and have to scramble to find toilet paper among 1000 boxes once you arrive in the new place.
3. Are you going to be working with a moving company? If so, you might want to book them way ahead of time (after shopping around) - there are busy times of the year (beginning/end of school years) and not so busy. Same for renting a truck.
Good luck! Moving is stressful, but I hope you find something great!
posted by Dotty at 12:19 PM on July 23, 2018 [2 favorites]
Apartments.com, trulia also list apartments. Some people here had good luck with craigslist, but I did not get a good vibe from the apartments listed there.
For some apartments it seems impossible not to go through a realtor, as there is no "office number". If you know what you want, it might be worthwhile to spend some time looking at what they have to offer. It's free for the renter (at least I never got a bill for mine), and she showed me some places I would have never found. I ended up seeing maybe 7 places with the realtor and 7 without.
A couple of practical things:
1. Knowing I'll be seeing a lot of places, I actually created a check list that listed things that were important to me, this way I could do side-by-side comparisons over wine later in the day of the places I saw.
2. to avoid 1-day stress, if you're moving within Chicago I'd advise asking the new landlord to prorate a few days of the previous month. This way you don't have to load everything on the truck in one day and have to scramble to find toilet paper among 1000 boxes once you arrive in the new place.
3. Are you going to be working with a moving company? If so, you might want to book them way ahead of time (after shopping around) - there are busy times of the year (beginning/end of school years) and not so busy. Same for renting a truck.
Good luck! Moving is stressful, but I hope you find something great!
posted by Dotty at 12:19 PM on July 23, 2018 [2 favorites]
For the double-rent issue, most places I've seen let you move in at a date you select (assuming the unit is available) and then pro-rate your rent for that month before going to the normal monthly rent cost, so you can have a few days of overlap between your move-out and move-in dates. Check with whoever you plan on renting from, but I can't imagine it being a problem for most places.
I'd recommend doing your apartment hunting before you give notice. If you explain your situation to your new landlord, it's possible that they may have units that they will be able to hold for you, or that will become vacant within the timeframe you'll be needing it.
posted by Aleyn at 1:24 PM on July 23, 2018 [2 favorites]
I'd recommend doing your apartment hunting before you give notice. If you explain your situation to your new landlord, it's possible that they may have units that they will be able to hold for you, or that will become vacant within the timeframe you'll be needing it.
posted by Aleyn at 1:24 PM on July 23, 2018 [2 favorites]
Check with whoever you plan on renting from, but I can't imagine it being a problem for most places.
This is usually possible with larger complexes, which have people coming and going all the time, but in my experience is much more difficult to do with smaller landlords, which don't carry vacancies. Not sure which OP will be looking at, just noting the point.
posted by praemunire at 1:35 PM on July 23, 2018 [2 favorites]
This is usually possible with larger complexes, which have people coming and going all the time, but in my experience is much more difficult to do with smaller landlords, which don't carry vacancies. Not sure which OP will be looking at, just noting the point.
posted by praemunire at 1:35 PM on July 23, 2018 [2 favorites]
My information is a bit dated, since I left the area a couple of years ago but FWIW: In the northern burbs/north side of Chicago, I used Craigslist exclusively to find my rentals. I never had a problem negotiating a start date close to the end of my previous tenancy, and I exclusively used landlords who managed just 1-2 buildings themselves rather than hiring third parties, or flat out owned the unit in question.
Be prepared for different expenses than you may currently have. I've had to pay for certain utilities, then have those same utilities covered by the landlord when moving from the same landlord but different properties. Rental insurance is now sometimes a required thing, too.
posted by sm1tten at 4:26 PM on July 23, 2018 [1 favorite]
Be prepared for different expenses than you may currently have. I've had to pay for certain utilities, then have those same utilities covered by the landlord when moving from the same landlord but different properties. Rental insurance is now sometimes a required thing, too.
posted by sm1tten at 4:26 PM on July 23, 2018 [1 favorite]
When I moved out of an apartment complex I had lived in for a long time, the management company was happy to wave the termination fee since we had lived there so long. Don't be afraid to ask about that, since its not like they haven't gotten more then their money's worth out of you over the years.
posted by nalyd at 5:08 PM on July 23, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by nalyd at 5:08 PM on July 23, 2018 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: These answers are all super helpful. I feel somewhat less stressed now and with a much better sense of how to proceed. Thank you all so much!
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 7:14 PM on July 23, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 7:14 PM on July 23, 2018 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
If things go badly, you can try to arrange to holdover. Depending on whether your landlord has rerented the place, they may or may not be happy to let you do so.
If things go worst, you put your stuff in storage for a few days. Often you can get a first month free or very cheap. Of course this will require you to move your belongings twice, so you'll have to do the math. In some cases, it will be cheaper to pay double rent.
posted by praemunire at 9:06 AM on July 23, 2018 [1 favorite]