Costs To Consider When Renting
Sometimes people forget about all the “little” costs that come with renting a home. Usually the rents are not all inclusive and there are costs above and beyond the base rent. Once in awhile you hit it lucky and find a place the includes all utilities however things like cable and internet are not considered in the all inclusive.
Renting an apartment? Consider the following costs:
- Base rent
- Power/Electricity – Possible set up charge and/or deposit
- Cable/Internet – Possible set up charge
- Home phone
- Tenants Insurance (not optional)
Renting a House/Town home/Modular? Consider the following costs:
- Base rent
- Power/Electricity – Possible set up charge and/or deposit
- Water
- Fuel – Oil or Propane
- Cable/Internet – Possible set up charge
- Home phone
- Tenants Insurance (not optional)
The biggest difference you will find is the Water and Heat costs in comparing an apartment rental to a single family rental. Tenant insurance is a requirement for any rental property and it protects you as well as the landlord.
The majority of the City has water and sewer services however some do work on a delivery system we refer to as pump in/pump out. Basically you will have your water trucked in on a schedule and your sewer cleaned out the same way. This sometimes can intimidate a potential tenant when the proper information is not provided. The biggest difference with this method is that you have to be conscious of your water consumption to avoid needing to pay for special deliveries. You have 2 deliveries per week and sewer is also pumped out twice a week. Any extra deliveries will have an associated cost that will come to you as the Tenant.
Once you have your lease signed you should schedule hooks ups and apply for your utility accounts. It can take a few weeks to get a technician out to hook up the cable and internet so having this arranged in advance will help make the move easier. You can get most applications for power, water and heat online. You do have a selection of companies to choose from for your heating needs for both propane and oil so make sure and see which company may offer a discount or special insensitive to gain your account.