WWYD - Apt Renovation (complexes, tenant, renters, renewing)

[Parnassia]

Originally Posted by KaraG

And if you do agree to the renovation, I don't understand why you would need to empty the entire apartment. Workers move things around.

But that costs workers time which means money. If they have to work around someone's belongings they need to take more care nothing is damaged. That will also cost them time/money. Of course one would hope the management wouldn't hire contractors who steal, but leaving a tenant's stuff in a construction zone leaves them open to claims of theft as well as liability. Much easier and safer to work on a clean slate.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

A couple of things. If you don't want to cooperate, they might very well just terminate your tenancy and renovate after you are out. So, you would be moving anyway, and having to find a new place in a market where decent rentals are scarce

You are in the period when leases get renewed, ask to renew your lease right now. That way you will know what the new rent will be. My guess is that the rent is going to go up, anyway, no matter what you do.

It would be a good time to purge your stuff. Look at each item and ask "is it worth it to move this?". If you donate a lot of stuff, it will make moving easier.

You can get away for a week, so why not take your week elsewhere? Make it a vacation. It's "shoulder season" you might be able to get a good rate in a resort area.

[Okey Dokie]

Originally Posted by Forever Blue

Then, if we say NO, they may evict us as the poster above, Okey Dokie, said happened to her sister.

.

A technicality, but an important one….my sister was not threatened with eviction, they were just not going to renew her lease. There’s a big difference, as an eviction is a legal act with very negative connotations which affects a person’s future ability to rent an apartment. A non-renewal can be for any number of innocent reasons including renovations or owners planning to sell a property. There is no legal record of non-renewals.

I urge you to find out if the renovations are optional. They may not be.

Edit to add: wait until you’re older with a three bedroom house with basement and garage and you need to move. Then you’ll look back fondly to your one bedroom apartment move.

[twingles]

Originally Posted by Forever Blue

Thanks a lot guys! Here's some other info:


This is going to be quite an undertaking (moving)! It will take a few months at the least to pack up all this stuff, so I'll do what my mom suggests...to stall them for a few or so months.!

A few months to pack a one bedroom apartment? Do you plan on boxing one thing a day? It doesn't take a few months to pack up an entire house.

[Forever Blue]

If you didn't read my posts #s 4 & 7, I gave more info there too.

I looked at my saved emails last year. The Renewal people sent my doc w/ the new rent amt on May 3rd. So it's going to be coming soon.

We really want to just stay living here because in some quick looking around at other complexes around here, we're in one of the better ones, it appears.


In the meantime, I'll ask/tell the leasing ofc mgr...

• Is there another vacant (already-upgraded) unit like ours in this complex that we can just move to? I know the rent amt won't be the same though. (Again, it's much easier to just move into another already-upgraded unit.)
  
  
• If NO to the above question, we'll do the reno, but need a few weeks to get things together & if she could be so kind as to allow that, we'd apprciate it

We'll gradually start boxing things up here & to those who replied to what I said about it taking few months to pack a 1-bedroom apt, now I might have been exaggerating a little, but when you consider our circumstances, we may not be that far off:

• It's just the two of us...no one will be helping us whatsoever (we'll hire movers, but we still have to box up everything)
• We're not in our 20s anymore w/ lots of strength & energy to pack up fast
• We'll still be orking our jobs. I work anywhere from 12-16 hrs' worth of work usually...sometimes more
• We don't feel the best. We have ailments, so we won't be packing w/ gusto at warp speed
• We may not box up every single day...we'll take a rest from it some days

[jmellc]

Originally Posted by Forever Blue

I've lived in my apt for so long now (12 yrs this June) that the leasing office manager offered to renovate my apt to all new stainless steel kitchen appliances, 2 new ceiling fans, new paint, hardwood flooring, & some other upgrades. It would be like moving...but back into my own NEW place. It will take 1 wk (M-F) to be completed.

My lease is up for renewal & I was worried what the rent would increase to anyway BEFORE I was offered this renovation. However, I was wondering when my apt would finally be upgraded. (I was maybe thinking they'd offer it after living here about 10 yrs.)


Pros

• After just 1 wk, we'll (DH & I) would live in a pretty much brand new apt, which I love anyway.
• We weren't going to move anytime soon anywhere else anyway.
• I work remotely & could take a wk off.
• This is exciting and overall, I want to do this.

Cons

• A TON of work - It's just DH &I and we'd have to pack & move everything out & put it back.
• Unexpected expenses - About $600 something to stay in the Holiday Inn Express across the street while reno's going on. (Mom lives close & I love her immensely, but I wouldn't want to stay w/ her.)
• Probably have to hire movers too, but don't know where they'd take/store our stuff, so I guess we'd have to pay for storage too?
• DH's worried about how much more the rent will increase to when this happens.

I'd love to have it done and it will be fabulous when it's done, but I really don't know. It would probably take a good $1000 in reality to have this done (movers, storage, hotel, etc.). But I'm a little more concerned about the work we'd have to do than the cost. Sigh!

Sounds like a lot of work and expense. I would keep what I had if it is in good shape.

[Levante]

Originally Posted by Forever Blue

I've lived in my apt for so long now (12 yrs this June) that the leasing office manager offered to renovate my apt to all new stainless steel kitchen appliances, 2 new ceiling fans, new paint, hardwood flooring, & some other upgrades. It would be like moving...but back into my own NEW place. It will take 1 wk (M-F) to be completed.

My lease is up for renewal & I was worried what the rent would increase to anyway BEFORE I was offered this renovation. However, I was wondering when my apt would finally be upgraded. (I was maybe thinking they'd offer it after living here about 10 yrs.)


Pros [LIST][*]After just 1 wk, we'll (DH & I) would live in a pretty much brand new apt, which I love anyway. [*]We weren't going to move anytime soon anywhere else anyway. [*]I work remotely & could take a wk off. [*]This is exciting and overall, I want to do this.[/LIST]
Cons [LIST][*]A TON of work - It's just DH &I and we'd have to pack & move everything out & put it back. [*]Unexpected expenses - About $600 something to stay in the Holiday Inn Express across the street while reno's going on. (Mom lives close & I love her immensely, but I wouldn't want to stay w/ her.) [*]Probably have to hire movers too, but don't know where they'd take/store our stuff, so I guess we'd have to pay for storage too? [*]DH's worried about how much more the rent will increase to when this happens.[/LIST]
I'd love to have it done and it will be fabulous when it's done, but I really don't know. It would probably take a good $1000 in reality to have this done (movers, storage, hotel, etc.). But I'm a little more concerned about the work we'd have to do than the cost. Sigh!

Ask LL if they could let you stay in a vacant apartment on property as you are still paying them rent.
Another reason to ask: it may not finish in a week - I would expect it to be done in a month if you are lucky as there are always contingencies in renovation, repairs.

Is it large enough complex that they have an already renovated rental for you to move into?

[KaraG]

Originally Posted by Forever Blue

If you didn't read my posts #s 4 & 7, I gave more info there too.

I looked at my saved emails last year. The Renewal people sent my doc w/ the new rent amt on May 3rd. So it's going to be coming soon.

We really want to just stay living here because in some quick looking around at other complexes around here, we're in one of the better ones, it appears.


In the meantime, I'll ask/tell the leasing ofc mgr...

• Is there another vacant (already-upgraded) unit like ours in this complex that we can just move to? I know the rent amt won't be the same though. (Again, it's much easier to just move into another already-upgraded unit.)
  
  
• If NO to the above question, we'll do the reno, but need a few weeks to get things together & if she could be so kind as to allow that, we'd apprciate it

We'll gradually start boxing things up here & to those who replied to what I said about it taking few months to pack a 1-bedroom apt, now I might have been exaggerating a little, but when you consider our circumstances, we may not be that far off:

• It's just the two of us...no one will be helping us whatsoever (we'll hire movers, but we still have to box up everything)
• We're not in our 20s anymore w/ lots of strength & energy to pack up fast
• We'll still be orking our jobs. I work anywhere from 12-16 hrs' worth of work usually...sometimes more
• We don't feel the best. We have ailments, so we won't be packing w/ gusto at warp speed
• We may not box up every single day...we'll take a rest from it some days

First of all, I'm sorry that you both have ailments and don't feel well.

It's good to know that you should have your renewal letter in the next few days. That will help you make a decision. I suggest you look around though and have a Plan B & C in case the new rent will be too high.

I just want to encourage you to be more proactive about packing up, sounds like it's going to happen no matter what. Many of us moved many times in much shorter time frames, while working, older, with kids, pets and businesses. It's not as difficult as you are imagining and it's a great time to get rid of things you've accumulated that you don't need anymore.

[Joylush]

Originally Posted by Forever Blue

I've lived in my apt for so long now (12 yrs this June) that the leasing office manager offered to renovate my apt to all new stainless steel kitchen appliances, 2 new ceiling fans, new paint, hardwood flooring, & some other upgrades. It would be like moving...but back into my own NEW place. It will take 1 wk (M-F) to be completed.

My lease is up for renewal & I was worried what the rent would increase to anyway BEFORE I was offered this renovation. However, I was wondering when my apt would finally be upgraded. (I was maybe thinking they'd offer it after living here about 10 yrs.)


Pros

• After just 1 wk, we'll (DH & I) would live in a pretty much brand new apt, which I love anyway.
• We weren't going to move anytime soon anywhere else anyway.
• I work remotely & could take a wk off.
• This is exciting and overall, I want to do this.

Cons

• A TON of work - It's just DH &I and we'd have to pack & move everything out & put it back.
• Unexpected expenses - About $600 something to stay in the Holiday Inn Express across the street while reno's going on. (Mom lives close & I love her immensely, but I wouldn't want to stay w/ her.)
• Probably have to hire movers too, but don't know where they'd take/store our stuff, so I guess we'd have to pay for storage too?
• DH's worried about how much more the rent will increase to when this happens.

I'd love to have it done and it will be fabulous when it's done, but I really don't know. It would probably take a good $1000 in reality to have this done (movers, storage, hotel, etc.). But I'm a little more concerned about the work we'd have to do than the cost. Sigh!

Find out what the rent will be at renewal if the renovation is done v if it’s not done.

[Maddie104]

I suspect there will be a significant rent increase either way and the LL is anticipating that you may not renew. It is in their best interests to have the apartment updated before renewal so the apartment is show ready for new tenants.

Check your lease on LL's right to renovate while you occupy the apartment. I wouldn't assume that these renovations are being done for your enjoyment so I wouldn't go to any expense to vacate.

My daughter's LL paid her while she occupied her apartment during renovations. She was sorry she didn't ask for more money since there was dust all over, noise non-scheduled entry by mistake and it took much longer than scheduled. Her situation was different in that she was not renewing her lease but if she didn't give permission for the renovations prior to the end of her lease, I doubt the LL would have received the higher rental amount charged the new tenants who immediately moved in.