I am having no luck finding a decent apartment near Pittsburgh, need it by May 1st. (Bethel Park: subletting, 2013)

[Strelok]

So after being burned on a possible subletting deal, I am running out of time on securing an apartment in Pittsburgh.

Just some quick background, I live in Centennial, Colorado right now, and just secured a job in the Burgh, which I start May 1st. But I have no time to physically view the apartments, I'll be leaving town the 27th.

I will be working in the Station Square area of downtown and will want to take public transportation.

Looking through older threads (dated 2008-2010, 2013) it seems to me Lobos Management should be completely avoided. Some of their apartments in Bethel Park look promising, but it is odd they have quite a few apartments vacant for 2 months.

My price range? 500-750. Looking for 1 bedroom, I have no pets. I could do more than that, but I would like to keep my living expenses low. Prefer just electric, but I can do gas.

I have sent off emails to Walnut Capital and Franklin West for apartments, but I am sure they are going to be out of my budget.

I desire to be close to public transportation, I prefer being near the T station but I can do buses. My current car is a RWD 2-seater convertible which is going to be a nightmare in the snow, so I would rather just take the bus.

I'm not picky at all, just want to rent in that area as well as close to PAT lines or the T station.

Living costs including utilities I am budgeting about 1000 dollars a month.

The private listings on Craigslist (not mgmt companies) seem to be gone quick and I am at a disadvantage because I live out in Colorado and can't do something immediately there.

I heard bad things about Mozart and JJ. Mixed things on Forbes.

Anywhere in Pittsburgh works, even as far south as Bethel Park.

I lived in Beaver County back in the 90s, but it's too far of a commute to get to work.

Anyone have any suggestions? I keep running into these apartment complexes that look really outdated and numerous complaints (I take apartmentratings.com reviews on a case by case basis).

I may have a prospect unit at Flats at Foxhill for a 6 month lease with only 150 security deposit. But it's not one of their renovated units.

Thank you.

[Mugatu]

The apartment market is terrible for renters right now, to the point of crisis levels. Vacancies are low, and rents are getting jacked WAY up in this landlord's market.

I rent out in the west suburbs near Robinson and thought I would avoid the massive rent increases that were taking place in the city, but I just got notice that my rent will go up by $50 per month. It's never gone up more than $10/month for any of my previous lease renewals. The other complexes in this area have all raised rent way up where $710/month is the minimum price for a 1 bedroom out here. After talking to the ladies at my management office, they processed 7 move-outs recently after notice of the big rent increase, but got all those apts filled almost instantly, with more people on a waiting list begging to get in. I don't know when this nonsense will peak, but quite frankly it scares me because I can't afford another $50 or more increase next year.

To get a modern, updated apt, you will have to pay closer to the top of your rent range. Here's a few near Bethel Park/South Park. http://www.forrent.com/results.php?p...&max_price=750

On that list, Lindenbrooke is one I'm familiar with as being a pretty nice place to live. It's not right on the T line, but it's about a 1/2 mile walk to the nearest station. In bad weather you could drive to the park and ride if you dont want to walk. The other one that always intrigued me was Rusty Hollow. It's just a tiny one-bedroom only complex with reasonable rates. But it's a few miles away from the T line. Reviews are mixed too.

If you want something closer to the bottom end of your range, you'd have to be willing to settle for something older, with possible lack of features such as a dishwasher. One area that seems to have a ton of apts, and at lower rents, is Bellevue. It seems like it's a decent enough area, but word on the street is that it is on the decline, but I don't know. It's an easy drive into the city from there, and I'm sure you could get a bus too. But most of the apts will likely be older and possibly not updated since 1972. lol

Once of the best ways to find reasonable apts in or near the city is to drive around and just look for for rent signs, but unfortunately you don't have that option at this time. Maybe if you take that 6-month lease you could do that and find a place that suits your needs.

Other than these suggestions, and to avoid Lobos as you seem to be aware, I don't know what to tell you. It's rough out there now for renters, I wish you the best of luck!

[Hopes]

Why are you only looking at management companies and apartment complexes? Find independent landlords.

Neighborhoods that would be an easy commute would be Mt. Washington. You just walk to the incline and take it right down to Station Square.

Anything along the T is convenient. Look at Dormont and Mt. Lebanon. You can also do the North Side and catch the subway over.

Sorting through Craig's List will be a hassle since you're running out of time, but it's totally worth looking for the ones with phone numbers.

FYI: For your price range, outdated may be the norm. Pittsburghers aren't known for being trendy.

[Hopes]

2 BR Apt for Rent - Mt Washington

Great Location - Central Sq. - Spring Special

Roomy with great location!

Large Unfurnished Apartment - Flexible Lease

Available May 1

Mt Wash Biz Dist. Grandview

2 Bedroom Duplex

pittsburgh apts/housing for rent classifieds "Dormont" - craigslist

pittsburgh apts/housing for rent classifieds "Mt. Lebanon" - craigslist

[I_Like_Spam]

Originally Posted by Strelok

I may have a prospect unit at Flats at Foxhill for a 6 month lease with only 150 security deposit. But it's not one of their renovated units.

Thank you.

Fox Hill is out in Monroeville, living out there and coming in through the Squirrel Hill Tunnel is something that will really build character- I don't think you'd want to do it. Public transport is a long ride to those parts. The east end is a tad expensive and scarce, being one of Pittsburgh's hottest rental markets- working on the other side of the river, you won't be getting the full value in convenience out there.


You'd be better off looking for apartments in the south, its a lot more convenient and a lot less expensive.

Numerous apartment houses in Shannon on the T, or in Carrick, Brentwood and Whitehall off the frequent Carrick and Elizabeth bus routes. Alvern Gardens, Place Seville and the Hoodridge Drive apartments in Shannon are above the shopping area on Mt. Lebanon Blvd. There are also apartments in the Brentwood/Carrick area on Greenlee Rd, Brentshire apartments, Bevan Rd apartments and Pine Tree apartment behind where the Texaco used to be. All of these possible residences are a single bus or LRT trip into Station Square.

A note about Brentwood and Whitehall, the police officers and communities out there have a tad of a racist rep- you might want to take that into consideration if you're an African American.

[markson33]

I would think that you could find an independent landlord on Mt. Washington - you could take the incline down.

[stburr91]

The rental market is tight right now, but I don't see it at crisis levels. Just because some renters have to look outside of the most desirable areas, hardly means there is a crisis.

Rents are up this year because of the reassessments. Some areas are seeing more increases than others, but most areas are seeing at least some increase.

Everyone on here always talks about how they want to see Pittsburgh grow (myself included), well, this is what you get when you have growth.

[Copanut]

Take the T to the Dormont Junction, then walk along the tracks till you hit Beechview, should be able to find something along there. Check out Cain's, usually some chicks hangin out there.

[ferraris]

It will be tough to use an independent landlord because they probably want to meet you in person, and there's also the risk of getting scammed if you send in money ahead of time. If you do decide to go with independent landlords, which are almost always the better deal in my experience, then check landorslum.com for reviews of the landlord to at least give you an idea.

[Clint.]

You should have no trouble finding an apartment in Beechview, Dormont, or Mt. Washington in your price range; for renting at that price it wouldn't make sense to live way out in a place like Monroeville to commute to station square when you could ride the trolley from one of the aforementioned neighborhoods and be there in 5-10 minutes. The only trouble would be that you'd probably have to be here and arrange for a meeting and lease signing before moving in, and unlikely you could initially meet the landlord in the morning and move in later that day. Possible if you find the right one and present yourself in the right way, but I wouldn't count on it.

Depending on how adventurous you are you could try couchsurfing or just look for a cheap hotel to get a few guaranteed nights before you sign a lease once in town. If you do not seem like a criminal, have ready money for first month, security, etc. and a reliable job, you'll find a place in a few days even if you just drive around and look for for rent signs.

FYI - the YMCA at Francis and Centre charges $95 a week. Not one but two good meals are included in that price.