When applying for an apartment, I encourage you to inquire about any hidden costs of renting an apartment. This is because apartment complexes are not upfront about their other monthly apartment fees. Budgeting for apartment rent should not include hidden apartment fees. Some apartments have hidden rental expenses for renters, in addition to their usual monthly rent.
Speaking of rent, how much does rent cost per month?
It depends on each apartment. I want you to know whatever base rent quote you are given, does not cover other associated fees. Most renters would not know, until rent is due. Then, they see the base rent go up due to other fees.
Does Renting An Apartment Include Utilities?
The cost of renting an apartment does not include utilities in your base rent. Your total monthly rent includes your base rent plus utility bills. Examples of utilities include water, light or cable.
Most apartments will include your water bill with your base rent to give you a total monthly rent. Other apartments will source out their light to electric companies, where you go to pay your light bills.
As for cable, it is optional for some apartment complexes. Below are usual and normal reoccurring cost of renting an apartment:
- Base rent
- Water (water base charge or aquifer authority fee)
- Sewage
- Trash
- Covered parking fee (optional)
- Pet fee (optional for non-pet owners)
- Internet (optional)
The above are the usual monthly costs of renting an apartment. Usually, I ask apartments to give me a copy of these in writing, so I know when these rental expenses change. The water bill may change, depending on your monthly water usage. The rest of the monthly apartment fees are supposed to be fairly constant.
Finally, an apartment may charge you a monthly renter’s insurance. This is especially in the absence of one. The cost of renters insurance for an apartment depends on whether you get it from your apartment or elsewhere. I would not recommend getting a renter’s insurance from your apartment, they are often expensive. You can use your car insurance company or Lemonade.
Hidden Fees When Renting An Apartment
There are hidden fees when renting an apartment, which most apartments will not be upfront about. Below are some of them.
1. Pest Control Fee
It is an apartment’s duty to take care of pest issues without incurring additional charges for you. I encourage you not to go for apartments that charge for pest control. This is because a pest control fee could rack up a pretty sum of money monthly.
In fact, my current apartment snucked this one on me. It charges me $2.00 monthly for pest control. I cannot recall it on the lease agreement I signed. But, I let it go since $2.00 is not worth the trouble.
I would ask any apartment I am trying to move in, whether they charge renters pest control fee. It is true my apartment charges $2.00 per month, but it does not guarantee yours would be as cheap. You will save yourself a lot of headaches knowing about this fee, prior to signing your lease.
2. Package Fees
Package fees is one of the hidden costs of renting an apartment. A leasing agent may not discuss it, unless you ask about it. I always make it a point to ask an apartment, if it could collect large deliveries at no cost to renters.
Why is this important?
Some apartments may charge you monthly to collect packages for you. This is whether you get a package or not in a month. It is one of the hidden costs that could add to your monthly housing costs.
3. Convenience Fee For Rent Payment
What is a convenience fee for rent payment?
It is when an apartment allows an online rent payment system, but charges you a percentage of the rent for using it. Do you know what makes convenience fee one of the worst hidden fees when renting an apartment?
The surcharge could be as high as $50!
I kid you not. An apartment I used to rent once charged me $50 for paying rent through its online system. I would be lying, if I thought it wasn’t outrageous. So, I had to start giving them cashier’s checks to avoid the fee.
Usually, apartments will not tell you about this extra monthly apartment fee when paying rent online. I prefer you do not wait to find out. Just get a bank or cashier’s check, whenever your monthly rent is due.
4. Late Payment Fee
A late payment fee is one of the rental expenses leasing offices do not always talk about. Why is it important?
You want to know the consequences of missing a rent payment. This is especially, when you are signing a lease. If you do not know and you sign to pay a 25% fee for late payment, that is a big chunk of money.
Some late payment fees are usually a percentage of your monthly rent plus some additional fees every day, until you pay the rent. At the end, these costs of renting an apartment could become cumbersome. This is especially after multiple missed rent payment month to month. One of the first-time renters mistakes young adults make, is not to ask about these fees. I recommend you inquire about late payment fee and get it in writing.
5. Facility Fees
A facility fee includes lawn care or maintenance charges. Personally, I will not give a dime of my money to any apartment trying to charge me these. Unless it is a hidden cost of renting a house, then I would be obliged to pay for it if I could not get away from it.
Hence, why I always encourage young working class adults to read their lease agreement. This is whether they are renting a house or an apartment. Some apartments are good at sneaking these hidden monthly apartment fees into lease agreement without discussing them.
I do not recommend you rent with apartments that charge facility fees. This is because apartment complexes are supposed to take care of the lawn or maintenance. It is what we are paying them rent for.
A while ago, I wrote about how much you should spend on rent. When we have the above hidden fees, it stretches the budget we set for rent. As a result, more than half of our paycheck are gone. It is not funny at, since there are no serious laws about these renters rip-offs.
Are Hidden Fees Legal?
Although some of these hidden apartment fees sound like a scam, some states in the US allow apartments to charge them. Other states have a regulation on what apartments could charge. California is one of those states. In California, apartments have to disclose hidden costs of renting an apartment with them.
I am not surprised though, since the state is very progressive.
You can research your state laws on apartment fees. Personally, I think apartment hidden fees are rip-offs which should be banned. Most of us- the young working class, are already struggling to make rent. Why make it hard to put a roof over our heads?
But, we know some state legislators do not care for working class adults paying outrageous hidden rental fees. It is crazy, but it is the country we live in. I sincerely hope your state has a law requiring apartments to be upfront about these hidden apartment fees.
How Do You Deal With Hidden Rental Fees?
The hidden costs of renting an apartment takes away from any working class adult trying to make a living. This is because it increases rent, which consumes a huge percentage of our monthly paycheck. Here are my two ways of tackling hidden apartment fees before they become a menace.
1. Make Apartments Disclose Fees Upfront
If you noticed, I have been advocating for asking monthly fees upfront since I began writing this article. You have no idea how important this is. When you have an apartment print out their monthly fees on a paper, you can hold them accountable in case of additional hidden rental expenses.
It is what I always do before I sign a lease.
I have apartments disclose all estimated fees upfront. Then, inquire whether there are other costs of renting an apartment I need to be aware of. Print them out too.
Once you sign your lease and you see a hidden fee not mentioned, you can contest it. Hence, why I encourage you to read your lease before signing it. It ensures you are not missing anything that you do not already know.
Furthermore, asking the fees upfront helps you see whether you want the additional fees or not. If not, then you may want to check other apartments for rent. It is the best way to save yourself from financial stress.
2. Be On the LookOut For Incremental Reoccurring Monthly Fees
Do you remember when I listed essential reoccurring monthly fees?
When you notice there is suddenly a fee which keeps increasing month by month, it is time to address it with your leasing office. This is especially, when you signed a lease agreement which did not mention the rental expense.
Personally, I always check to see what constitute my monthly total rent prior to cutting a check to my leasing office. It ensures fixed bills stay fixed. That way, apartments are not turning my fixed rental expenses into variable ones per lease agreement.
On the whole, hidden rental expenses for renters are scams run by apartments. Avoiding rental scams such as these will make you a better renter. There are some Stephen King’s level leasing-office-from-hell hidden fees stories out there. My advice for first-time renters who are hunting for apartments, is to ask the important questions and always read your lease agreement before you sign.
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