Finding the perfect apartment should be exciting…
right? Not when it’s a never ending
search.
If you want to share an infinitesimal studio with a roommate
then you’re in luck. For a mere 400 dollars
apiece you can live in a death box. When
watching a movie you can sit in your roommates lap in the only chair that will
fit in the unit. If you’re looking for
something a bit ritzier then that, that’s where the trouble begins. A two bedroom near the junction starts at $1025
and goes all the way up to $2400. When
you are a student on a strict budget paying anywhere near $1200 dollars for half
of one months’ rent is out of the question.
So you finally find a place that is in your budget and isn’t
ridiculously small or run down. You are
the first people to turn in your applications.
You’re in the clear, right?
WRONG.
Many places in West Seattle have an awesome
rule. They do not allow cosigners, nor
do they seem to care if you are a student.
Living in Bellingham I grew very accustomed to landlords being more then willing to accept students with zero income and allowing someone to cosign for them. Many landlords just took your word that you would be able to pay the rent. Being in a college town, they were all very used to students and more then accommodating to them. The landlords do not care that your family will be financing your living
expenses. They do talk about how nice
that is and how lucky you are, but then they inform you they will not accept
your application because the people renting the apartment need to make 3xs the
rent amount on their own regardless of where the rent money comes from... because apparently it matters where the money comes from.
So I implore this question.
How do you find a place to live in West Seattle as a student? Because four months into searching and it’s
starting to feel more like doom then any sort of excitement.
My sister-in-law is looking for a roommate. She lives in Queen Anne. I think the rent would be around $600, she is studying health science at the University close to her. let me know if you are interested and I can give you her number
ReplyDeleteThank you Sally, but I am actually looking for a place in West Seattle. Best of luck with her search!
ReplyDeleteI guess I am just lucky that I haven't had any problems finding places to live in West Seattle. I do know what you're saying about price, it is really just the luck of the draw though. Not EVERYTHING is out of reach.
ReplyDeleteI've only had three landlords (one of those being a friend), but the ones I have had, while a bit lazy and slow to take care of things, were fairly eager to get me to move in. I would suspect that the rent my girlfriend and I pay is a bit pricy for someone who is a full-time student (I work full-time and so did my girlfriend until she recently lost her job), but the last place I lived in was very cheap. We had a roommate, but we had our own floor -- read: privacy -- in a fairly large house for about half of what we pay now for our own house.
I know this isn't helping much, but all I can say is just keep at it and your luck will turn around!
Hello Kirstin, I live on Alki, and this takes me back 5 years, when I was looking. I couldn't believe when the owner of a dilapidated wreck, said I would have to make 3x the rent. I just kept looking. I found the best place, and I have been here 5 years now. I love Alki, or any place in west Seattle. I feel like I am on my own little Island. Keep looking you will, at least you know where you want to live, and that is a good start!
ReplyDeleteTyler- If you are having problems with your landlord getting things done in a timely fashon I would check out Seattles Fair Housing laws, they are very informative and they give time limits on how long your landlords can take to fix certain issues that may arrise without you being able to do something about it.
ReplyDeleteSandy- I was lucky enough to find a place on Alki myself. I cannot wait.