The Boston Globe has an interesting article in which they attempt to explain the phenomenon of “retail renting” or “wardrobing”–where consumers buy items with the intention of returning them when they’re done with the prom or the meeting or whatever. The article blames a mix of influences, including the economy and celebrities who obviously borrow many of their fancy gowns and jewelry.
renting
Answers To NYC Renters' Questions
By 1.30.08
How do you get your landlord to require the upstairs neighbors to put down carpets? A lawyer who “has practiced in the landlord-tenant arena for more than two decades” has been answering these sorts of questions on the New York Times’ “City Room” blog. The advice he gives, while helpful and specific, is mostly based on what we imagine are NYC-specific problems and cites New York statutes, but it still might be helpful for renters elsewhere with similar problems.
The Best Big Cities For Renters
By 1.19.08
Do you love big city livin’, but you’re tired of spending 65% of your monthly salary on a 45-year-old studio apartment with a bathroom that feels like it was transplanted from an RV? (Yeah, we’re talking about NYC.) BusinessWeek lists the results of a recent survey of rental prices in cities with populations larger than one million. The best deal is (drum roll): Oklahoma City, with an average rent of $520 a month!
Slumlord Dermot Company Finally Installs Boiler
By 1.2.08
Huzzah! Dan’s quest to not live in an icecube has succeeded. He writes:
The boiler’s been replaced and I’ve had consistent heat and hot water since xmas. Now i just have this unholy clanking coming from the steam pipe every morning b/t 3 and 5 am which jolts me from my bed in fear that its about to explode and take me with it. The super says hopefully it will get resolved this week.
Slumlord Dermot Company Installs New Boiler (For Four Days And Counting)
By 12.21.07
On Monday, I returned home from work to discover an unexpected message from the city building inspector tucked under my door, stating that he had come to check on my heat and hot water, but that, since I wasn’t home, he’d check things out in a neighboring apartment.
As Foreclosures Increase, Renters Suffer
By 12.17.07
Stephen O’Brien wants to buy a foreclosed apartment building on Warwick Street in Roxbury. He wants to keep the ground-floor tenant, James Evans, 77, who is partially blind and living on Social Security.
Maybe Landlord Will Fix Ceiling After It Collapses?
By 12.6.07
After ripping down the almost collapsed ceiling and the neighbor’s kitchen floor, the guy discovered at least three different leaks, all converging on my ceiling.
Landlord-Tenant Law For Every State
By 12.4.07
Here’s a big list with links to landlord-tenant statutes by state. Know your rights. Good for renters to bookmark in case you’re ever in a dispute with your landlord, or just because you’re a smart person who likes to have useful information relevant to your life on hand.
Coldest Day Of Year. No Heat On. Thanks, Slumlord Dermot Company.
By 12.4.07
The roach situation has improved, but Daniel still has to call the super every time he wants to take a shower. Also, on Sunday, when it was 21 degrees in New York, he didn’t have any heat until 6pm.
What To Do When Rental Gets Foreclosed?
By 11.19.07
2 weeks ago both my wife and I got a summons, that let us know that our landlord was being sued by the bank he financed the house through, for not paying his mortgage since July of this year…
Stuck With Dermot Management, A Modern-Day Slumlord
By 10.30.07
A reader writes:
A major NYC real estate corp [Dermot Management] is seriously fucking its tenants, myself included, and I just signed my lease a week ago and am now stuck with these bastards.
Is Renting Really Better Than Buying a Home?
By 8.1.07
Personal finance blog Get Rich Slowly breaks down the costs, savings, and investment gains associated with both renting and buying similar homes in the same market and finds that renting is a much better financial move. How much better?
Renting Out Your Apartment On Vacation For Fun And Profit
By 6.25.07
Lately, thanks to our girlfriend’s initiative, we’ve been picking up extra cash whenever we go out of town by renting out our apartment.
What Is "As-Is?"
By 6.12.07
…In which a reader learns, through the power of IM, the definition of the contractual clause “As-Is,” and how it applies to the damaged apartment he subleased…
Slumlord Ordered To Live In Own Building Until Repairs Are Made
By 5.25.07
Stealing a page from “The Super” screenplay, an Ohio judge ordered a landlord to live in one of his decrepit buildings until repairs are made.
Send Us Your Apartment Hunting/Negotiating Tips
By 4.17.07
It’s that time of year: With the budding trees comes a feeling of optimism coupled with intense cabin fever. The result? Apartment hunting.
Help! Landlord Making Up Bogus Cleaning Charges
By 4.13.07
Keith wants some help with his landlord making up bogus cleaning charges when he left his apartment.
