Improve your odds in the competition for rentals
By Sara Lin
Advertiser Staff Writer
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| Illustration by Martha P. Hernandez • The Honolulu Advertiser
Advice from those who've been there, done that From a renter Be assertive. Frame had been looking casually for several months, but after giving her landlord 30 days' notice, she adopted a strict regimen: She got up early, read all the classifieds for apartments and houses (even if her preference was a house) and visited two places a day, even more on weekends. After three weeks, she found her quiet, two-bedroom house. Call them all. "You never know. You have to go that extra step and see what's out there." From a search agent "Carry cash with them and offer it on the deposit then and there." Make copies of a blank standard rental application. Create a pet resume and bring pictures. "Some landlords will insist they bring the pet along," she said. If all else fails ... Place an ad and let the search come to you. |
It wasn't uncommon, she said, to make a half-dozen calls. It was even less uncommon to find out that half the apartments she checked on were already taken.
She soon found that everything in her price range, from a $550 studio to a $1,250 two-bedroom condo, was turning into a competition. Some days, she would go to three showings. Sometimes, the apartments weren't worth the money. Other times, somebody beat her to the punch. More often, the landlords simply wanted nothing to do with her black cat, Terence.
Enough was enough when Casey discovered she was one of 56 applicants applying for a 500-square foot studio in Kailua.
"This is the worst I've had it in my whole life," she said. "I've lived in California and New York. Never ever did I have this type of circumstance."
Finally, she put her own want ad in The Advertiser:
EXCELLENT TENANT: Prof (F) seeks 1-2 bdrm, Windward side, quiet, clean, non-smoking w/refs
A week ago, Casey, 44, scored a place to live — a one-bedroom cottage for $950.
Casey's plight is all too common these days on O'ahu. Plunging mortgage rates have caused rents to skyrocket as property owners take advantage of the hot housing market by pulling their units out of the rental pool and putting them on the market.
Rents on O'ahu have jumped 17 percent this year, according to market researcher Ricky Cassiday. At the same time, the number of available units is down. Cassiday said there were about 800 advertisements in The Advertiser for rentals in June 2002 and 2001, compared to 1,342 in June 2000.
Other issues plague those seeking rentals, as well. But there are ways to deal with these difficulties, as the experiences of rental hunters below illustrate:
Furry friends
Initially, Casey set up a $1,000 budget for an unfurnished one-bedroom apartment. It didn't take her long to realize having a furry friend could keep her from getting one foot, let alone one paw, in the door.
Few landlords want the hassles cats and dogs can bring. And more often than not, property managers assumed her 15-year-old cat was smelly, flea-ridden and eager to dig claws into everything.
That small studio 56 people applied for in Kailua? It went to a pet-less renter.
Having a pet is "a real problem," Casey said.
Karen Konz runs a rental search service for pet owners. She says the general order of preference among pet-friendly landlords is cat, small dog, two cats, then big dog.
"Multiples of anything are hard," said Konz, who goes through the classifieds every day and maintains listings of landlords who allow pets. She advises pet owners to create a pet resume and bring pictures when meeting a landlord.
"Some landlords will insist they bring the pet along," she said.
Konz also tries to give people moving to Hawai'i early warning about how apartments here often are smaller than on the Mainland, and how bringing pets here can be an expensive challenge.
"Some of them change their minds about coming here," she said. "Truly, its better for the animal if it doesn't come here if the person can't afford it."
Pet-friendly landlords do get one benefit, however, Konz said. They often end up with long-term tenants who are grateful for being able to keep their pets.
Mauka, makai?
Erica Rudin came to Hawai'i from Florida after a year of traveling in New Zealand and Australia. She could only guess how to pronounce such places names as Kalaniana'ole Highway. Rudin knew she wanted to live in Waikiki, but she needed help.
"It's what you don't know that's more than what you know," Rudin said.
Enter Deb Hrbacek, a rental search agent who has lived in Hawai'i for 10 years. Hrbacek worked with a property management company before starting a relocation service strictly for renters.
"I'm not a licensed real estate agent," Hrbacek said. "I listen to a client's needs, then I make the calls and give them a list of options to choose from."
As a rental agent, Hrbacek watched many newcomers get lost on Honolulu's one-way streets and miss showings because of a lack of direction and misunderstanding of street and city names.
In many cases, Hrbacek will drive clients to and from the airport and go with them to showings. Most of her clients get placed within a week, she said.
Other rental companies offer varied levels of service. Typically, any service includes a map, the latest listings in the desired price range and a tour of areas if needed.
"You have to make the calls, view the unit, and you need to make sure where you're going," Hrbacek said. "It's quite a juggling act. The way the calls come in, if you don't have your phone ready to answer, you might miss something."
Search agents can cost $50 to more than $400, but they can be invaluable to those short of time or knowledge of the area.
Hrbacek, for instance, recently placed a Canadian woman and her 76-pound rottweiler in a "no pets" house.
Too little time
Robert Joyner, 25, wants a one-bedroom townhouse for $1,100 or less. The military engineer has lived on O'ahu for four years and knows the areas he prefers.
His problem is similar to others: When he tried looking on his own, the search started interfering with his work.
"It was a little rough, with work and everything. I don't really have the time," Joyner said. He met Hrbacek at a showing and enlisted her help. "Most of the time there would be a showing, I'd be at work. I'd go the next day, and it would already be gone," he said. "They were trying to get rid of the unit fast, and I wasn't able to make it."
Ways to score points
Almost every property manager wants to see that you have a job and can afford the rent. He or she probably will check with your previous landlord for information on payment history and upkeep.
Some property management companies have lists of requirements for prospective renters that include questions about your work, how long you've been with your employer and your salary. They'll also ask for personal and landlord references.
When push comes to shove, landlords mostly care about credit ratings. The better the credit rating, the easier the placement.
A good payment record also helps, as well as a co-signer who can vouch for you.
Those who are single or students face different obstacles. Hrbacek, for instance, is having trouble placing a group of four University of Hawai'i students, even though they have a a wealthy guarantor. Besides trying to get all four together for a showing, she notes that "if it was a family, it might have been easier," she said.
Joyner can sympathize. "I looked at a couple of two-bedrooms, but they were more or less interested in the families," Joyner said.
Finding a place to park his Dodge four-wheel-drive truck also has been a problem. "If my truck can't fit in the parking lot, I can't live there," he said.
Tracy Yamato, who rents out his one-bedroom apartment at One Archer Lane in Honolulu, admits that he prefers tenants who are professionals. Even though the $1,500 a month price tag for his apartment in itself eliminates many would-be renters, he's still picky.
"Would I rent to a single guy? No, not unless he's older," he said.
Priorities, persistence
Many renters say that one object of the rent game involves deciding what's most important in a living space.
Lots of room? So much for apartment hunting in Waikiki and near the water.
Location? Work downtown and you may never have to drive your car. But if you don't mind the commute, Makaha Valley Towers boasts some of the least-expensive one bedroom apartments, running at $750 for a 684-square-foot unit, according to Sugar Cane Realty.
If bang for your buck is important, look inland — and that's still no guarantee of what you'll find.
"Two years ago, you could still get a cottage in Kaimuki for $1,000 with the little fence, two parking stalls," Konz said. "Now, the same costs $1,500 or $1,600 a month."
Carolyn Frame initially wanted to find a new rental in her old neighborhood, Kaimuki, but a shortage of units meant she ended up looking everywhere between Nu'uanu and 'Aina Haina.
"In the past when I've looked at rentals, it wasn't as difficult," Frame said. "I wanted to stay in town, but everybody else wants to be in town, too. It makes you look outside your preferred scope."
Persistence can pay off: Frame did find a place in Kaimuki.
