I just love living in an apartment . We had new neighbors move in across the hall from us and they DO seem real nice . The guy does anyway . He's very polite and even called me sir one time . I'm not so sure about the lady though . The first day they moved in I went in the underground garage we have here , and they lady helped herself to our wooden step ladder to put their things in their storage locker that sits about 5 feet off the ground . I offered to help her with anything heavy and even said have a nice day afterwards when she said " no , I got it " . Of course I told her to just ask me if she needs anything in the future . I also noticed today that my daughters scooter was sitting on their patio ( They have two kids like us , but only one scooter it seems ) They must of helped themselves to that too . I really don't care , but it's the " not asking me " part that's kind of annoying . What do you guys think ?

 

My parents always told me if not yours, don't touch it. Don't be shy tell them how it is, with tact and diplomacy!

Pat

 

They'll be trouble.

Don't give them too much rope.

- Eric

 

Agreed .... I'm trying to be as nice about it as I can . The first place I lived at my neighbor played his music ( if you'd call it that ) loud . I asked him to turn it down , he did it again . I called the manager , nothing was done . I called the police , they told me the manager has to call them in order for them to do anything about it . As this continued I called the manager again , nothing happened . I then got pissed and told the neighbor in a different tone to turn it down ! He didn't listen ..... I kicked the crap out of his door one night , and he retaliated by kicking the tail lens on my car another night cracking it ( you could see a foot print mark on it . The pattern from the foot print matched the one I seen in the snow one day by their door ) Lets just say that I'm lucky that I didn't get an assault charge the next time I saw him . I'm trying to avoid all of this this time .

 

X2...good advice!

 

I would just keep everything put away or locked up somewhere so there will be no borrowing of yer stuff! That way you won't have to say anything if you don't want to. I agree that they will be problems. People like that have no respect for anyone else so be prepared.

 

Ahhhhh, the joys of apartment living....

 

I ran out of room to put everything , so some of these items have to stay out unfortunately .

 

Not really . I hate living so close to other people , but this place is pretty big with heat included and the parking garage .

 

Was it the Oldsmobile that he kicked? Or was it your daily driver?

 

Just out of curiosity ... have you looked into using your rent money to pay a mortgage?

 

X2 with above, mortgage payments may be close to what you pay in rent.

 

It was a DD or I would be in jail for sure .

 

Bryan, till your financial improves or your location or neighbors do? Start putting your name on anything you leave out with indelible markers or paint. I wouldn't have any qualms about going over and taking back what they have self appropriated without your permission. Longer you leave it go the more entitled they will think they are. Take a stand or they will own you.

 

Yeah but add the rip off property tax , gas bill , water bill , and insurance and no thanks .

 

I should of said ..... I want a house but can't afford it . I may get one in the distant future when I'm like 70 .

 

And this is why I live in the sticks...Tedd

 

That's a good idea with putting my name of my stuff . Maybe they will see that , or me doing that and get the hint .

 

Do you have an extra stick I can rent or buy ?

 

put a chain on your step ladder just long enough so she cant use it. put your kids name on the scooter. she will get the hint.

 

People like this never get the hint. Chances are they won't be there long as they'll prolly also default on rent and force the landlord to go through eviction proceedings. I'd find someplace inside the apartment to store stuff even if it makes living space a bit crowded.

 

And... they'll take your unlocked stuff with them.

 

Nope, they'll trash it so no one can use it, or sell it on CL faster than you can say Jack Robinson. Are we straying too far from topic on our projections? I was lucky when I rented. Only one break in and one obnoxious neighbor. I moved a lot to avoid those creeps. Then I found a nice place where I stayed for 6 years till I met my missus. That was the start of good ol home ownership, and I haven't looked back.

 

The sooner you can get into ownership the better. Low interest, and owning outright if you ever retire. When I left my parents house at 19, it was into my own house. Lots of struggling and sometimes 2 jobs to make payments. Kept it 30 years and thru 2 divorces. Set me up for being able to retire early. Big step, but think it over. Better then going to jail for dealing with ignorant neighbors.

 

You don't think you're paying these now? Of course you are. They're just not specifically itemized in your monthly rent. But what money do you think the apartment owners are using to pay for the water, gas, tax, and insurance bills they have? A pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? No. They're using the income they receive in the form of rents. We assume you have renter's insurance to cover you and your belongings in case of theft or loss due to fire or other calamity. The apartment complex insurance policy only covers the building, not the stuff owned by the tenants. So if you're paying renter's insurance, which you should be, you're already paying for insurance.

As a homeowner, you would at least get to deduct the interest you pay on your mortgage and the property taxes you pay on your income tax form each year, something you can't do when you rent.

Home ownership is not for everyone. Renting is not for everyone. Each person needs to do his or her own math for his or her situation. But don't for a minute think you're getting something for nothing by being a renter. You're not.

 

Good words Dan. Very realistic too. You bring up a good point with renter insurance. I'd bet you a dollar that most renters don't even think of that, and make the assumption they're covered by the building insurance. Interesting enough, up here even a car being stored in the garage (like mine has been for the past 4 years) is not covered by the home policy, because it is capable of moving and has a complete driveline. It requires a separate policy, which is incredibly low cost on collector cars, based on its appraised value.

I don't know what the deductible is in the U.S. But it would not include losses up to 500.00 here. You're spot on though, lifestyle and financial seems to dictate residence.

 

Another very important thing to keep in mind about renter's insurance and why renters should have it is that it doesn't just cover physical belongings. It also provides liability coverage. If you have a friend over to your apartment, and he trips on the threshold as he's walking in, falls, and breaks his leg, you can be sued. Just like you can be if someone trips and falls on the sidewalk leading up to the front door of your house. Don't think this can't happen.

If your visitor trips and falls on the stairs leading up to the floor your apartment is on, that's a common area of the building, and he sues the owner of the apartment building. But if he hurts himself inside your apartment, he sues you.

Renter's insurance is usually very inexpensive. Don't be home without it!

 

I agree with you Jaunty with the exception of the deductions on home ownership. You have to have a pretty expensive house now a days to use that.

 

As I said earlier, it depends. If you're a homeowner with a wife, two kids, and a mortgage, you likely have enough deductions (taking into account property taxes and state and local income taxes) that itemizing is worthwhile, and you will have an advantage in taking the tax deduction. But if you're older with maybe only one dependent and a house with a small mortgage (or no mortgage at all because you've paid it off), then, no, the sum of your deductions can be less than the standard deduction, and there is no tax advantage to owning.

It also depends on the state you live in. Property taxes can be very high in the northeast, and itemizing can pay off even if you have no mortgage. But if you're in a low-tax state like I am, the standard deduction is often better. Before they sold their house to move into a senior living center, my parents lived in upstate New York and paid about $8,000 per year in property taxes on their $200,000-ish house. I pay about $2000 per year on a similarly-valued house here in New Mexico.

Another thing is interest rates. Right now, they're low, and they have been for a while, so interest costs are low, and there's less to deduct. But if our roughly 4% mortgage environment should go back up to 6% or 8% or whatever, thing change. You take out a loan at that rate, and you're paying more in interest. I don't think this will happen any time soon, but you never know. My first mortgage back in 1984 was at 13.25%. I remember what a big deal it was for us when we were able to refinance that a couple of years later to a rate of 11%. When I bought my second house in 1989, rates had "fallen" all the way to about 10%.

It all depends on your (and the world's) situation.

 

Yeah I remember back in the 80's when interest rates went to 20%. Today it makes a lot of sense to buy vs rent in most markets. The benefits out way renting as you can hopefully breakeven on expenditures and your payments or perhaps even gain if your lucky when you sell. Rent is a lost investment other than the flexibility that you can just pickup and move when you please.

Your right all the bills are included in the rent you pay. With that said you can back into a total house payment based on the rent you pay and possibly purchase a home within your budget.

 

The main traditional advantage to home ownership, in addition to deductions on your income tax, was the accumulation of equity both as you paid off your mortgage and as the house increased in value over time. Since the Great Recession of 2008-2009, though, when house prices fell, the increase-in-value side of that went away, and whether or not it ever comes back in a truly meaningful way remains to be seen. But, for now, the days when you could buy a house and have it reliably appreciate in value 2 or 3 or 4% per year appear to be gone.

 

The best thought for buying a house is if you can get a duplex and rent out half. Definitely makes paying the mortgage easier.

 

But you risk the very problem the OP complained about. Yes, you, as the landlord, can evict a problem tenant, but that can be complicated legally.

And who wants to live in a duplex? There's much to be said for the freestanding, single-family home!

 

I just like the fact that once it is paid off you have the security that as long as you can make the tax payment you will have a roof over your head. That peace of mind is worth the effort in my book.

 

Interesting point. For senior citizens on a fixed income in retirement, this was often a reason for them losing their house. When house prices could be counted on to rise year after year, appraised values and thus taxes would go up accordingly, and seniors would find them increasingly difficult to pay as their income didn't rise as rapidly, if it did at all, and you can't chop off a corner of your house and sell it to pay the property taxes on it. So they'd have no choice but to sell their house "for back taxes" and lose the ability to live in it. This gave rise to things like reverse mortgages which allowed seniors to get access to the equity built up in their house without having to sell it.

In this era of stagnant or declining home prices, this issue has gone away.

 

In Texas when you reach 65 your tax rate and home valuation can be locked. Therefore no increase in taxes.

 

Very interesting. I've never heard of this.

 

Also if you are disabled 100% Vet at any age.

 

I currently still live in an apartment. I keep nothing outside, and my truck has been keyed twice. I own a house, and am going through a really long renovation process. It is nearing the end, hopefully this week the damn painter will finally finish to my satisfaction. I can't wait to get all my stuff out of my apartment, grandma's house, and other places and get my 442 down to my house. Next year will be the car barn.

 

Well , when I can afford one and not the other , I'm not paying these as far as I'm concerned . Read my lips ...... I CAN'T AFFORD A HOUSE Do you think I want to live next to idiots ? I laugh at what my mom has to pay for this little ranch shack she lives in that her and my dad had built in the early 60's here in Milwaukee . $300 a month for Prop Tax , at LEAST $200 for Gas / Electric a month , Water Bill is outrageous too . These items ALONE are my rent each month . I pay like $825 a month , heats included , 1200sq ft of space , and two spaces in a underground climate controlled parking garage . I have awesome credit , but I owe a lot on credit cards that I'm working on getting paid off ( if things would quit breaking / happening that is ) I simply could not afford it , nor would anyone give me a loan that would be enough . I don't even have a down payment saved up . Because I didn't make enough before , I didn't have a 401K going . I'm starting one now because I have a bit of extra money .

I DO see your point though as far as having your own place away from ...... PEOPLE ! Gaining equity and what not . I am married , have two kids , so I would definitely get a tax break that way . I already was getting all my taxes back when SHE wasn't working , but then I would run out of money each month and have to use my credit card . Now that she works , we get less back at the end of the year , but I can somehow afford everything now . I finally make enough money with the overtime I've been getting lately to have a little bit of spending money too .