Author: Kay Cleaves

The Corresponding Pitfalls of Income Taxes and Moving

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This past week most Americans had to go through one of the most obnoxious annual US traditions. Although Tax Day was delayed due to the Easter holiday, the delay meant that many procrastinators had to spend their holiday doing peculiar math calculations and thinking about their income instead of enjoying time off with their family. As I sat doing my own taxes (possibly last weekend... possibly) I was struck by how much the dread of this chore had in common with another very common task at this time of year - packing and moving to a new apartment. Let me explain with this handy chart.

Income Taxes Moving
Receive notice in the form of a 1099 or W-2 form from your boss that income tax time is almost here. Receive notice in the form of a lease renewal letter from your landlord that moving time is almost here.
Spend the next two months pondering what you'll do with your refund. Spend the next two months looking for a new apartment.
Realize with only a few days left that you should probably start doing the paperwork. Realize with only a few days left that you should probably start packing.
Start your return, realize that you need several documents that you've misplaced, flail about. Start sorting your belongings, realize that you need far more packing supplies than you have, flail about.

Continue reading The Corresponding Pitfalls of Income Taxes and Moving

Published by

Kay Cleaves

Apartment Hunting for Overweight Renters

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According to the US Center for Disease Control's 2014 survey, 29.3% of Illinois adults are obese, up from 27.1% in 2011. An additional 34.5% were considered to be "overweight" but not obese. As a point of comparison, they reported that about 15% of Illinois adults smoke cigarettes. Obesity is more prevalent among some racial minorities: about 44% of black adults and 35% of Hispanic adults are obese in Illinois. Obesity is also far more common in lower income brackets - this means that renters are more likely than owners to be severely overweight.

Obese renters have to make special considerations when searching for housing. They may encounter discrimination from landlords, even though severely obese individuals - those weighing at least twice the norm for their height - are considered disabled and therefore protected by the ADA. But not every overweight renter meets the threshold for "severely obese," and nobody wants their housing search to end with a discrimination lawsuit.

Today we'll be focusing on the house hunting concerns of the overweight renter, with special consideration for those who weigh over 300 pounds. Some of you are planning to lose weight. Others of you may be unable to do so, or may not care. We're not here to judge. No matter your opinion of your weight, if you're obese during your housing search you need to be aware of how your size may impact your available options. Continue reading Apartment Hunting for Overweight Renters

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Kay Cleaves

Dear RentConfident: Waiting for Affordable Housing

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Every once in a while we get questions from our readers about the finer details of renting. Some are from tenants, others from landlords, and still others from parents, attorneys and agents. Today we're back with another question from the mailbag! This one required such an in-depth answer that we're spending the entire article on it.

If you have a question you’d like us to answer in a future installment of Dear RentConfident, leave it in a comment below, or send us a message through our contact form.

Dear RentConfident: I was hoping to get your insight on where the affordable housing is in Chicago. I searched your site and didn't find a specific blog article about this so I thought I'd reach out about the City's Affordable Requirements Ordinance. Based on my understanding of the ordinance, developments that receive city financial assistance or involve city-owned land must provide 10 percent of their units (if the building is more than 10 units) at affordable prices. The problem I'm having is that the City's Affordable Rental Housing Resource List doesn't seem right. For instance, it only lists one development in the loop, but it seems to me that new apartment buildings are popping up in the loop every week. I'm interested in finding out how low-income individuals can find these building online.

I have two brothers who work full-time but are still considered working poor. They make about $27K and $31K respectively and have not been able to find an affordable apartment in Chicago. The issue they keep running into is the property manager saying that don't make enough money annually. One of my brothers went to [address redacted], which is on the City' ARO list, as well to several landlord owned properties on the south side but was told just that. Another brother went to [address redacted] but was told the waiting list for affordable apartment was two years. Combining their income is not an option because they've tried living together in the past, and they get along much better when live a part. They both would like to live close to downtown since it's a considered an opportunity area with more access to resources.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this or any suggestions on what direction to point them in. Thank you so much. - Out of Options, South Loop Continue reading Dear RentConfident: Waiting for Affordable Housing

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Kay Cleaves

Why Do So Many Chicago Renters Move in May?

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As a long time resident of Chicago and a former real estate agent I have a major love for the city's alleyways. I will freely admit to joining the many drivers who break the law by using the alleys as a sort of alternate to the city's often overcrowded grid of actual streets. I have a parking space in an alley too. Most of the time I can come and go as I please, but during the last week of April each year I must forego my parking space and park on the street, lest I get trapped by the hordes of moving trucks that arrive to block the alley for May 1, Chicago's busiest moving day of the year.

The May 1 renter moving day in Chicago is well-known throughout the real estate industry. Landlords sculpt their leases around it, along with the lesser peak of October 1. In fact, if you look at Google's search trends, shown below, the search term "Chicago apartments" surges to double its winter popularity annually between March and April as renters search for new homes.

trends.embed.renderExploreWidget("TIMESERIES", {"comparisonItem":[{"keyword":"chicago apartments","geo":"US-IL-602","time":"all"}],"category":0,"property":""}, {"exploreQuery":"date=all&geo=US-IL-602&q=chicago%20apartments","guestPath":"https://trends.google.com:443/trends/embed/"});

When I worked as an agent I always accepted that May 1 would be busy, but until now I've never really questioned why. It doesn't make much sense when you look at how modern Chicagoans live their lives. Local colleges usually don't end their spring terms until late May or even June. Public schools end their terms even later, well into June. There are no known work holidays near May 1 that would allow workers to take time off for moving without losing pay. But still, May 1 remains the explosive starter pistol bang of the city's moving season. As it turns out, the reason why May 1 is so popular has no foundation in modern life. Instead, it's a relic of a legally enforced system dating back centuries, codified in leases until 1918, and still permanently ingrained in our lives a century after Chicago's "Moving Day" vanished from the historical record. Continue reading Why Do So Many Chicago Renters Move in May?

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Kay Cleaves

How to Clean Up your Social Media for Apartment Hunting

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If you're in the market for a new apartment this spring you will probably be subject to a background check. Landlords tend to screen tenants by checking their credit reports, verifying their income and calling previous landlords. But when I was working for local landlords as an agent I would also plug tenants' names into search engines and social media sites as part of my standard background check procedure.

While not every landlord screens their tenants as thoroughly, I can definitely say I was not alone in using social media as a way of getting the full picture of an applicant. In a tight market, questionable content on your Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or even your Reddit account can mean you lose out on your apartment of choice.

Today I'm going to go over precautions you should take with your social media accounts to make sure you are safe from the prying eyes of picky landlords. Continue reading How to Clean Up your Social Media for Apartment Hunting

Published by

Kay Cleaves