Here in the US we celebrate the birthdays of two different major Presidents from our history, but different states observe them on different dates. Here in Illinois, along with Connecticut, New York and Missouri, we observe Abraham Lincoln's birthday on February 12. Indiana observes his birthday on the day after Thanksgiving. The rest of the country lumps Lincoln together with George Washington, celebrating their birthdays together on the nationwide holiday we call "Presidents Day," the third Monday in February.
Regional differences also show up in apartment life. Today we wanted to give you a quick comparison of the various quirks and major laws that affect apartment hunting in the 10 largest, most apartment-filled cities in the United States. Sources are linked as needed. Some definitions of the information provided here, along with my research methods, are included at the bottom of the post.
Information is current as of February 2016 to the best of my knowledge, but it is subject to change.
Boston, MA
Rent, 2 bedroom: $1600 - 4800, Median $2400.
Fair Market Rent, 2 bedroom: $1537
Apartment Stock: Apartments make up 35% of all housing.
Renting Population: 65% of housing is occupied by renters.
Rent Control: No
Who Normally Pays Rental Agents: Tenants
Maximum Security Deposit Allowed: One Month's Rent. (Note: under Massachusetts law, a landlord cannot collect any additional fees or deposits such as pet fees, key fees, etc.) [Source]
Predominant Heating Fuels Used: Natural gas, Electricity, Heating oil
Recycling & Composting: Landlord must buy recycling bins from the city for all buildings with 7 or more units. [Source (PDF)]
Landlord Notice of Entry: Landlord must give notice, but no specific time period is specified.
Special Protected Classes: Age, Sexual orientation, Military history, Single parents, Unmarried parents, Source of income, Source of rent.
Don't Assume That... You'll be able to find an apartment for any date other than September 1. Nearly 80% of Boston's apartments turn over between September 1 and September 14 each year. [Source]
Chicago, IL
Rent, 2 bedroom: $850 - 7100, Median $1995.
Fair Market Rent, 2 bedroom: $1176
Apartment Stock: Apartments make up 30% of all housing.
Renting Population: 55% of housing is occupied by renters.
Rent Control: No
Who Normally Pays Rental Agents: Landlords
Maximum Security Deposit Allowed: No restrictions.
Predominant Heating Fuels Used: Natural gas, Electricity
Recycling & Composting: Landlord must provide an "effective plan" to separate at least 3 types of recyclable materials from other trash. [Source]
Landlord Notice of Entry: 2 days for most buildings [Source].
Special Protected Classes: Ancestry, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, military discharge status, source of income, source of rent.
Don't Assume That... You will need to provide a refundable security deposit. Due to quirks in Chicago rental laws, many landlords now charge non-refundable "move in fees" instead of deposits.
Dallas, TX
Rent, 2 bedroom: $940 - 3498, Median $1583.
Fair Market Rent, 2 bedroom: $780 - 1440 depending on Zip Code.
Apartment Stock: Apartments make up 41% of housing.
Renting Population: 57% of housing is occupied by renters.
Rent Control: No
Who Normally Pays Rental Agents: Landlords
Maximum Security Deposit Allowed: No restrictions.
Predominant Heating Fuels Used: Electricity, Natural gas
Recycling & Composting: Landlords are not required to provide recycling.
Landlord Notice of Entry: Landlord must give notice, but no time period is specified. [Source]
Special Protected Classes: Sexual orientation.
Don't Assume That... Your building will have a basement. Dallas has what is called "expansive clay" soil, which means underground portions of buildings get squeezed and shifted around.
Denver, CO
Rent, 2 bedroom: $835 - 5700, Median $1687.
Fair Market Rent, 2 bedroom: $1227.
Apartment Stock: Apartments make up 33% of housing.
Renting Population: 50% of housing is occupied by renters.
Rent Control: No
Who Normally Pays Rental Agents: Landlords
Maximum Security Deposit Allowed: No restrictions.
Predominant Heating Fuels Used: Natural gas, electricity.
Recycling & Composting: City recycling does not cover buildings with 8 or more units. The landlord is not required to provide recycling. [Source]
Landlord Notice of Entry: No laws.
Special Protected Classes: Creed, Sexual orientation, Marital Status, Ancestry
Don't Assume That... You will be allowed to consume marijuana in your apartment. Landlords can currently set their own rules in the lease that override the state laws.
Houston, TX
Rent, 2 bedroom: $420 - 6222, Median $1735.
Fair Market Rent, 2 bedroom: $948.
Apartment Stock: Apartments make up 41% of housing.
Renting Population: 55% of housing is occupied by renters.
Rent Control: No
Who Normally Pays Rental Agents: Landlords
Maximum Security Deposit Allowed: No restrictions.
Predominant Heating Fuels Used: Electricity, Natural Gas
Recycling & Composting: City recycling does not cover buildings with 9 or more units. Landlord is not required to provide recycling. [Source]
Landlord Notice of Entry: Landlord must give notice, but no time period is specified. [Source]
Special Protected Classes: Ethnicity, Age, Marital status, Military status, Sexual orientation, Genetic information, Gender identity, Pregnancy.
Don't Assume That... Your apartment will be surrounded by other residential buildings. Houston is known for its lack of usage-specific zoning, which means your building could be surrounded by shops, restaurants or factories.
Los Angeles, CA
Rent, 2 bedroom: $1025 - 27100, Median $2193.
Fair Market Rent, 2 bedroom: $1490.
Apartment Stock: Apartments make up 41% of housing.
Renting Population: 63% of housing is occupied by renters.
Rent Control: Yes. [Source]
Who Normally Pays Rental Agents: Landlords
Maximum Security Deposit Allowed: 2 months rent for unfurnished apartments, 3 months rent for furnished apartments. [Source]
Predominant Heating Fuels Used: Natural gas, Electricity
Recycling & Composting: Landlords are required to provide recycling. [Source]
Landlord Notice of Entry: 24 hours. [Source]
Special Protected Classes: Sexual orientation, Gender identity, Gender expression, Marital status, Medical condition, Ancestry, Source of Income, Age, Genetic information, Arbitrary discrimination.
Don't Assume That... Your apartment will come with a refrigerator. LA is a "bring your own appliances" kind of town.
New York, NY (All 5 Boroughs)
Rent, 2 bedroom: $645 - 12000, Median $2425.
Fair Market Rent, 2 bedroom: $1571.
Apartment Stock: Apartments make up 51% of housing.
Renting Population: 68% of housing is occupied by renters.
Rent Control: Yes. [Source]
Who Normally Pays Rental Agents: Tenants
Maximum Security Deposit Allowed: No maximum except for rent-controlled units, then generally 1 month. [Source (PDF)]
Predominant Heating Fuels Used: Natural gas, heating oil, Electricity
Recycling & Composting: Landlord must notify tenants about recycling requirements and provide a recycling area. [Source (PDF)]
Landlord Notice of Entry: "Reasonable" notice. [Source (PDF)]
Special Protected Classes: Creed, Age, Alienage or Citizenship Status, Gender identity, Sexual orientation, Marital status, Lawful Occupation, Military status, Source of Income, Source of rent, Partnership status, Retaliation.
Don't Assume That... Your bedroom will have a window, nor that your bathroom will have a shower.
San Francisco, CA
Rent, 2 bedroom: $1200 - 15500, Median $4495.
Fair Market Rent, 2 bedroom: $2289.
Apartment Stock: Apartments make up 40% of housing.
Renting Population: 63% of housing is occupied by renters.
Rent Control: Yes. [Source]
Who Normally Pays Rental Agents: Tenants
Maximum Security Deposit Allowed: 2 months rent for unfurnished apartments, 3 months rent for furnished apartments. [Source]
Predominant Heating Fuels Used: Natural gas, Electricity
Recycling & Composting: Landlord must provide both recycling and composting. [Source]
Landlord Notice of Entry: 24 hours. [Source]
Special Protected Classes: Ancestry, Place of birth, Age, Creed, Sexual orientation, Gender identity, Source of income, Weight, Height.
Don't Assume That... You will be able to just move in with any roommate. Prepare for interviews. Bring a resume.
Seattle, WA
Rent, 2 bedroom: $950 - 6802, Median $1939.
Fair Market Rent, 2 bedroom: $1523.
Apartment Stock: Apartments make up 38% of housing.
Renting Population: 54% of housing is occupied by renters.
Rent Control: No.
Who Normally Pays Rental Agents: Tenants
Maximum Security Deposit Allowed: No maximum.
Predominant Heating Fuels Used: Electricity, natural gas.
Recycling & Composting: City recycling and compost bins are available for landlords. Landlords may be fined if their garbage dumpsters contain more than 10% recyclable material. [Source]
Landlord Notice of Entry: 24 hours for showings, otherwise 48 hours. [Source]
Special Protected Classes: Creed, Marital status, Sexual orientation, Gender identity, Military/veteran status, Age, Political ideology, Use of a trained guide dog, Source of Rent.
Don't Assume That... Water, Sewage and Trash pickup service are included in the rent. Many landlords will bill you separately for these public utilities.
Washington, DC
Rent, 2 bedroom: $840 - 7230, Median $2580.
Fair Market Rent, 2 bedroom: $1623.
Apartment Stock: Apartments make up 42% of housing.
Renting Population: 58% of housing is occupied by renters.
Rent Control: No.
Who Normally Pays Rental Agents: Landlord
Maximum Security Deposit Allowed: One month rent [Source]
Predominant Heating Fuels Used: Natural gas.
Recycling & Composting: Landlord required to provide recycling for buildings with 4 or more units. [Source]
Landlord Notice of Entry: No law.
Special Protected Classes: Age, Personal appearance, Sexual orientation, Gender identity/expression, Family responsibilities, Political affiliation, Matriculation, Familial status, Genetic information, Source of income, Place of residence/business, Victims of domestic violence/stalking/sexual assault.
Don't Assume That... You'll be able to live alone. Roommates and "group housing" are the standard arrangement in DC.
Glossary and Research Methodology
Rent rates are calculated based on the 100 most recent 2 bedroom apartments posted to Craigslist in each city as of February 11, 2016 at about 10pm Central Time.
The Fair Market Rent Rate (FMR) is set by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) each year, and is used to set the amounts that government entities will offer for subsidized apartments across the country. You can search for the current FMRs for all apartment sizes near you here.
Rent Control, also known as Rent Regulation, is government-controlled limitations on how high rent can be raised in an apartment when a lease expires.
Apartment Stock, Renting Population and Heating Fuel data are all sourced from the 2014 American Community Survey 5 year estimates as provided by the US Census Bureau.
Federal law protects the following classes of citizens from a fair housing perspective nationwide: Race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, national origin. The City by City lists above mention only protected classes specified by local laws in addition to these seven groups.
