Well, I found out recently the rent is going up because of greedy ownership trying to phase out long-term residents such as myself who have been here since 1996 and earlier. I also know the reason is because they also want to add more amenities to attract the college population- just so everyone knows, I live right next door to Kent State and can see the campus and builidngs from my window. I have lived here since March 2nd, 1996. So moving is going to of course be hard on me.
After discussing it all with family and friends, I am moving out of my home and into subsidized housing near me if I can find a place. I hope to get a place here in Kent cause I really don’t want to move to Akron unless I have to. I have a friend who lives downtown Akron at the Mayflower, which is subsidized housing and I really am not all that comfortable living downtown Akron.
Plus, I don’t want to leave all my friends as I have a lot of friends in Kent and Kent’s the city I grew up in. Hopefully I can stay close to the campus so I can STILL be a part of my softball team- I coach first base for a team of university cops that are my friends. I can’t play anymore but I still can coach.
I am upset yeah and disgusted by the greed. They already kicked seniors out of their homes next to me and are currently renovating it into student housing and they also tore down low-income housing next to me; which is being reconstructed to new student housing. Well, greed- the one constant in the known universe and usually it’s the low-income people like myself who get butt-fucked. Pardon my french, but this whole thing has kept me up a lot and has been stressing me out a lot.
Re: It’s come to this… I have to move from my home of 16 years
Some good news! I may have something lined up if my apartment complex is not going to be a problem with me leaving my lease early. I need to be in within two weeks because they won’t hold it for me much longer than that. I am already starting to pack and will be packing things up this week. Wow. Can’t believe this is happening.
Hopefully there’s not going to be a problem with my current lease.
Re: It’s come to this… I have to move from my home of 16 years
I can’t see why they would have issues with breaking your current lease if they are jacking up the rent. Most apartments I have ever lived in, they always allowed me to break my lease early when they announced rent hikes and I found someplace cheaper
Re: It’s come to this… I have to move from my home of 16 years
My last apartment my wife had before we got married, they allowed her to break the lease when she told them she was getting married and would be moving into my house after the wedding. The manager at her complex asked when the wedding was, and said he would not advertise the empty unit for 60 days, this way like Kita, she could sell/get rid of stuff that would be duplicated combining the two households. We ended up repainting the place, cleaning the carpets, and filling in every single nail/screw hole. We had that place empty and ready to turn over 3 weeks after the wedding. When we did the final walk through with the manager before turning in the keys, the manager was surprised at how clean the place was, and said that he can cancel the re-carpeting he was going to have done(my wife had lived there for over 5 yrs) and gave her back the entire security deposit and the place was rented a week later.
What really amazed me about my wifes apartment though, was how much stuff she had managed to stuff into a 3 bedroom apartment(the oldest son got his own room, and the two youngest shared a room). We ended up bringing like 3/4 of her stuff and it pretty much filled the basement area at the time(before we added on)
Re: It’s come to this… I have to move from my home of 16 years
Technically speaking, they can’t raise your rent in the middle of a lease - they’re essentially breaking the lease contract. So, if they impose a rate hike on you, you’re not breaking the lease if you move, because they’ve already done so.
Re: It’s come to this… I have to move from my home of 16 years
To update the situation and I have talked to my lawyer about this too. My lawyer and I talked about this last night and she said it’s standard; cause I signed a lease I am responsible for it. My aunt is giving me the money to break my lease, to pay it off since I have to take this new place NOW since they won’t hold it for me til July- that’s HUD for you. I was just surprised I got a place through HUD that fast. My aunt is also giving me extra money to play it safe just in case there are any surprises in moving into the new place.
The place is a one-bedroom, my rent will be cheaper, affordable, and since I am on a fixed income through social security disability that will make a world of difference for me. In my new place, I’ve decided that I’m eighty-sixing my landline phone, going with a cell and using some of the money from my aunt for a new phone- My aunt is giving me enough money to cover the remainder of the lease and then some- just in case.
I know public housing is not popular with a lot of people, especially Ron Paul supporters since he plans to cut HUD if elected- I don’t have a choice in this because of the fact that I can’t afford anything else in my hometown and I don’t want to move to Akron- Kent’s been my home since '79- when I was 3 years old and I don’t want to leave. My friends are all here. I know I’m going to get some gripe about moving to public housing but I don’t have a choice. As for the suggestion of a roommate; I am not roommate material. I like my privacy too much, I hate being bothered by people and I like being left alone, plus I DO NOT trust people easily. So, living by myself is the best option for me.
This was not something I wanted to do and after consideration, talking to friends and family- I feel I’m doing the right thing. And for those who wonder about the rent increases, they’d take effect when I renewed my lease here. But, I am tried of being here and in the same place I’ve been for sixteen years. Plus, I can’t afford the increases with prices going up on everything.