In order to find the right home, you first must decide where to look, what type of housing, how much you can spend and how long you want to rent. Check out this guide to Moving to Baltimore for more information.
First decide whether you prefer city or suburb. Baltimore City has a huge range of options from pricey waterfront condos to rehabbed townhomes in trendy enclaves to humble rowhomes in sketchy neighborhoods. Baltimore County is nearly as diverse but has more apartment and townhouse complexes and freestanding homes than the city.
First decide whether you prefer city or suburb. Baltimore City has a huge range of options from pricey waterfront condos to rehabbed townhomes in trendy enclaves to humble rowhomes in sketchy neighborhoods. Baltimore County is nearly as diverse but has more apartment and townhouse complexes and freestanding homes than the city.
Difficulty: Easy
Time Required: One month
Here's How:
- Search by county, price or housing type in the state’s largest newspaper.
Baltimore Sun Classifieds - Long-term, short-term, roommates, houses, apartments…you can find just about anything on this free online bulletin board. You can even make a post and have potential landlords contact you.
Craigslist Baltimore - Despite the name, this site has a lot more than apartments. Find apartments, townhouses and houses to let here. You can even sort by those that allow pets.
Apartments.com - The electronic version of the familiar, free printed publication Apartment Guide, this site concentrates on suburban apartment complexes.
ApartmentGuide.com[ - While this site has a wide variety of housing and allows searches for roommates and sublets, one drawback is you must register in order to browse.
Rent.com - Browse this site’s potential roommates and sublets without registering first.
Sublet.com - This area real estate company also shows a large selection of rentals.
Long & Foster
Tips:
- When checking out a potential home, keep some of these questions in mind:
- What is the rent? Is it per month? Per week?
- Are pets allowed? If so, is there an additional fee or deposit?
- Is there a security deposit required? If so, how much? Under what conditions might it not be returned to you? When will it be returned?
- Under what conditions, if any, can the rent be raised during the period of the lease?
- Who else has access to the home? And under what conditions might someone enter?
- Do you pay extra (and how much) for such things as utilities, storage space, air-conditioning, parking, use of recreation areas (such as pool or tennis courts), installation of special appliances, late payment of rent, etc.?
- If you pay for utilities, be sure you are on a separate meter so that you are only paying for your own utility use.
- Check to be sure all appliances are in good working order.
- Who do you contact with maintenance and repair issues? What about after hours problems?
- Are you required to care for the yard?
- Can you have a roommate of sublet the place?
- How is garbage disposal handled?
- Does the home have laundry facilities. If not, are they onsite and how many machines are there? How much do they cost?
- Are there smoke detectors or a sprinkler system? Is there a fire alarm or other warning system?
- Who controls the heat and air-conditioning thermostats?
- Is there cable TV or satellite outlets? Can you install a satellite dish?
- Can you paint? If so are there color restrictions? Will you have to repaint at move-out?
- Is there a security system? Who pays the monthly fee?
- Oral leases are legal in Maryland, but don’t count on them. Get it in writing every time. Also landlord may only withhold actual damages from a security deposit. So if you break a lease but the landlord re-rents it, you can only be charged rent for the time it was unoccupied.
- Baltimore County tenants may pay rent into an escrow account when certain defects at the property are not remedied by the landlord.
What You Need:
- Social Security Number or Tax ID Number
- Government-issued identification card
- Possibly an application fee (no more than $25)
- Security deposit (no more than two months rent)
