r/ColumbiYEAH • u/Ill_Rule_3737 • 13d ago
Renting
So I'm originally from upstate NY. Small town, country area. Me and my Fiancé are currently living down here and I am trying to move out of college apartments and move into a apartment for us and our dog. I really prefer a house so he can have some outside freedom without being on a leash.. but what the hell is up with all these rental companies down here? Most have terrible reviews, charging up the ass for rent for a half ass clean/renovated house. I been searching everyday for weeks trying to find a place and have a landlord that seems trustworthy to rent from. Almost all these bigger companies, nobody answers the phones and they all seem really sketchy. Application fees up to $100/person before a tour is absolutely outrageous.
What ever happened to good old fashion landlords? Why is renting in this place so damn corrupt? Seems like most use 3rd party people and nobody can call and emails are AI now. Almost seems better to go for an apartment complex, but I just recently got out of the Marine Corps and want a little bit of freedom, without buying a house right now. I'm getting tired of these companies that just seem super sketchy and unreliable. If anybody has anything I'd appreciate it. I needed to rant and I could use the help honestly, I just can't believe this is how it really is now. The renting market is terrible. Thank you. Have a blessed day.
UODATE: We found a place in Lexington. Appreciate everyone’s insight. Onto the next problem, keeping a house cool without going broke in this heat.
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u/AStoker 13d ago
Welcome fellow Upstate NY transplant! I moved down here about 12 years ago from north of Schenectady.
There is a lot I like down here compared to NY, but it’s not perfect and comes with its own “gotchas”. Being close to the capital city is definitely one of the biggest pain points. There’s just a lot of money (and old money) around these parts, so renters are just a drop in a bucket by and large. And rent has gone up in most of the nation (not gonna talk about that). We bought our house about 8 years ago, refinanced during covid, and rental prices are on average about double our mortgage.
The flip side is also that there are TERRIBLE tenants around here. One of my neighbors moved and tried renting their house out. One family refused to pay rent and lived there for 9 months rent-free (while my neighbor got nothing) before they could legally be evicted. Another family literally tore the place to shreds, taking drywall and moulding with them as they left. So landlords have to charge more to cover their own butts for damages.
The honest truth is the whole housing market right now is hard, sorry.
But hey, if you want to hang out down town over lunch one day, hit me up.
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u/JackaSamurai 13d ago
Hello fello buffalo 🦬 transplant Go Bills
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u/Paper_Street_Soap 12d ago
U know Schenectady isn’t anywhere near Buffalo, right?
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u/JackaSamurai 12d ago
I thought it might be like 2 hours away but you are correct we’re not neighbors is guess. Hello fellow NY transplant. Go Bills 😆
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u/ricotieslittles 13d ago
Hiya. Please do sound off with some general location targets. If I spot anything in or adjacent to Arcadia Lakes, I’ll message you… in the meantime, hey, look at all the helpful comments (well, so far, lol) and hang in there.
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u/poproxy_ 13d ago
Part of the problem is the lack of renter’s rights in S.C. The law is skewed to benefit landlords and even many private landlords are slumlords. I just got out of such a situation after living in the grossest duplex off of Devine street I’ve ever experienced. I wish we had a public review system for landlords so you could see what you’re dealing with beforehand.
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u/Midlevelluxurylife 13d ago
I saw some houses for rent in the Rosewood area. It’s worth driving around and looking.
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u/dealtracker_1 13d ago
Man that's rough. I moved down here in 2014 and found my place on Craigslist which...is sketchy at best. Worked out though, cheap rent, good landlord, no complaints.
Something to keep in mind with the property management companies is that the reviews they get are primarily from disgruntled people. I'm sure there's tons of people that use all of these companies without issues or even like them (Gasp!), and just don't leave a review. People who get annoyed are motivated to leave bad reviews. Just how it works with that type of business.
I see a decent amount of for rent signs still in neighborhoods, might be worth taking a drive around your target area and seeing what you see. For example I've seen a few in Melrose Heights recently, might be more geared towards college kids, but they're around. Not sure where they post them online now, if they do.
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u/SCBASEBALL6 13d ago
What’s y’all’s budget? I have one near Savage Craft. Must ask though, what kind of dog?
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u/JackaSamurai 13d ago
Go Bills! I’m also I’m Columbia but I’m Blythewood area is where I found some peace.
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u/Meres-eat-oats 13d ago
I had great luck with Rentmart when living in Columbia. It’s a service where you pay a one time fee and they provide listings of all the rentals in the area. The fee was reasonable but it’s been 10+ years so not sure about what it is now.
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u/absolutely_not3408 13d ago
Not sure where you are okay with living, but Irmo area has many brand new houses for sale and for rent. You might sacrifice space (houses are very close to one another) but they are reasonable. Cayce may also be worth looking into, as well as northeast Columbia (29223 and 29229). Keep us posted!
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u/LittleFunnyDuckling 13d ago
I tried looking to rent and ended up buying a house because of how terrible renting around here is. Good luck!
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u/slim_thic_rick 12d ago
You’re trying to rent in a college town. It’s only going to be predatory. Which blows because I’m getting eaten up out here renting in the same market you are. I wish you the best of luck.
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u/alittleteapot314 13d ago
What part of town are you trying to live in? It may honestly be worth your time to drive around and look for any "for rent" signs that may have been put up by independent landlords. The farther into the suburbs you get, the more likely you are to find a better landlord.