r/Eugene • u/Julesthewriter • Dec 01 '23
Is renting impossible?
Going through some renting struggles, wondering who can relate.
I already live here. I moved two years ago into a two bedroom for $1095 with two other adults who since moved out. The rent has since gone up to $1270, and I’ve managed to barely afford it on my own.
I now have two more adults I’m trying to get a place with. We found a spot in Eugene for $1370 (according to Zillow there’s 24 spots in Eugene Springfield right now for that amount or lower. Some of those “affordable spots” you have to contact the complex to find out what the rent is - probably not $1370.)
The company denied us, because we each individually need to qualify for the two bedroom apartment. I thought that was the point of applying with other people, to add up the incomes to make enough to pay rent.
Despite all three of us being adults (25+) with full time employment significantly above minimum wage, none of us qualify. Because of the rent increase, I no longer qualify for the apartment in which I currently reside.
Two of us don’t make enough, and they say the third doesn’t have enough rental history despite being a reliable tenant in the same unit for 8 years, despite making over $30 an hour.
At $1370, you need to work full time at $26 an hour to afford a place. Minimum wage is $14.20. If rent were to be affordable at minimum wage it shouldn’t exceed $760, yet there’s only two rental units on Zillow that much or cheaper in the entire Springfield Eugene area.
So are we just f*****? Is it just impossible to live and work in Eugene unless you want to move to the train tracks?
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u/lolomgwtfuzz Dec 01 '23 edited Dec 01 '23
Yes friend, we are just fucked. Unless and until we can collectively stand up to the rental demons and government overlords.
It's honestly very scary. You can't even afford to be single anymore, or live alone.
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Dec 02 '23 edited Dec 03 '23
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u/ltothea37 Dec 02 '23
Thank you for bringing up Airbnb as this is something that isn’t talked about enough. If you peruse the Airbnb site there are a bunch of great places in our area that would be perfect longterm rentals but are off the market because, Airbnb. In my opinion, it’s a big reason we have this massive rental shortage which is driving up rental prices. Think about how much more housing would be on the rental market if the idea of Airbnb hadn’t ever been created. There really needs to be some sort of regulation or something on Airbnb (& other companies like it) in order to get more affordable housing on our rental market.
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Dec 02 '23
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Dec 03 '23
And all of that money is getting siphoned right out of the local economy. Probably to California.
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Dec 02 '23
Portland tried that. Kinda.
https://www.opb.org/article/2023/09/18/portland-airbnb-regulations/
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u/Different-Horse-4578 Dec 02 '23
Are you saying they stand empty until a university event fills them?
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u/_Taylor___ Dec 02 '23
I just looked at air bnb. There are 700 available air bnbs in Eugene for the weekend after next. That's whole houses, apartments or something like that, not just a spare bedroom. Who knows how many are already booked. Probably another couple hundred?
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u/bunhe06 Dec 02 '23
In France they have multiple times done something called a general strike where everyone stops working at the same time and they win instantly every time. They also have a legit 4 day work week, pensions, health care, et cetera.
Americans are just so brainwashed and accustomed to death spiral late stage capitalism we can't imagine anything else.
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Dec 03 '23
France is also much much smaller. The entire nation is smaller than Texas but with twice as many people. Probably easier to organize in a place where people are still commuting on foot, meeting in cafes to talk, etc etc. More sense of a shared identity.
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u/Lack0fCreativity Dec 01 '23 edited Dec 01 '23
And people wonder why we have a homelessness problem, blaming them for it and acting like they choose to be homeless..
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u/insidmal Dec 01 '23
Yeah it's absurd the way people talk about and treat the homeless as though they're not one paycheck or medical emergency away from being there themselves.
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u/Mr_Boojangles Dec 02 '23
No kidding I know of at least five friends living out of their cars rn who all work f/t.
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u/triplesixsunman Dec 02 '23
The hell is going on? I rented an apartment in the sf bay area on part time waiter wages when I was 18. I could even afford to pay for my unemployed girlfriend (now my wife) at the time. This was in 1998. I worked at the olive garden for 30 hours a week lol.
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u/Julesthewriter Dec 02 '23
Right? I’m a waitress because it has always been incredibly reliable money I’ve never struggled with making ends meet in over a decade across four different states in 13 different locations. Now I’m here, and I’m between the rent increase+inflation+the hyper demand for tips and tipping culture leeching out of serving and into self serve check out stations, waitressing isn’t an affordable career anymore. Single moms raised entire families in the fifties sixties and seventies waitressing, and I just want to pay rent today.
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u/Sklibba Dec 02 '23
Exactly. You have to have brainworms to be unable to see that rising rental costs and stagnant wages causes homelessness. People like to blame drugs and mental illness, and while those do sometimes contribute to people becoming homeless, a lot of people turn to drugs and lose their shit because they get crushed by this fucked up system and end up homeless.
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Dec 02 '23
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Dec 02 '23
Poor credit, no rental history, evictions, long periods of unemployment, incarceration, and other factors also play into the problem of being unable to secure housing.
You are dangerously close to understanding that housing is a human right
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Dec 02 '23 edited Dec 03 '23
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Dec 02 '23
No, I mean if you have a job you should be able to rent housing. Regardless of your credit history. Could you imagine having to get qualified to get water turned on at your house? Electricity? If we're not going to look at it as a human right, then at least regulate it as a utility.
Not all housing of course, but there's literally nothing bridging the gap between homelessness and unaffordability.
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u/tangerinejellly Dec 01 '23
They do everything they can to keep working people desperate and fighting over scraps, including shitty apartments. I'm really sorry you're dealing with this. I recommend getting a cosigner if you have someone in your life who will do that, what's really fucked up though is they usually charge you an application fee for the cosigner too! Anyway tenant organizing is taking off in Eugene to address rent increases and more, Eugene Housing and Neighborhood Defense's next public meeting is 12/5 6:30pm at the UUCE if you're interested.
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u/Julesthewriter Dec 01 '23
That’s awesome, and I love SETA too. The agency requested we get TWO co-signers for the three of us already on the hook for the money. It’s me and my sister and my dad can co-sign for one of us, but then moms dead so we’re a bit further fucked.
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u/tangerinejellly Dec 01 '23
Love SETA! Such a great resource. I'm really sorry to hear that, I hope you find someone. I just started renting from Bell and its very cheap, though one of us still needed a cosigner cause of credit. Not as scary to rent from a "bad" (they're all bad but yknow, notorious) PM when you're knowledgeable about tenant organizing. They do anything to mess with us and I'm fully prepared to knock on every neighbors door.
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u/TieImportant6603 Dec 01 '23
I’m over here in Junction City living with my parents, this was supposed to be a really short term thing while my boyfriend and I found a spot in Eugene. That was all the way back in May. We can’t find a place, I’m disabled and not working and I don’t know if landlords just don’t like the look of only one adult in the home working or what. It’s pretty bleak out here.
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u/Julesthewriter Dec 01 '23
That’s my thought too. I wonder if they don’t like one of us, so they’re being picky about all three.
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u/insidmal Dec 01 '23
Same. Was in a really shitty roommate situation so went to my parents just to get out while I kept looking then covid happened so I stayed and now I'm priced out of everything while making what I thought was a decent wage.
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u/negiman4 Dec 01 '23
Yeah it's ridiculous. Just keep looking. My bf and I were stuck in a shitty 1br apartment for $1000 for years before we found the place we're in now. It's our first time living in a house, albeit a very small house, and it's only running us $1300, water included. Appliances are relatively new, looks recently renovated within the last 10 years. Backyard. Driveway. 2 bedrooms. Large kitchen. Not a bad deal, given the circumstances.
It's worth noting that we were extremely lucky, and we had to fight tooth and nail to get it. I'd rather own a house, but lol good luck with that.
It is doable. But the good deals are eaten up really quick and have loads of competition. My advice is to keep looking, every single day. Keep tabs on property management services, big and small. Give them a call once in a while to see if you can get in on a listing they don't have posted yet. Try to get hooked up with a private landlord.
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u/Julesthewriter Dec 02 '23
That’s another thing right? When I first moved into my apartment, we found the listing on Craigslist through a private rental company. One woman basically managed one apartment complex. Since then she sold her business and our apartment complex is now managed by Von Klein, and they’ve been horrid to work with. We never had any issues with our small private manager, but a massive corporation that manages a fat chunk of Eugene rentals doesn’t have the leeway to make human accommodations. It’s all bureaucracy.
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Dec 03 '23
Eh, I think the moment that housing supply increases enough, or demand slows, they'll suddenly find that their bureaucracy can in fact accommodate people. They just know they can do whatever they want right now
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Dec 01 '23
Geographically speaking. Eugene is in a great location. As far as a city. It’s friggin dysfunctional to say the least. I can’t even rely on USPS. I’m sure it’s now the largest city in the world without an ER as of today
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u/ApriKot Dec 01 '23
There is an ER in Springfield that is hardly any further than the other hospitals.
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Dec 01 '23
Your dumb. Even emergency crews acknowledge that it could easily add a half hour to get someone to the ER. Many emergencies like stroke victims don’t have time like that. Minutes matter. Thanks for your input though.
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Dec 02 '23
[deleted]
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u/ApriKot Dec 02 '23
This is absolutely correct, anyone who calls the downtown campus closure a massive failing to the community has never actually visited to understand it's care level, or understand ambulatory transportation times.
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Dec 02 '23
Almost 25 minutes. That supports what I say about the dysfunction of Eugene. Had you been bleeding out or had a stroke. You would be dead or a vegetable right now. My basic overall point is this town needs some improvements.
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u/ApriKot Dec 02 '23
"Your".
That's you're, smarty-pants.
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Dec 02 '23
What a petty person. Your still dumb. It’s much easier to type it my way.
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u/ApriKot Dec 02 '23
Man, are you looking in a mirror right now? You should speak more kindly to yourself. You're not dumb. You'll get it right
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u/XoDaRaP0690 Dec 02 '23
Stop being so god damn lazy. It's annoying to everyone else. But then again, you only give a shit about yourself.
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u/OculusOmnividens Dec 02 '23
Your dumb.
Aaaand there goes any point you were about to make.
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Dec 02 '23
Your right. Eugene is the archetype city for all others to follow.
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Dec 01 '23
All working adults should be making 30 dollars an hour. Its criminal to pay adults horrible wages in this market
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Dec 02 '23
[deleted]
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Dec 02 '23
Im 28 and I send each of my divorced parents a little cash every month. Thats why I need that pay raise even more
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u/CheckPrize9789 Dec 02 '23
Bringing wages up without changing anything else will only increase inflation and barriers to entry in the market, while making it incredibly costly to hire people. We need to decrease the scarcity of housing in order to actually solve this problem. If the market won't do that, then the state should.
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Dec 02 '23
Right but its pretty easy to ask your boss for a raise. I cant build affordable housing on my own lol or else Id do it. The market is obviously incapable of helping poor people at this point were way passed that
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u/CheckPrize9789 Dec 02 '23
Hence why the state should intervene by increasing the supply of housing.
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u/stinkyfootjr Dec 02 '23
Contact your state senator and representative, Kotek is asking the legislature to approve $500 million to meet her goal of 36,000 new housing. Their talking about this stuff right now.
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Dec 02 '23
I like how you act like this isn't a one party system. Kotek will get everything she wants
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Dec 03 '23
We still have incredibly cheap food compared to other nations, same with electricity and gasoline, etc. This is really isolated to housing (and cars, but that's much different). The lack of supply from NIMBYism is breaking the economy.
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Dec 03 '23
Get paid 45 an hour to build houses?
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Dec 03 '23
Hmmm?
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Dec 03 '23
Lots of construction trades make excellent wages. If we had more skilled labor jobs in Eugene we could create more housing AND raise wages!
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Dec 03 '23
Good call. Makes a lot more sense at this point than trying to build weird infrastructure projects to create jobs.
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u/WoeVRade Dec 02 '23
The only real solution is to outlaw companies from owning more than 1 or 2 rental properties. There are only a handful of large rental companies in any area (not just Eugene), and they become a little oligarchy, with no competition to drive rates down. Between that and AirBnB, all the housing has been taken off the market. It needs to happen at the national level, and probably the global level. Housing prices have exploded everywhere.
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u/Julesthewriter Dec 02 '23
Honestly I agree. I think banks can’t own properties in an equitable future, only people, and people in excess of three properties should be taxed a 95% rate on the greed.
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Dec 02 '23
I feel like you guys are right, but way off on the numbers. It's not uncommon these days for a single person to have a portfolio of 200 to 300 rental properties. And if they're willing to be heavily leveraged, they can do it with relatively little upfront capital.
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u/Julesthewriter Dec 02 '23
That’s kind of the point of the problem isn’t it? If housing isn’t supposed to cost more than 30% of your income, by the time you have 30 rental units you’re essentially entitled to the full worth of labor of ten people. And what on earth entitles anyone to the value of ten people, or makes anyone worth ten times the average person? Housing is a human right, and can’t be monetized the same way healthcare should never be monetized. At the very least, a cap of 30 rent checks per owning individual should be enacted. There’s 60 apartments in just my complex, I think it’s ludicrous that one person is entitled to a third of sixty separate households labor value.
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Dec 02 '23
I agree. I just think it'll be easier to restrict entities to say, 100, or 50, or something. You would have to figure out the distribution, how many people are at which cutoffs. But I think you could affect significant change without going all the way down to 3
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u/Julesthewriter Dec 02 '23
My thoughts on it are three properties max, thirty rent checks max. So you know, your main, an investment, and a vacation property. Your investment property can be a small apartment complex or duplex or whatever just so long as overall you don’t exceed 30 rent checks
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Dec 02 '23
That's actually a very interesting idea. I'll have to chew on that. Thank you.
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u/Julesthewriter Dec 03 '23
☺️ I appreciate your feedback and your openness to new ideas. Thank you.
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u/WoeVRade Dec 02 '23
That needs to end too. Maybe we should make it so no individual or company/charity/organization can own more than 3 properties, period. Shelter is one of the basic human rights, and it isn't something that should be controlled by capitalism. And then AirBnB could still exist, because people wouldn't have 300 properties to themselves, and everybody could make a little money.
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u/cowaii Dec 02 '23
I was in a studio and the rent went up to 1300 this year. I had to move back in with my parents so I wasn’t homeless.
The rental market is so fucked
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u/CheckPrize9789 Dec 02 '23
Something is gonna give eventually. Everyone might move away before it does though
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Dec 03 '23
It's happening everywhere in America. I saw somebody say their rent went up 48% the past few years in South Dakota. Something legitimately will need to give soon.
Pretty infuriating listening to this episode of Planet Money, where they interview an economist and frame the entire thing as "The economy is good but people can't tell so they're answering surveys wrong." They literally use the word vibes like 20 times. Then blame it on respondants trying to settle political scores.
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Dec 01 '23
Idk how I did it but I just got qualified for housing. I needed to pay an extra thousand deposit because my income is gig work and only around 3k minimum, but I did find a private landlord. Every property management company I've dealt with has tried to make me do the same shit you are talking about. Start looking for units private owned. Much better chance at getting not screwed honestly.
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u/ElSordo61 Dec 01 '23
I didn’t rent in Eugene for long before buying(luckily had enough resources when interest rates were low, definitely couldn’t buy my own house now). The rental companies were absolutely nuts with their expectations of income and deposits. I’ve lived in various HCOL areas in the last 15 years or so and the rental market here is somehow more stupid. It’s nearly always better to work with a private landlord, but here it can easily be your only option to get a rental. A private landlord isn’t going to magically rent to you way below market value, but most won’t make you bankrupt yourself just to get in the door.
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u/raptoraboo Dec 01 '23
There are very few jobs in Eugene that pay enough that you could qualify for these places, too.
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Dec 02 '23
You forget the best job in Eugene: going to college and getting free access to your parents' checkbook
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u/RockinTacos Dec 01 '23
With supply and demand and supply being so low for apartments....landlords can easily nitpick who they rent to. Its crap.
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u/BigHairyArsehole Dec 01 '23
Yea inflation in the rental market is out of control. We need legislation from Salem to combat this. Force landlords to keep prices lower! Good luck out there
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u/GingerMcBeardface Dec 01 '23
We need supply, not control.
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u/BigHairyArsehole Dec 01 '23
Obviously more affordable housing is a huge need in Eugene and honestly the whole state. It just would be nice to have both I guess 😅
Salem continues to fail in many aspects of governance. Especially when it comes to housing and short term rental laws.
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u/GingerMcBeardface Dec 01 '23
Agreed, but the same kinds of people keep getting elected. So we keep getting the same results.
Time for new people.
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u/BigHairyArsehole Dec 01 '23
Oh I 100% agree with that! It’s all rigged anyhow. Don’t get me started on the Electoral College bs for the Presidential Puppet Show 🤬
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u/Aolflashback Dec 01 '23
“According to Zillow there are 24 spots in Eugene Springfield.”
the issue is the PRICE! There are plenty of places available, I see empty apartments for months all the time where I’m at, but for the smallest apt at the same complex it’s over $1400 a month. Absolute insanity. These multi-BILLION dollar INTERNATIONAL companies don’t GAF!
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u/GingerMcBeardface Dec 01 '23 edited Dec 01 '23
Right, and here's an uncomfortable thing about the "free market" - you levy rent control. Those hig land holders? They just say cool, we aren't renting now. We are just going to hold on to these while we fight court battles and whittle your towns dry.
Rent control isn't the silver bullet. The issue HERE has been generations of nimbys limiting expansion and development in town, which has lead to a strangled supply.
"You see empty units all the time". No, we don't, I have friends in property management that do biweekly reports on pricing and availability in market and supply is at an all time low.
Edit to add: go look at what happened to Ireland's rental Market collapse when thr land holders took their balls and went home.
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u/saucemancometh Dec 01 '23
We’re out here sharpening pitchforks, pal. Don’t come around here with a differing opinion on what the solution to the problem is!
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u/GingerMcBeardface Dec 01 '23
Hey, an armed proletariat is a free proletariat. Don't let me stop you.
Just pointing iut that rent got worse not better with the passing of the existing rent cap.
Sharpen away my friend.
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u/saucemancometh Dec 01 '23
Oh I’m fully on Team: SUPPLY. The free market is just doing its thing and without a violent upheaval of our entire economy, increasing supply is the easiest way to do it
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u/CheckPrize9789 Dec 02 '23
Do both
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u/GingerMcBeardface Dec 02 '23
Control is a great dissuader of additional iunits entering the market. Look what happened to Ireland.
The most effective "controp" would be state owned housing entering the market at artificially depressed prices.
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u/CheckPrize9789 Dec 02 '23
This is exactly what I support, though it's important to point out that a reasonable price is going to be "artificially depressed" compared to a market in which prices have been artificially inflated to a ridiculous degree.
We are witnessing the consequences of allowing rentiers to dominate the real estate market and it is destroying the local economy right now. State housing provided at a limited rate of profit seems like a really good solution to me.
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u/Kazealboi Dec 02 '23
I wish the state would pass something like HB 2699. Tie the minimum wage and housing costs together and see how quickly Big Business starts cranking out more housing.
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u/PerformerGreat Dec 01 '23
Personally i'm saving up for a new cargo van. going to build it out as a camper to live in. maybe i will just stop the whole rent thing and be a van dweller for a while. Rent is not worth the price right now.
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u/lolomgwtfuzz Dec 01 '23
In this society you can survive in a van situation quite comfortably if you can find a safe place to park. For a lot of us all we need is WiFi and a place to stretch our legs. If I didn't have an entire family to think about, I would give the "living in a van down by the river" lifestyle a go.
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u/PerformerGreat Dec 01 '23
way I look at it, I love to camp and fish and wilderness stuff. So i may as well build this, and then it will always be an option.
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u/Away_Intention_8433 Dec 02 '23
It’s crazy how they want this place to turn out like most big cities. I know I sound like a crazy hillbilly from the woods, but think about it. Make people who can’t afford 1500/month minimum to drive 45min plus to work in the city. Then just upcharge everything in city limits to stupid levels. Every corrupt city council salivates to have something like this happen.
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u/Wiley-E-Coyote Dec 02 '23
Phase III of Eugene's tenant protections will change that requirement to 2x the rent instead of 3x when it passes, but that's not really the problem as I see it. The reason that it's hard to qualify for apartments is the same reason rent is unaffordable in Eugene for many people, which is that there are more people looking for rentals than there are acceptable homes to rent.
From the landlord perspective the reason many require 3x the rent for each tenant is that people tend to move out individually rather than all together, and you will end up as often as not having only 1 or 2 of the original people at some point.
Couples break up, people change plans, and roommates get sick of dealing with each other. If one person can't afford the place on their own, there's a good chance they will end up in trouble at some point down the line, and they will be under duress to find a new roommate. I've seen it play out many times, and it happened to me when I was a renter.
Now, all that being said, it's not an insurmountable problem. Landlords will rent to people with moderate issues like this, it's just hard to force them to do it when there is a huge number of people with no issues that want to rent the same house for the same price. In my opinion, the city rental protection plan is a band-aid that will probably not change the experience for most renters very much.
As new rules are adopted, managers come up with new strategies to keep renting to the best tenants and passing over those with sub-optimal financial situations. Supply and demand is pretty hard to beat, and it's never good to be on the losing side. The situation with rentals in Eugene is kind of like the Oregon cannabis market, except reversed so that the customer is on the side with an excess and the seller with a shortage. Until that gets fixed, it's not going to be good finding a house in Eugene.
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Dec 02 '23
This is probably an unpopular opinion, but I would imagine the fact that it is so difficult and slow to evict a tenant in Oregon makes the landlords that much more hesitant to rent to people with questionable income.
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u/Wiley-E-Coyote Dec 03 '23
When they changed the rules so that you can no longer ask your tenant to leave after a fixed term lease is expired, that kind of changed the game. You really can't make anyone leave without a complex legal process that costs thousands of dollars, so there's a pretty strong incentive to make sure you don't rent to the wrong person.
The one time I had a really bad tenant and they wouldn't leave for a few months not paying rent, they skipped out owing me several thousand dollars and after successfully suing them and selling the debt to collections with an agreement that I get nothing up front and will only receive half of whatever they receive, I've only gotten a few hundred bucks after more than 5 years. So yeah, not doing that again.
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u/Global_Fig1310 Dec 02 '23
When myself and 2 friends moved down almost two years ago it took over a month to find a 3bd 1bath with a decent price $1656. But there’s no insulation, heat/ac, and literal rats living in the roof and walls. When it freezes the condensation in our house also freezes. We had to fight for this place, there was over 30 other applicants but thankfully we were the first so we lucked out there. We haven’t been able to find any other living situation we could afford so we’ve been stuck here. It’s finally gotten to the point where we all have to move back home. Sometimes it makes me sick to my stomach to see all these brand new apartments being built and knowing only the rich can afford them.
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u/Julesthewriter Dec 02 '23
I feel the same way. Except my dad sold home when the market was good and now he doesn’t have anywhere to go either.
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u/Bourneinnyc Dec 02 '23
This is why I’m leaving the state. Rent is cheaper in other states. I know not many people havethe ability to move out of state.
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u/Julesthewriter Dec 02 '23
I want to leave, and I honestly stay here because it’s the safest place in the country for women’s reproductive rights. I joke about moving to Oklahoma, but then women’s rights tragedies.
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u/Bourneinnyc Dec 02 '23
I’m sorry.i really hope you can find something. Maybe a single room for rent some homeowners post on Craigslist. I’m at sn advanced reproductive age , but I hear you.
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Dec 02 '23
Which company is this that requires you to make 3 times rent on your own? So I know not to even apply there
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u/astroplaneslayer007 Dec 02 '23
You're just going to have to go out of pocket and find a homeowner and go through any of these property management companies they don't care I go throw you out when they want to raise the rent and then steal your deposit saying you did the damage get used to it the corporation is going to bend us over.
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u/Peachykeengreat Dec 02 '23
It’s stories like this that make me feel “lucky” about getting in where I did. I say it with quotes cus a lot of shitty things happened to me to get to this point. I pay 1595 a month for 3br/2ba with a dishwasher plus in unit washer and dryer. Honestly this place sucks ass but I had no rental history and it was one of the few places that was in my budget. Now that my lease is coming up and I fucking hate this complex and I’m not giving them an extra 125 a month so they can continue to ignore safety issues, I’m finding it impossible to find something similar for around what I’m currently paying.
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u/ANAnomaly3 Dec 02 '23
I know this isn't necessarily a solution, but there are other rental websites like RentCafe or apartment.com, etc. that display a few more listings than Zillow. Zillow tends to only list mid to higher end rentals, though they are more likely to be certified... but there is a decent number of reasonable listings on other sites. Again, I know this doesn't necessarily mean yherr are a lot more affordable listings or excellent housing.
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u/cantfindanamegirl Dec 02 '23
Yes this is why I moved out of the PNW in 2017 and now I only pass through it has only gotten worst. I suggest the Midwest or even south USA. It’s not easy
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u/Kooky_Elevator6254 Dec 03 '23
A few years ago, my rent was $875. Today, the same apartment with no changes is now charging $1,650. There needs to be laws on upcharging rent.
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u/Julesthewriter Dec 03 '23
That’s insane, it basically doubled. How appalling. Wages haven’t matched that.
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u/Kooky_Elevator6254 Dec 03 '23
Yes, what's worse is that it was $875, and then my lease ended and needed to be renewed, and they just doubled it in ONE year. There was no progression on upping the rent. This was during COVID at the beginning, and needless to say, I had to move as a change like that wasn't something I could afford.
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u/MarcusElden Dec 01 '23 edited Dec 01 '23
The company denied us, because we each individually need to qualify for the two bedroom apartment. I thought that was the point of applying with other people, to add up the incomes to make enough to pay rent.
There's no guarantee that both people will be always there at the apartment, though. Sometimes people just up and leave.
I mean it's still fucked, but people act like there are only two options: Have your own 2br/1ba apartment, or be homeless.
If you are single and making minimum wage, you're probably going to be living in a sharehouse with a few other roommates where you have your own room but share a common area. Once you get some more money you might move on to a 1br/1ba, and so on. Not that weird.
I recall my apartment a few years ago was a 2br/1ba and the required amount was your gross income needed to be 2.5x the rent (this was at one of the local Greystar properties). That said, someone making over $30 and hour and working full time should never have trouble finding an apartment, or they just suck at apartment hunting. If someone is making $30+ an hour then they should have no issue renting a place that's like $1300-$1500 a month. There's plenty of places like that and I can't imagine any rental company wanting like 4x gross income-to-rent.
But yeah, unless you grew up here and have family here that can help you out, it's hard to move to Eugene.
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u/insidmal Dec 01 '23
I'm inclined to agree, I wouldn't want to rent a place with roommates that I couldn't afford if they left.
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Dec 02 '23
I'd recommend living in an apartment. Get put on a waiting list, most places will get openings sooner than expected. Most apartments are less than 1600 for a two bedroom.
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Dec 02 '23
So if you make 3200 a month before tax (gross) you should be good to apply by yourself. Apply at multiple places and you will find a place.
Good luck!
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Dec 02 '23
It's 3x rent. So to be qualified for 1600, you need to make 4800 per month.
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Dec 02 '23
Not everywhere is 3x rent.... Alder springs apartment for example is 2x rent. You just have to call around.
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u/First_Raisin1208 Dec 02 '23
I was lucky enough thar my grandpa bought me a tiny trailer when I had no where to go after my divorce. (This was 2010) So, trailer paid for but have to pay space rent. Ok. Space rent was $295 for the first 4 years. It went up $12 each year for the next few years. Then we had an increase to $320. This year it is at $570. Still the cheapest space rent I've seen in Eugene. The park across from me is $690, the one down from it is $748. For a pad of concrete... I support 3 on my income. Full time, $17/hr. Don't qualify for snap somehow? So we really live pretty simple and still have issues making it till next payday. I work with housing navigators and am constantly searching the open rental lists on sec 8... and think evert time that these folks can't afford these "cheap" dumps. I can't even afford them. It's horrible right now. I'm so sorry to anyone struggling to find a decent place to rest your heads. If I had more room, I would share :( Somethings got to give, one way or the other.
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u/kittenlikestoplayxo Dec 02 '23
For a household of 3, the household income has to be less than $49.7k a year to qualify. When was the last time you applied for SNAP?
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u/CourtesyFIush Dec 02 '23
1095 for a 2 bedroom is way nicer than me paying 1115 for a TINY moldy 1 bedroom. But yeah it’s all fucked.
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u/13findingmyway Dec 02 '23 edited Dec 02 '23
Ironically currently stuck in a Airbnb until we get a place again. Homeless / hotel hopping the month prior. I'm grateful we found a cheaper Airbnb for now. Don't know what we're going to do if we can't get a place. We have what's left of our savings and we'll end up draining it within a few months all because I can't work full time anymore due to severe carpal tunnel and probably need surgery. Husband and I qualify together but not individually and we're being pushed around because I stopped working in a desperate attempt to get my wrists to stop flaring so I can return to work and hopefully avoid surgery. It's insane. We qualify on one income and have an excellent credit history, damnit.
Edit: I also think it's because we have pets and I don't want to give up my family.
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u/squatting-Dogg Dec 02 '23
I can believe all of the people who complaint about rent but stay and pay. I left Eugene many years ago to get a family wage job, buy a house, etc. I’m now back and it’s the same thing I experienced 30 years ago.
You will never get ahead in Eugene, never.
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u/Julesthewriter Dec 02 '23
You’re back too though huh? I just moved here two years ago and it wasn’t this bad. I would love to leave but as a woman I don’t feel safe in the rest of the country right now. I literally feel like I can’t leave Oregon and move somewhere more affordable. Oklahoma sounds lovely these days.
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u/berrybfs Dec 02 '23
I’ve only had luck looking directly on property management companies websites, not really zillow, craigslist, or fb marketplace. easier to avoid scams that way too. I can pm you my list if you’d like. Bell currently has a 2 bed duplex listed for $995
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u/cklamath Dec 03 '23
Yeah.... sorry homie.. the shit is just fucked :( I moved to Albany and commuted to work for awhile until I got a better job in corvallis. Either way they're bit way too expensive for literally anyone. Notice how most of the job postings are paying a wage in that sweet spot too, the too high for any social supports but still not high enough to qualify for ones own studio apartment wage.
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u/soljwf98 Dec 03 '23
This thread is making me seriously contemplate checking out. Eugene is my home I grew up in and I along with thousands are being pushed out. Any new rental under $2000 opens and dozens have to ‘fight’ for? The sheer brutality makes feel too sick. So many countless thousands being swept away quietly.
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u/Julesthewriter Dec 03 '23
You can’t check out, we’re gonna need people who care in the future. One of my favorite things about Eugene is how many people are constantly out here helping. There’s a lot of organizations around that are worth joining to make a difference. For example SETA is a non profit that informs renters of their rights, Community Alliance of Tenants does similar work, Acorn Cafe and 86 Hunger keep people fed, plus the Eugene Area Gleaners to avoid food waste and get it where it’s needed. Lane County Food does a ton too. There’s so many great places to help around here. When we take this town back from the owning leeches, the community that helps will still be here.
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Dec 04 '23
I swear the angel of a landlord we had for years was the last of her kind in Eugene. Never raised rent, always did major repairs and just asked us to do minor repairs and she reimbursed us for expenses and time. We paid less than 1,000 a month for a 3 bedroom 2 bath house with a nice backyard. It was the landlords guest house but it was a perfect situation for our family and we were able to save for like 10 years before buying. When we left she gave us 2 months of rent as our "deposit" even though we only paid a 300 dollar deposit.
I really feel sorry for everybody trying to get by out here.
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Dec 01 '23
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u/PastDusk Dec 01 '23
how even is this possible… I’ve got a room in a 3bdr/1bath crackhouse falling apart rental, and I feel lucky it’s only $550. even as far as private landlords go, that’s an insane rate
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u/Originalname888 Dec 01 '23
I’ve met several homeowners that will go as far as letting people live rent free & utilities covered in homes for 6 months to a year or longer in Hood River. Eugene has some nice folks around. As a grad student, this is a great spot. & like I said, there are more spots available. I posted flyers around UO law & LCC & got a call. Pure luck
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u/warrenfgerald Dec 01 '23
This will help you better understand how something like this can hapen.
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u/clickheretodownvote Dec 01 '23
Great comment. Until this very moment, I was unaware of Thomas Sowell; a very distinguished thinker, apparently. I'm watching an interview with him now and will likely buy that book. Thanks!
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u/Spore-Gasm Dec 01 '23
My rent is $2300 for a 3br/2.5ba and I’m a stone’s throw away from the train tracks. It’s fucked up.