Six- and 12-month apartment leases are typical, but what if you have no way of knowing how long you’ll need to rent an apartment? Though it can sometimes be tough to find, renting an apartment with a month-to-month lease may be your best bet if you have short-term needs or plans that are up in the air.

Apartment managers want to have a high occupancy rate, and they want to be able to plan for when renters are moving in and moving out. So it’s understandable that most managers do not allow tenants to have a month-to-month lease. New tenants will have the toughest time finding this type of lease, while renters who have been in their apartment for the term of a first lease may actually be presented with the month-to-month option by their landlord when the time comes. Even so, this offer can come at a cost: Landlords can increase your monthly rent if you don’t sign a longer-term lease.

It’s different for every place, of course, but factors that may influence your chances of getting to go month-to-month include the current state of the leasing market — how in-demand is your apartment complex? Another factor may be your history as a renter there. If you’ve always been on time paying rent, this could influence their decision.

One thing to keep in mind is that it doesn’t hurt to ask. Communicate your situation with your apartment manager and see if they offer a solution you can both agree with. If you’re currently going through an apartment search, be sure to ask about a month-to-month lease, and if they don’t offer them, ask what the options are for subletting or even breaking a lease — it’s information that’s very important for a renter to know.

Renting an apartment with a month-to-month lease offers tremendous flexibility, but find out the details to your agreement. Many apartment managers will require 30 days notice, or even 60 days notice, before you can move out. Whether your needs are long-term or short-term, feel free to use our free apartment search tools to find  your new home.

Tags: apartment, apartment lease, Apartments, month-to-month lease, renting an apartment

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 10th, 2009 at 11:30 am and is filed under apartment lease. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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