Many people wonder when the best time to rent an apartment is here in Boston. Boston apartment market is significantly different from anywhere in the US including New York City. About 90% of the apartments are available for September 1st move in, and the rest is for January 1st move in.
September 1st Move In
Wondering why most of the apartments in Boston are available for 9/1 move in? Boston is surrounded by many colleges such as, Northeastern University, Berklee College of Music, New England Conservatory, MCPHS, Boston Conservatory, Mass Art, Simmons College, Emmanuel College, Boston University, MIT, Harvard, Boston College and more. Apartments fall under the school year and the landlords realized that most students look for off campus housing close to their academic school year. Since then 9/1 has been the most popular, high demand date for move in.
Best time to look for September 1st apartments?
Apartment search starts very early here in Boston. Most other states and cities recommend prospective tenants to look for apartments 60-90 days prior to their move in date. That’s not the case here in Boston. Most of the September 1st move in apartments come on the market in mid-December. Yes, you read that correct, mid-December, that’s almost 9 months before September 1st! Why would anyone list something that early? There are thousands of apartments that will be available for September 1st move in. And landlords want as much time for the agents to rent their apartments. Imagine thousands of apartments coming on the market 60-90 days before September 1st, and the agents only have 2-3 months to rent them, that’ll be chaotic and will bring anxiety to the landlord and to the agents. Many tenants who are already living in Boston know that the best time to look for their next apartment is from mid-December to March so that’s when they start browsing on the internet or coming in person to talk to an agent. They have the first pick in looking for their perfect apartment within their price range, preferred location, and their specific lists for the apartment. For many people who are moving from outside of Boston, they look for an apartment between June – August, in hopes that they’re not too late in finding their perfect home. Unfortunately, for these clients, they end up renting what we call, “leftovers”. These are what’s left from the listings that came on the market earlier in the year. If you’re lucky, you might be able to find a well-priced, decent apartment, but most of the time, people just end up settling down on what they can find. And these are the people who start searching for an apartment way early for their next apartment.
Looking for an apartment other than September 1st or January 1st move in?
Don’t worry, there are few apartments that are available for those move in dates as well. However, compare to September 1st or January 1st move in apartments, there are only handful of apartments that are available. There are some cases where those move in date apartments are only available for short term. For example, it’s available for May 1st to August 31st of the same year. When this happens, our agents will suggest renting them a different apartment for September 1st move in. Yes, that means you will have to move twice, but it might be the best option for you if you have to move in on May 1st.
Don’t miss your opportunity to rent in time
Now that you know when the best time to rent/look for an apartment is, Off Campus Apartment Finder is here to assist you with the whole process. Our rental and sales agents are professional and well trained to search and guide you during the whole process. Rather you are early in searching for apartments or late, our professional agents are here to help you in finding the perfect apartment that fits what you’re looking for. Contact us today!
