When to start looking for a Boston rental

Why September 1

Boston is a university city, and its rental calendar shows it. A large share of leases start on September 1 and end on August 31. Graduates starting jobs, families relocating and people simply changing apartments tend to move in the same weeks, so both demand and supply bunch up in late summer.

Units with other start dates come up all year, but there are fewer of them. If you have to move between October and spring, expect a smaller selection, sometimes with more room to negotiate.

When to start

How early to start depends on the kind of building. Managed apartment buildings usually list units two to three months before they are available, so following them from April or May means you are ready when September units appear. Older buildings and homes rented by individual owners call for an earlier start.

For an August move, shift everything about a month earlier. Starting in late May already leaves little room.

Seasons and pricing

In May and June, supply tends to run ahead of demand and landlords adjust to feedback. July and August are the busiest months, with the most competition for good units and the least room on price. February and March are the quietest, with few listings and few renters.

If your dates are flexible, a mid-August start can be easier than September 1: movers and cleaners are less stretched, and the hand-over between tenants is less rushed. Some landlords will also let a lease begin a week or two after the listed available date. Ask rather than assume.

From application to keys

Viewing, applying, landlord review and signing rarely all happen on the same day. An individual owner may decide within two or three business days; managed buildings often take three to five, sometimes a week or more, and longer if a guarantor must be approved as well.

Until the approval is in writing, every date is an estimate. Hold off on movers, flights and furniture deliveries you cannot cancel.

The end-of-August gap

When one lease ends on August 31 and the next begins on September 1, the previous tenant’s move, the landlord’s cleaning and repairs, and your move all compete for the same day or two. You may need somewhere to stay between leases. Confirm the key pickup time early, and plan any short stay and storage you may need as part of the move:

• Book short-term housing or stay with friends for the gap, and arrange storage for your belongings
• Ask whether you can start a few days early, or stay a few days longer where you are, for prorated rent; it depends on the landlord, the current tenant and the condition of the unit
• Search for units available at the end of the month, or with a start date other than September 1
• If the outgoing tenant agrees, leaving a few boxes early is sometimes possible; moving a full household in before the start date usually is not

Renewing

If you plan to stay, check your lease for the date by which you must say whether you will renew; landlords often send renewal terms a few months before the lease ends. Move-in specials such as a free month are usually written for new leases and often do not carry into a renewal, so compare the renewal rent with what similar units rent for now.

The landlord’s side of the arithmetic is useful too. Replacing a tenant typically costs about a month of rent in broker fees or vacancy, roughly 8.3% of a year’s rent. That is the landlord’s alternative to renewing you, and worth keeping in mind when you discuss an increase.