• Thinking about renting my extra room to a student
• I have 3 dogs and a cat, and I need the closet - hard to rent room?
• What's the going rate for a room in the Oakland Hills?
• Renting a room in our house, we have a young child
• More Advice about Being a Landlord

Thinking about renting my extra room to a student

I live in central Berkeley and have an extra room I am thinking about renting to a student. They could come and go as they please, would have no chores outside of cleaning up after themselves in the bathroom, keeping their room clean, and doing there own laundry. They could join us for meals or not, as they prefer. They could not have overnight guests. Has anyone done this and what experience or advice can anyone offer? What would be a fair price to charge? Thanks for any assistance anyone can offer. Susan

I have 3 dogs and a cat, and I need the closet - hard to rent room?

I am considering the possibility of renting one of my 2 bedrooms in my small, cozy, N. Berkeley bungalow. There are some special considerations to take into account, and I'd like advice on whether this sounds feasible and realistic. Also, since there are renters on this list, some advice on a fair rent to charge would be much appreciated. I want to get a sense of whether this is a good idea or not before I start rearranging my house!

Here's the story. The room is the front bedroom with direct access from the front door, not a separate entrance, but a bit of privacy when entering. It is 14.5' x 10.5 ', and southeast windows that give nice light. There is a nice size closet, which I would need to keep a small amount of space in for myself. I would plan to furnish the room simply, and there are several shelves on the wall over the best place for a desk.

The house has one small bathroom off the hallway between the bedrooms (nice bathtub, tile, etc.). I keep the house clean and neat, it's nicely furnished, and there's a fireplace. There's also a nice sized and peaceful back garden (currently being partially redone, so a bit torn up). The neighborhood is quiet, and is 1.5 blocks from BART, and a short walk to Monterey Market area.

I would not be looking for someone who wants to make a permanent home, as I'm not looking for a long term tenant/housemate, maybe 2-3 months at a time, then review, continue if mutually agreeable. I'm thinking maybe a visiting academic, grad student or other person in transition, etc. Use of the kitchen and living room would be included. It also might be a good set-up for someone wanting a quiet place to write during the day, but not actually live in. I work at home (I would be moving my office from the front bedroom to the dining room), am in and out, but my work and lifestyle are not noisy. I would want a tenant who is also reasonably quiet.

The special considerations are that I have 3 (very nice) grown dogs, so the person would have to genuinely like and know dogs- it's just a lot of dog energy around. And, I have one (very nice) cat. The cat's door is through the front bedroom window, and there is absolutely no place else that I can set it up because of the dogs. So, the person would also have to enjoy cats and not mind her walking through. The pet issues are my biggest concern- would it just be too hard to find someone who would be happy sharing a house with 4 animals?

Looking at room rentals on Craigs List, the prices seem to be generally in the $600.-700. range, but it's hard to tell what's comparable to this.

I would really appreciate any feedback or advice! Thanks cfl

Over the years many Berkeley residents have rented rooms to visiting scholars and found it an interesting and rewarding experience. The typical visiting professor or scholar comes either for one semester (mid-August through December or January through May) or for the academic year. This means that the greatest demand for room rentals involves time periods that are longer than 2-3 months. However, there are also people who come for shorter periods, especially during the summer months. Grad students are almost always interested in long term housing.

Visitors usually expect a fully furnished room with a bed, dresser, desk and chair, adequate lighting, linens and, increasingly, internet access in the room.

A furnished room with shared bath in the Monterey Market/North Berkeley Bart area would realistically probably rent for between $500 and $600(including utilities) in the current market. If you use Craig's List as a benchmark for rental rates, you should know that people often advertise rentals on CL with the expectation of negotiating downward.

Pets in your home are not necessarily a negative, but some cultures are not as dog and cat friendly as we are in Berkeley, and three dogs and a cat may put some people off. But if so, then you probably wouldn't want that person living in your house. Sometimes visitors from other parts of the U.S., and grad students (especially) have pets of their own and they find it extremely difficult to find a place that will accept their pets, so if your pets are amenable to sharing their space, this could be a plus.

Finally, anyone contemplating renting out a room in the current fairly soft rental market should be aware that the number of academic visitors is down from in the past, and there is no guarantee of continuous occupancy, especially for rooms that are not in walking distance to campus.

If you would like to list your room rental, or a vacant house our apartment, with the University, please contact the Cal Rentals Office, 2610 Channing Way #2272, Berkeley, CA 94720- 2272, 642-3644. You can download a rental listing form from our website, http://calrentals.housing.berkeley.edu/landlord.html.
Nancy at Cal Rentals

What's the going rate for a room in the Oakland Hills?

What is the going rate for a room in a home in the Oakland Hills? The room is furnished, has it's own small bathroom and a semi private entrance from the side of the house. Do views count? Do you charge for utilities? Kitchen privelages are included. Karen

Here in Cal Rentals at UC Berkeley, where we input over 20,000 rental ads annually, we see whole 2 and 3 bedroom houses in nice areas going for this kind of rent. And $1250 for a studio with shared kitchen? Not likely. If this landlord is currently getting those kinds of rents, he or she is very fortunate indeed.

The rental market demand has softened considerably and rents have declined quite a bit overall. Room rentals with kitchen privileges are running between $425 to $650, depending upon the size of the room and the location. If you are asking more, the room had better have some extra amenities: a private bath, extra large size, fireplace, superior view--those sorts of things. We rarely see studio apartments, with kitchens that are not shared, for over $1000 any more. Most studios are renting for well under $900, even in good areas.

If you would like to give us a call and tell us some specifics about what you hope to rent out, we can give you some market comparables. That way, you won't be asking too much rent and then wondering why you aren't getting any telephone calls from prospective tenants. The landlord listing line for Cal Rentals is 510-642-3644.
Becky

Renting a room in our house, we have a young child

My husband and I are thinking of renting out a room (or two) in our house for the next year or two. We have a 4B/2B house. I am looking for advice from others who have done this. If you ran a credit check, how did you do this? What kinds of questions did you ask them when you interviewed prospective tenants? What house rules did you have? If you had problems with your tenant, how did you resolve them? Since we have a young daughter, it complicates things alittle because the tenant would have to be quiet once she went to bed but tolerant of the noise a normal toddler can make. Thanks!