Mini rant regarding residential rent

[Jackson Redstar]

Recently I had rented in E**. Beautiful area if you've never visited there. Normally renting in SL is pretty easy. Pay  box.  And if you leave - easy, let the owner/manager know, and whatever excess rent you have will be returned. I mean we don't sign leases in SL it is simple month to month or even week to week. Well, come to find out - not so in **. There, if you have time on the box, they keep it until which time they rent the place out again. I don't really know if this is common in SL or not, but I gotta say, if you ever do rent in E**, make sure never to to pay rent in advance or plan on staying until time is fully expired. I unfortunlately have a habit of paying 2-3 months in advance, and at 8k a month that adds up. Or maybe it is just me this is the common practice for rentals in SL

Edited July 24, 2023 by Jackson Redstar

[Luna Bliss]

Please remove the name of the business. We are not allowed to name and shame on the forum.

[AmeliaJ08]

I honestly never even knew that some land owners return unused rent on request, I've never even tried that when deciding to leave a place. Then again I've always just paid weekly/monthly. In one place where I felt quite settled I was paying 3 months at a time but that was only after some time, safe in the knowledge that my scatterbrain indecisiveness was temporarily under control.

 

 

[Rowan Amore]

I've left rentals before the time was up and never expected to be reimbursed for time already paid for.  Returning a portion of rent would be the exception and not the rule in my opinion.

The place I've always rented from and it's one of the top land rental businesses, says this...

Tier fees are not refundable under any circumstances.

 

[Stephanie Misfit]

29 minutes ago, Jackson Redstar said:

Recently I had rented in E**. Beautiful area if you've never visited there. Normally renting in SL is pretty easy. Pay  box.  And if you leave - easy, let the owner/manager know, and whatever excess rent you have will be returned. I mean we don't sign leases in SL it is simple month to month or even week to week. Well, come to find out - not so in **. There, if you have time on the box, they keep it until which time they rent the place out again. I don't really know if this is common in SL or not, but I gotta say, if you ever do rent in E**, make sure never to to pay rent in advance or plan on staying until time is fully expired. I unfortunlately have a habit of paying 2-3 months in advance, and at 8k a month that adds up. Or maybe it is just me this is the common practice for rentals in SL

What you are describing is a common practice in SL. Only the really good landlords return rent if you leave early.

[Hunny Bunny]

I've never expected anyone to refund unused rent. I usually try out a property for a week then increase it if I choose to stay longer which is way easier in SL than RL.

[Ayashe Ninetails]

The company I rent from will apply any unused time to a new plot should you decide to move to another they own. Not sure if they straight up return unused rent if you choose not to stay with them, though.

Edit: Just checked. Yes, 100% credit of rent toward another parcel, but no refunds if you straight up leave.

Edited July 24, 2023 by Ayashe Ninetails
Added stuffs

[Orwar]

   Most rental places have very clear policies available for you to read through before you rent from them, and it is pretty much the norm that they do not offer refunds if you decide to move out earlier than what you have already paid for. 

[Claireschen Hesten]

Anywhere I have rented there's always been a refund option that will give back any full weeks you haven't used. one place I did pay some weeks in advance it ended up shutting without warning in that time never got reimbursed for unused time. I go by the rule of not having more paid in advanced than I can afford to lose. On my mainland I have up to a month paid up at the moment just incase I can't get in to SL for a while

[Silent Mistwalker]

A long time ago it was the norm to prorate rent when the landlord was notified in advance. A few charged a small "restocking" fee. Those days are gone.

One circumstance where [monthly] rent was prorated was when you "bought" a homestead from a land baron if you had 2 weeks or less to go. It's really not worth asking for a prorate if you have less than a week left.

Two or 3 years ago, a loaf of bread cost about $0.47US, today that same loaf of bread costs $1.39. The prices on everything just keep going up while wages stay the same. People just can't afford to prorate in SL anymore.

Edited July 24, 2023 by Silent Mistwalker

[Kylie Jaxxon]

It usually states in the covenant/list of rules for an estate whether money will or will not be refunded.  I have found the norm is that it does not get refunded

 

[Luna Bliss]

Often a new renter requires quite a bit of attention/time to become acclimated, so I don't think it's unfair for landowners to discourage high turnover rates.  Same as in 1st life, although there are undoubtedly the 'greedy landlords' we all hear about who go beyond simply discouraging high turnover rates.

[Rowan Amore]

35 minutes ago, Ayashe Ninetails said:

The company I rent from will apply any unused time to a new plot should you decide to move to another they own. Not sure if they straight up return unused rent if you choose not to stay with them, though.

Edit: Just checked. Yes, 100% credit of rent toward another parcel, but no refunds if you straight up leave.

I've done this.  Moved to a larger or smaller parcel and any unused rent is applied to the new parcel.

[Ayashe Ninetails]

15 minutes ago, Rowan Amore said:

I've done this.  Moved to a larger or smaller parcel and any unused rent is applied to the new parcel.

Yes! I love it because there are times I'm so indecisive. Should I be in the sky? On the beach? In the mountains? How about yes? Let them know I cleared out my plot and left and where I'm going and within an hour, the new place has some time on it.

[Psyche Starling]

48 minutes ago, Ayashe Ninetails said:

Yes! I love it because there are times I'm so indecisive. Should I be in the sky? On the beach? In the mountains? How about yes? Let them know I cleared out my plot and left and where I'm going and within an hour, the new place has some time on it.

Yep, my landlords did this for me when I switched parcels on the same sim. 

[LittleMe Jewell]

5 hours ago, Jackson Redstar said:

Recently I had rented in E**. Beautiful area if you've never visited there. Normally renting in SL is pretty easy. Pay  box.  And if you leave - easy, let the owner/manager know, and whatever excess rent you have will be returned. I mean we don't sign leases in SL it is simple month to month or even week to week. Well, come to find out - not so in **. There, if you have time on the box, they keep it until which time they rent the place out again. I don't really know if this is common in SL or not, but I gotta say, if you ever do rent in E**, make sure never to to pay rent in advance or plan on staying until time is fully expired. I unfortunlately have a habit of paying 2-3 months in advance, and at 8k a month that adds up. Or maybe it is just me this is the common practice for rentals in SL

You've obviously lived a sheltered SLife.

[SpiritSparrow Skydancer]

I once had a landlord boot me, return my stuff and ban me after 2 days because I had a pet (zooby).. smh no lie. If I could remember her name I would warn people about her. I never got refunded and I paid 2 weeks. Of course I may or may not have told her to F off before the ban.

Edited July 25, 2023 by SpiritSparrow Skydancer

[Jackson Redstar]

On 7/24/2023 at 5:39 PM, LittleMe Jewell said:

You've obviously lived a sheltered SLife.

yes, i do... and sometimes I have a habit of thinking how things work in the RL should  also be like  in SL....

[Theresa Tennyson]

1 hour ago, Jackson Redstar said:

yes, i do... and sometimes I have a habit of thinking how things work in the RL should  also be like  in SL....

You rent property in real life by paying multiple months ahead without a lease?

[Chic Aeon]

Almost all the places that I have rented in the past have had a "rental agreement" sometimes in a notecard and sometimes in the land tab. And for me it was always very clear that if your paid ahead your rent would not be returned on exiting. I can only remember one place that refunded a percentage.   

IF  the landlord in question did not have a rental agreement  it was up to you to asked if you cared.  Personally I have almost never paid more than a week-ish ahead just because THINGS HAPPEN and sometimes I move on quickly. The only exception I can think of in sixteen years which was in Babbage where I paid monthly -- but my Babbage rent was basically there to support the area so more like a donation to the historical area.  

[Rowan Amore]

I always thought of the covenant as the lease.  By renting, you agree to those terms.  If something isn't addressed, ask.  

[Sid Nagy]

Never pay more in advance than you are comfortable with.
There have been places where I payed more than a month ahead to secure the continuity of my inworld shop.

But nowadays I only need land for private use. So I only pay short periods upfront. No need to try to stay on the same spot.
If new neighbors move in and they start to build eyesores or start a farm or something with breedables, I'm out.
There is almost as much land to lease in SL as there is sand on a beach.

 

[Orwar]

31 minutes ago, Sid Nagy said:

There is almost as much land to lease in SL as there is sand on a beach.

   Except, of course, if you want to lease a beach!