FINDING A RENTAL advice from Mark Corner Real Estate
The Bozeman area has quite a few short-term vacation rentals (less than 30 days). You will find these listings on the websites: Airbnb.com and Vrbo.com
For Long Term Rentals (more than 30 days) -
Our rental vacancy rate is currently between 12% - 15%. Some rental complexes are now offering incentive to rent there. Montana State University continues to set enrollment records exceeding 17,000 students. And after the first year in the dorms, most students can't wait to get out of the dorms and into a private rental. As home prices continue to increase, this keeps the demand for rentals up. There is no easy answer to finding a good rental other than diligent, hard work.
One of the biggest inventories of rentals in Bozeman is Craigslist Bozeman and look under Apts/Housing For Rent. Good rentals may only be posted for a matter of hours and the landlord will have 10 - 15 inquiries and take the post down. Be diligent and check Craigslist 2 or 3 times a day. There can be an occasional scam rental posting on Craigslist where rent may be way below market rate, or they want you to wire transfer rent or deposits sight unseen because they are out of town or on a mission trip. Don't ever do that. SCAM Always meet the owner/landlord/property manager in person, review the rental contract first and write a paper check for rent. You can verify the owner's name online at Montana Cadastral or Gallatin Property Taxes. Beware of someone texting or emailing you back and asking you to click on a link for more information - this can download spyware to your device. Or asking you to reply to an email address not published on the rental site. And the latest scams are posts or ads that request you pay a rental application fee up front without first giving you the property address, photos, owners name, etc where the post is not affiliated with a legitimate property management company. Quite often their return email or contact info does not match a legitimate company. If a rental posting looks too good to be true - it likely is a scam preying on the renter's sense of urgency. Scams will also promt you to act immediately, or this too-good-to-be-true deal will be gone. Many of our property management companies will charge a significant rental application fee, but quite often they manage hundreds of rentals having more future availability than a private landlord with 1 property.
National websites like Zillow, Trulia, and Realtor.com also display rentals. Many rentals from a private person tend to get listed here if you don't want to go through a rental agency. The same scams as Craigslist can happen on these sites as well. A scammer will clone a "For Sale" listing and offer it for rent way below market rates. Meet the landlord in person and never wire transfer any money. You can verify the owner's name online at Montana Cadastral or Gallatin County Property Taxes.
There are some national online rental sites that also have listings for Bozeman/ Belgrade like Rentdigs.com, Rent2ownusa.com, Apartable.com, Turbo.rent, Schedule-a-showing.com, Rentjungle.com and FurnishedFinder.com.
Most rentals will ask for a 1-year lease. Some may rent month to month with a higher monthly rent. Pets usually require an extra month of deposit and $30 - $50 per month more. Rental rates in Bozeman are running $1,000 - $1,200 per bedroom, per month and in Belgrade (7 miles west of Bozeman) $900 - $1,100 per bedroom per month.
To make rent more affordable, many renters have to go in with other roommates on a 3 bedroom rental. Check the Facebook pages: "Bozeman Rentals", "Housing/Property For Sale Or Rent in Montana" and Facebook Marketplace. And Craigslist "Rooms & Shares." You will see lots of rooms for rent on these sites where tenants are looking for 1 more roommate.
The HRDC administers most of the affordable, lower-income rentals and energy assistance programs in the valley. Contact them to see if there is a program that you may qualify for. They can have a 2 year wait list but it may be worth getting on their list. Here is their link HRDC Affordable Housing
Drive around the neighborhood you'd like to live in. Many times, landlords put a "For Rent" sign in the yard instead of an online posting.
And many times, rentals get filled just by word of mouth, knowing someone who is moving out. Put the word out to everyone you know you are looking for a rental.
Here are some of the most popular rental companies in Bozeman. Many times their available properties are not advertised on rental websites, only on their company website and some allow waiting lists. Most will ask you to submit your rental application online with a fee. Verify where and to whom you are submitting your application with the property management company. Some of the newest scams are imposters looking like a local property management company asking you to wire transfer your application fee. Good rentals can be competitive to secure.
If you would like to add your property management company to my list, text or email me your information. 406-579-6636 markLcorner@gmail.com