Secrets of the City

^I also should have mentioned that safety is a huge concern for me since I am a single female and I will be living by myself.

you can read through these for lots of hints.

Craigslist is probably your best bet.

Trovata, I used to live here in Loring Park for a few years; the studios are in your price range. There is a bus stop (No. 25) right in front of the building. No complaints about the management — I can’t remember any problems.

I have rented from management companies before that seemed to have nice apartments and a responsible staff at first, but then things would go downhill as soon as I signed the lease.

Funny, you managed to described my experience with Laurel Village.

When you find a place check apartmentratings.com

The Modesto on 26th & Garfield, in Uptown. I rented a large one bedroom for $645. Heat included. Friendly landlord ofen found around the building (lived elsewhere); about 30 units.

Kate, do you have the contact info for The Modesto?

Unfortunately I don’t, though there was often a sign on the door.

I might go check it out. Was the building and the surrounding area safe (i.e. no muggings, break-ins, etc.)?

I’ve had nothing but good experiences with UPI/Uptown Classic Properties. They own a ton of buildings in the area and have been around forever.

I’ve heard bad stories about them too, but only from people who were shitty renters with bad histories themselves.

I had good references, good credit, paid rent on time (or early), and was always courteous whenever I had to call them for any reason (which was seldom). In return, they were always great to me.

I rented one of their apartments with a roommate for a few years and the roommate got a sudden job transfer out of state. We had separate leases, but I couldn’t afford the place on my own (and didn’t want to get another roommate) – so the situation forced me to to break my lease, too. UPI/UCP was really cool about it, they helped me find another UPI apartment I could afford on my own, and just transferred my lease to it – AND let me have the deposit’s difference back in cash!

That place turned out to be my most favorite bachelorette pad I ever rented, a top floor corner studio in a cool old brownstone, with a cute little galley kitchen that had a fire escape I planted an herb garden on, my own private entrance, a Murphy bed, a HUGE storage closet in the hallway, and in a safe, fun neighborhood, all for $545 (but this was 5 years ago).

If “Ginny” still works there, get in touch with her, she was my main contact person there and was great. Good luck to you.

I rented an apt from sutsmanrealty (stutsmanrealtyinc.com) and was treated well. They were pretty quick about answering maintenance calls, and seemed to care about the condition of the buildings instead of just milking them for the rent checks.

http://www.hornigcompanies.com/

I also should have mentioned that safety is a huge concern for me since I am a single female and I will be living by myself.
There are some areas that are definitely worse than others, but all mentioned areas are still pretty prone to crime.
You can view crime statistics and maps here, and it’s updated weekly.

I can tell you who I’ve had a bad experience with: M + H Properties. Mice, poor facilities (mail, laundry) and we had a drunk dude walk up to our open window (a basement apt.) and try to bum a cigarette.

I don’t know that management companies per se, is the right route. I rent from the big building on the corner of Franklin & Hennepin (the one with the newly painted “flower stand” on the property) and I’ve had nothing but great experiences here. As far as I know, the owner doesn’t own any other properties, and if he does, he must be able to teleport himself because he’s here nearly every single day working on the building. Location couldn’t get better. One bedrooms are reasonable in my opinion ($675-750?). I’ve never had any issues that weren’t solved in a matter of just a few days. I highly recommend it.

lowkeyd, thanks for the crime maps – they were very helpful! With my concern for safety, it looks like I’d be better off looking for an apartment in the Lowry Hill (not Lowry Hill East) and Kenwood areas. Is it possible to find an apartment there for about $650/month?

The police can be very helpful here. I can’t speak to Minneapolis specifically, but when moving to one of the nearby suburbs the police helped steer me away from a couple of “problem” properties. It a fairly common thing that people ask them about when moving to an unfamiliar area.

Pergola Management, 651-602-9150. They have buildings in Loring Park (and many more in the Summit-Grand-Cathedral Hill-Merriam Park neighborhoods in St. Paul). Best possible management – they even cat sit (for free) when you’re out of town. If your needs change (want to get a bigger or smaller place, or just want to move) they will switch your lease to another Pergola unit or building.

Several friends have rented from these guys with no complaints-

http://www.theparkapartments.com/downtown/index.html

Loring Park is convenient for bus riders, and hasn’t had a serial killer in years! (Seriously, it is pretty nice these days.)

I’ve been nothing but pleased with BDC, although I’m not sure how much stuff they have in uptown. I know the person who manages my building is super attentive and always on top of things (and friendly to boot!). I know they run a decent amount of affordable (section 42 and housing, which is nice if you qualify (well, for 42, I’d hope you don’t qualify for 8).

http://www.bdcmgmt.com/index.html

From their property listing it looks like they’ve got some stuff in the area you’re looking at! I don’t know if the people who manage those are as great as mine, but I don’t think there could be that big of a difference.

mplskate, do you know if there are any apartments for rent in your building on Franklin and Hennepin? That location is perfect for me and it looks like there’s a bus stop really nearby.

I’ve had a pretty good experience with Warner Properties. I live in one of the two big gray buildings at 28th/Dupont/Emerson, right behind Rainbow Foods and the lumberyard, and I think the size/price/location is a steal for Uptown and The Wedge. They have a few other buildings within several blocks as well. I’ve seen one of them and it was even nicer than the one I’m in. The folks in the office were very friendly and helpful and accommodating when I had to jump through some hoops getting the lease signed in the first place, and then dealing with my roommate moving out.

And I’ve got free internet and basic satellite tv.

I’ve been really pleased with my current apt in uptown. $700/month for 1 bedroom, maintence team is quick and helpful. They have two buildings at 22nd and Emerson which is where your looking, and various others around the city.

There website is crap and the rates are outdated but it at least shows the locations. I don’t know about current vacancies.
KMS Management

What about Mint Properties always advertised on Craigslist–does anyone have any experience with them?

I currently live in an apartment building owned by Mint Properties, and they are a really good company. They are quick to respond with maintenance needs, and always very friendly. I would recommend them highly.

Mint Properties can suck it. They bought a building I used to live in, kicked out the caretakers, raised the rent a lot (over $100 on a 1 bedroom) didn’t clean up around the place, and they were less than responsive on maint calls. They also claimed not to have received my rent check one month, which has never happened to me in 7+ years of renting.

I have rented from Mint Properties for some time now, and my maintenence calls have always been answered quickly. THe people in the office are super knowledgeable and friendly, and have always been able to work with me if I need them to. Plus, they have a lot of nice buildings in the Uptown/S. Mpls area.

I would discourage anyone renting from Mint Properties. A coworker is currently renting in one of their properties and it is completely infested with bed bugs. The bugs are all over the building, in tenants’ furniture, on the walls and ceilings, etc. It is absolutely disgusting. The Mint Properties management has been minimally responsive to the issue and has repeatedly failed to adequately exterminate the property. I wouldn’t wish this situation on anyone.

Mint Properties bought my building three months ago, and cleanliness has gone rapidly down hill. Poor snow removal, too. Rents for 250 sq foot studios have gone up by approximately $100 (to near $600/mo).

The wording of the new lease they want us to sign will hold us financially responsible for things that the previous owner refused to fix. (He believed in false ceilings rather than addressing leaky plumbing problems. And, there were no check-in documents with the original owner. Surprised?)

But, the real kicker is that on move-out, the new lease will hold us responsible for payment of rent for the complete duration of the lease until the apt is re-rented. Guess how long the duration of the lease is. Yep. It’s “indefinite”. Obviously, I’m not going to sign anything, and I strongly advise everyone in the cities to be very careful in dealing with Mint Properties.

Rents for 250 sq foot studios have gone up by approximately $100 (to near $600/mo).

ahahaha, horrid!
my studio is something around 600sf with 18 ft ceilings and isn’t much more than that.

let’s hear it for rent control and section 42!