--71.10.xxx.xxx

To compare market rent is difficult to compare two identical rental units where one rental unit will be all inclusive and the other utilities will be separate. The future is to have better insulated more energy efficient rental units without anything included. It is possible to install a high efficiency wall mounted gas boiler in each rental unit then the heating, hot water can be separated out completely along with having a separate hydro electric meter then later on the water metered as well. Utilities will always go up then sometimes greater then the consumer price index. Government agencies want to hold rents down where that is only possible to have the utilities separated out. Yet at the same governments want to be all inclusive which is becomes not worthwhile as when a utility belongs to a tenant they will respect and use the utility according. Say the heat will be turned down when they go out or go on vacation. If a faucet leaks they will want repaired as soon as possible along with lights will be out when they are not in room and leave for the day or longer period of time. Supply and demand always determines what someone is going to pay. --147.194.xxx.xx

In my area went up over 100 us, not much. --73.159.xxx.xxx

When setting your rents you must do your homework and look into the near future. When a new building was going to be completed down the block from an apartment building of mine, my tenants threatened to move into the new building unless I reduced their rents or gave them new appliances. I told the "sorry" and they were so short sided to issue me their 30 day notice. When they learned the going rents advertised for $2200 a month was for a large single unit with only 1 tandem shared parking space, my 2-3 bedroom units with two parking sports going for $1600 was a bargain. They all wanted to stay but unless they singed a new lease (they were all on month to month), I was going to enforce their 30 day notice. --47.156.xx.xx

I also noticed mention of some areas having incomplete data. It's possible that in your area HUD didn't collect enough up to date data to properly adjust their rent scales. --96.237.xx.xx

Either they can get their clients into cheap slummy housing or the Section 8 tenants in the area will go begging because no one will take them for the low rent offered. --98.146.xxx.xxx

I’m in Western MA. The fair market rents here (as published by HUD ) seem to have a lot to do with the actual rents, whether you have Section8 tenants or not. Nobody sets their rents lower than HUD and they have been pretty high for a few years now. We have a low vacancy rate in the area so nobody has to go low to get a tenant. I’m wondering if this will be a market correction . --71.10.xxx.xxx

We all know this. I have a house that just needs quite a bit of work - tenants have been in there for years. When they leave - I'll probably just sell it because I don't want to fix it up. Yeah, it's a cash cow and we kept it up and do repairs when needed, etc. The neighborhood is much worse now, the interior probably just needs to be gutted and redone. It wouldn't be worth it on the rental side so I'd just sell it as is. Someone will take it, I'm sure. --69.201.xx.xxx

How are you finding what fair market is,...what source? --66.30.xx.xxx

Ann, it it masshousing.com. This is the fair market value amount that HUD allows voucher holders. It may or may not be what the actual rents are in your area but it’s been on target here for awhile. I think it helped raise the rents. It was like we were getting Boston rates here in the hilltowns. --71.10.xxx.xxx

HUD FY 2019 Section 8 Fair Market Rents (FMRs) for ... - MassHousing --96.237.xx.xx

--96.237.xx.xx

In my area they recently switched to different FMR for each zip code. Some went up and some went down. --75.80.xx.xxx