Monthly costs for a PAL apartment

Rent – The total rent per unit is $1200.

If you choose to rent the entire unit to yourself, both bedrooms, your rent is $1200. Persons choosing this option may apply for Section 8 housing assistance to help afford the rent.

The single occupancy rate is $720. This is for units where 1 person is living and waiting for a roommate. You are essentially living on your own, but you are aware that you could get a roommate at any time.

The roommate discount is $600. This is the rate charged to both tenants when the unit is completely occupied by 2 people. If
one of those tenants chooses to move out, then the remaining tenant’s rent will increase to $720 until they get another roommate.

We encourage all tenants to actively seek a roommate who qualifies for our program to help bring the cost of rent down. That person will need to go through the application process as well.

Costs are covered by different funding sources:

• SSA and SSI
• Wages
• Family Contributions

What are the startup costs?

• First month’s rent: $600, $720 or $1200 depending on occupancy
• Security Deposit: $500 – refundable upon leaving the program if the unit is left is good condition – normal wear and tear excluded.
• Participation Fee: $500 – a onetime, non-refundable, fee
• Renter’s Insurance – Contact your insurance agent for details
• Tenants provide their own furniture and equipment. Many tenants get furniture from their family members or find nice quality furniture at ARC Thrift Stores. ARC Thrift Store vouchers may be requested through PAL for applicants with limited belongings and limited resources. 

Rent

How is rent payment handled?

Twice a year you will receive a bulk mailing of rent invoices. It costs a lot of money to have coupon books made, so we do not do that. It costs a lot of postage to mail invoices each month. So, we will send you 6 months worth of invoices and payment envelopes at a time (if you need them). Keep track of these so you can send your rent in each month. It is a good idea to have a bill payment folder or center in your unit so that you can keep track of all your bills. Many tenants have their support people help them with paying their bills. This is a good practice, especially in the beginning until you and your support people feel that you can handle it on your own. 

Many of our tenants use a bill payment center to pay their bills and rent. This helps to ensure that your bills and rent gets paid on time. (We do not have direct deposit or automatic withdrawal services. Sorry.)

Should you fall behind in your rent payments, any funds we receive from you will be applied to past due amounts first and then applied to current invoices. Therefore, since the more you are late, the higher your late fee gets, do not fall behind – it is extremely hard to get caught back up!

Other Expenses

Are there any other expenses I will have to send money to PAL for? What about my water and heat?

Water is paid through the HOA fees, and the HOA fees are worked into your rent. You pay your own utility bills for heat and A/C. (Unless you have baseboard heating – which is heated by water – and therefore, is included in the water bill.)

As for other expenses, yes. Each February or March, we have the carpets cleaned in every unit. This is to help maintain the cleanliness of the unit, the appearance of the carpet and unit, and our investment in the wear and tear of the carpet. Carpet that is carefully cared for will last longer than carpet that is neglected. This is a service we contract for, but the tenants pay the cost. If there are 2 tenants in the unit, they each pay half. It generally comes out to around $90 per tenant depending on the size of the unit, the amount of carpet, the amount of stairs in the unit, and the wear on the carpet. All stains are treated and removed as much as possible. Stains cost extra to remove, so that cost is also passed on to you. It is to your advantage to take good care of your carpet and take care not to stain it with food, drinks, or other products so that you don’t end up paying more each year at carpet cleaning time.

What if I do not have a roommate, rent the entire unit for myself, or if my roommate has moved out? How do I get charged for the carpet cleaning?

1. If you do not have a roommate, you get charged for the area that is cleaned that you use. You will not get charged for the cleaning of the empty bedroom carpet. If you choose to use the empty bedroom as additional living space for yourself while you do not have a roommate, then you will get charged for the carpet cleaning of that extra space.
2. If you rent the entire unit to yourself, you will get charged for the carpet cleaning of the entire unit. We can work out a payment plan if you need to.
3. If your roommate has moved out, we will pay for the cleaning of the 2nd bedroom. If they moved within the year of the last carpet cleaning, you would pay only your half. If you have been a full year without a roommate, refer back to section 1.