The Best Time to Rent an Apartment in Denver
Perhaps you’re thinking about moving to Denver but you have some questions: Am I ready to purchase a home in Denver? Should I rent an apartment instead of buying right now? How much square footage do I need per person? How much should I expect to pay if I do rent in Denver?
These are all legitimate questions, especially with an ever-changing housing landscape in the Denver area. We’ll answer all you need to know about making Denver your next home, sweet home.
Why Rent in Denver?
The Mile High City has much to offer the thousands who move to Denver every year. In the past seven years, over a hundred thousand people have made this scenic city with its beautiful mountains their home.
Some come for the over three hundred days of sun. Some come for the sports opportunities and easy access to striking views. Denver has a rapidly growing population of young people.
It should come as little surprise that apartment rental options are at a premium. Metropolitan Denver is one of the fastest-growing areas in the United States.
Rental Market in Denver
Denver apartments rent for over fifteen hundred dollars a month on average.
Denver Neighborhoods
Each of Denver’s neighborhoods offers a different lifestyle. It’s important to your living satisfaction to choose the one that is right for you. Do some research before you decide where to rent in Denver.
The Highlands
The Highlands is one of the most desirable places to live – particularly, the Lower Highlands (LoHi). You’d be near boutiques, trendy restaurants, and night entertainment in LoHi. Warning: apartment rents average over $2100 here.
RiNo
River North lovingly referred to as RiNo is a downtown hipster area. There, you will find attractive warehouse conversion apartments. RiNo has exploded with nightclubs, bars, art galleries, and restaurants. It’s a more enviable location than lower downtown Denver. Rents average a little over $1700 in RiNo.
Cap Hill
Capitol Hill is a little tougher, more rough-and-ready area. In Cap Hill, you’ll find the most affordable rentals if you want to live downtown. Rents average just over $1500 in Cap Hill.
Harvey Park
If you are more interested in urban areas near downtown, Harvey Park neighborhood is southwest Denver’s best and most affordable area. This quiet area is full of low-rise, fifties-style homes, and rentals.
Platt Park
Southeast Denver’s Platt Park has older, remodeled homes. It also boasts a quaint shopping district and the best Farmer’s Market in Denver.
Sunnyside
In Northwest Denver, Sunnyside offers an up-and-coming neighborhood. It is an easy bike ride or a brisk walk from downtown. Rentals are in old architecturally interesting low-rise conversions or attached townhouses.
If you prefer the quiet of the suburbs, these are some of Denver’s top-rated ones:
Stapleton (Central Park)
Stapleton, which has been renamed to Central Park, is the area near the old airport base and is close to the city and relatively affordable. The rapidly-expanding neighborhood appeals to young families.
Olde Town Arvada
Olde Town Arvada is quaint and offers a ton of unique little shops, eateries, and boutiques, but its discovery has quickly driven up rental rates.
Englewood
Englewood offers small, affordable homes and rental near the fun South Broadway area and the Denver Tech Center.
Wheat Ridge
Wheat Ridge is near downtown Denver but completely unlike it. Located near northwest Denver, this rapidly expanding area offers breweries, restaurants, and busy nightlife.
Caution: Denver Apartment Renters
Whether you are considering a move to Denver or spending a few months there, be prepared to spend at least thirty percent of your salary for housing.
Take your time finding just the right apartment in a neighborhood you like.
The Best Time to Rent an Apartment in Denver
There are better times to rent according to renthop.com (https://www.renthop.com/studies/national/best-time-of-year-to-rent).
The least expensive months are between December and March. In Denver, the poorest months are from early summer to early autumn. If you are renting for short-term in the Denver area, avoid May through October.
Relevant Denver Rental Facts
Denver apartment types vary widely. This often happens from neighborhood to neighborhood.
Your neighborhood choice may be based on what you can afford to pay. It can also be determined on where you work and what you like to do with your leisure time. Do you want to be near the suburbs or right downtown? Do you want to be near parks and ski facilities? Denver has many choices to offer both short-term and long-time renters.
The area in which you choose may determine the amount of square footage you have per person.
Would you rather live closer to downtown? Chances are you’ll be compromising the amount of space you get. Don’t mind commuting to downtown Denver? Then you might get a bit more square footage per person and a better price per square foot.
In city center areas, apartments are more often in high-rise complexes. In suburban areas, apartments blend with single-family housing.
Once you have decided which type of apartment you’d be happiest with this will determine which neighborhoods you’d want to investigate. On the other hand, you can apartment search another way. When you like what a neighborhood has to offer, your apartment choice may be limited to what that neighborhood has available. A company like Urban Phenix can help you with either type of investigation.
Urban Phenix Offerings
As one of the foremost rental companies, Urbanphenix has a lot to offer apartment hunters.
Multi-family apartment buildings may below-rise, mid-rise, or garden-style. These buildings have more than one unit. The buildings can house multiple families.
Low-rise apartments
Low-rise apartments have only four or fewer floors. These blend with houses in suburban areas. They are rarely found in downtown areas. Townhouses and duplexes are examples of low-rise apartment buildings. Most low-rise apartments have fewer amenities than high-rise apartment buildings. On the plus side, they often offer more space and lower rent.
Mid-rise apartments
Mid-rise buildings are between five and nine stories high. A mid-rise apartment building is an apartment building with five-to-nine-floors. You can find these in both downtown and suburban areas. They often include amenities like a swimming pool or a community clubhouse.
Garden-style apartments
Garden-style apartments appeal to many renters because these two or three-story apartments have a garden-like setting. They are quiet places to live near nature. These apartment buildings are an excellent contrast to high rises because of their location in lush green garden-like settings.
High-rise apartments
High-rise settings are tall and amenities-rich. They are located downtown where the action is. If you work downtown or you enjoy what downtown Denver has to offer, then high-rise higher rents are worth it. They save hours of sitting in traffic every day.
Rental Availability
In Denver, the average rent is $1800-1900. Studio apartments rent for just over $1100. A one-bedroom apartment rent costs on average between $1600 and $1700.
Two-bedroom apartments typically rent from around $1900 to $2000.
How Much Square Footage Do I Need Per Person?
In choosing apartment space, a vital question is: How much square footage do I need per person?
A good guideline is the average person needs between a hundred and four hundred square feet of space to feel comfortable living in an apartment.
Another one is: How much space can I afford? If it is a priority to live in a specific Denver area and you can afford the rent in your monthly budget, then so be it. But, some people are so rent or mortgage-poor that they cannot afford other necessities.
If you are adventurous, you might apartment shop on such sites as Apartments.com, Rent.com, Zumper, Zillow, or Apartment Finder. However, this can be frustrating, time-consuming, and costly.
Why Rent through Urban Phenix?
Finding the perfect apartment is highly competitive. Your best bet is to use the talents and experience of a rental agent like Urban Phenix. Using a rental company like Urban Phenix protects your rights as a Colorado renter. It capitalizes on the experience of master rental experts who can match your needs and wants to what is available.