iOSDev

Hi, I have been reading through some really useful threads in this forum so far, but can't find a post covering fees / taxes for renting a property in the US.

My company have offered to relocate me to a US office (L1) visa - my wife and young children would be coming over on dependant visa's

My company has offices in lots of locations across the US, so far we have narrowed our desired location down to either Atlanta (GA) or Pismo Beach(CA) - both of which are easy commutes to main company offices.

Obviously there will be a big difference in standard of living between the two. However I wondered what one could expect in terms of bills / taxes.

For instance we would be looking at between $2-3k on rent - in the UK we would expect to pay council tax, water, waste etc however I can't seem to find info on what this would be in the US. Would anyone have any advice on rough tax / rates breakdowns?

Thanks in advance

Floridablues

I cannot give any input for the 2 locations you've mentioned but here in Central Florida Orlando area rents could be half what you have quoted. My home model which is single story 4 bed 3 bath 1700 sq ft rents around $1500 including lawn/pool/waste service and includes property tax (council tax)paid by owner. Water bill monthly which could be between $50-100 depending on the lawn sprinkler system control. Electric bill for me (without little ones at home) averages $120-150 pm yearly although they all can vary tremendously as to where you live and how on top of controls you are prepared to be, I recall a 2 story larger rental home near to me having an electric bill of over $500 pm some years ago and then found out the pool was running all day! If you are renting then the agent/landlord should take care of any equipment breakdowns.

iOSDev

Thanks! thats great to hear that the tax & waste is included, I did read similar on a Californian website also, seems electric is pretty cheap on in the golden state too. Will definitely speak to a few agents, thanks for the suggestion!

sherbert

Electricity is not cheap in California: nothing is cheap in California and the closer to the coast you are, the more expensive things get. The good news is that for several months of the year you need neither A/C or heating so your gas/electricity bills will be lower. Rentals in CA usually include water/waste but not always and this is mainly for multi-home properties (duplexes, apartments). If you are renting a stand alone home you will most likely be paying water, electricity, gas and waste. You'll almost certainly need to get home insurance as part of your rental contract.

Note that in CA you'll also pay the highest state tax rate in the country - 13.3%.

vespucci

[QUOTE=
Note that in CA you'll also pay the highest state tax rate in the country - 13.3%.[/QUOTE]

Note that in CA you'll also pay the highest state tax rate in the country - maximum 13.3%.

iOSDev

Thanks, luckily my company pay a higher salary dependant on location (California, NYC is the highest band)

I read that electricity was reasonable in CA https://smartasset.com/mortgage/the-...-in-california I will have to check this out with a supplier. Thanks for the heads up on the home insurance, thats not something I would have thought off

tom169

You probably won't pay any property taxes as part of renting, but the rest will vary.

Marc_ely

We rented twice. In CA property tax is always included in rent. Water, gas, electric and waste pickup are all separate. You will also need renters insurance and be able to pay up a month or more as deposit.

Pismo Beach is a very nice area. It's expensive. But it's all expensive.

With regard to electricity you will have one supplier and they will charge what they want. They have a monopoly. Same with water and gas. To be a "green" state they actually legislate that the more electricity you use, the MORE expensive it gets. For example 19c per kWh upto 350kWh and then 35c for the next level, etc etc. It can get costly. People without solar where I live can see $1000 a month over summer if they like to be cold all the time.
For an idea of rental costs: https://www.trulia.com/for_rent/Pismo_Beach,CA/

I don't know anything about Georgia other than it's where the Walking Dead is set :-)

Rete

We don't call it waste but rather garbage pickup and it is weekly and while we don't pay separately for pickup it is assumed it is included in the property taxes. So that depends on the homeowner you are renting from as property tax is often part of their mortgage payment. If they turn the water meter over to your name, you will be paying that separately. If they don't, it is assumed that the rental fee includes mortgage, sewer, garbage and water. Atlanta doesn't get a lot of snow in the winter but they do have a lot of icy conditions. Find out who is responsible for clearing the driveway in those conditions.

dave2702

I'd suggest going to Apartments.com, put in the locations where you're interested and you'll get a general idea of the rental prices you're looking at

Usually on top of the Rental Price you'll pay for Electricity (I think both locations Air Conditioning will push up the price on Electricity), Maybe Gas too and perhaps Water. You may have to pay cable costs for Internet Access, some Apartment Complexes put it in as standard many don't Internet costs from around $40 for DSL up to around $150 for Gigabit Speeds

Property Tax, Waste Collection, Ambulance Service ....etc. are usually only paid by owners rather than renters

I would suspect that Georgia will be much cheaper than California

Nutmegger

Olly_

Garbage collection isn't included with our property taxes either, you have a choice of two companies and have to sign up and pay for the service.

Ecto17

Floridablues

well for the past 15 years collections have always been included in my property taxes. Also if you need any any extra pickups call in and within the next couple of days its removed ( it has been for me!)
And to add to my earlier post, yes renters insurance is a must have!

Twinkle0927