Here’s a piece I just wrote for the Globe West on the tough situation many prospective renters in the suburbs now face.
It’s a landscape in which available apartments are dwindling, rents are rising and landlords are going fee crazy.
Both upscale suburbs and more middle income towns are seeing big increases, according to Zillow.com, which tracks both traditional apartments and homes for rent.
Leading the pack are towns like Arlington, which saw asking rents post a more than 14 percent, year-over-year increase in July, to a median of $2,416.
Wellesley saw asking rents rise 6.7 percent, to $3,547, giving it the highest median rent in the western suburbs, with Newton not far behind at nearly $3,000.
But it’s not just the tony towns, as I said, that are becoming more expensive for renters – Plainville, Franklin and Millis also all saw double digit rent increases.
And there is likely to be little relief in the near future, with most of the new apartment construction in the area focused on luxury units, and much of that in Boston.
As prices escalate, will 495 become the new dividing line for renters?
What’s your take?