When to Go Apartment Hunting in Boston

For many people, moving in any capacity is nothing but a pain. The arduous tasks of renting a moving truck, packing belongings, wrangling reluctant friends to help, and navigating a bustling city with a vehicle full of furniture are universally dreaded yet unavoidable aspects of moving. However, before breaking out the first box, potential movers have to plan their move, including when they intend to switch homes. Moving apartments in Boston can be a gamble with so many renters and so few rentals available. However, with proper timing, you can score the best apartment deals without competing with the rush from other renters.

Boston Summers

In addition to professionals working in the city, much of Boston is occupied by college students attending nearby universities such as Harvard and Boston University. With so many college students trying to remain close to campus, the renter market within the city can feel rather oversaturated. If you choose to move at just the right time, however, you can cash in on great apartment deals aimed at students while avoiding the saturation of students looking for new digs.

The best time to accomplish this is most certainly the early to mid-summer. From June to August, students will have vacated their apartments to go home and the rental properties will be advertising great rent deals on apartments to entice students to rent in their complex. The moving date may be hot, but you won’t have to compete with others to secure plenty of room to make the move.

Avoiding High Traffic

While June to August are the best months to take advantage of the lack of students and the rental deals, the end of May and September are some of the worst times to commit to renting a new apartment. The rental market in Boston revolves around the university schedule, with classes beginning in late August or early September and classes ending in mid- to late May. Because of this schedule, many apartment leases end on June 1 and begin on September 1, making those two days the busiest moving days of the year.

In fact, many locals have nicknamed the days leading up to September 1 “Allston Christmas” in reference to all the people moving in/out of their apartments at this time, many of whom leave furniture, clothes, appliances and other goods behind on the sidewalk and up for grabs (hence the “Christmas” part). While the Allston neighborhood has one of the city’s highest percentages of renters, it’s by no means the only one that gets a little hectic around these times of year. You also need to be aware of the low-clearance bridges and obstacles on Boston’s busy Storrow Drive to make sure you don’t get “Storrowed,” another term coined by locals that refers to a moving truck (or any other type of high-clearance vehicle) getting damaged or stuck under one of these obstacles.

That said, any dates that aren’t within a week before/after June 1 and September 1 are typically fair game and could score you an amazing deal on the perfect apartment.

Enjoy the Excitement of a New Home

Starting a new life in a new apartment is exciting. Moving is not. Let the storage and moving professionals of The Armstrong Company help make your moving date as simple as possible. 

Are you ready for your next relaxing moving experience? If you’re moving soon, give our team a call today and let’s get started!