[forever21]

So I'm moving and it looks like I'll have to spend more than half of my monthly salary on rent. UGHGGHGHGHG. I am being a little vain by choosing a nice area, and a nice building, but I had a recent episode where my doorman was uh, calling me in my apartment to hit on me... so I'm not willing to skimp here.

Does anyone else do this? Do any entry-level positions get rent allowance from their companies? I'm in an overseas office of a small-ish US company.

[doreenjoy]

I've never gotten a rent allowance from a job. But I have been in a position where 50% of my salary went to rent (living in San Francisco where rent is pricey). I found other things to cut back on to make up the difference -- didn't go to the movies and didn't buy a car. See if you can cut back in other areas to make up for spending so much on rent.

[madamestuff]

I currently have my entire rent paid by my company! I'm not in a particularly junior or senior role - I'm just good at what I do.

[bnjj]

Originally Posted by madamestuff

I currently have my entire rent paid by my company! I'm not in a particularly junior or senior role - I'm just good at what I do.

Is that in your home city though? I may have you mistaken with another poster but doesn't your company have you stationed somewhere other than "home" right now?

[xnplo]

Some companies provide 100% living allowance/reimbursement to be stationed overseas (not in your "home" country), plus living expense (to furnish living quarters and etc), in an effort to up-keep your living standards while away from the US. If in the US, some offer a percentage reimbursement to be stationed in a different part of the country, if assignment is over a certain length of time.

[SPOILEDkiwi]

I'm glad you're finally moving, I remember your previous thread about your creepy doorman. If you're in a nice place where you feel comfortable, then it's worth the money. You can save a lot of money by not going out to eat or get coffee. Also, when you cook you can make certain things that reheat very well and make extra portions and put them in the fridge. Also, I find that eating a lot of pasta is cheap.

[forever21]

^^ Thanks! I'm glad to be finally leaving him! He has been harmless but still makes me feel pretty queasy...

For those of you that have rent allowance, how did you negotiate it? Did you ask for it or was it standard policy with the company? Does your company perceive it as higher pay or not? Are they more willing to give you rent allowance rather than higher base salary?

I'm in an overseas office, yes, and I suspect the people I work with have expat packages. But I was hired after I have already moved here - do you think I still have leverage power here?

[LeeMiller]

50% is a huge amount of money to be paying in rent! They recommend less then a 1/3. Is there a cheaper building in that area? Personally I like spending less on rent and having more of a cushion.

[Blue824]

Originally Posted by forever21

I'm in an overseas office, yes, and I suspect the people I work with have expat packages. But I was hired after I have already moved here - do you think I still have leverage power here?

Most people I know with their housing paid for have it because their company has chosen to send them to an overseas office. So its like a perk, if you were in the US and your company chose to send you to the overseas office, like an incentive to go there for a certain amount of time. If they had been abroad already and been hired, they would not have gotten that perk. But I have also known people who have requested to be sent abroad and not had their housing paid for, because they requested the change of locations. Sometimes they helped with moving expenses though.

[~Fabulousity~]

Rent can be quite expensive, but then again so are mortgages, guess housing in general is just up there for most. When I was renting I paid a bit more than most people because I wanted to live in certain areas.

[madamestuff]

Originally Posted by bnjj

Is that in your home city though? I may have you mistaken with another poster but doesn't your company have you stationed somewhere other than "home" right now?

Yeah, but even when I'm at home I have a $10k/year allowance for rent. Here it's just all paid - there's not really a limit per-se. My expenses are covered too while I'm in the UK.

Sorry - was on my blackberry before, couldn't elaborate! :)

[madamestuff]

Oh, and to answer the OP's question a little better, when I go in for salary negotiations I don't leave that room 'til I'm happy - so if they say no to a higher salary I start on my list of options. This was one of them! It makes my company happy because it's a tax deduction for them.

[lorihmatthews]

I personally think 50% is too much to spend on rent. I remember your situation and I'm really glad you got out of it, but can you find another building that's cheaper?

DH and I currently spend 19% of our take home pay on rent.

[IntlSet]

Originally Posted by forever21

^^ Thanks! I'm glad to be finally leaving him! He has been harmless but still makes me feel pretty queasy...

For those of you that have rent allowance, how did you negotiate it? Did you ask for it or was it standard policy with the company? Does your company perceive it as higher pay or not? Are they more willing to give you rent allowance rather than higher base salary?

I'm in an overseas office, yes, and I suspect the people I work with have expat packages. But I was hired after I have already moved here - do you think I still have leverage power here?

Are you getting paid in the U.S. dollar? Is there a cost of living adjustment made? If not, I would have asked for a cost of living adjustment -- this is a very normal thing that probably should have been outright offered to you in the first place. If I recall correctly, the city you're now living in is considerably more expensive than most U.S. major cities -- comparable if not more expensive than NYC, even.

[IntlSet]

Originally Posted by lorihmatthews

I personally think 50% is too much to spend on rent. I remember your situation and I'm really glad you got out of it, but can you find another building that's cheaper?

DH and I currently spend 19% of our take home pay on rent.

lorimatthews, I almost always agree with what you have to say, but here I have to respectfully disagree. forever21 is about my age, and it seems like young people like us in large, expensive cities tend to spend about half their salary on rent, especially when cars are either not feasible or unnecessary and we're saving on that expense. At least, in my set, this is quite normal to spend about 50% on rent, especially for friends in NYC and Chicago, even for those bringing in a relatively large salary.

I live in a teeny, unextravagant apartment in a nice part of Chicago. A little less than 50% of my salary goes towards rent. It's worth it to me to live in an area that's more centrally located (especially because I dont' have a car), safer, nicer, etc.