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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW East Medford family flees after bathroom fire starts early Sunday ... Guest Opinion: Medford should strive to be more like Bend ... Poison in the well ... East Medford family flees after bathroom fire starts early Sunday ... Guest Opinion: Medford should strive to be more like Bend ... Poison in the well ... CONSUMER SURVEY Renting and lovin' it Ashland, Medford rank in Top 5 for rent-friendly places Comment By John Darling for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By John Darling for the Mail Tribune Posted Dec. 9, 2014 at 6:33 PM By John Darling for the Mail Tribune Posted Dec. 9, 2014 at 6:33 PM --> Top 10 Best Cities for Renters in Oregon 1. Ashland 2. West Haven-Sylvan 3. Wilsonville 4. Beaverton 5. Medford 6. Hillsboro 7. Klamath Falls 8. Lake... » Read more X Top 10 Best Cities for Renters in Oregon 1. Ashland 2. West Haven-Sylvan 3. Wilsonville 4. Beaverton 5. Medford 6. Hillsboro 7. Klamath Falls 8. Lake Oswego 9. Astoria 10. Eugene — NerdWallet.com » Social News In the face of steady demand, rents in Medford are going up. But Kathy Servatius of Poplar Village in Medford says she loves renting and prefers it over home ownership and its headaches. “If something breaks, you are responsible,” Servatius says of homeownership. “Here, we just call the owner and say my water heater just took a dump and that’s it. It’s quiet and well-kept. You meet people and you’re close to all the good stuff of Medford.” The expansive, 104-unit North Poplar Village in Medford has zero vacancies among its one- and two-bedroom units that rent for $735 to $880, says manager T.C. Clay. Ashland and Medford have placed in the Top 5 in Oregon towns for renters in a survey by the consumer site NerdWallet. It based its ranking on affordability, units available and jobs nearby. Ashland came out No. 1. Medford was No. 5. In Medford, 48.8 percent of housing units are rentals — and tenants pay 22 percent of the city's median income for rent, says the report. Its vacancy rate is 4.3 percent, the study says, meaning rental units, while affordable, can be hard to find. And that portends higher prices. “This absolutely makes rents go up,” says Lee Dunn, president of the Southern Oregon Rental Owners Association. “It’s supply and demand.” The area economy has to get over some hurdles laid down by the 2008 real estate market crash, Dunn says, including getting homebuyer credit scores up (to enable borrowing) and getting builders back in the market and able to build new rental units. Despite trashed credit ratings and slack job opportunities for many renters, prices have continued to climb, he says. Nothing is available under $450, and studios are going for $400, he says. Rents are about to hit the wall, though, he says, and landlords will have to keep rents in the high but affordable range. “It’s a good idea to buy, as the market has bottomed out," Dunn says. "Homes aren’t on the market as long and we’ve seen little increase in price, so if you can find a nice home in a good neighborhood, you need to buy.” Melanie Kinney of Medford says she’s happy renting and couldn’t afford to buy. “I don’t want to give money to someone else (to pay off their property),” she says. How did an expensive burg like Ashland score atop the list? It may be spendy, says NerdWallet analyst Spencer Tierney, but that’s countered by the fact that Ashlanders spend only 22 percent of their income on rent, well below the recommended ceiling of 30 percent. In addition, Ashland does well on the rent-to-price ratio (18.65), which means that, all things considered — taxes, insurance, yard maintenance, appliances, repairs — your monthly cost will be lower if you rent. Because of these positive factors, Ashland has only a 5.8 percent vacancy rate, the study says. The high demand means rents will go up. It also means “renting in Ashland is much cheaper than buying a house,” Tierney says. That may help explain why 44.9 percent of Ashlanders rent, according to Tierney’s report. Still, says Ashland renter Cindy Zinn, “It’s not really affordable. It’s an expensive town. I have kids and would like a more affordable town. It’s somewhat hard to come up with every month. I’d like to buy, but I don’t think about that.” Lena Price, owner of a duplex rental, said she loves her renters and has stabilized their rent for years, even though it’s worth more. However, she adds, “It’s a hard place to rent something affordable. People constantly ask if I know of any place for rent.” Klamath Falls was the only other city in southwestern Oregon to rank on the list — at No. 7. About 52 percent of its housing units were rentals (the second highest in the Top 10). The vacancy rate was 7.4 percent because of a youthful population, according to the report. In the study, availability was based on the percentage of renter-occupied units and the vacancy rate, says Tierney. Jobs were based on work access, median household income and average commute time. Affordability was based on the Zillow database for rent-to-price ratios and other factors. Using rent-to-price guidelines, under 15 means renting is very smart, over 21 means buying is the way to go and the range in between means use your judgment. Reach Ashland freelance writer John Darling at [email protected] . By John Darling for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By John Darling for the Mail Tribune Posted Dec. 9, 2014 at 6:33 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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