“This looks like blood on the wall by the light switch,”photographer Herman Nicholson calls from a bedroom at the end of the hallway. We’re in a single-family house in a quiet neighborhood in northwest Charlotte: three bedrooms, two bathrooms, one possible crime scene. It’s available to rent from a national property management company for $1,650 a month plus utilities. I’m too absorbed in my inspection of a brown substance on the bathroom wall to answer Herman.
This place is no Pinterest house, but it would be a solid find if the management company had bothered to do a “landlord special” cleanup and add a fresh coat of paint. The walls and floors in the 1,200-square-foot one-story are chipped, scratched, and dirt-smudged. The property, appropriately located on Touch Me Not Lane, is the sixth rental Herman and I have visited on this bitterly cold Wednesday in January—part of an experiment fueled by my own chaotic experiences as a renter.
My fiancé and I rent our home; housing prices and soaring interest rates mean we can’t afford to buy. The last two times we moved, we lost several rentals to other applicants despite exceeding the qualifications. Once, our application was up against 15 others for a house that had been listed for only a couple of days. The property manager didn’t even call our references.
Economists and politicians talk a lot about home ownership. They talk much less about the rental market, even though a third of households, nationwide and in North Carolina, are occupied by renters. In Charlotte, that number is even higher, with around 47% of properties occupied by renters. Surging demand has increased rents nationwide by about 20% since 2020, according to a recent report by Rent.com.
So, in January, I give myself an imaginary monthly rent budget of $1,600 to $1,700—an average rent in Charlotte. (Estimates of Charlotte’s average rent vary. I find a low of $1,485 and a high of $1,900, and I aim for the middle.) I then spend three days researching and visiting properties to see what kind of rentals that budget can fetch.
I search on Trulia and Zillow and select 10 of roughly 350 results: a mix of houses, townhouses, duplexes, condos, and apartments in a variety of neighborhoods. Photos can be misleading, so I want to lay eyes on all of them. The property managers of two places don’t respond to my messages, and the owner of a third tells me that he’s “still working on” the townhouse. I visit the remaining seven and rank them from worst to best. If I were truly looking for a place to live and had more time, I would keep hunting.
7. Plaza Midwood: Logie Avenue
936-square-foot, 2-bedroom, 1-bathroom house
Built in 1925
$1,640/month
Thing that made me say, “oh, nooo” out loud: The galley-style kitchen’s butcherblock countertops are… concave.
Biggest design flaw: The water heater is in the corner of the eat-in kitchen, beside the equally ill-placed washer and dryer hookups.
Thing my grandma would’ve appreciated: The floral sliding shower doors dating back to God-knows-when.
This 1920s bungalow looks rough from the outside, but I try to keep an open mind as I enter through the sunshine-yellow front door. The original hardwood floors are stunning. There’s a brick fireplace, albeit boarded up and painted black. I’m saddened by how many features are deteriorating. The bathroom, though large, has a tiny vanity and shower and no storage. (It also has exposed pipes—and not the hip kind.) In the kitchen, the laminate flooring is peeling, and the fridge and oven are about 12 feet from the rest of the kitchen. The large backyard is enclosed with a chain-link fence that’s seen better days.
6. Northwest Charlotte: Touch Me Not Lane
1,208-square-foot, 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom house
Built in 2005
$1,690/month
Stains on bathroom walls
Spacious kitchen is a plus.
Biggest ick: How do you even get that much filth on walls?
Biggest selling point: The kitchen has so much extra space for activities.
Beyond being spectacularly dirty, there’s nothing special, or awful, about the house. The finishes and appliances are dated. It is spacious, though—and the only place I see with two full bathrooms, one of them attached to the primary bedroom. But you’d be hard-pressed to comfortably fit a queen mattress in two of the three bedrooms. The house also has a closet with washer and dryer hookups and a large deck that overlooks the muddy backyard. I worry about a tenant getting maintenance help when needed, as I never can reach a management company employee based anywhere near Charlotte.
5. Fourth Ward, Uptown: North Graham Street
828-square-foot studio apartment
Built in 2004
$1,650/month
Thing that surprises me: I didn’t bring a tape measure, but it felt smaller than 828 square feet.
Biggest bonus: Closets galore!
This fourth-floor, industrial-style studio is pleasant and modern, with exposed brick walls, concrete floors, (almost) floor-to-ceiling windows, stainless steel appliances, contemporary lighting, and an in-unit washer and dryer. Aside from the bathroom and a hallway lined with three sizeable closets (with scratched-up doors), the studio is one square room; a tenant could use the stove as a nightstand. Rent includes parking and access to the building’s gym.
4. Dilworth: Latta Pavilion Condos on Fillmore Avenue
944-square-foot, 1-bedroom, 1.5-bathroom townhouse
Built in 2002
$1,700/month
Large primary suite
Biggest disappointment: A door in the living room opens onto a street-facing patio, but it barely has room for a single chair.
Biggest selling point: The second floor is a huge primary suite.
The unit is a bit of a mess: The previous tenant is still living in it. Even though he has no furniture on the main floor—which includes the kitchen, living room, and a half bath—it feels cramped. Finishes and appliances are dated but appear to be in good condition. Upstairs, the large, carpeted suite has a decent-sized bathroom and a walk-in closet. The building has two gated courtyards, a rooftop terrace, underground parking, and a gym. The property manager also lives in the building, which could be convenient when maintenance issues come up.
3. Reedy Creek: Duncroft Lane
1,212-square-foot, 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom house
Built in 1985
$1,675/month
Thing I’m jealous of: An attached garage. I daydream of everything I could store in it.
Thing that bums me out: It has zero character or charm.
It feels like a basic, suburban-style home, and looks like it recently received contractor-grade updates inside and out. It has an open-concept living space, washer and dryer hookups in a closet off the breakfast nook, and a small deck that overlooks a standard-sized backyard. It may not be pretty, but it’s safe and sufficient.
2. Myers Park: South Kings Drive
945-square-foot, 2-bedroom, 1-bathroom duplex
Built in 1945
$1,695/month
Entrance is hidden by bushes.
In need of TLC: The listing says rent includes landscaping, but the bushes have invaded the front porch.
Biggest selling point: The spacious living room has double windows on two walls, which let in plenty of sun to highlight the original hardwood floors.
Introverts will hate: The shared driveway and backyard.
This little duplex is an unusual find on Kings Drive, where most homes sell for more than $1 million. It has touches of historic character, like a phone nook in the hallway. The bathroom and galley-style kitchen have been updated, likely in the early 2000s. (The kitchen has a welcome-to-Olive Garden vibe, with a beige stone-tile backsplash, dark-green marble countertops, and mahogany-colored cabinets.) The bedrooms are large enough to fit bedroom furniture suites, and a narrow porch in back has washer and dryer hookups. This place was a serious contender for the top spot on this list.
1. Ballantyne: Towerview Ballantyne on Ballantyne Corporate Place
703-square-foot, 1-bedroom, 1-bathroom apartment
Built in 2020
$1,694/month
Why it’s No. 1: It’s luxurious and feels like it should be out of budget. The unit’s high ceilings and layout make it feel bigger than its 703 square feet. I unintentionally channel Tiffany Haddish by repeatedly saying, “Oooh, this is niiiiice!” throughout the tour. And it is—though I’d have a hard time feeling like I was at home rather than a nice hotel. I’d usually choose an older home with character, but I can’t deny the value here. Rent includes parking and utilities, and the building has loads of amenities, like multiple common areas, a pet spa, a human spa, a coffee bar, a gym, a dog park, rooftop terraces, outdoor spaces with walking trails, and on and on. Employees will even care for your pets or water your plants when you’re out of town.
Corporate Place is right—the 212-unit luxury apartment complex towers over surrounding office buildings. I park in an attached concrete deck and walk through the main entrance. Before I can register what’s happening, an enthusiastic employee hugs me. The place feels more like a resort than an apartment building—which could be good or bad. It’s what you’d expect from an upscale, new-build apartment: clean, modern, and trendy. It also has a spacious balcony that overlooks a pool, lots of closet space, and a stacked washer and dryer.
For more on the Charlotte rental market, plus tips for renters, read How Did We Get Here?
Tess Allen
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