A story: Clair’s Beacon Hill apartment
The bright April sun cut through the window without warming the room the least degree. Three stories down, Beacon Hill glittered with a waning light.
Livingroom radiator sputtered on, then off again. Clair burrowed deeper into the white and blue strip blanket around her shoulders and hitched her chair closer to the drafty wooden frame window. As her tiny mantle clock chimed the hour, she heard the skirl of joggers talking as they passed by on the street, followed immediately by bicyclist, turning the corner onto Irving Street.
Clair sat, bundled in her blanket, relishing the sights and sounds. she had loved her Beacon Hill view for-how long? Thirty-five years, she thought. Incredible. Thirty-five years last September.
Finding this Beacon Hill apartment had been such a coup. Even back then, there weren’t that many places in the Hill renting at prices a secretary could afford. After weeks of searching, she had said, “I love it, I’ll take it,” even though the walk-up was three stories and the two bedrooms were closet-sized But oh, she had loved that living room, with the white-painted exposed brick wall catching the afternoon sunlight that first day, just the way it was doing now
She got up from the chair, pulling the white and blue blanker with her, and went into the kitchen and lit the oven. It was April, she hoped that the residual heat in the building would keep the apartment warmer, but this was the first cold snap of the Spring season, and she was at the landlord’s mercy. She had never seen him.. She had seen ads on the web for other apartments in the building: “Two BRs., walk-up, $2,400/mo., call broker at “
She put last night’s leftovers into the oven and wandered aimlessly back into the living room. A little heat crept in from the kitchen. Yes, she thought, it’ll be warmer here by mid April
She bent and picked up the piece of paper that had dropped from her lap earlier. “TAKE NOTICE,” it said. “Your lease will expire-” and then, in ink on the line after “expire,” “September 1, 2023.” The rest was a printed form, with some items scrawled in ink in blank spaces: your apartment will revert to fair market rent upon the expiration of the lease, such fair market rent to be determined solely by the new owner of the apartment building. Your landlord has determined that the fair market rent for Apt. # – is $2,800 per month. Accordingly, enclosed is a renewal lease form for a one-year term at the said rent of $2,800 per month. Please sign and return by June. 30, 2023, or vacate Apt. by the said expiration date of Sep 1, 2023.”
Clair stared at the notice, remembering last year’s headlines: “LANDLORDS PREDICT RENTS TO RISE.” That can’t happen, she had thought, and had ignored the flyers from tenant groups urging renters to fight back.
Clair hand opened, and the paper floated back to the floor. After dinner, she thought. I’ll eat, then I’ll call Danny and tell him about her rent increase. Pulling the white and blue blanket close, she sat down at the window and looked out at the Beacon Hill street she had loved for 35 years.
All Beacon Hill Apartments Some with Reduced Fees for 2023
Some of our apartments have reduced Boston real estate fees
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