Two luxury apartment buildings that just opened in Boston — The Smith in the South End and Bower in Fenway — both feature rooftop pool decks, fire pits and pet spas. They’re also offering at least two months of free rent for certain apartments.
At Fenway Triangle, signs posted in common areas advertise a $1,000 rent credit for referring a resident. Potential renters at 500 Ocean Ave. in Revere are offered up to one month free rent and a $1,000 gift card. Hub50House at North Station is offering up to two months free on all units. And online community bulletin boards for neighborhoods across the region have posted of landlords offering rent discounts of hundreds of dollars.
Sept. 1 is usually the busiest moving day in Greater Boston — complete with double-parked U-Hauls, Storrowing and Allston Christmas. But as the coronavirus pandemic has turned the world upside down, the region’s rental market is no exception. Most years there's barely any availability, and landlords charge the equivalent of four months of rent to move in.
This year, it’s a scramble to get renters into buildings by whatever means necessary.
