Crashpads

[Adreamer's_wfe]

I really would like to know more about crashpads. DH and I are very new, and he is engrossed in passing tests, etc.

1. Obviously, it varies, but generally, are these houses, dorms, apartments, what?
2. Not to be personal, but how much do they cost?
3. I keep reading that people are not there much, and don't really know the other people there. So, why have a crashpad, why not just get a motel.
4. What should we look for in a crashpad?
5. Can DH keep personal things like clothes, etc there?
6. Anything else I should know?

Thank you!!

[UKcats06]

I would like to know this stuff, too. I am thinking about renting out my house for a crash pad but I don't know enough about them to know if I really want to. So here are my questions!
Does someone have to be there all the time?
Do they have to find their own transportation to and from the airport?
Do they stay there like on reserve or just overnights? Or is it like time in between trips that are not commutable?
Do they need a key?
Does anyone think they are a good idea? I for some reason feel like they are better than just renting, I guess because I feel like pilots and f/as are more reliable for some reason? I'm just trying to get an idea... and when dh is finally at that stage it would be nice to know what happens then too!

Thanks for starting the thread Angela!

[Brenda]

I had a semi crash pad and had lots of friends that had them. The one I had was an apartment, 3 bdrooms, laundry room, kitchen and 2 baths. Some had condo's and others had a hotel room rented for the month.
Our rent was divided equally based on number of people. We kept things there, Food was labeled, and had our own sep towels and toiletries. Same went for utilities, we did not have a house phone. Some people will just have them pay, oh, I don't know, maybe 150, 200 bucks and call it a day. They have air matresses, or beds and their own linens.
Keys were a must since they would be coming and going at different times. Commuting can be very hard if there is an early report or late endings. Eric, my dh, just gets a hotel room for the occasional early report and pays sometimes between 40 to 100 bucks. When he pays 100, I go with him, lol!
Crew members, some crew members, don't treat the place as if it were their own, therefore, letting just crew stay there would be your own judgement. I guess you would have to know them and trust that they aren't going to piss off your neighbors, ruin your house, and be responsible. We were going to rent our house that we have in FL to crew members but decided not to since it can be risky. Again, that is up to you. Cars, alot of people will get clunkers or cheap ones to get them to and from the airport to the crash pad.
I'm sure I'm forgetting a ton of things, and I'll prob remember after I submit this reply. Oh,and we never let sig others in apartment if others were there.

[Chi829]

1. Obviously, it varies, but generally, are these houses, dorms, apartments, what? They can be any of the above,,, my DH had an apt.
2. Not to be personal, but how much do they cost? It depends,,, DH split his with two roommates,,, his share was 275/month
3. I keep reading that people are not there much, and don't really know the other people there. So, why have a crashpad, why not just get a motel. Crashpads are MUCH cheaper,,,
4. What should we look for in a crashpad? look for something close to the airport and something affordable abviously.....
5. Can DH keep personal things like clothes, etc there? absolutely. It will he his home while he is on reserve. He will NEED those things there....
6. Anything else I should know? not really,, other than it makes it a lot easier to crash with people you know. DH paired up with two other guys in his new hire class. It worked out pretty well........

[Amanda]

Nick didn't stay in a true "crashpad". He lived in apartments with guys he met in groundschool(s) so it wasn't so weird. There are always places to live- just check the crew room for postings or the company's "underground" website or just plain word of mouth!

He slept on an air mattress and I think in 1 place he shared a room (Hobbs, NM) and in another he had his own room (IAD). He spent more than average on rent- I think $350-$450/month (maybe more in Reston VA).

We are thankful that part of the time he was able to live with me or family to save money.

And for me personally I would never rent my townhouse as a crashpad! I wouldn't even know how to do the lease or to manage it and know how many were "really" staying there! I like having my renter there now who works Mon-Fri! I actually did think about buying a place in Tempe, AZ but then after looking at it closer said "no thanks!". Too much trouble!

[Tambralyn]

The thing to know is that there really is no set definition of what a crash pad is. Like the PPs said, it can be a house, and apartment, a condo or an apartment complex. Sometimes it's just 3-4 guys/gals from a class who get an apartment together and sometimes it's somebody who owns a place and decides to make it a crash pad. Some are run by professional organizations that have crash pads all over the country.

That's why I said in the other thread that it's really a good idea to have your husband ask a lot of frank questions when looking for a place. Believe it or not, we have found (and this may not be true everywhere) that the ones that are owned by a person who opens it up as a crash pad or a professional organization tend to be quieter and cheaper. Because they treat it like a business, and want to protect their investment, they are much more careful about to whom they rent, than say an apartment complex where a few guys decide to go in together on a place. In our experience, Chris does give everyone a key, and she lives there. Some places will offer a responsible guy on ready reserve free rent in exchange for kind of acting as caretaker. (This is because the ready reserve folks tend to spend more time there.)

Own transportation or easy public transportation is a must. And depending on the area the rent can be anywhere from $50/mo to $500/mo. In ORD, DH is paying $150 a month. Seeing as he usually has to commute in the day before he flies, that's a lot cheaper than a hotel room in ORD at $85 - $90 a night, so the crash pad makes great sense for him.

There is a couple here in STL that has been running a crash pad for something like 5 years. They now have three locations here in STL. So it just goes to show that if you do it right, it can work well. Here's a link to their web site. It might give you some ideas of how to run things or which questions to ask. http://www.stlcrashpad.com/ The one they call their Main House was once a nursing home that they converted. John stayed there for a little while a few years ago.

So my best advice is really to treat it almost like a job interview. You want to make sure it's going to be a good fit. Is the guy young and looking to party? Is he a family man who values a good night's sleep? Because these things definitely don't go hand in hand.

[lucky81698]

Originally Posted by Adreamer's_wfe

I really would like to know more about crashpads. DH and I are very new, and he is engrossed in passing tests, etc.

1. Obviously, it varies, but generally, are these houses, dorms, apartments, what?
2. Not to be personal, but how much do they cost?
3. I keep reading that people are not there much, and don't really know the other people there. So, why have a crashpad, why not just get a motel.
4. What should we look for in a crashpad?
5. Can DH keep personal things like clothes, etc there?
6. Anything else I should know?

Thank you!!

Crashpads can be almost anything. The first one my husband stayed in when he first got hired at XJT was actually a hotel room. There were something like 12 people to a room and only like 6 beds. The guy that ran it also had another room that if I remember right he used as overflow since he didn't have as many people there. He hated that one because someone would be sleeping and if you were on reserve you kinda had to leave the room. Awful, stay away from those kind that don't have a separate living and sleeping area. It was cheap though, around $120/month.

The one he has now is a house. I saw a picture of it and it almost looks like a raised ranch with 2 floors above ground and one kinda partially below ground. The guy who owns it or runs it lives downstairs with his family. The other 2 floors are completely separate, with separate entrances. They are both 2 bedrooms and each have a kitchen, bath and living area just like a regular rental would be. Only they each have 6 beds (3 sets of bunk beds). Each person has their own bed. They don't really have much storage space. He has a bottom bed so he keeps stuff under the bed. He had to bring his own sheets and towels. The bed and pillow were brand new when he moved in so that was nice. The guy didn't provide much for kitchen stuff, so my husband walked down the street and bought a cheap set of dishes (I have no idea why, he only cooked pork chops once since he has been there). I don't think the owner wants alot of cooking and stuff going on, because some people seem to forget their mom or wife isn't there to clean up after them and leave stuff around. Most crashpads, from what I can tell by advertisements, usually have a big TV, DVD/VHS player, some type of video game setup, and a computer with high speed internet. His has all of that too. Some of them provide transportation, some do not. His does not but it is actually across the street from a hotel and their vans will pick you up and drop you off if you see them. Of course you are expected to tip them around $3. I have heard of a couple that even provide free beer.
He only stays there in between 2 day trips or if he finishes too late to get home or has an early show. This month and next it is about 4 times a month since he is doing back to back 2 day trips. He pays $225/month. Considering that even the crappiest hotel in EWR will be at least $60 a night including taxes it is cheaper. Plus, it makes bidding alot easier since you don't have to try to bid for all commuteable trips and worrying about paying for a hotel.


If you plan on renting your house out to be a crashpad, normally they come fully furnished. Most people don't want to have to bring their own furniture. Some provide a maid service as well just to make sure the place doesnt get filthy. Beware though, I just saw in the news where a bunch of SW captains got in trouble with zoning laws around Midway airport since they turned some houses into crashpads and the neighbors complained. I heard you can make money at it, but it seems like alot of work.

[Adreamer's_wfe]

Thank you all!

More questions... because, I do the details, Jeff dreams.

1. So, how long are these contracts? I know he will have to do reserves before he gets a line, so signing a one year lease really does not seem reasonable, so how does that work?
2. Do you need to give a down payment?

... and the baby is crying, so I guess I am done asking questions! LOL

[lucky81698]

My husband's never had any sort of lease. It is month to month, with the last month paid up front. All they have asked is that you try to give a month's notice. I'm sure others may differ, but it seems like that set-up is pretty common.

[UKcats06]

Originally Posted by lucky81698

I heard you can make money at it, but it seems like alot of work.

Yeah reading all this, I think I'm going to pass. Maybe once dh is a fo if we still have it, then i'll concider it, but I'm thinking no right now. It sounds like a lot more work than just giving out keys haha. Its like running a little hotel. Not to mention I live 900 miles away from there, could make it kinda difficult. If I knew someone personally that needed somewhere to stay, that would be one thing, because there is furniture there, but not enough to have more than maybe one or 2 people there. Unless they wanted to share a bed haha but I don't think so. Well at least I know more about it now!