Welcome to Apartment Life, a monthly discussion of rental issues and lifestyle. Washington Post columnist Sara Gebhardt takes your questions and comments.
The transcript follows below.
Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.
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Sara Gebhardt: Good afternoon, apartment-dwellers. For all of you stuck indoors on this nice, sunny day (at least it is here in the District), I welcome your questions concerning life as a renter. Let's get going!
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Parking, D.C.:
I want to move into D.C. but I'm afraid I won't have anywhere to park my car. Any suggestions?
Sara Gebhardt: I guess your question really means that you do not want to park your car on city streets. If you don't want to go full force into an existence that includes always being in tune with parking spaces, then look for buildings that have parking garages. If there are particular buildings you're interested in, ask the property manager about parking. More buildings in the District do have parking spaces you can rent, even if you can't actually see the parking lot or garage from the street.
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Washington DC:
Oops, I was too late to the Home Sense chat this morning, but maybe you can help!; I want to paint my bedroom, but currently have a red, black and white/cream theme going on with linens, etc. Any ideas for colors? The walls are currently white. Also, I'm renting so it would have to be easy to paint over when I move out. Thanks!;
Sara Gebhardt: Hey there. I am no design expert, so I'll ask everyone out there for their opinion about wall colors. I'd say an off-white would work, but if you're going to have to paint it back anyway, you could probably choose a bolder color.
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Upper Marlboro, Md:
I'm getting married next week but I still have two months left on my apartment lease. My fiance and I plan to move in together right away. Is there anyway I can legally break my lease?
Sara Gebhardt: Hmmm. You're getting married next week and you're just thinking about this? This is a major apartment living faux pax, since most leases require a minimum of 30 days notice before moving out. Look at your lease and find out what the penalty is for breaking it. Then decide if you'd rather pay that penalty or just pay out the remainder of the lease. Depending on your landlord, he or she may take pity on you as a newlywed and release you without penalty. But, you would have a better chance of this happening if you'd dealt with it a while ago, say, when you got engaged.
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Washington, DC:
Hi!; My previous landlord owes me close to $600 in back rent that he told me I would get over 2 months ago. I can't get him to return my phone calls or emails. Is there anything I can do legally? thank you!;
Sara Gebhardt: If you live in a building managed by a company, call your previous landlord's boss and work your way up the ladder to get him to take action. You can also write him a letter and tell him you will report him to the Better Business Bureau, and if nothing happens, then make sure to do that. You can also seek advice at the city's Housing Regulation Administration(202) 442-4610 and get them to look into it.
The department's web site is www.dcra.dc.gov.
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Washington, DC:
Bedroom paint: if the linens just have a hint of red, I'd go for the red. It'll take a couple coats to cover it, but you'll enjoy it in the meantime.
Sara Gebhardt: Here's a tip for the previous poster's paint color dilemma.
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Houston, Texas:
Any suggestions for cutting down on my air condition bill in the summer?
Sara Gebhardt: Hey Houston, hope it's not too hot for you. You can do a few things to cut down on your air conditioning bill. First, if you can keep the temperature a few degrees higher, you'll see some savings on your bill. Each degree you go up should lower your bill by about 5%. Other ways to keep it cool are to close the drapes or blinds to keep the heat out of your apartment; use fans; and make sure the paths in front of your air ducts are not blocked.
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New York, NY:
My roommate and I just got a new apartment that consists of a bathroom, a kitchen, and just one large room. What's a good way to subtly separate the sleeping area from the "entertaining" area?
Sara Gebhardt: I'm sure many out there have creative ideas for this question. Many people choose screens to separate a bed from a living area. If you don't care about hiding your bed(s) from public viewing, you can also use furniture to separate the areas. Couches and low-to-the-ground bookshelves are often used in this situation.
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Washington, DC:
I'm not a designer, but have had a red bedroom before. Hated it. Red can be a very angry color when you are surrounded by it. Make sure you'll feel tranquil, whatever color you choose.
Sara Gebhardt: A tip about red. Anyone out there have an "ideal" color for a bedroom?
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Washington:
So I know the cool areas to live are like, Dupont, Adams Morgan, Clarendon, Bethesda, etc. but those places are all crazy expensive. Are there any other fun places around here that a hip 27 year old male can live without breaking the bank? thanks
Sara Gebhardt: This is a question I get often. It depends how you define hip and fun. If you want to be close to the neighborhoods you mentioned, then start looking at the surrounding neighborhoods. There are neighborhoods outside of these close-in areas too. Talk to "hip" people you know and find out how they would evaluate other, less expensive neighborhoods such as Silver Spring, Brentwood or Reston.
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Red is a problem:
I would limit red paint in a rental apartment to an accent wall, if that. Red is notoriously hard to paint and paint over. Think several coats of red in the first place, and several coats over the red if you have to restore the apartment to its original condition before you move out.
Sara Gebhardt: Another opinion about red.
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Washington, DC:
For the painter: I'd recommend a toasty grey/brown color. Go to Lowe's with a sample of your red, and match it to one of the Alexander Julian families. Each one has a color somewhere between light gray and khaki, and if you red is in the family, it will match no problem.
Sara Gebhardt: Here's another painting tip.
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Gaithersburg, Md:
I'm in college and about to move into my first apartment this fall. My apartment mates and I are considering forgoing a phone line and relying solely on our cell phones. Is this a bad idea?
Sara Gebhardt: I think not getting a land line is something that is happening more and more in group living situations. It actually might make your lives easier, not having to take messages for other people or split another bill.
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Dupont Dupont:
Hey Sara, i think your column is great. Keep up the super work!; I'm in a month-to-month lease now, but thinking about moving out. How much notice should I give my landlord?
Sara Gebhardt: Hey Dupont,
You should consult your lease ot find out how much notice your landlord requires. It's typically between one and two months.
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Re Bedroom colors:
It's important to know that red is a VERY hard color to paint over (which you will have to do when you move out.) It will require 4-5 coats of paint (at least) to bring it back to white. Another option, a light grey.
Sara Gebhardt: Apparently red is really hard to paint over!
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Saving on AC:
Back in the old days, in upstate NY, before AC and in an area and era where people didn't routinely have it, my mother was religious about drawing the curtains on the sunny side of the house during peak sunlight times. Made a difference of like 10 degrees between the inside and outside of the house.
Sara Gebhardt: Another air conditioning tip.
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Washington, DC:
Maybe you can help settle an argument I have had with my husband -- we live in a 2 bedroom apt., with central air. One of us thinks it saves money to shut the air completely off in the morning, the other thinks it's cheaper if we just turn the temp. up so the AC doesn't run as much during the day, but not completely off.
WHo's right?
Sara Gebhardt: Just a warning... I am not an air conditioning expert. So I am not going to take the official argument-settler role on this one. However, I have heard that it is better to turn the AC up and not completely off. The reason is that it will take more energy to get the a.c. up and running in order to cool an apartment after a hot day than it would be just to adjust it. It will cost more if your unit has to work harder to dehumidify the apartment.
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Washington, DC:
For the person considering ditching his land line phone - just be sure the building you rent doesn't have one of those entry buzzers that hooks up to the telephone. Or at least be sure you'll be able to know when people are there and let them in.
Sara Gebhardt: Good point.
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hip neighborhoods:
Shirlington and Old Town in Alexandria are good, hip, young spots, and some darn cheap rents (as low as $800/1 bedroom but easily $1100) can be found in Rosslyn/Courthouse area believe it or not. Check the realtor's MLS listings for Colonial Village or River Place and others in the 22201 and 22209 zips. You can search them online at fairfaxrealty.com. I also recommend craigslist.org which often includes ads from landlords who are looking to rent homes for well below market value in exchange for getting to pick a tenant they like.
Sara Gebhardt: Here's a "hip" neighborhood recommendation.
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Silver Spring, Md:
Perhaps this is common knowledge, but thought I should share. I moved out of my apartment in Silver Spring and was sent a letter that not only were they refusing to give me my deposit back, but wanted to charge me $400 dollars for carpet replacement (I lived there over 3 years) and for "excessive cleaning" (which is an excessived description of what was needed.) I contacted the folks at Montgomery's Office of Leasing and Housing Affairs and after a few month, received my deposit back with a letter stating I did not owe anything for my apartment complex. I wonder how many people suck it up and pay.
Sara Gebhardt: A tip for those worried about not getting their security deposit back. A little vigilance can go a long way.
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Bowie, Md:
I have three roommates, and we all buy our own groceries. I am pretty sure one of them is stealing my food because everyday there's another container of pudding gone or a nibble in the loaf of bread I bought. I don't mind giving any of my roommates food, but I think there's a problem if he's actually taking it and thinking I don't notice. How should I handle this?
Sara Gebhardt: Bowie,
This is something you probably should have worked out before moving in with a group of roommies. A roommate agreement, where all the roommates agree on how they will handle things like food, cleaning and bills is always a good idea, if only to get everybody thinking about potential problems that might arise.
n this case, tell your roommate just what you told me. That you don't mind giving him a piece of bread every now and then, but that he should ask before taking your last pudding. Open communication should do well to solve this problem.
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New York, NY:
I painted my studio apartment a wine-ish red even though I was warned against it. If you have to paint over it a few times, I still think it's worth having. I'm loving the room and even those who had doubts before agree that the apartment has a lot of warmth. You should do it.
Sara Gebhardt: Here's someone bold enough to paint the apartment red.
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Charlottesville, Va:
I'm moving into a new apartment on a college campus that has white cinderblock walls. I can't paint them or put any holes in the walls. What can I do to spice things up?
Sara Gebhardt: You can hang art work, mirrors or tapestries over the cinderblock walls to bring color and spice to the apartment. Since there are so many design experts out there, I'll pose the question to the crowd.
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DC - Capitol Hill:
For hip 'hoods, try Capitol Hill. Fairly funky, lots of restaurants, Eastern Market,etc. And rent controlled apartments are still cheap.
Sara Gebhardt: Another "hip" neighborhood suggestion.
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Shady, DC:
Hey, if I want a double lock on my doors, does my landlord pay for it or me?
Sara Gebhardt: Depends on the landlord. If you want the double lock, however, be prepared to pay for it. For your safety or feeling of comfort, it's probably worth the cost.
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for the person owed money:
check your lease. There should be an arbitration agreement or somesuch in there. (in mine, fairly standard, is that the loser of DC housing court cases pays the legal fees) Try once more to get your money, then, if you have paperwork, file, baby, file.
Sara Gebhardt: Here's a tip for the person whose previous landlord owes him/her $600.
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Capitol Heights:
How much notice does my property manager have to give me to enter my apt? I'm moving soon, and she keeps coming in to show the apartment without giving me advanced warning. I think she suspects I'm not home during the hours she comes in, which is even creepier, b/c it got me thinking that she could have been coming in all the time before and I never knew.
Sara Gebhardt: Normally, landlords are required to give 24 hours notice before entering. Remind your landlord of this rule, and it'll probably stop.
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Alexandria, Va:
Last year, my apt complex forgot to have me sign a new year long lease. I have been paying them normally every month as if they had. My question is - if I decide to move out before the year is up, can they still demand two months notice plus a third month penalty, even though I never signed a lease last year? Thanks.
Sara Gebhardt: Make sure to read your original lease again. It seems like you are basically living with an implied lease, and because I'm not a lawyer, I'm not sure how you'd fare in court if you decided to leave your apartment without giving the proper notice. You could always take your chances and discuss the situation with the management and also a local tenant group and then decide how to proceed.
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Great Neighborhood:
Don't overlook Glover Park for your rental needs!; Walk to restaurants, clubs, G'town, etc. Bus to Dupont. Great community feel walking around.
Sara Gebhardt: Another neighborhood tip.
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re: the landlord entering apartment:
When I moved out of my last apt, the paper I signed with my move out date gave them permission to show my apartment at any time, as long as they called first. This was fine with me, until one day I came home to find out they had not locked it, but that's a different story...
Sara Gebhardt: A good landlord would probably do it this way.
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Adams Morgan:
My apartment is dark red and hunter green and it RULES!;
Sara Gebhardt: Paint colors...
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Washington,DC:
I am planning to move to Florida in December. I was wondering when I should go apartment hunting?
Sara Gebhardt: I'd say no matter how eager you are to go to Florida, you should probably start looking no earlier than 90 days. Usually apartment communities will rent out apartments for dates as far away as three months (or obviously, even closer to your move date would be fine too).
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Capitol Hill, DC:
Hi,
I am absolutely pulling my hair out!; I am temporarily in employee housing until I can find an apartment; I need to be out before Sept. The problem? My future roommate, who is in NY for the summer, has only a part-time job lined up for when he comes down to DC. He's a freelance director, and he has lots of connections here, but no proof of income. How do I get someone to rent me a 2-bedroom apartment?? My income is definitely not enough to support us both, and so I've been denied many apts I've applied for. We're on a tight budget, and running out of time. Any suggestions?
Thanks!;
Sara Gebhardt: Hey, before you pull all of your hair out, relax. In most cases, even in privately-owned places, you will have to be able to prove that you can pay the rent. So, get all the proof of income for you and your roommate, even if the job is only part-time. If you continue to be turned down, you might resort to a co-signer so that you can find a place. But, I urge you to make sure the two of you can afford the apartment you're in, or else your problems will get worse. Scour the ads, talk to landlords and find neighborhoods that perhaps aren't as expensive.
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DC:
Regarding landlord entry - in the District a landlord is NOT required to give you notice. In VA and MD they have to give you 24 hours notice.
Sara Gebhardt: Twenty four hours notice still applies to the Capitol Heights renter.
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Sara Gebhardt: Well, that wraps up today's show. I hope the next month of apartment living--with or without red walls-- treats everyone well. I'll be back on August 14 at 2 p.m. to answer more questions.
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