Apartment Life

Welcome to Apartment Life, an online discussion of the Washington area rental market, featuring Post columnist Sara Gebhardt.

In her monthly exchanges with the audience, Gebhardt discusses rental issues and lifestyle matters.

The transcript follows.

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 to everyone joining in to talk about rental life today. We can discuss anything that affects apartment-dwellers' lives as long as you remember I'm not a lawyer,a real estate agent or a property manager, among other things. Let's get started!

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Washington, D.C.: Hi Sara! Here's my dilemma:
I've lived in the same apartment for almost 2 years. In August, the apartment next to me was turned over and new people moved in. About 2 weeks ago, the new people started playing music either very loudly or they had the bass turned up. On three of the occasions I knocked on their door to ask them to turn it down. Two of the times, they never came to the door, but just turned the music down. Once, a woman opened the door a crack, and when I asked her to turn it down because it was thumping into my apartment, she just nodded a little and shut the door.
I'm friendly with someone who works in our rental office and brought the noise issue up when we were chatting in the hall one day. She said nothing could be done unless I wrote a complaint letter. So I did. The next day the neighbors had a letter from the office on their door.
Was this the right way to handle it? I was really hoping the talk to the neighbors on one of the three occasions I went over there. I was also going to invite to my place to hear the noise for themselves. But since they either never opened the door or never spoke, I didn't see any other way to handle it.

Sara Gebhardt: You're right. In an ideal situation, tenants should attempt to work problems out on their own before going to management for help. Still, I think you handled this the best way possible. You attempted to talk to your neighbors, to no avail. Maybe you could have dropped a letter at your neighbors' door before taking your complaint to management, but they may not have been responsive to this either.

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Washington, D.C.: Sara,
Odd question here. I own a studio condo. I'm going to law school next fall, which means I'll be leaving town for either Boston or SF for at least three years.
I know I can easily find a renter for my place and rent in my new town. But if I intend to buy in my new town, I'd obviously have to sell it, esp. since both perspective cities have such high living costs.

What would you do?

Also, if I do rent my place out, do I need to notify my mortgage banker or the government? (Will it change my payments or taxes?)

Sara Gebhardt: It's up to you and dependent on your financial situation whether or not you rent out your place in DC. Think about how you would be as an out-of-town landlord/law student. See if you can afford to buy in the new city or if it's easier to live in student housing. And if you do turn your place into a rental property, you will surely have to notify the propery officials as you will be receiving money (counted as income) from your tenant.

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Bethesda, Md.: Hey Sara! I just bought a condo in Dupont Circle and spent all or most of my money on the down payment. Now I have a cool new place, but no money to furnish it. Any advice on where to get reasonably priced furniture?

Sara Gebhardt: I don't endorse specific stores, but ask around to see if anyone you know has furniture to get rid of or knows of garage and estate sales, etc. where you might be able to score some good finds without spending the typically high prices for furniture. Owning your first place is a huge accomplishment in itself, so there's no need to go into debt right away buying furniture. Start with the essentials and take your time to find and save for furniture you want.

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Reston, Va.: I hope this is an appropriate question for your column. Does anyone know where to go for a condo for rent? in the Reston area? Like a certain realtor. I look online on the washington post every day...only find 2 sometimes. Any ideas? I need either an apt or something (w/ no roommate) for not too much...single mom here. Thanks.

Sara Gebhardt: This is turning into "Condo Life" today... But I presume you'd be happy with either an apartment or condo to rent. Check out local newspaper listings and online listings on such sites as craigslist.com. Also spread the word that you're looking to colleagues, friends, and family. You're sure to find something eventually. If you pass apartment buildings you think fit the bill, go and check them out.

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Washington, D.C.: How do you get furniture marks out of carpet, and do those carpet cleaners you can rent at the grocery store actually work?

Sara Gebhardt: Maybe someone out there knows the answer to this?

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Arlington, Va.: My boyfriend and I are on a lease together, and he has decided to start dating my former bestfriend. He makes more money than I do, so making the rent in our Ballston apartment is going to be very difficult by myself. Can my landlord either let me out of my lease or offer a lower priced, smaller apartment?

Sara Gebhardt: Sounds like a bad situation. First, check your lease to find out the penalty for breaking it. It may be worth it for your (former) boyfriend and you to split whatever the penalty is and go your separate ways. Also, explain to your landlord that you may need to move out but want to ask rent a smaller apartment. You might be able to cut a deal that saves you from all the lease-breaking penalties.

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Arlington, Va.: I live in an apartment building that has three washers and three dryers. Many times, one single person will take up all the machines with their laundry, leaving no machines for anyone else to use. Last night, I tried to start doing my laundry at 8, and wound up waiting so long that I couldn't finish until midnight. Do you think it's unreasonable to request management to put up a sign that says "Please share the laundry machines?"

Sara Gebhardt: I do not think it's an unreasonable request at all to ask management to put up a sign to that effect. But will the sign change anything? Maybe you need to figure out, along with your fellow tenants, a better system to go along with the sign. Maybe a limit of using 1 or 2 machines at a time.

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Anonymous: Hey Sara!
Apartment maintenance.....I've been living in the same place for almost five years now, and I'm curious to know if landlords are responsible (or willing) to do any sort of "sprucing up" for long-term tenants. Things that would normally get done if the apartment turned over -- painting, cleaning carpets, etc.

The rugs are looking pretty dingy, and they need a wet vac. I checked into renting one, but then realized I can't move around all the furniture on my own. So I checked into having the carpets professionally cleaned. It's gonna cost $100. I was wondering if landlords typically handle this sort of thing for current tenants.

The same question for painting: The paint has flaked off on my windowsills -- not because of anything I did, just wear and tear. Can I get the landlord to repaint for me or is this something I have to do myself or live with?

Thanks!

Sara Gebhardt: It depends on your landlord on whether these things actually get done, but you definitely have the right to ask for these things to be repaired. Peeling paint, dingy carpets, etc. are the landlord's responsibility. You have to inform your landlord that parts of your apartment are falling apart. A landlord can only act on it if he/she knows about it.

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RE: Carpet cleaners: The carpet steam-cleaning machines you can rent from some grocery stores (we used to rent one from Safeway in Georgetown) are great. They're totally worth the price of the rental as long as you have a lot of space to clean. I used to rent a nasty group house with years of built-up grime, and you could relaly tell the different after we steamed the carpets. Good luck!

Sara Gebhardt: Carpet-cleaning advice.

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Rockville, Md.: Dear Sara,

My dilemma is as follows. I moved into a brand new apartment in Rockville almost a year ago. Over the last 6 months we have been subjected to ear-splitting, middle of the night false fire alarms. Although management finally sent a notice stating the would be installing a faulty part that was provoking the false fire alarm activations, and they have done so, the false alarms have continued. I am starting to feel that my hearing has been affected by this loud alarms. Is there something we can do?

Sara Gebhardt: You can file a complaint with your local (Montgomery County) housing office. It would probably go under some sort of noise violation, since they are occurring often in the middle of the night. Such a complaint would force an inspector to come out and check on the fire alarms....and maybe then the building will be inspired to really resolve this problem.

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Re: Carpet question: Furniture marks (This is a "Hints for Heloise" question): Rub an ice cube along the matrks, or even let a few melt in the mark. Run fingers through the nap to raise, vacuum.

Cleaners: They work pretty well. For dirt, even the spray cans of cleaner work.

Sara Gebhardt: More carpet advice. I am all about handling "Hints for Heloise" questions, especially if the answers involve ice cubes.

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Arlington, Va.: Asking people to only use 1 or 2 machines at a time is unreasonable--why should just washing the clothes take an hour and a half instead of half an hour if all is done at once? The problem is everyone wants to wash their clothes at the same time. Laundry rooms are privileges, not rights, therer are laundry-mats in almost every area if it's a real problem. The only solution I can see is for people to fetch their laundry promptly and maybe some sort of queueing system? Laundry rooms hit such a nerve--they're TRULY stressful places, it seems.

Sara Gebhardt: I wrote two columns recently about laundry room gripes and had plenty more complaints to write a third. My point was that the tenants of that particular building should decide how to compose their laundry room policy in order to make it fair for all residents. There are laundromats around town for people to use, but it seems they'd rather just get worked up for hours waiting for their neighbors to monopolize the laundry room "privelege."

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Carpet cleaners: We rent a carpet cleaner from one of the huge chain hardware stores a couple times a year. I don't remember what kind it is that we usually get but I can tell you that they have always worked well for us.

Sara Gebhardt: Looks like carpet cleaners do the trick.

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Washington, D.C.: Thanks for the answer on my noisy neighbor situation. My wife is convinced we acted too swiftly and will never be in the neighbors' good graces. Our plan is to next make contact when we plan to have people over. With the old neighbors, we let them know we were having parties and invited them to come over and join us. We also told them to call and let us know if the noise was too loud. Hopefully this will help them understand that we really are friendly, but can't make friends with a closed door.

Sara Gebhardt: I think your intuition is correct. You are trying hard to be friendly. Most people in your situation would have given up on trying to talk to the neighbor. Good for you for continuing to try to make contact.

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Washington, D.C.: I agree 100% with the first poster (I wonder if they live in my building?) I have knocked on two different neighbors' doors on two occasions each about their music and generally had a good reception (and a quieter living room). If I was bothering my neighbors, I have no way of knowing until they tell me. After that is when it's time to get management involved.

Sara Gebhardt: For the people with loud neighbors.

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Silver Spring, Md.: What does a person do when management just does not respond appropriately to maintenance requests (i.e. letting standing water from a broken appliance sit for days)?
I've tried talking to the property management company, and the woman there essentially called me a liar and suggested I move. I just moved in! I don't want the inconvenience and expense of moving again, but I don't have any other suggestions to make (I know better than to think they'd cut me a break on rent). Thanks

Sara Gebhardt: If you can identify the woman's supervisor/ a person high up in the chain of command of the property management company, this is who you should complain to next. See how they handle your next maintenance request and if they're leaving you in an unhealthy environment, then you can file a complaint with your local housing office to check out the situation.

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Washington, D.C.: Sara, I am looking to move to another apartment in a few months. I am curious as to what strategies you would suggest I use to find my new digs. I know the general areas I like and the rent I'm willing to spend. I've been looking online, do you know how complete and competitive these online samplings are? Thanks, Tim.

Sara Gebhardt: What you see online is similar to what you will find off-line. My best advice, since you know where you want to live and how much you want to spend, is to hit the pavement. Go out and look at different buildings in your desired neighborhood and begin comparing rent prices, amenities, management, etc. You will better discover what is out there by getting out there.

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Silver Spring, Md.: I live in a 12-unit apartment building, part of a larger complex and was awoken by a disturbing confrontation the other morning at 7am. A woman was outside yelling at her neighbors for keeping her awake by stomping, walking loudly, etc. and then proceeded to talk about how the couple needed to get a house and the husband needed to stop beating up his wife. This happened a few days ago and I have no idea what to do because I do not know who was yelling. I only know they live in my apartment building. Any ideas?
Thanks

Sara Gebhardt: What do you want to do? You don't really have to get involved, especially if it was a one-time occurrence. (As for the beating-the-wife part, I'd recommend telling the authorities but only if you had actual evidence, which you don't.) If you want to complain about the yelling, inform your manager about what happened in your particular building.

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Alexandria, Va.: Hi Sara,
I live in the lower flat in a two-apartment house. My landlady's son manages the property and, frankly, rarely heeds any requests for repairs. However, a few weeks ago, I came home from work to discover that he had installed an outdoor spigot and had power washed the entire building and back patio. Is there any way this could have been done without being charged to my water bill? I don't think so. So my question is: when I get my next water bill, can I figure out how much of the water usage for the period was used by the landlady's son? And, if so, can I take that amount out of the next month's rent?
Thanks

Sara Gebhardt: I forgot to make the disclaimer that I am not a water-usage guru. Try asking your water company how much water a power-wash such as this would use and how much would be added to your bill. Then talk to your landlord about why you don't want to pay next month's full water bill.

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Arlington, Va.: Do you think it's cool for landlords to do a walk-through halfway through a lease? We want to check on the unit, in particular for any hints of moisture & things like that so that we can get on it before winter. Thanks.

Sara Gebhardt: If your tenants are receptive to this, I don't see why not. You'd be saving them problems in the future by doing this.

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Washington, D.C.: For the question about sprucing up: Sometimes landlords will reduce rent for a month if you do the sprucing up. Say for example you think the place needs to be repainted, tell the landlord and offer to purchase the paint and do the painting yourself for a reasonable rent reduction that month (make sure your cost for materials is offset!). The bonus is that you can redecorate the place a bit with your own taste in mind.

Sara Gebhardt: Good suggestion. Depends on the landlord, obviously.

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Alexandria, Va.: What do you do when it's not the neighbor's noisiness that bothers you, but their smoking? With the cooler weather, and the a/c off, I've had the windows open. The neighbor below me (I think, but am not 100% sure it's the person below me) smokes and it comes in through the windows. My bed happens to be by the windows. (These are small apartments so there's not many other places to put my bed.) I kind of feel like I can't tell the neighbor how to live his/her life and when/where to smoke, b/c it's not their fault it comes in my window, but at the same time, it annoys me. How to approach this? I don't know what I'd say if I knocked on their door, I have no thoughts on how to solve this. Thanks.

Sara Gebhardt: I touched on this issues in my last two columns. Check them out.

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Arlington, Va.: Do you think the D.C. apartment scene has played out or is there more to come?

Sara Gebhardt: Has it played out? Certainly not.

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Washington, D.C.: After a stint at a local D.C. eatery thats frequented by Washington Post 20-something staffers; it becomes obvious that co-habitation and co-mingling is the essence of the newest generation of staffers in the D.C. venue. A little tet-e-tet on the vivacious, somewhat outlandish lifestyle of the city's new generation of potential journalists (movers and shakers) might be of interest to the tried and true citizens of the D.C. Metropolitan area. What is it to be "cosmopolitan?" What do young people today have to do to engage their careers and maintain the "appearances" of the "posh lifestyle" they have been taught to view as "trendy" from shows such as Sex and the City? Are the new journalists, just the newest distant cousins of our European neighbors where co-habitation, co-mingling, share and share alikeism is the "enabler" to afford life in the big city? Are the newest city dwellers rising to the occasion? Or leaving vocations to ascribe to images? What's on the horizon for the upwardly mobile gainers who really can't afford the view in D.C.? You have a plethora of them in the real estate division to query-would be interesting to see what the youth do to survive and "afford" life in the city.

Thanks!

A mom.

Sara Gebhardt: I'm not sure what this is has to do with apartment living. People of varying ages and professions share housing to cut down on their expenses.

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RE: Smokers: I have a balcony - my upstairs neighbors routinely throws lit cigarette butts out the window onto my balcony (among other things - once a plant pot shattered onto it - thank god I was inside). Well, last week, a cigarette but fell onto my wicker chair and lit it on fire! I immediately went upstairs to finally confront them, but of course the b-tch denied it was her. I'm positive it was her. My landlord company can't do much more than warn her. I don't even want her to pay for the chair - I just want her to use an ashtray instead of throwing the butts out the window! I guess I just needed to vent...

Sara Gebhardt: You sure did need to vent. The profanity police have been properly warned.

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RE: Law student/possible landlord: The tax considerations of renting/renting out your apt. matter, but as long as you don't own at least 4 properties (if in D.C.) nobody other than your tax accountant needs to know that you are renting your studio out rather than living in it. Some jurisdictions have certificate of occupancy (habitability) requirements, though, so this may not apply everywhere.

Sara Gebhardt: I can't confirm or deny this information. Did I mention I wasn't an accountant?

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RE: Condos in Reston:
You might want to expand your search area to include Herndon, Sterling, and Ashburn. You might find more choices or more for your money.

Sara Gebhardt: Advice for Reston condo-hunter.

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RE: "Posh" journalist lifestyles: That submission cracked me up! I have worked a large national media outlet for 5 years, and the people here are far from "posh" and trendy! Most of the journalists I hang out with are total schlubs who live together because journalism pays so little!

Sara Gebhardt: Nice.

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Sara Gebhardt: Well, that's all I have time for today. Feel free to email me with apartment-related questions at gebhardts@washpost.com. I'll be back next month, November 11 at 2 p.m., for another session. See you then!

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