Cat Owners Complain About Inequities of Paying Pet Rent

"Let's say we find cat urine in the carpeting when someone is moving out. While a resident would pay to replace any carpet that was damaged, we often need to go in and replace subflooring because that's how far cat urine can infiltrate the physical structure of the apartment. There are similar repairs to drywall that gets chewed or clawed by cats. So, the pet rent helps us cover any costs we incur to bring an apartment to a pet-free standard," Campbell said.

Most apartment management companies have similar justifications for charging cat owners. Centreville-based KSI Management Corp., which runs more than 30 pet-friendly buildings in the Washington area, charges nonrefundable pet fees and pet rent because, said spokeswoman Karen Kossow, "you know there are going to be costs when they move out. A lot of people don't realize cats do a lot more damage than dogs."

"Even though there is a possibility dogs do more damage to common areas, cats do more damage in apartments," she said. "Cats do scoot out sometimes. . . . When cats spray, the carpet's history, as is sometimes paint on the walls. In the apartment itself, you can tell a cat's been there. They are greater expense to get rid of smell, and a lot of people are allergic to cats," so it takes more to prepare the apartment for the next resident.

Like Archstone-Smith, KSI will also charge for damage that exceeds the nonrefundable fee. The pet rent, then, goes to costs associated with maintaining the property.

"It's to cover anything, wherever your possibilities lie," Kossow said. "We understand that pet owners who take care of their cats are affected by those who do not. Unfortunately, these things affect the good pet owners just as they do the bad. In an industry where everybody has to be treated consistently, you have to do what you have to do."

I live in a house-turned-apartment building with a shared driveway. We residents have access to one another's car keys and move others' cars when they are blocking our cars. Recently, I found one neighbor asleep in his car at 3 a.m., with his foot on the gas pedal and the engine revving. I banged on the car window for several minutes. Finally, he woke up and seemed delirious and apologetic, although after I woke him up, he got back in his car and went to sleep. In general, his car is always blocking ours, and it's usually unreliable. After this episode, I was worried his car would stall or explode in the morning.

Anyway, this guy's behavior has been strange, and I'm not sure it matters, but I wonder if we should attempt to sit down with him. (There is a language barrier, and he doesn't seem to recognize us even though we have introduced ourselves several times.) Or should we call our landlord, who is incredibly nice, incredibly lazy, and has been unresponsive to our past attempts to get help with the third-floor guy? -- Arlington

First, realize that your neighbor may have been acting strangely that night because of carbon monoxide poisoning. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, moderate levels of carbon monoxide poisoning can cause mental confusion, nausea, faintness or dizziness.

So, now that the episode is over, you can try to talk to him again if you want to understand him better. Mention the incident and ask him if he is doing okay. If he doesn't understand English, you can resort to body language and sign language and probably manage to have a conversation. This may require some patience, and may not result in your neighbor recognizing you or changing his behavior. But it may help you figure out if there is more to the story, such as drug use, that caused the driveway scene.

If similar events continue, tell your landlord, on the premise that you worry that your neighbor will end up in a similar situation in your car or somehow endanger himself or someone else again. Your landlord may see no reason to intervene on the grounds of bizarre behavior, but he might be able to help you work out a different system of parking your cars.

Do you have questions, comments or ideas about apartment life? Contact Sara Gebhardt via e-mail ataptlife@gmail.comor by mail, c/o Real Estate Editor, The Washington Post, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071.