By Sara Gebhardt
Saturday, July 8, 2006; T09

Q: I am a 22-year-old recent college grad trying to find an apartment in the District, but I am having a really hard time of it. I have been rejected by several landlords because I have no rent al history and because I haven't found employment yet. I went to a great school and had a great grade point average and think I give a good first impression, but I can't seem to rent. Any suggestions for someone in my position? -- Baltimore

AWelcome to the real world, where landlords do not give you extra credit for getting good grades at a good college.

It may not be the most attractive option for someone eager to be independent, but the answer to your problem is to find a sympathetic relative to cosign the lease for your apartment. Landlords will change their tune entirely if you have somebody backing you financially in the event that your great r?sum? and great personality do not land you a great job.

A cosigner will ensure that somebody will be legally responsible for coming up with the money if you cannot, and that's what landlords care about.

Aside from the cosigner route, some landlords may take you more seriously if you offer to pay a few months' rent up front or if you agree to a shorter lease term as a trial period. If your college landlord can at least provide a basic, positive reference about your tenancy, that might help your case a bit, too.

You might also think about finding a roommate who has a job lined up or is already employed.

Another solution is to stay in temporary digs until you find a job. That way, you will have a shot at building up a rental history. Then when you have an income, you will be a better candidate for an apartment.

When I was searching for an apartment, I was terrified by reviews I read online. I ended up moving into a building with horrible reviews anyway because I liked the apartment, rent, management staff and location. I have lived here for a month and still love it. How much stock should people put in online apartment reviews? -- Fairfax

Your experience is proof that you should definitely take online apartment reviews with a grain of salt, though you should not totally ignore them. Because people who are unhappy with buildings are more likely to post reviews than those who are content, you are apt to find more negative posts than positive ones.

Still, you shouldn't completely disregard online posts. They provide clues about what it is like for people to live in a given building. Sure, one person's nightmarish experience may be an anomaly or a product of that person's living habits or specific situation (e.g., loud neighbors), but chances are, online reviews will clue you in to potential problems with building management or apartment units.

Even if you suspect that some frustrated tenant flooded online apartment message boards with damaging comments, you can use the information to help you better ask questions of management and residents before you decide to sign a lease.

For example, when I randomly picked a post about a Chevy Chase apartment building on ApartmentRatings.com, I found a not-terribly-slanderous and seemingly legitimate comment alleging deceitful management. The post was titled "I was cheated" and said the management did not inform the resident of a promotion when he or she was looking at the place and later wouldn't credit the tenant with a month's free rent.

Based on such information, you would want to make sure to find out about any building promotions before signing for an apartment as well as ask several residents about managerial practices in general. Online reviews also can be a reminder to ask whether landlord-tenant relationships are tense and rent increases frequent or whether luring prospective tenants takes priority over meeting the needs of current residents.

Of course, you should be asking such questions anyway, but without reading the reviews, you may not know to ask about a roach problem, flooding in the parking garage or noisy garbage trucks on one side of a building.

So evaluate online reviews the way you would other information on Internet message boards. You don't have to believe everything you read, but you should at least investigate the claims you find so that you save yourself from becoming one of the people who posts negative reviews on the apartment rating sites.

Do you think it is proper for people who keep their windows open to play their music loud or walk around scantily clad? Maybe it's just the season, but I'm noticing more and more behaviors that seem a little off now that people want sunlight and air. -- Lansing, Mich.

Of course people shouldn't act as if they are living on their own private island when they live in multifamily housing. But that doesn't mean apartment dwellers must restrict themselves completely.

There are compromises to be made. Residents should be able to open their windows and get some sun, as long as they do so in a way that does not infringe on the lives of others. Donning a bathing suit or going bare-chested in a secluded patch of land, on a balcony or in a pool area should pass this test. Playing music at a normal decibel level during the day should also be okay even when windows are open, assuming the "normal" music level isn't providing background music for the entire building.

The key here is that all residents must remember that there are others around and that showcasing your body or favorite tunes may actually disturb people more than you would like to think. A little self-awareness goes a long way, as does respect for those living around you who may have different, more conservative views of what constitutes proper etiquette.

I rented out my condo when I had to relocate unexpectedly. The tenants are fine and pay their rent on time. Several months ago, I noticed that in the memo line of their check, they had started to write "April rent," for example, when it was for May and it arrived on May 1. At first I thought it was a mistake and wrote in the correct month before depositing it. Then, after ignoring it for another month or two, I e-mailed them just to make sure they knew that rent was paid in advance for the upcoming month, as stated in the lease. They thanked me for the clarification but still are doing this. Does it matter? I wasn't thinking much of it, but now I wonder. -- Washington

As long as your lease states that your tenants pay rent at the beginning of each month for that month, you should not worry about the memo line on your check -- especially because they are good tenants and are actually paying.

Even if you suspect some devious reasoning, your tenants' error would not work against you, as long as they write a check every month. Think about it: You got that check on May 1, which as far as you were concerned entitled them to the apartment for the month. If they thought they were paying you for April, then they would write another check June 1 to pay for May and so on. They should be the ones who are worried -- but of course you won't be dishonest and let them write an extra check at the end of the lease.

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.