By Sara Gebhardt
Saturday, September 2, 2006

Q: What advice do you have for people who don't have much of a rental history? I rented an apartment my last year of college, then served in AmeriCorps for two years, with housing provided. I have been living at home for the past year while I decide where I want to live. I'm ready now, but I feel landlords are holding my lack of rental history against me. Any thoughts? I don't think I should list my parents as my current landlord. -- Arlington

A Don't panic. Remember, each year, particularly at the beginning and end of the summer, recent graduates all over the country manage to rent their first apartments without much rental history beyond college housing. Sure, certain landlords are bound to pick a well-seasoned, financially secure renter over you, but you still have a good shot at an apartment.

The trick is to prepare for meetings and interviews with prospective landlords as if you were going on a job interview. If nothing else, you need to come across as mature, well-behaved and stable in all aspects of your life. You should compile a supplementary reference page to give landlords that lists the contact information of all former landlords -- even if it is in fact your college housing, AmeriCorps or your parents -- as well as roommates or neighbors who might help you appear uber -responsible.

And if you have been able to save money by living with your parents, then you should use that to your advantage. If you tell landlords that you decided to wait a while before renting just to make sure you were ready, that may help you, especially because you have the ability to offer to pay a bit more upfront.

The truth is that beyond all the ways you can come up with to make your character appear great to property managers, money often has the most pull. If you run into considerable obstacles, tell landlords that you are prepared to pay the first couple of months' rent upfront just to show how serious you are.

But before you go offering landlords all of your savings or bargaining to the point of agreeing to move into an unpainted, ill-managed, dirty apartment, look around and do research. In case you have lived a charmed life until now, remember that rejection is a fact of adulthood. You may strike out on the first three apartments you like, but you should make sure you don't just sign over everything you have too early in the game.

If you have the luxury of apartment-searching for a while, take it. Don't rush into anything that seems as if it is too difficult for you to handle.

If you keep striking out even after substantial searching and applying, ask your parents or someone else with good credit to cosign a lease for you so that you can begin building your rental history and eliminating future rejection.

I am considering a basement apartment. The owner told me there has not been flooding or problems with bugs or mice. Should I still be concerned? How common are these problems in basements, compared with higher-level apartments? -- Washington

Basement apartments are more prone to flooding than higher-level apartments, and bugs and mice generally find their entry into a multi-story building through the basement or ground floor. Because of this, you should be asking the current tenants of this basement apartment the questions you are smartly asking the unit's owner. Heavy rain in the D.C. area earlier this summer caused a lot of flooding, which means it should be easy to determine whether this was a problem in the unit by asking the tenants and neighbors, as well as inspecting the apartment for water stains, mold or other evidence of water damage.

Insects and vermin tend to affect most units equally, because they manage to make their way to all levels of buildings. As long as your place is properly cared for -- i.e., trash is disposed of so as not to attract bugs and mice; holes and gaps to the outside and through electrical and water piping are sealed -- you should not be overly worried.

Another matter you should be aware of in basement apartments is safety. Even if crime near or around an apartment building warrants putting bars on windows and doors, there must be a proper fire exit. Although laws vary among jurisdictions, you should make sure there is at least one way of getting out of your basement unit in an emergency.

This may seem easy enough, but the problem some renters confront is owners who, in the interest of warding off criminals, put bars on windows and doors without an operable quick-release escape, such as a latch, chain or lever on the inside to prevent the resident from being trapped. Beware if you see windows without quick releases as well as doors with deadbolts or other security mechanisms that require the use of a tool or a key.

Depending on building construction, in sub-ground dwellings, as in aboveground units, you may also hear heavy walking noise above, so you might want to investigate noise levels before signing.

And just so you confront the reality of living in an especially dark place, think about how you will deal with the lack of light in your apartment. Make sure the light fixtures in the apartment or others you own will help combat the sometimes-gloomy experience of living underground.

It is a good idea to discuss with prospective landlords (and current tenants if you can) all issues that concern basement residents, including emergency exit procedures, crime, noise, flooding, critters and mold.

Remember, too, that basement dwellers often live just below their landlords. So you want not only to feel confident that they will manage your living space professionally, but also to make sure you can get along with them. You may see them more than you would were you to live in another type of apartment.

I have a 20-year-old pet bird and have recently moved. Since the move, he has been so loud! He won't stop squawking from morning to night. He's driving us crazy, and I'm sure he's driving the neighbors nuts, but they haven't said anything.

I would love to get him to stop, but I don't know how. How can I let my neighbors know that we are aware of the problem and aren't doing this to annoy them? -- Falls Church

This is a simple case of getting to know your neighbors. Introducing yourself and talking to those who live around you will be useful for many things, and you have a great excuse because you are new to the building.

While you are saying your hellos, explain that you are working to keep your bird quieter. This will not be a lie, either, since the other answer to your problem is to bring your bird to a vet or other professional who will help him acclimate to his new home more quietly.

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