Sara Gebhardt
Washington Post Columnist
Thursday, September 7, 2006
2:00 PM
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.
Check out our special feature:
Read Sara's latest
The transcript follows.
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Sara Gebhardt: Hello to all of those tuned in to talk about rental life. Please join in to the discussion, whether you are recently settled in to new apartments, want to find either a way out of or a way to improve your current dwelling. Because I have heard about a rise in bedbug sitings and because the new District rent control laws recently came into effect, those are the issues on my mind at this moment. But we can discuss anything. So, let's start!
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Adams Morgan, D.C.: I read your last column about basement apartments. I live in one and think it's a good situation. The rent seems to be a little lower, the place isn't so so dark, and my upstairs neighbors (the owners and my landlords) are nice. They are chatty, though, but I don't mind because I'm new to the city. Just thought I'd put it out there for the person who is thinking about living in a basement apartment.
washingtonpost.com: Here's that story:
Sara Gebhardt: I'm sure plenty of people have differing opinions about the basement lifestyle. Life may be a bit damper, darker, or more claustrophobic down there. Or, maybe it's not. Good lighting and good landlords--especially because they so often live upstairs and can closely monitor their basement rental property--make the experience of living in English basements a lot better.
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washingtonpost.com:
Doesn't clean the kitchen? Listens to loud music late at night? If your roommate's bad habits are driving you crazy, tell us about it. Send us your "roommate pet peeves." They may be included in an upcoming feature.
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Arlington, Va.: Thanks in advance for taking my question! My landlord has most of her mail forwarded to her residence, but every now and then a few pieces slip by and end up in my mailbox. I don't mind forwarding it on every now and then, but I'm worried that for whatever reason a piece or two may not get forwarded on. Is there any responsibility -- statutory or otherwise -- on my part to make sure my landlord receives mail sent to my apartment's address? We're on good terms, but she NEVER comes by, so simply collecting the mail in a basket for isn't an option.
Sara Gebhardt: As I always say, I am not a lawyer, but it seems to me that if you are living at your address, the most responsibility you have for dealing with your landlord's mail is forwarding it to her current address. The post office will eventually know to send her mail to the other address. Handle her mail as you would any other former tenant's, although if something looks uber-important, you could always alert her about it just out of courtesy. Or just forward it on.
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RE: Bed bugs: What exactly does a bed bug look like and how do you know when you have been bitten by one?
Sara Gebhardt: I have been told that your skin is irritated (itching, little bites) when bed bugs have attacked. Apparently, when they are killed, they are red, so if your sheets have little red dots, that's a sign. If anyone has a personal experience, feel free to chime in and to write to me at aptlife@gmail.com.
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Washington, D.C.: I recently found a hole in my apartment that was repaired by stuffing things (such as steel wool and aluminum foil) into it. It is behind my stove, so it took awhile to notice it. I have been trying to get my building to repair it for months to no avail. What else can I do? I would repair it myself (as I have done other holes in my apartment) but the trim work that is involved would cost me a lot of money.
Sara Gebhardt: Is it necessary to repair the hole behind the stove? Steel wool and other devices will help keep the critters out, so likely your landlord doesn't understand your worry about aesthetics, seeing as the hole is covered up by the stove. It probably won't do much to make a stink about it, but maybe you can ask your landlord to give you the supplies to repair the hole yourself. In general, talking to your landlord about your concerns about the hole will help him/her understand why you care about repairing the hole and maybe influence him/her to help you do so.
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Washington, D.C.: What do you think the odds are for college roommates to continue to coexist well in an off-campus, post-graduation apartment?
Sara Gebhardt: I'm not going to bet on a situation I know nothing about, but the odds will be better if you set some ground rules. Renting apartments with friends is a different animal than living in the dorms with them. Now, you have neighbors who are in completely different life stages, you (probably) have regular jobs, might have different friends, more responsibility, or more of a need to live in a calm environment. Regardless of what your new needs are and who you are, you should establish a list of duties--such as: how and when you each pay rent/utilities/other bills, what chores you will do and how often, your own personal guest policy, open communication of your problems to make sure you're both coexisting well together. Recognizing that your friendship is important to you and daily life and cohabitation might put a stress on your relationship is the first step to setting up a decent arrangement. Good luck.
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Raleigh, N.C.: I recently cosigned for an apartment for my niece. She has some credit problems and needed help, and I think she'll be able to get it together to pay her rent every month. I was watching daytime TV today (yeah, bad idea), and on one of those court shows the judge said "you should never co-sign for anyone." Why?
Sara Gebhardt: I guess there are enough horror stories to having cosigned for friends and loved ones to issue a warning to people just so that they understand what they're getting into. When you cosign a lease, you are accepting responsibility. You will owe rent payments if your niece cannot or does not make them. Your credit history also could be affected, not to mention your relationship with your niece. Obviously it's good to help the people you care about, but just be mindful of what could happen if they don't hold up their end of the bargain.
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Chevy Chase, D.C.: On the topic of basement apartments, I moved into one about 2 months ago and since have had a ridiculous amount of problems with pests. First a cricket infestation, then a rodent(s) in the walls (luckily not in the apartment as far as I can tell). My landlords have been very apologetic and got exterminators in pretty quickly. The only thing is that when I first informed them of the problems, they were about to embark on the first of two back to back vacations that ended up totaling about 3 weeks, with only a short bit of down time in between. That was 3 weeks that I had to deal with the problems before they came back and got the exterminators to come in. I understand that with small children and vacations it would have been difficult for them to act sooner, but I experienced a lot of stress chasing giant crickets and waking up in the night to the sound of something running in the walls. My question is whether it would be reasonable to ask them for some financial compensation for that unpleasant experience. I pay $1,000 to rent in their studio basement apartment, which seems a lot to have to deal with so much stress. I'm sure they have no legal obligation to compensate me, but I'm rather put out that they didn't offer to take a bit off of my rent for that month.
Sara Gebhardt: Ah, yes, bugs and other creatures in the basement. A good way to go about asking for the rent reduction you want is to candidly talk to them about how you would prefer if they designate a replacement landlord when they go away for extended periods of times. Explain what it was like to have to live with these issues for the three weeks and then ask if they would be willing to knock down that month's rent.
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Northern Virginia: Are we bad neighbors? Earlier this week (during the dinner hour I might add) our neighbor came to the door. Let me first say that the only interaction we've ever had with this man was saying hello - once. He asks "is that your truck parked out there?" My husband answers yes and the neighbor proceeds to explain that they're moving out of the complex. I'm thinking they need us to move it to get a moving truck parked or something like that. Nope, he asks my husband to help him move using our truck! We declined.
Sara Gebhardt: Are you bad neighbors for not helping someone you barely know? Of course not. Your neighbor probably just hoped you were extremely generous or was in a serious bind.
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The District: Hi Sara -- I hope you can help me. I feel confident as you have always been able to do so in the past. My question relates to the popular amusement park Six Flags. I have always loved this place, particularly the Rodeo ride, which is my absolute favorite, as I have told people on many occasions. Anyway, I have heard a nasty rumor that they will be tearing down the place and turning this valuable local treasure into yet another apartment/condo community. Can this really be so? I mean, the land is no doubt valuable, but NO DOUBT SO IS SIX FLAGS, as anyone can attest who has been on the Rodeo.
Sara Gebhardt: I'm partial to the flying swings and the totally tubular water rides, but I have no heard anything about the property of Six Flags in Maryland becoming condo or rental properties. Maybe the potentially disillusioned source of your rumor was a tenant frustrated with his hum drum garden style unit and was just dreaming of settling into space in an unusual place and was hoping to find a unit in the Wild West tavern. If landlords gave out free funnel cakes as incentives, there might be a hot idea there.
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Co-Signing: My parents offered to co-sign my law school loans and I said no. Why? As I said to them, you'd be sad if I died, but you would be really super depressed if I was dead AND you still had to pay back those loans.
Co-signing loans, leases, or anything else makes you liable NO MATTER WHAT.
Sara Gebhardt: Exactly--you're always liable.
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Fairfax, Va.: My apartment has a pest problem. I've lived there five years and never saw a single roach. Then some new neighbors came in two months ago and now I've seen three. The last one was the biggest of all. I had my apartment management come in and all they did was put traps out. People say once you've seen them, it's too late -- you're infested. Any advice?
Sara Gebhardt: Once you've seen them, you might be infested, but that doesn't mean you cannot reverse the situation. Ask your landlords to hire exterminators who, as professionals, have a better chance of ridding the apartment of roaches. Even if your neighbors continue to be dirty (as you've suggested), you can keep them out of your digs.
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Falls Church, Va.: Here is a link to a blog post that shows a woman with bedbug bites. If you have them, you'll know.
http://apictureofme2.blogspot.com/2004/08/bedbug-bed-bug-bite-pictures.html
Sara Gebhardt: They look like red welts. Thanks for the link.
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Fairfax, Va: Hi Sara: My partner and I are moving from a condo we own here in Fairfax to a rental in Falls Church/Arlington (we hope).
The catch? We have two cats and one 20-pound dog. It seems that most managed complexes who are pet friendly have a two pet maximum (don't even get me started on the whole "pet rent" phenomenon).
Is it reasonable, when looking at private rentals, to include a little "pet resume" with photos and little mini-biographies if you will of our pets? The dog is crate trained, never alone in the house, and the cats are perfectly well behaved.
I'm just unsure of how to go about finding someone who will give us all a chance. I'm willing to put down a reasonable pet deposit, but am worried that we're being counted out because of our pets.
Thanks.
Sara Gebhardt: A pet resume is a great idea. I've written about this issue in a recent column. Landlords are more likely to rent to pet owners if they can prove--via references from vets, former neighbors--that their animals are well-behaved and well-cared for. Offering an extra sum for a pet deposit might also sway landlords who are on the fence about whether to rent to all of you.
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washingtonpost.com: If your roommate's bad habits are driving you crazy, tell us about it.
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Washington, D.C.: After my one year lease runs up my rent goes from month-to-month. Is this normal and why do they do this?
Sara Gebhardt: The answer is that it is not abnormal. Some landlords prefer to keep their tenants on month-to-month rentals and some like to renew each year with another fixed term. Generally (although laws vary in DC whether you are governed by rent control) month-to-month tenancies offer the landlord more ability to raise the rent and also give both landlords and tenants more flexibility in terminating the rental agreement. Also, sometimes landlords are just lazy and don't want to draw up a new agreement.
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Laurel, Md.: Sara, my apartment complex has given all residents 30 days to find new homes for their pets, with current pets not grand parented in! I know this is legal, but it sure makes for heartache. I was able to move my cat to my Mom's house a short distance away, so I'm one of the lucky ones; but I sure do miss her. Some families have older pets who may have to go to the pound, where they will almost certainly be euthanized. Little kids are losing dogs they grew up with. The anger and sadness is almost palpable, but you can't just up and move in 30 days!
When I do move, as soon as my lease is up, I will of course look for a complex that allows cats. But I'm worried the same thing might happen again. I don't suppose I can ask, are you planning to ban pets anything soon? What else can I do?
By the way, some residents have talked to so-called "animal lawyers," who say that, unfortunately, this kind of thing is legal. They are trying to negotiate a longer period of time for residents to find new homes for their pets.
Sara Gebhardt: This is an uncommon situation, and one I'd like to hear more about. How can you avoid this again? Find buildings that have had long-running pet policies and/or a private owner who can assure you that she/he will not kick out your beloved pets during your tenancy. Feel free to tell me what happens at aptlife@gmail.com.
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Sara Gebhardt: That's all the time I have today. Thanks for tuning in and participating, and I'll see you here next month! Don't let the bed bugs bite...and any other trite sayings I can use to mean, good luck with your rental experience in the meantime.
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