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Apartment Life Live

Byline: Sara Gebhardt

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.

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Sara Gebhardt: Good afternoon all apartment-dwellers, renters and others joining in today. I hope everyone has had a decent month renting and is enjoying this beautiful weather. Let's get to the questions!

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Boston, Mass.: I heard that there was going to be some kind of rental program for people who lost their homes in Hurricane Katrina. I was just wondering if you could give me some more information or details.

Sara Gebhardt: Hi, Boston. Thanks for bringing this up. I am gathering information about what apartment owners can do for evacuees and where renters affected by the hurricane can turn for my next column. In the meantime, the National Apartment Association has compiled information on its Web site www.naahq.org.

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Arlington, Va.: This may seem an odd question, but I'm hoping you can answer it. I rent out an efficiency room in my home that is vacant. I was thinking about offering it rent-free to a Katrina evacuee, but I cannot afford to lose the rent for more than a few months. I hate to think the worst of people, but after all it would mean allowing a total stranger into my home. If the evacuee refuses to leave after a few months, what is my recourse?

Sara Gebhardt: This is not an odd question at all. I hope many other landlords like you will think about donating their quarters for people in need, even if only for a little while. What you can do is offer a short-term lease to that you can end the agreement in the period of time you desire.

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Rockville, Md.: How do I politely tell my much-younger housemate that not only is he messy (food left behind in kitchen) but that he slams doors and otherwise does not respect normal good behavior?

When he moved in, he asked if there were any rules and I explained other than non-smoking, there weren't any specific rules but that we were to be bound by good behavior. Apparently we disagree as to what that means.

My sleep is important to me because I have apnea (which he knows about). I basically think he doesn't watch himself -- not sure if this is unconscious rebellion.

I need his half of rent economically but I could get another roommate because I am the leaseholder.

Thanks...

Sara Gebhardt: Maybe politely explain that you expect him to clean up after himself in the kitchen and to be gentler on the doors. See if he follows this advice before you do anything more drastic, like berate him for being young and careless. In fact, don't ever get mad at him; simply tell him -- after giving him a chance to shape up -- that you are thinking of getting another roommate.

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Ann Arbor, Mich.: I signed a one-year lease on my apartment that ends next May, but circumstances have changed such that I am now looking for a house or condo. Any tips for negotiating an early end to my lease? The lease is silent on the matter (e.g., no early buy-out provision).

Sara Gebhardt: Sure, the easiest thing to do is to assist your landlord in finding a replacement, so that he/she doesn't lose a month's rent due to your early termination.

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Honolulu, Hawaii: I'm moving to D.C. soon, and I heard it was cold (at least in comparison to where I live now) in the winter. Do the apartments there get warm enough? I am worried about gas prices too, so I am trying to figure out what kind of place to look for without freezing to death. I know it's early to ask this, but I like to be prepared.

Sara Gebhardt: I'll pose this to our readers, but, yes, in my opinion, apartments are warm enough in the winter. I am not sure how our indoor temperatures compare to Honolulu's outdoor environment, but my guess is you'll manage. You may want to look for apartments with utilities included or electric (not gas) heating systems. Heat and A/C can get expensive, obviously, but there are ways to save... which I generally write about during the winter and summer seasons.

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Waldorf, Md.: I just bought a townhouse and am thinking about renting one of the rooms. I'd only charge $400 per month, which would include utilities. Where would I advertise for a housemate?

Sara Gebhardt: Try your local newspaper or post signs in local shops, grocery stores, health clubs, schools, etc. You could also advertise in larger newspapers, like the Post, or online at craigslist.org.

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Columbia, Md.: 37-year-old male, 52k salary, currently renting. Rent is a cheap $300. Should I try to buy a home now or wait? Thanks!!

Sara Gebhardt: It's really your decision whether you buy or rent. It's a personal choice... but with rent that low, you might as well wait to see if prices level off. You can invest whatever you're saving in the meantime.

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Adams Morgan, D.C.: I hear heating bills will be going up this year because of Katrina. My utilities are included in my rent... Can my rent go up mid-year?

Sara Gebhardt: It depends on the details of your lease, really. If you're in a 12-month lease (not month-to-month), your rent cannot go up until the lease terminates.

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Fairfax, Va.: Hi Sara,

Question: If I break a lease due to the fact that I need to clean out my cabinets and shelves every week for pest control, am I obligated to pay the fee for breaking the lease?

Bugged Out

Sara Gebhardt: You could try to get your landlord to waive the lease termination fee based on the repeated visits from pest control. But if the landlord disagreed, you would have to prove to the housing authorities that you were living in unsafe/unhealthy environs. It's possible, it just might take some work going down these avenues. And you never know unless you try.

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Arlington, Va.: Do you or any of the readers have experience dealing with the Arlington County Tenant-Landlord Commission? I recently moved out of my apartment and am battling to get the security deposit back. Thanks.

Sara Gebhardt: Anyone out there have experience with Arlington County Tenant-Landlord Commission?

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Basement crickets/spiders: I live in a basement apartment and I have some seriously scary cricket/spider things. The landlady has sealed up any cracks where they might be getting in, but now how do I kill them? My current method is keeping a broom close at all times, but I feel there must be some bug repellent/fly sticky paper/roach spray sort of thing that I could use to root them out. Any ideas?

Sara Gebhardt: A broom seems like a good weapon against crickets. I prefer shoes or books I'll never read... No, really, go to Home Depot or another hardware store and look at products for warding out insects. Anyone out there have advice?

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Largo, Md.: Okay... I'm not sure if this is a suitable question... but here it goes. My girlfriend and I have been going out for about six years now. I moved in with HER! And now we're breaking up because she is a total headache. I want her to reimburse me for all the work I did on the house. Am I asking too much? I mean, when I moved in it was a total hellhole.

Sara Gebhardt: Hi, Largo... I hope all you did in her apartment was some minor painting and hammering... I'm sorry your girlfriend's a total headache, but you may be out of luck in getting her to reimburse you for work you most likely did out of love for her. Just in case, maybe you could broker a deal with her if your relationship is intact enough. She may be willing to negotiate assuming the work you did was substantial and she doesn't think you're a total headache too.

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Heat: Radiators! I've never been cold in an apartment with old-fashioned radiators and I've never paid for heat in such an apartment either.

Sara Gebhardt: That's exactly what I was thinking.

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Lewisdale, Md.: I'm renting this place from a friend of mine starting September 1. Last night I was coming out of my yellow room and I jammed my toe into the corner of the wall. My friend didn't, I guess, nail it down completely before she rented it out to me. Is it proper to ask for her to pay my doctor bills? The doctor said that my toe is broken. Thanks, Sara G.

Sara Gebhardt: Oh how I love Lewisdale. And yellow rooms for that matter. But I digress. Your friend didn't nail down the corner of the wall? I am not sure I understand, but unless there was a nail or piece of wall jutting out in a dangerous way, you might have to pay your own doctor's bills. It really depends on the technical details of what happened. Your landlord does have to ensure a safe environment, so you should determine whether or not your clumsiness caused this accident.

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New York, N.Y.: Heating expenses are included in my building, but I cannot adjust the temp, and I am always freezing. I'd suggest looking for a place where you can control the heat yourself.

Sara Gebhardt: Everyone's got a different view of heating, just as some people are cold or hot by nature. Often, people are too warm or too cold in temperature-controlled buildings. If you're looking for a place in a temp-controlled complex, it would help to ask many residents how they feel about the temperature.

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Puerto Rico: Hi, my name is Carlos. I'm originally from Washington, D.C. Prices are going up... Do you think real estate will continue the way it's going? If so, I was thinking about moving out of my mom's place.

Sara Gebhardt: Hola, Carlos. I do not predict how the market will go. If you're ready to move out of your mom's house, then go for it. Or maybe ease into the transition of living on your own by renting a place before buying.

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Silver Spring, Md.: I have horrible giant crickets in my basement apartment and my good, old-fashioned flyswatter is always at hand. If you hit them lightly enough, they don't even squish their guts all over -- just get stunned enough to toss 'em in the toilet. The good news is, if you kill a lot of them for a few days, it does cut down on the population. And they'll go away when the weather gets cold.

(If you want to go the natural route, spiders help eat them, but then they also reproduce and you get spiders everywhere. Ick.)

Sara Gebhardt: Wow. The wonders of a fly-swatter.

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Reston, Va.: RE: the spider/crickets you have in your basement. These are actually camel crickets commonly known as spider crickets. I know, because my place used to be infested with them. The only real solution is to call the exterminator. The bugs are intelligent and will quickly multiply. Call early, call often. If you get them to spray weekly, you'll be bug-free by the end of the month.

Sara Gebhardt: Here's something for the cricket problem.

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Silver Spring, Md.: I am moving out of my apartment next week. Months ago, I called and asked management if they prorated rent if we left mid-month, provided we still gave proper notice, and they said they did and we would only be responsible for the part of rent prior to our termination date.

However, this week they are now saying that we owe them for the entire month, despite their previous assertions. Had I known I would be responsible for the entire month, I would have moved earlier (it was possible for me to move earlier, but more convenient to move mid-month and since they said they would prorate the rent, I opted for mid month).

Do I have any recourse? I do not want my credit blemished by failure to pay rent. Management lied to me and misled me, however, I (perhaps stupidly) took them for their word instead of getting something in writing about their agreeing to prorate rent.

Sara Gebhardt: This is an example of why it is so important to get everything in writing. Do you have proof of giving proper notice? You might be out of luck, but before you give up (and pay up), write a letter to management stating the time/date of your phone call, who you talked to about getting your rent pro-rated, etc. Send it to the management, and if it is a large management company, also send it to a higher-up. See what happens and hopefully they will honor their previous verbal agreement.

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Cats and crickets: If you have a cat, let it prowl around in the basement for a while. My cat used to eat crickets and it really controlled the cricket issues in my house. I'm not joking here...

Sara Gebhardt: Here's a vote for getting a cat.

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Columbia Heights, D.C.: Okay, so when do you think the weather gods are going to declare a moratorium on the summer heat and make it cool enough for me to open my windows? I'm tired of the stale, circulated A/C that's been in my apartment for months. Come, fall, come!

Sara Gebhardt: The weather gods, no doubt, are concerned about your indoor comfort and working on this. Have you tried opening your windows every now and then and using a fan? It may save you from A/C overload.

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Re: Basement crickets/spiders: Living close to a wooded area, I have the same problem. I call them, grasshopper cricket things. Besides the method you're using, which I also use (the broom), I have found that Raid House and Garden spray works well. They tend to start for me in the bathroom so I spray around the baseboards which usually takes care of them or slows them down making them easier to get rid off. As it gets colder, they'll go away.

Sara Gebhardt: Another vote for colder weather, albeit not because of A/C.

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Massachusetts: I just read the gentlemen's question from Largo, Md. In 2002, I injured my knee and my foot because of the terrible work they did in my apartment. (TERRIBLE.) My lawyer told me at the time that it was no use in suing my landlord. I found out later that they were friends. Now I think I could've won. Is it too late? I live in Mass. now but I'm still having knee and foot problems. I iced my foot right away...

Sara Gebhardt: After having lots of knee and foot injuries, I can assure you icing is the best medicine. Are you still limping? Since I am not a lawyer, I don't know if it's too late. You should consult a lawyer who is not in cahoots with your old landlord.

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Clarendon, Va.: I'd like to rent one or two bedrooms out in my house in Clarendon. Where is the best place to advertise for roommates that would attract interested people 30 or older (I'm 38).

Sara Gebhardt: Try the regular avenues... Maybe the Washington Post and craigslist.

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Washington, D.C.: Hello. I apologize in advance for the length of this question. I've recently moved above a couple that fights constantly. Not just bickering, but "chase each other around the apartment" fights. This happened a few weeks ago (not for the first time) and I contemplated calling the police. I did not. I did, however, report it to the landlord as a general noise issue (as they have their TV/radio on at such levels that I can actually understand the words/music perfectly).

I have approached one of the tenants about the noise level and she denies they even have the TV on (and I know this is an outright lie). When I talked to the landlord she said I have a he said/she said issue and there's nothing she can do. She urged me to call the police when the noise gets to loud so there will be a record of what's going on.

But, who calls the police when TV/radio levels are unbearable? That seems silly. I will in the future call when they are fighting. The landlord said she would be happy to talk to the tenants but only if I allow her to say that I've made a complaint to her. I don't want her to do this for fear that this will make things worse for me. Other than move, what are my options? Thanks!

Sara Gebhardt: Noise issues are indeed some of the worst apartment tenants have. Let your landlord talk to your neighbors. If they have been dismissive of you already, chances are they don't like you for having said anything in the first place. Let your landlord attempt to deal with it, and if it persists, think about asking to move to a different unit. Since your landlord seems receptive to the problem, she may allow you to do this when a unit becomes available.

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For Clarendon: Describe yourself in an ad on craigslist and you are likely to get like-minded people. I.e. I keep a clean house and don't listen to loud music. Looking for a roommate who respects this, etc.

Sara Gebhardt: Thanks.

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Re: injury from apt.: Consult with/ a lawyer or even go on the Web site for the courts in Mass. and check on the statute of limitations. You only have a certain amount of time to file a claim, depending on the claim it can be anywhere from one year to several years, I'd say check it out immediately. Probably a negligence suit might be your best shot -- check with a tort attorney (yes, the ambulance chasers).

Sara Gebhardt: Lastly, some more comments.

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Sara Gebhardt: Well, that's all for today. Thanks for joining me, and sorry if I didn't get to your question. Look for answers in my future columns, or come back next month for the Apartment Life discussion. Until then, take good care.

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