Suggestions for Maryland Apartments?
June 30, 2011 12:37 PM   Subscribe

What are your suggestions for pet-friendly Maryland apartments with a washer and dryer in the unit in the Columbia/Ellicott City/Elkridge area? Suggestions for apartments to avoid are also welcome.

I'm moving back to Maryland in a couple months to take a job in Greenbelt. I've been checking CL, various apartment search websites, and asking fiends who are still in the area for recommendations. I figured it was worth a shot to AskMe as well.

I'd like to live in or near Columbia, MD. My two main apartment requirements are pet-friendly (2 cats) and a washer/dryer in the unit (I hate laundromats). I'd prefer a base rent of about $1500, and I prefer to live by myself. I'm flexible about everything else.

I lived in Laurel, MD before and while that area was nice, I'd prefer something a little father north but still within about 15 miles from Greenbelt.
posted by Rob Rockets to Home & Garden (6 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
You may not have the flexibility for this, but my advice would be to avoid commercial managed complexes entirely and keep searching Craigslist closely in your area for owners renting their own property.

I'm also moving to Maryland in the next few weeks to follow my job, oddly enough. But just in my general experience, you get a much better experience this way. Commercial complexes will often charge you a pet deposit, plus an additional monthly pet fee of $50 and up. I've found complex management to be generally useless when you need something. And if you stay for a while, your rent will gradually climb until you realize you're paying significantly more every month for the exact same apartment.

I've had very good luck with people who own a condo they aren't living in anymore - this usually seems to have something to do with marriages - and don't want to sell. All they want is a solid, reliable tenant paying enough rent to cover their mortgage payment, and that's not going to change every year. If you can convince them that you're stable, will pay the rent on time, will take decent care of the place, and aren't going to cause trouble, they'll be very happy to find you and you'll have an easier time negotiating for your cats.

Also, I don't know the Columbia area specifically (my recent search was along the 270 corridor) but your target rent seems very reasonable to me. I ended up paying $1450 for a two bedroom with full size washer and dryer in a well maintained complex.

Good luck!
posted by Naberius at 1:13 PM on June 30, 2011


Take this for what it's worth, because I lived there several years ago, but I was very pleased with Lazy Hollow Apartments in Columbia. http://www.lazyhollowapts.com/
posted by lemniskate at 6:26 PM on June 30, 2011


I lived in Howard Crossing in EC for a couple years (2006-8) and I had no big complaints.
posted by mrsshotglass at 9:15 PM on June 30, 2011


have you looked at arundell mills area... they have alot of apartment/condos and just down 100 to columbia, and right on 295 to get to greenbelt...
posted by fozzie33 at 4:40 AM on July 1, 2011




I lived in Charleston Place in 1995, when it was called Normandy Woods. Washer Dryer, pets, and my apartment backed to the woods. I loved it.
posted by MeiraV at 7:38 AM on July 1, 2011


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