Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with apartment

Moving, don't want to take parasites with me.

Anonymous — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 00:55:34 -0800

I'm itchy at night. I'm worried that my apartment is infested with some sort of parasite. I'm moving in the next few days. How should I proceed? I'm not sure if I have bed bugs, rat mites, bird mites, scabies, contact dermatitis, or delusional parasitosis, but I get itchy at night, occasionally with a few small, pea sized bumps. I don't know if the bumps are an actual bite, or just hives from me scratching. I seem to get this whenever I lay down in my bed. It's been happening over the past two years. Often enough that I've been paranoid about it. It doesn't seem to happen in other parts of my apartment.

My apartment complex has definitely had bed bugs in the past. There is an entry on bedbugregistry for my apartment complex from 1-2 years ago stating that there were was an infestation in the B building -- I live in the D building. Naturally, this has made me incredibly paranoid, and I've been constantly searching for signs of bed bugs.

I've done a ton of reading at bedbugger.com over the past year, so I know what signs to look for. I haven't seen any cast skins, or live or dead bed bugs. I've only had small, brown-red stains on my sheets, indicative of a crushed bed bug. I've seen a stain maybe two times in two years, so it's possible that it's just my boogers or earwax or something. I've seen no fecal matter (smears or pellets). All I've noticed is a large amount of black fuzz/lint, probably because I've been looking over my sheets so thoroughly.

I know bed bugs can be notoriously difficult to pinpoint. But I feel like I should have seen something in the past two years. I work very odd hours, coming home to sleep at all hours of the day or night, and haven't seen a thing. This is with me doing a paranoid look-over of my mattress and sheets, waking up in the middle of the night and looking for any bugs, etc. Not a thing.

Also, my bites aren't the red welts I see in most bed bug bite photos. (I know that people react differently, some not at all. This just makes it more confusing.) And I often get itchy before I fall asleep, with no bugs to be seen. This makes me think that perhaps its something else?

I don't think its scabies, because the itching isn't crazy intense and insatiable. It's more of a dull itch, and it does go away after some time. I haven't seen any "burrows" on my skin, either. Could it be rat mites or bird mites?

My apartment is actually half below ground level, and the windows are very old, so I'm sure lots of dirt, dust, and bugs gets in. There's probably been some mold problems in this complex, too. Or it might just be my paranoia making me hypersensitive to normal itches.

In any case, my lease is up, and I'm moving in the next few days. I know that these parasites suck ass and can move with you, so I don't want to be the jerk and infest my new apartment building. What should I do to ensure that I don't take whatever this is with me?

I'm already tossing out a large portion of my furniture (sofa, loveseat, dresser, etc.). They're all old, and I was planning on replacing them when I moved, anyway. But my mattress is fairly new, so it'd suck to toss it out for nothing. The uncertainty is the worst part -- if I actually saw conclusive evidence of bed bugs, I'd burn it in a heartbeat.

As of right now, the mattress will be the last thing I move. I'll do a thorough inspection of it and my bedroom, maybe buy a steam cleaner and go over it. If I see any bugs, it's getting tossed out. I'll be laundering all of my clothes. Am I just overly paranoid? Should I not take any chances and toss out the mattress by default? Should I see if I can quickly get a PCO to verify if anything is even there? What if its some kind of mites?

What air fresheners are good but not overwhelming?

zombieflanders — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 13:45:30 -0800

My friends have commented on how strong the air freshener in my apartment is. What brands or methods are good for a place with poor ventilation? I'm a nonsmoker with no pets who has been trying to maintain a nice-smelling apartment using the Air Wick brand of plug-in fresheners, usually with whichever scent seems least likely to be overpowering. The apartment has four rooms: kitchen, living/dining, bathroom, and bedroom. Only the kitchen and the bathroom have ventilation shafts, while the living room and bedroom both have windows. My friends tell me that my place smells strongly of air freshener, and that they can sometimes smell it from outside my window (I live on the ground floor), or even worse, on my clothes. The thing is, it's usually on the lowest possible setting, unless I'm cooking. Whenever I try to cook anything with even moderate aroma, I can smell it for a day or two, although that's better than the week or so from before the freshener. This poor ventilation seems to be the main culprit, but I 'm not sure if there's anything to be done about that, certainly not by me. Plus, I get used to the scent after about a day, so I can't tell how strong it is.

So what can I do to neutralize odors and/or make my place smell good? It can be other brands of freshener, although I'm certainly open to other methods (including natural solutions) as long as they're not strong-smelling either. I'm somewhat of a brown thumb though, and my heating/cooling system seems to dry the place out. Also, I'm not sure if it makes a difference, but 90% of the apartment has carpeting that is vacuumed every week or two.

Is my landlord trying to make a soup out of me?

CharlesV42 — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 20:46:03 -0800

Is there a legal maximum hot water temperature for a New York apartment? My hot water is clocking in at 157 degrees fahrenheit, or hotter than the center of a well done steak (measured with a digital thermometer, documented for posterity with a video).

I've found information on the minimum (appears to be 120 / 110 if there's an anti-scald valve), but not on the maximum. And this ruling appears to say that landlords have a responsibility to maintain a safe temperature, but I can't find any documentation on what that is.

Am i being a baby? Additionally, the temperature fluctuates between 110 and 155 so there's no way to take a shower, knowing which end of the spectrum you're on, without getting burned to bits.

I guess I should be happy I don't have the alternative, a cold shower every day.

I'm in Greenpoint, Brooklyn (Kings County), if that helps.

I should mention I asked the super (once in person, once in text so there's a record) if the boiler can be adjusted. She claims it has been, but I am currently ice-ing my back from my attempt to shower this evening.

Need apartment in Berlin available at short notice for month-long rental

maryrosecook — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 08:37:52 -0800

I need an apartment in Berlin (Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg/Mitte) available at short notice for a month-long rental. I can't find anything on Google except expensive holiday apartments. I arrive in mid-January and can't visit Berlin in advance. Budget: €30/night or €900/month. Where should I look? Thank you.

How do we get a message across to our neighbors, The Leadfoots?

Anonymous — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 07:44:01 -0800

Feeling abused by noisy upstairs neighbors. Looking for some strategies to let them know we are not doormats. We've lived in our charming, poorly soundproofed, hardwood-floored apartment for almost four years. From the beginning, our upstairs neighbors, The Leadfoots, have been noisy; the situation went into a freefall when they had a baby. Leadfoot Junior, now two and a half, hits the ground running at 6:30am, and pretty much continues at that pace as long as he's home. I work late and need to sleep another hour or two in the morning, but it's impossible, even on my day off. The incessant running at all hours is often coupled with the parents shouting at Junior, Junior falling, Junior throwing things.

We have gone the whole route trying to communicate with these people:

Polite conversation in passing: they changed the topic and continued on their way.

More insistent face-to-face requests, suggestions of slippers, carpets, etc.: they responded that it's their right to do what they want in their own home; Mrs. L is allergic to carpeting; and how dare we infringe on their liberty by suggesting what they should put on their feet.

Letter-writing: a printout of the permitted decibel levels and 'noise-allowed' hours was shoved under our door.

Complaining to the landlord: he replied that Mr. Leadfoot was a pain in the ass, but otherwise just shrugged and said we should work it out ourselves.

And, out of complete frustration, ceiling banging, yelling and some very loud electronic music/Chili Peppers: this actually seemed to work a bit, so we know it's possible for them to make less noise.

The last time I went up on a Sunday morning to (very calmly) tell them that Junior's running the length of the apartment and jumping directly over our heads in our bedroom was disturbing us, I was treated to some dripping sarcasm from Mr. Leadfoot (who was holding a shoe-clad Junior on his hip), and then Mrs. Leadfoot went nutty, screamed like a banshee and slammed the door in my face. The next day, she went to the police and filed a complaint against us for harassment. We filed a counter-complaint, but the whole thing is fairly meaningless.

We are looking for another apartment and hope to move out within the next two to three months. In the meantime, the Leadfoots, smug in the aftermath of their visit to the police station, have let all hell break loose and make as much noise as they want.

I think my SO and I are pretty reasonable people. Over the years we've been here, we've let a lot go unchallenged. We hate the fact that we could not work this out reasonably and maturely. We're moving. But we've probably got another 90 days of living under what sounds like a bowling alley. And it makes us furious to just sit here and take it.
Confronting them is out of the question now. What suggestions can you make for ways to let them know that we're down here, they're disturbing us, and it's not ok?

Ask the Design Hivemind

scrim — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 06:48:57 -0800

Does anyone have any experience with or opinions on Room and Board or CB2 as sofa merchants? Specifically, I'm interested in the Westwood sofa from Room and Board, and the Avec sofa from CB2.

For years, I heard nothing but good things about Room and Board, but recently I've seen a number of negative reviews, especially about their lower-end sofas, of which the Westwood is definitely one. Meanwhile, what I've heard about CB2 is positive, but I've heard much less.

I live too far away from a major city to actually try any of these before I buy, and I unfortunately need a new sofa pretty badly (if anyone has any tips for a different sofa of the same style that they love, I'd be glad to hear them).

Risk of a bogus address for school registration?

Anonymous — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 10:44:10 -0800

What are the risks, if any, for someone (and the actual address-holder) to falsify their address to register their child in a NYC school? Moving to NYC in the Spring, but in order to get a jump on middle school applications, you need a NYC address for them to even talk to you. I know exactly what neighborhood I'll be moving to, and have a friend in that area who will say that I live there. I want to make sure that I'm not putting either of us in obvious risk.

I'd be changing my payroll data at work, and putting their electric bill in my name. Is there much risk in that to my friend?

Furnishing a small apartment.

Authorized User — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 14:21:23 -0800

Help me furnish and decorate my new small studio apartment. My new apartment is a small (22.5 m²~ 240 square feet) studio apartment. Pictures and floorplan here. The living area is approximately 260cm by 430cm. The fixed cabinets are both 60cm wide and the gap between them is 140cm wide.

What I need is a decent sized bed, preferably at least 120cm wide (I'm not picky; I could sleep on a sofa bed IF it's good enough), a good desk and some chairs for the kitchen table. What I would also want is enough room to occasionally seat about 4 people in comfort and possibly for watching movies from the computer screen. The table could also fit just enough chairs to also seat 4. Storage-wise I should be good with the existing storage with the exception of a bookcase and possibly some desk drawers. If there was enough room and a place to hide away a gaming table that is 120x180cm and is disassembled into a package measuring 120x60 plus some legs, it would be perfect, but that is not really necessary.

And since the apartment is new and shiny, I'd like the furniture to also at least not be ugly so something that fits the apartment would be nice.

My budget is basically big enough for Ikea stuff or any alternative at a similar price point. (Note that I am in Finland). I already have some Anssi bar stools suitable for the table and an black Expedit bookcase. The rest of my old furniture is either something I'm looking to replace or is just too clunky for this place and I'm not married to the bookcase either.

Any tips, tricks or input are appreciated. How would you decorate this place given these requirement or without them?

How do I build a balcony enclosure to reduce wind and noise yet preserve my awesome view of NYC?

jacquilinala — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 08:37:41 -0800

Help me make my noisy, windy city balcony more enjoyable. I recently moved into an awesome apartment in Brooklyn. It's on the 6th floor and has a balcony... which has an unobstructed, amazing view of the Manhattan skyline. However! My apartment faces the BQE and it's noisy. It's also freaking cold out now, and being on the 6th floor, it's very windy on the balcony.

I thought it would be a fun project to try to build a balcony enclosure of some sort. While I don't want to obstruct my view of the city, I would love to be able to go out there and not feel like I was going to blow away. Noise insulation of some sort would be great too.

I googled around and found this, and while that's the same idea, it's not what I'm looking for. I'm thinking more like going to a lumber yard, buying some kind of wood (?), and DIYing it. Some sort of noise insulation stuff. Maybe plexiglass on one side to preserve the view?

Of course, this would have to work in the summer too...

Ideas? Here are the dimensions... and a picture of the balcony.

129" wide (approx 126" within the railings)

49" deep (approx 46" within)

43" height of railing.

pic 1 and pic 2

Thanks!

How does one move across the country smartly?

Anonymous — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 19:24:24 -0800

I'm moving to Boston from San Diego in a year, but I don't know a soul there, nor do I know how to get the important stuff (job, apartment) set up from so far away. Questions follow. The last time I moved across the country like this was a decade ago, and I had friends on the other side who pulled some strings to get me a job and also had a room I could rent. I won't have that luxury this time. What I do have is experience as a creative director and graphic designer, some money saved, and a decade's worth of stuff to move... which is all way more than I had ten years ago. But this part I still don't know how to do....

1) What's the best way to find employment from across the country? And how soon does it make sense to start that process? I'll be able to live for several months without income if I have to by that time, and I can freelance for a while, but I'd breathe easier knowing I had a job lined up before I hit the road.

2) How the hell do I arrange for an apartment? I can pick one out and visit it, but I wonder how the application process is going to go. My credit is good (but not perfect). I'll be working at my current job right up until I move... but that will mean that my proof of income is all from a job across the country... a job I'm leaving. Does that matter?

I know that people do this sort of thing all the time, and I've done some Googling around, but this is very scary to me, and I don't know where to start!

Throaway email if needed: bostonorbustithink@gmail.com

Help a Portland Oregonian expatriate to Washington, DC

Skwirl — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 04:33:36 -0800

I'm moving to Washington, DC for a new job that is a huge step up for me. I'd like to have a studio apartment lined up for January 1st and I will have a week to intensively look for a place before my job starts on Dec. 21st. What are some neighborhoods, tips and resources what would be helpful for me to find my perfect place in such a short turn around? My main goal is super convenient car-free living and commuting. My sensible ceiling for rent is about $1200. I could comfortably go decently higher, but I'm also used to spartan living and could go lower. I prefer small living spaces. Heck, I miss dorm life. My highest priority, after safety, is a sensible commute. I don't drive and in the past I've happily mixed and matched bus, light rail and bicycle commutes at my daily whimsy. My dream situation would be to be able to walk to as many day-to-day necessities as possible. My office is a stone's throw from the Teasury (Nearest Metro lines: Blue, Orange and Red) so I dunno how realistic walking to work would be but my other dreamy dream would be to have many of the daily essentials within walking-biking distance. (Can I have a Trader Joes and a neighborhood hippy co-op as my neighbors? And a Target? Kthnxbye...)

Other considerations:
* There will probably be times where I'm biking or walking home at 2 am and I want to be reasonably safe from intimidation and violence. I don't particularly care about other urban issues or inconveniences.

* I significantly prefer greenspaces and multi-use paths over nightlife, but I would utilize both.

* I've been browsing rent.com, housingmaps.com and apartments.com. I've only rented from craigslist-y individuals in the past and I've had only good experiences but I have found those situations wanting in professionalism sometimes and I would prefer a good property management company.

* I will be buying all new (or new to me) furniture. Pre-furnished apartment? Even better. (Think: Dorm but with a kitchen.)

* I understand the cost-of-living sticker shock. I've crunched the numbers and I'm still sooooper psyched. But, if there's a significant tax difference between MD, DC and VA, I'd want to know more.

* Obviously proximity to Metro stops is pretty coveted, but I think all I care about is minutes spent commuting so if I could beat the market with a good bus route and bicycling, I'm all ears.

* Where should I avoid?

My plan is to stay at the HI hostel and/or Priceline hotels and/or couch surf while I'm looking for a place if I don't meet my January 1st goal. Most of my stuff will be shipped at a later date at my leisure.

Pre-looking for a NYC apartment.

Jaltcoh — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 09:23:55 -0800

How to spend part of a short trip to NYC "looking" for an apartment when it's way, way too soon to sign a lease? Assuming I'm going to be working in the Bronx, I'm not sure what the best neighborhood would be (Upper East Side?). Details inside. OK, here's the situation. I live in upstate New York (a few hours away from the city), where I have a job that's scheduled to end next summer. Next week I'm going to NYC for a job interview. Let's assume for the sake of this thread that I'll get the job (which, to make a long story short, is pretty likely). I'll be scheduled to start in early fall of next year, after my current upstate job ends.

I have read lots of AskMe questions about finding an apartment in NYC, so I realize that it's impossible to find a place this early since you can't start looking earlier than 4-6 weeks in advance.

The job will be in the Bronx. Subway stop: 4/B/D at 161st St - Yankee Stadium. My salary will be at least 55k, which is their standard starting salary. However, it might be higher based on my previous work experience.

This is my basic question: I'll have a couple extra days of free time during the upcoming NYC trip, and I'd like to spend it in a way that's semi-productive in helping me think about where I should look for apartments once the time finally comes to do so. As someone who's pretty familiar with NYC overall but hasn't spent any time in the UES, where should I be looking? If you think UES is a good option, where would you recommend walking around to get a feel for the area?

Additional background info:

My goal is a 1-bedroom (maybe a studio if it's not tiny) with the potential for my girlfriend to move in eventually. I would not be interested in living with roommates. I hope to find a place for 1500 or less. Subway will be the main mode of transportation.

Brooklyn and Astoria are routinely recommended, and I'm familiar with these areas. If I were going to work in, say, midtown or lower Manhattan, I would love to live in Brooklyn and would happily live in Astoria. But I'm concerned that the distance to the Bronx job essentially rules them out. Even living in one of the more desirable Brooklyn neighborhoods (Brooklyn Heights, Park Slope, etc.) would appear to mean at least 2 solid hours of commuting every workday -- not an appealing prospect.

Upper East Side: Commuting from just anywhere in the UES would be a dream come true. Based on past AskMe questions, the UES sounds like a pretty dull place to live, but more affordable than most places in Manhattan. Of course, I am still concerned about affordability. I've been checking CraigsList and there seem to be reasonable 1-bedrooms for 1500/mo. or less on a daily basis, though it's hard to judge a place without seeing it.

The Bronx: I'm not particularly interested in living here unless people strongly recommend it (with a more specific comment than "Why not live in the Bronx?"). My girlfriend would be nervous about the relatively high crime rate, etc.

Any tips?

Tiny washing machines -- any good?

brandonjadams — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 15:32:35 -0800

My wife and I are looking for a v. small washing machine for our rented apartment. I've seen a few units which you can wheel into the closet after doing the laundry but I'm not sure how well they work. Any thoughts?

Where can I find funky, fascinating wallpaper for my apartment?

chinese_fashion — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 06:58:00 -0800

Where can I find funky, fascinating wallpaper for my apartment? I just moved into a new apartment, and I'm really excited to deck it out. I'm looking for cool, fascinating wallpaper for one accent wall. I don't mind paying a bit for it - if I have to look at it every single day, I want to love it.

My tastes tend towards the baroque, ornate, somewhat psychedelic even. I've seen stuff here and here that I really liked. This and this also are in line with my tastes, though I don't want the place to bee too much of a kitschy horrorshow. Quirky for the sake of quirky wears thin pretty quick.

I'm discovering that this is much more of a process -- a lot of web images can't really replicate the look and feel of actual samples, so I'm looking for more to choose from.

Do any of you have any suggestions for places to look?

Thanks so much ...

Calling all ex-tenants

Anonymous — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:32:05 -0800

How can I track down former residents of a specific apartment complex? I recently moved out of Remington Grove Apartments in Sunnyvale, CA. The landlord kept a ridiculous amount of my security deposit and is threatening to charge me for much more. I managed to contact a few other ex-tenants, and it sounds like many of them received the same bogus estimates and threatening letters.

We spoke with a lawyer who said she would like to hear from as many former tenants as possible and would consider representing a class action case if there is enough evidence. Unfortunately, I don't know how to track down other former residents. The few that I managed to contact posted email addresses on an apartment review website, but I suspect many other residents of the complex may not be especially internet-savvy. Any ideas?

Housemate doesn't clean up after himself. Help.

dunkadunc — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:58:24 -0800

My housemate doesn't clean up, like ever. How can I do to make things work, or at least more bearable? I've been sharing an apartment since the beginning of September with an old acquaintance, and everything's been going well enough. EXCEPT:
My housemate doesn't help out with the cleaning. Every day I come home to even more mess, and it's starting to really bug me.

Some background here: My housemate and I are both 23, male, and college seniors. We went to high school together but lost touch after graduation. I was looking for a housemate for an apartment I found this August, and a mutual friend said Housemate (whose mom died last year) was looking for a place as well. We signed a lease, moved in and started school, so far so good.
The first hint I got that Housemate wasn't very good at cleaning was about a week in when he asked me what "rinsing" dishes meant. Since then, he's remained pleasant, but the amount of housework he's done has gone from little to almost none.

The main problems:
-His dishes stay dirty in the sink either until I wash them or there are no more clean ones, whereupon he washes a dirty one, uses it, and puts it back in the sink. The same thing goes for pots and pans. I can count the number of times he's washed all the dishes in the sink on one hand, and even then they've come out covered in brown curry grease and needed to be washed again.

-When asked to wash his dirty pots and pans that were filling up the sink, Housemate was surprised that I would want them to be cleaned even if I wasn't immediately going to use them. Housemate said that he would wash them before he needed them again "only as a favor". He cooks about four gallons of curry every two weeks.

-Although he was willing to split the cost of a $50 vacuum cleaner, the only time he's picked up a broom was when he broke a glass. He's been leaving brown greasy globs of curry on all the kitchen surfaces and covers the floor in oil when he cooks. All these problems with cleaning up have carried over to the bathroom as well.

Apart from all this, he's been a decent housemate, asking if I want to watch cartoons or split a pizza or whatnot, or coming out to parties with me.
I've talked to him about washing dishes and cleaning up around the apartment, and he's always said "sure"- the problem is it doesn't end up happening. He tends to drink beers and watch cartoons when he's done with schoolwork and doesn't have anything to do, so it seems like a combination of procrastination and just not knowing how to run a household: his mom used to do all the housekeeping.

What can I do to encourage him to do his share of housework, or failing that, what can I do to minimize the amount of mess I have to deal with? Ideally, we would clean up after ourselves, and if someone else missed something then the other would clean it, no problem.
I don't want to be that passive-aggressive guy, but something's got to change, since I'd like to be able to have guests over without feeling embarrassed. I'd be tempted to only clean up after myself, but I'm afraid the apartment would be taken over by maggots.

Looking for affordable 9-month housing near Kirkland, WA

dcruzin — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:55:02 -0800

Looking for recommendations for an affordable apartment/studio complex within 20min of the Bungie offices in Kirkland, WA for a 9 month lease. I'm looking for whatever might be cheaper, be it in Redmond or maybe further to the East. The workplace, from last I heard, is in Kirkland, but a ten to twenty minute commute isn't too big a problem. Of course, I would prefer to live in Kirkland, but I'm thinking with rates as high as $900 a month, I'm not sure if I could afford much else. Do you think there might be anything around the $600-700 range for a studio or maybe even a sublet? Craigslist can only do so much in terms of finding vacant apartments, whereas subletters are much easier on the wallet but only for temporary housing solutions. I'm going to be there for 9 months.

We are trying as hard as possible not to be noisy

marble — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 13:53:11 -0800

How best to handle noise complaints against us, when I feel we are being reasonable? Since the first complaints we have been dialing down the noise in every way we can think of, but apparently it's not enough and we don't even know which neighbor is complaining, so we can't speak to them directly. Several months ago, we got a formal written noise complaint from the landlord. We couldn't figure out what we were doing to cause it, and there were no specifics. It made a reference to stuff being done after 10:00 pm. I can't tell from the wording if it's *just* whatever they heard after 10:00 pm, or if we were being admonished for stuff prior to that hour or not.

We do not have parties or anything like that, we don't play loud music, and we live on the ground floor. We play videogames and watch tv and movies, and at a volume such that no one has complained until recently. (I have lived here for four years now).

Then a couple months ago we're playing SingStar, and a knock at the door reveals a policeman. They called the cops on us. For singing. Sigh. Really? The police? Anyway, I was pleasant and polite to the cop but I felt rather bewildered by the whole situation. I admit we do tend to turn up the sound on the tv when we play that game, because neither one of us likes how our voice sounds so we can drown it out with the actual artists singing. Okay, well, I guess it was too loud even though we never had trouble with it before. We haven't even touched that game since that encounter with the cop. It saddens me greatly, we used to have a great time playing it, but I can't figure out if the problem was that it was after 10 or just that we were playing it at all.

Overall we made an effort to make sure things were quieter, especially after 10. I'm talking things like headphones used for playing games and music, a quieter volume on the tv, and just plain going to bed earlier.

But then we got *another* formal written noise complaint from the landlord, on Wednesday.

What the hell? I am really frustrated with this. I don't know what to do. I don't know how many complaints before they try to evict us. I feel really powerless and upset. I honestly don't want to offend anyone with noise, but I think this person is being hypersensitive and at this point they may just be making bogus complaints to fuck with us (maybe they want us to be evicted so they can have the ground floor apartment? my mind is reeling). It's not like they have to provide proof. The landlord doesn't even have anyone on the property to corroborate a noise complaint past like 3pm, and we are at work til 5. So they can complain as much as they want, and they will be believed even if we are in bed at the time.

Our apartment is in a small block of eight. We have no idea which neighbor lodged the complaints, so we can't try to talk to them about exactly what they heard and when, and try to work with them to make sure we don't bother them. We are not assholes, we just want to be able to enjoy our entertainment.

This whole thing is making us paranoid. We watched Desperado last night, the last 40 minutes of which were after 10. I thought we shouldn't because I don't want any chance of them hearing anything, even on a weekend night. But we watched it so quietly that we could barely hear the dialogue, and turned it way down for every gunfight.

This is crazy. I hate living in fear like this, feeling so uncomfortable in my own home. If this person really is out to get us evicted, then there's nothing I can do anyway.

I thought about maybe writing a formal letter to the landlord explaining that we are surprised that our noise level has bothered anyone, but we are genuinely making a sincere effort not to offend (since the very first complaint), and would appreciate it if they could tell us when they actually hear noise so that we could figure out which thing it is that is causing the problem.

I'd like to talk to the neighbor directly, but I have this fear that the person is going to construe me even talking to them as harassment or something, and I'm rather pissed off at this point and am not sure if I could keep a lid on my obvious resentment coming through in tone of voice and facial expression. Also, I hate confrontation. I'd much rather write a letter if I could. But this is all moot since I don't even know which neighbor it is and the landlord likely won't tell me.

The landlord's latest note referenced paragraph 20 of my lease, and I think the part they refer to is (excerpted): "You and your occupants or guests may not engage in the following activities: [...] behaving in a loud or obnoxious manner; disturbing or threatening the rights, comfort, health, safety, or convenience of others (including our agents and employees) in or near the apartment community [...]". This is a standard Texas Apartment Association lease, and I live in Austin.

I'd really like to communicate in writing as calmly and reasonably as I can, but I'm scared even that will blow up in my face somehow. I'm supposed to sign my new lease soon but I haven't talked to the landlord since the last complaint so I'm not sure how pissed off they might be at me right now, or if they consider the complaints minor. I'm scared to even bring up the lease with them. New lease would be starting January 1st.

Anyway, I'm looking for advice as to how to approach this. I'd like to be able to enjoy my usual activities at home without feeling like I'm going to be evicted for it. And we have already gotten two levels quieter and it hasn't helped. Argh!

Where can i find a cheap dB meter?

ilike — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 07:56:45 -0800

Where can i find a cheap dB meter that can meter a low dB? (say 30-50 dB) Hi I recently moved in to an appartment that has a few sound sources that annoy me a lot.

The first problem is that the front door is paper thin and located close the main entrance to the house and that each time someone enters the house I hear the front door slamming very loud. The thing that annoys me the most however is that it gets very noicy when my neighbour use his kitchen faucet.

I have spoke with the local building enviroment regulator that recommended me to try to find a dB meter I can use to see if I am anywhere close to the levels where I can demand that my landlord fix this. According to him between 35-50 dB is the maximum threshold depending on type of sound.

I understand accoustic metering is something that should be left to professionals but I would like to see if I am anywhere close to the threshold levels before spending money and time on a accoustic engineer. Maybe I am just overreacting.

Are there sound meters that can be had reasonably cheaply and can handle low noice. It doesnt have to be to accurate, just enough for me to get an idea if there is any point going forward with this.

Bonus point if I can order it from an EU country.

Help me modernize this old space

pilibeen — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:56:06 -0800

How can I introduce some color in my very brown apartment - AND - can you recommend some cheap sources for cool/hip furnishings & paintings? I'm moving into a new place soon with hardwood floors in the living room & bed room, and wood paneling all around. It's very, very brown and drab.

I'm looking for ways to introduce some color into the space, and make it feel less like my grandparent's home and more like one of a 25 year old.

Since painting isn't an option - I'm assuming my only choices are furniture, paintings, lamps, plants, and other decorative items. Unfortunately I'm completely clueless and don't know where to begin looking for (reasonably) affordable furniture and paintings. The selection at the local thrift store and most yard sales seem to just match the current decor I'm trying to get away from.

Just browsing Apartment Therapy - I really like this guy's setup.

Not into the super modern - but I like the funky, hip, vintage stuff which I'm guessing is probably the only feel I could pull off anyway, given what I'm working with.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions....

Lease AFTER moving in?

2bucksplus — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 09:58:23 -0800

New York City apartment question: Is it normal for my broker to tell me I will receive hard copies of my lease a "couple of weeks" after moving in? I found an apartment with a November 1st move in date in New York City. Everything was going well and I received two copies of the lease to review and sign. Initially I was told one copy of the lease would be returned to me within about 48 hours, signed by the management company. Now I am being told I should move in on the 1st and wait for a copy to be mailed to me within a couple of weeks.

Is this normal? It makes me feel very uncomfortable. Both the broker company and the landlord are large well known companies in the NYC area. Is there any law I can quote on this? What else should I do, besides getting everything in writing?

Non-smoking Apartments in St. Louis

jedicus — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 12:42:04 -0800

Can you recommend a non-smoking apartment in St. Louis or St. Louis County? The closer to Clayton, the better. We currently live in the Dorchester. We were told when we signed the lease that smoking was allowed on the balconies but not in the units. Unfortunately, that turned out not to be the case, and smoke now comes in through the vents on a regular basis.

Given our past experience, we need a place that has a firm non-smoking clause in the lease contract. Community norms and leasing office promises are insufficient.

thanksgiving short term apartment rental chicago

mandymanwasregistered — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:08:18 -0800

Halp! Chicago Short Term Apartment Rental for Thanksgiving Weekend? Does anyone have any recommendations for a.) 2-3 bedroom apartments in Chicago available for short term rental or b.) websites/agencies you have found reliable for such purposes? I have tried Craig's list and it seems to be a rather mixed bag (typo-laden posts with blurry pics, ahoy!). Google searches seem to bring me either super expensive "luxury" stuff or studio apartments. We need and apartment with a kitchen so that Thanksgiving dinner won't need to be ordered out. Bonus points for an apartment in a decent neighborhood and near the El. This would ideally be a Weds-Sun rental, but if a whole week's reservation is required, that is manageable. As the most internets savvy person in my family, the task of figuring this out has been given to me. Hope me, mefi!

It's chilly in here...

wild like kudzu — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:48:34 -0800

So, we'd really rather not go to our landlord about this problem, but we're having problems with the heat in our apartment. Today I turned on the heat for the first time of the season. Nothing happened. We have hot water still, and we have access to our water heater in our apartment. Do you think there's anything we can do? Also there's a notice on our filter line that looks really old, says the heater shouldn't be turned on until something is installed. On top of that it was working just fine earlier this past spring.

What's the deal?
We've just had to convince the landlord to fix a few things, and we're right now waiting for them to fix something else.

Could it be a fuse?

Can I justify taking my cat back from my parents?

Hactar — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 23:17:30 -0800

Can I move my cat from a house and supervised outdoor walks to a Brooklyn apparment? I adopted a stray and perhaps feral cat when I was living in rural Ohio. When I moved to Brooklyn, I left her with my parents. The condition was that she was to become an indoor cat, but my parents had the bright idea of allowing her out under supervised conditions. She isn't leashed, but she is watched whenever she is outside. They live in the suburbs, but off the beaten track and near the woods. She's a rather good hunter who has finally mastered the trick of not killing anything she catches.

To complicate matters, my parents have three dogs who she gets along with quite well. (I've been sent pictures of her sleeping curled up in the legs of the sleeping german shepard.)

I'm living in a decent apparment in Brooklyn with two roommates and a cat-friendly landlady. Both roommates are ok with a cat, although I think that one is more enthusiastic about the idea than the other. However, if I moved her here, she'd be indoor only and without the other animals she's used to. She'd get much more human attention- I don't think my parents play with her at all.

So, do you think I can move her here? It's not a safety issue, I trust my parents to take good care of her. I just miss my cat. Or should I give up and look into adopting a cat who's not tied to the outdoors and three dogs?

From what I've read, it's possible to make her indoors, but I don't want an unhappy indoor cat who's longing for the outdoor area and larger indoor area.