It's 7:30 on a Sunday night and my landlord has contractors varnishing the floors of the downstairs apartment. It is filling the house with a noxious odour and loud banging noises. I live on the top floor of a house with two other apartments below in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. We were not informed that there would be workmen in the building. Is he within his rights to have contractors doing work at this hour?
posted by dazed_one
on Mar 11, 2012 -
6 answers
I live in a downtown-Seattle high-rise apartment building, and the new neighbor is a chain smoker. It's causing serious problems. What can I do?
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posted by Vox Nihili
on Mar 7, 2012 -
17 answers
what advice can you give to a renter in new york looking for their first apartment?
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posted by cm1088
on Mar 5, 2012 -
12 answers
How to find a very short-term apartment rental (3 nights) in Philadelphia in early July, for a family with 3 small children?
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posted by chinston
on Mar 3, 2012 -
12 answers
Can my landlord require that I add them to my renter's insurance when I renew my apartment lease? And is this normal? (Michigan, USA)
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posted by Vorteks
on Feb 29, 2012 -
7 answers
My long term relationship has ended. It was so long overdue. Even still it didn't happen the way I would have hoped. My partner raged at me for hours over who knows what. It wasn't the first time. Things turned physical and it was the ugliest scariest situation I can remember experiencing.
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posted by anonymous
on Feb 26, 2012 -
18 answers
I live in a pre-war (1920's?) Brooklyn apartment building. Recently, the ceiling in the kitchen collapsed due to a leak in the pipes above, spreading plaster, dust, and wet and dry gunk everywhere. Now the landlord has completed a shoddy-looking repair, again leaving everything in the kitchen covered in dust and powder and sticky gunk. Every. Single. Thing. Two questions: how do I find out if we are in danger of asbestos exposure? How do I proceed if we are?
posted by jennyjenny
on Feb 24, 2012 -
7 answers
I have a two-plug outlet with a three-plug adapter, meaning that I have four things plugged into the outlet. Am I going to set my sublet apartment on fire? Or rather, how can I keep from doing so?
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posted by kensington314
on Feb 22, 2012 -
10 answers
I can't believe I'm trying to find an apartment in NYC, especially on such short notice, but I guess I am. Is there some kind of apartment-finding service anyone recommends? Am already looking at Airbnb - good? Probably need something cheap, tiny, convenient for a few months (one person working in Times Square), then something for two people and possibly a cat for the remainder of the year.
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posted by amtho
on Feb 19, 2012 -
12 answers
I've been living in a NYC apartment for six years without a signed lease. Now I want to leave. What are my obligations about giving notice to my current landlord?
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posted by zerbinetta
on Feb 14, 2012 -
7 answers
Teach-Me-About-Renting-Vs-Buying Filter: I'm in my mid-20s and have been in my "grown up job" for about a year now, and it's about time to get my own place. What do I need to know, beyond just comparing rent and mortgage payments?
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posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug
on Feb 12, 2012 -
39 answers
Would it be weird to be cooking dinner with a friend while showing an apartment?
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posted by aloiv2
on Feb 6, 2012 -
36 answers
Recommend a bathroom renovation company or builder in Melbourne, Australia?
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posted by dave99
on Feb 6, 2012 -
1 answer
What would be the best color for a leather couch (not knowing the future color of walls)? Is there a couch color you have regretted?
I'm going to buy
this sofa.
My plan is to keep it for a long time and through all the different places I will live. This is a couch that I eventually expect will be in my home office (and I think this classic design would be versatile).
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posted by niccolo
on Feb 3, 2012 -
36 answers
My NYC landlord offered a lease renewal on my rent-stabilized apartment, but with a rent adjustment that appears to be too high. It's a bit more complicated than that, though.
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posted by aiko
on Jan 20, 2012 -
8 answers
I live in the state of pennsylvania in montgomery county.I rented apartment from craigslist on a verbal monthly lease with $650 security deposit. After 8 months I gave the landlord moving out notice of 30 days to find a new tenant. its been almost 11 months and she has not given me $300 of the initial security deposit back.
I cleaned the house and she had no issues.
Is there any way i can get the money back. I have tried to contact the person multiple times through email and phone but no reply.
posted by radsqd
on Jan 12, 2012 -
15 answers
I'm looking for an apartment in Los Angeles and I have noticed that the niceness of a building has a strong correlation with its newness. (Or age, if it dates to the 20s-30s.) Redfin allows you to search for houses by year built; is it possible to do the same for apartments? None of the apartment-hunting sites I've seen (PadMapper &c) have this feature.
posted by symbebekos
on Jan 6, 2012 -
3 answers
I'm worried I've entered into a completely unreasonable subletting agreement, and don't know how to get out or to solve the situation.
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posted by good day merlock
on Jan 5, 2012 -
29 answers
Bronx? West side of Manhattan? My kingdom for enough space for a table to eat on and a dresser. Where should I live?
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posted by TravellingCari
on Jan 3, 2012 -
37 answers
What are some interesting things to do with a very long hallway in an otherwise not-too-large space?
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posted by taltalim
on Jan 3, 2012 -
14 answers
For those who find "relaxing" completely un-relaxing, how do you cultivate a strong activity and project based home life?
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posted by elephantsvanish
on Jan 2, 2012 -
11 answers
There are a lot of previous questions about neighbour relations in apartment buildings. I'm nevertheless going to ask another one. Please tell me about top floor living in a walk up building and whether it's worth it.
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posted by analog
on Jan 1, 2012 -
25 answers
I am going to be moving soon, and for the first time in several years, it will be on my own. I'd really like resources for checklists on what to have in my new domicile, and as well, ideas for furnishing and decorating.
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posted by Mister Fabulous
on Dec 26, 2011 -
21 answers
What do I need to know about building new multifamily homes and renting them out? Where can I learn about it?
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posted by abdulf
on Dec 25, 2011 -
6 answers
What are the steps I can take to ensure my long-term subletter is financially secure with good credit and a steady income/guarantor?
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posted by msk1985
on Dec 16, 2011 -
6 answers
What is that 80s/90s horror movie involving someone terrorizing residents of a condo or apartment building by crawling within the walls?
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posted by dovesandstones
on Dec 15, 2011 -
17 answers
Help! I'm having a large-ish Christmas party in three days and my apartment's roach problem has unfortunately gotten worse. I'm currently freaking out. What can I do to minimize the chance of a cockroach popping out and grossing out my friends and coworkers this Saturday?
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posted by wondrous strange snow
on Dec 7, 2011 -
8 answers
Moving to New York from Florida to take a job at the beginning of January, and i'm having some trouble finding a good place to live, mostly that I don't really know how to find good places that aren't on craigslist/padmapper. The friend i'm going to live with works in Greenpoint, so we're leaning heavily on that neighborhood, just off the Greenpoint or Nassau stops, so only one of us has to take the subway to work.
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posted by The Esteemed Doctor Bunsen Honeydew
on Nov 29, 2011 -
8 answers
I made a stupid mistake a flushed Clorox wipes down my apartment toilet and it clogged the plumbing. What are my responsibilities as a tenant?
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posted by *lostatsea*
on Nov 28, 2011 -
33 answers
We're moving out of our San Francisco apartment after 6.5 years. We painted one wall orange. After mentioning to a few people that we were bummed that we wouldn't have time to repaint it and thus would get a ding to our security deposit, they all said that after a certain amount of time, we weren't responsible for repainting.
What are the laws on this? Checked the San Francisco Tenants Union and Housing Rights Committee sites, but didn't see any info. Would one or the other be better to call, or can anyone point us to the information?
posted by jaybeans
on Nov 11, 2011 -
10 answers
SecurityDepositFilter: I think I'm being screwed in Virginia. The situation is complicating by many factors, but mainly by the unwillingness for either the landlord or primary tenant to communicate with me. I was a subtenant with no written lease but a legitimate verbal agreement.
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posted by anonymous
on Nov 10, 2011 -
11 answers
Moving to the (north) Bay Area of California: How do I best ensure that I (and my assets) survive The Big One unharmed? Eg. What should I look for in an apartment (and why), in terms of geology, design, construction, location, building codes, corner-cutting, etc. to best handle a massive earthquake?
Expert or engineer advice would be great. (I'm more interested in how to find an earthquake-proof building and area, than in how to earthquake-proof my stuff once it's inside a building.)
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posted by -harlequin-
on Nov 9, 2011 -
9 answers
I moved into a loft and the acoustics in the hallway are terrible. If someone walks past my talking to someone else, at a normal volume, I can hear every word, even with the television or music on. It is as if the door is made out of paper. What's worse, is that the opposite is true. When walking past a door you can very clearly hear what is going on inside. Any ideas on soundproofing my place?
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posted by geoff.
on Nov 6, 2011 -
9 answers
Bad smells filter through the heating system in my building, meaning that my apartment - and by extension, me - smell like these bad smells (cigarette smoke + other). Help us both to smell like something more pleasant?
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posted by AthenaPolias
on Nov 6, 2011 -
12 answers
Since Summer 2012 I will work in Flushing, Queens, while my children will attend a school in White Plains: Where is advisable to live in order to commute easily to both destinations?
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posted by teebay
on Nov 6, 2011 -
18 answers
I came home to my ceiling leaking brown water this evening. After a few phone calls from me to the 24/7 answering service my landlord has set up, a maintenance man finally showed up. He deduced that the hot water pipes in the floor between my ceiling an my neighbor to the north's floor had burst.
Meanwhile my counters, appliances drywall ceiling/wall/electrical outlets/lights and wood floors are soaked. The maintenance man said he turned off the water flow to the burst pipe, and said he would return tomorrow to ensure the walls/ceiling had dried, but I'm not comfortable with that response --- I feel that all of the waterlogged drywall/floor should be replaced and the appliances should be replaced.
What do I do? Should I call a lawyer? Should I write/mail a certified letter to the landlord?
I'd like action now, but feel like I'm being out by the wayside. Please help!
posted by thankyoumuchly
on Nov 5, 2011 -
20 answers
Landlord negligence caused a fire in the apartment below me, causing significant damage in my apartment; had to temporarily relocate. Looking to explore my legal options/rights/advice.
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posted by kelechv
on Nov 5, 2011 -
7 answers
Do I have to allow my landlord to show the apartment to prospective buyers? My lease does not end until middle of next year.
Its a nuisance and very disruptive. What are the rules around this?
I am obviously the tenant and the landlord is trying to sell the apartment. Do I have a choice?
posted by r2d2
on Nov 4, 2011 -
19 answers
