Friday Question of the Day – How Much is Your Rent?

CODEL

$390

CODEL

I didn’t read the rest of the post. I’m in Petworth and the house total rent is $1500 not including utilities.
- Howard Alum
  
  I currently pay $830 monthly + untilities in a rent control studio apartment. However, if I were to move, the landlord would probably raise the rent to $1,200. monthly.

Anonymous

3(technically 4bd but one tiny one used as office) bedrooms incl. one in English basement w. separate kitchen, 2 full bathrooms, parking for 2, in small row house with front porch and backyard with deck in CH $3600, utilities $150; renting since 2013

Anonymous

good deal

Topanga

I pay $870 in Columbia Heights in a 2 bd/1 bath, whole place goes for $1740. Prob 600 sq ft apartment condo. Frankly, the building has no amenities and is not the best, but it is on 14th and Harvard. I only pay gas and internet. My landlord likes to travel the world, so I keep up the place nicely and take care of any maintenance calls that may come through (which has never happened in the 2 years I’ve lived here). I then rent a parking spot nearby for $80 bucks from an old lady in a co-op since I drive to work.

% of my take home income is roughly 18% a month.

Anonymous

2200 for a 3/1 3 blocks from eastern market (utilities not included).

Anonymous

Is that a house or an apartment? I own a 3 bedroom rowhouse 1 block for Eastern Market and thought I’d be able to rent it for more than that!
- Anonymous
  
  It’s a house, but a very run down one. Still, the square footage (1400) and pet friendliness makes it worthwhile to me!

Biltmoron

My lady and I split a $1,600 1 bedroom in Adams Morgan. The unit is ground floor, so the entry is kind of like a basement but the rest of the place is above ground. Amenities really only amount to bike parking, extra storage, and a roof deck. Utilities not included. It’s about 20% of my take home pay.

Anonymous

$1,450 in Petworth. Above-average basement 1BR, utilities included. Comes to about 37% of my take-home.

Anonymous

1630 for a 1 bedroom a ten minute walk from the Columbia Heights Metro – All utilities included – I pay separate for cable and internet. Amounts to roughly 51% of my take home income.

anon

Switching from renting in an expensive area to owning (purchased a fixer-upper outright; no mortgage) a condo in a slightly less expensive area was the best decision of my life. I have exactly zero financial stress even though I’m a nonprofit worker.

Anonymous

I bought at a good time (and refinanced at a really good time) – my mortgage is $750 for a 2 br, 1.5 bath in Mt Pleasant. Which means that working for myself, mostly for non-profits, is do-able.
- Anonymous
  
  You’ve got a great home, in a great neighborhood, at a great price. Good-on-ya for following life’s passions and (presumably?) helping folks out, instead of falling victim as a wage slave and selling your soul 9-5 for the next meaningless material acquisition. Seriously.
  - Anonymous
    
    “wage-slave”? “selling your soul”? Really?
    
    There is no shame in working for a living.
    - Anonymous
      
      Yeah now a days if you have a job you’re a blood sucking parasite whose only contribution is gentrification… forget that these blood suckers’ taxes are what keeps roads paved, teachers employed, cops on the beat and pretty much every service provided by the government.
    - Anonymous
      
      yes, this guy *is* working for a living, doing what he wants rather than what he might not feel as rewarding. I don’t get your objection. Agree to disagree, I guess.
  - anon
    
    You seem really salty and bitter about something. Many people who you think ‘sell their souls’ actually 1.) Enjoy the work, or 2.) Are working to provide for themselves or family, which is more important than what they do for just eight hours a day.
    
    Who are you to judge?
    - A different anonymous
      
      Hey, I work a pointless office job to pay the bills. Sure, you gotta get paid, but if I’m honest, yes, I’ve given up some passions because I’m unwilling to live on the meager wages that nonprofits pay (also, those are super competitive jobs and I got this job first, so I took it).
      –
      Be honest: Even if you happen to enjoy your job, most of us aren’t “doing what we love” and are working for the money, sometimes making it seem noble by saying we’re “providing for our family” (which is true!) and pointing out that we pay taxes (which is true!).
      –
      But when it comes down to it, I was sick of just scraping by (not making a ton of money now, but I’m fine), and I don’t want to be destitute when I’m old. But hey, now I can afford an occasional great vacation!
      –
      Bottom line: The older I get, the more admirable I find it when people are willing to be poor to follow an opportunity to (a) do what they love for their occupation and/or (b) help other people
    - the original anon
      
      “Throw a rock into a pack of dogs. The one that yelps is the one you hit.”
      
      Sorry you feel judged, that was not my intention…
    - OP here
      
      Working for non-profits doesn’t necessarily = poor. I made an excellent decision 20 years ago to buy – and having a low mortgage in a good neighborhood is the payoff (Mt P wasn’t so great 20 yrs ago, nothing in Columbia Heights except an awful Giant, a Murphy’s (Murray’s?) Woolworth kind of store, liquor stores and Chinese takeout).
      .
      I’m doing work that I love and getting paid enough to live comfortably.
    - dcd
      
      ““Throw a rock into a pack of dogs. The one that yelps is the one you hit.”
      Sorry you feel judged, that was not my intention…”
      Translation: If I say something d**kish, and someone calls me on it, that means that my d**kish comment applies to them.”
      You don’t have much of a relationship with the concept of logic, do you?

Anonymous

2300 total for a slightly shabby but spacious 3 bedroom 1.5 bath in Mt. Vernon Sq/Shaw with a large backyard. Gas and water included, electric is minimal unless we’re using the AC in the summer and even then doesn’t generally go over $100. Roughly 33% of take home pay, but mine is the most expensive room at $870.

Anonymous

$2,700 for a 3br/2ba apartment in Columbia Heights, a couple blocks from the metro. It’s the bottom two floors (English basement & first floor) of a row house, utilities not included, small yard, apartment was recently renovated, and there’s a living room on each floor.

Anonymous

since when are you renting, this seems low for the area
- Anonymous
  
  For about 2 years. We lucked out with a really good deal.

Anonymous

I’ve been in the same place since 2009, 2 BR, 2BA about 1000 sq ft off of 14th just north of U. Pay $2,200/mo which includes all utilities and parking. Neighbors across the hall with a similar layout who moved in two years ago pay $3,600/mo. I know this won’t be lasting much longer.

Anonymous

The building owners might be subject to rent control regulation depending on how many units they own in the city, hence why they haven’t jacked up the rent on you to that level. Once you leave, they’ll raise the price to the current market level rents. Stay put.
.
I have a buddy who has a loft studio on 16th Street right across from Meridian Park that he’s been renting since 2004. I think his current rent is $800, while new tenants with the same layout are paying $2000. If you want to get a deal in DC, don’t move around. Stay put.
- Anonymous
  
  If it’s a newer building (< ~40 years old), rent control limits don't apply….

Anon

$1650 for a one bedroom in a Kalorama/Adams Morgan condo building. It is pretty old with outdated everything and a particularly bad kitchen, but about 24% of our monthly income and great light.

Anonymous

I’m at about the same with $1750 in same neighborhood and building situation.

Anonymous

$2500 for a fairly new one bedroom near U Street.

Anonymous

$2040 for 1bd 1bath 750sq ft on H Street. Great amenities and awesome rooftop view. Walking distance to H St, Union Market and Cap Hill. Live on top of a grocery store. Brand new apartment building (less than one year old).

Linc Park SE

$550/month for a large rent-controlled studio basement apartment – but it has 3 windows and gets a lot of natural light – which I need. Includes gas, on-site laundry, but no ameneties other than a nice park right outside my door. Usually about 25% of my income -plus elec bill @ $25/mo.

Anonymous

Where?

Anonymous

$2750 for a 2 bed, 1.5 apt in Mt. P. It’s 2nd & 3rd floor of a rowhouse — 1000+ sq. feet and 2 parking spots. Been here since 2010 — rent was $2600

Tim

$2475 for a 690 sq ft new apt in building with great amenities near 14th and U, about 25 pct of my income.

XO

My husband & I rent a huge 1-bedroom condo in Mount Pleasant (closer to 16th Street than to Adams Mill Road) for $1800/month. We pay for cable & electricity, water & gas are included.Our apartment has in-unit laundry and central air/heating but is on the lower level of the building. The building doesn’t have much in the way of amenities, but we do have a garage. Our unit would have come with a garage parking spot, but the landlord rented it out to another resident since we don’t have a car.

Our rent is less than 20% of our gross monthly income. We could live somewhere a lot bigger/fancier, but we love our neighbors and our landlords, and the location is perfect for us.

anonymous

I pay 1935 for a similar apartment in the same neighborhood.

Jay

$1,700 per month plus utilities (avg $15 per month water/sewer and $45 per month for electric) for a 456 sq ft studio at new apt building at the Columbia Heighrs metro station…was first occupant of unit

Hopadidl

$1820 in Columbia Heights. 1BR/w balcony, top floor, no amenities. It’s in a condo building. I pay for electric. Rent increase $100 each year.

ME

$1133 IN PETWORTH, RIGHT ON GEORGIA AVE. INCOME RESTRICTED, BUT IM GLAD ITS CHEAPER THAN THE OTHER DEVELOPMENTS AROUND ME. WASH/DRY IN UNIT, 1 BED, SPACIOUS, ONLY PAY PEPCO ELECTRIC. 3TREE FLATS, YOUVE HEARD OF IT ?

Anonymous

noodlez, is that you?

DF

Rent is a bit over $1500 in CH for a 1 br. When we moved in about 4 years ago it was $1375.

Seventhstreet

My husband and I pay $1150/mo for the mortgage on our 4BR 2BA Petworth rowhouse. But we have prob averaged $2K/mo towards renovations for the last 3-4 yrs. Looking forward to being done.

Anonymous

Ugh I hear you! If we averaged what we have spent on our house in the past two years in renovations, it would come out to something like $3700 a month. Thankfully we have rental income from our basement apartment that currently covers 70% of our mortgage, so it will pay for itself eventually.
- shortstack
  
  That’s about how much a mortgage on a renovated TH would cost with 20% down though. And at the end, you’ll pay less interest and have a really nice place and a low mortgage payment!

Anonymous

North Columbia Heights/Petorwth – $2000 per month 1B/1B. It’s newly renovated and I’m close to the metro which is the key. Love it.

Smitty1788

$1595/mo in Glover Park. 1 Bed/1 Bath, 11th floor. Utilities included. Ammenities include pool, roof deck, concierge service. Pretty awesome views south of Glover Park and into Arlington and some great light.

Anonymous

My mortgage is $2700 and my two roommates rent rooms for $800 each plus a third of utilities (generally around $150/person). It’s a 3BR/2.5BTH renovated row house east of the Hill. The $1100 I pay on the mortgage amounts to about 20% of my take home pay. Unfortunately since I own I’m the one that gets to empty the mouse traps. (We’re all women in our early 30’s.) They’ve been unreal this year. I threw out number 7 and 8 this morning. Hopefully that’s the last of them! I digress :)

Linc Park SE

Get a cat – or borrow one for a few days to leave a cat smell – I swear the mice will vamoose
ExWalbridgeGuy

If you have a mouse problem, can I recommend
http://www.amazon.com/Victor-Electronic-Mouse-Trap-M2524/dp/B000E1RIUU

I had to deal with mice a few years back and we found that small mice could eat off the conventional traps without tripping them and glue traps were ungodly horrifying. By contrast, this zapped tons of them and you barely had to see the mouse afterwards. We baited with peanut butter and for a few nights in a row it caught one every night. The other thing is to clean the kitchen like crazy and seal off any holes you can think of. Unfortunately the first law of mice is there’s always more mice.
- Anonymous
  
  Totally agree. These are the only mouse traps that i fins actually work.
- jeffb
  
  Regular mouse traps work fine if you use them wisely. How? Put peanut butter on them (mice want moisture and this doesn’t dry out like cheese) and then wrap panty hose material around that. That way the mouse has to gnaw at the panty hose to get the food which guarantees to set of the trap. In a pinch I use toilet paper but panty hose work best.

AJNE

1BD/1BR english basement directly in between Union Station/Eastern Market (about 10 minute walk from each) for $1250, not including utilities. Utilities are typically about $43/month. I park on the street and haven’t had any problems. Rent is about 33% of my monthly take-home pay.

Anonymous

Wow that sounds very low! Have you been there a long time?

Anonynon

$2250, 600 squares, one bedroom, near 17th and Q in east dupont. Radiator heating, no central air or dishwasher. Utilities included. Was 2100 for previous three years.

Anonymous

$2500 for a one bed two bath in Logan Circle, utilities not included. It is 10% of my take home.

Anonymous

You make $300k after taxes!?! I had no idea people on this site made so much!
- Anonymous
  
  Read: take home. If he said “GROSS PAY” that would be $300k. Try probably closer to $400-450K
  - T
    
    Read: after taxes. Anon 8:58 wrote it correctly.
- ExWalbridgeGuy
  
  I don’t buy it. Someone making $400k+ who doesn’t have a guest bedroom is an oddball.
  - Anonymous
    
    Why? That makes no sense. Maybe he wants a nice place but wants to limit housing costs to 10% of take home.
    - Anonymous
      
      LOL, but why?!? Getting another bedroom would probably put him up to 12-15% of take home (if that).
      .
      This sounds like a DCUM post.
    - Anonymous
      
      Because not everyone needs to spend all of their money?
    - ExWalbridgeGuy
      
      I stand by it for a couple reasons. There are frankly very few jobs where you make $450,000 and don’t have a social network that’s important to you. The relevant percentage here is you could add a nice home office/guest space for about 1 percent of your annual salary. So it’s surprising to decline spending such a small amount of money on guest space.
      
      Furthermore, it’s a tremendous financial blunder to rent a place if you can easily and extremely comfortably take out a 15 year mortgage at 2.5% on an equivalent unit. So it’s an odd financial error for 1 percenter to make. 70% of payments on a 15-year mortgage go to principal right off the bat.
    - Equal
      
      …or “she”
  - lovefifteen
    
    Yeah, there couldn’t possibly be a doctor renting a one-bedroom apartment in Logan Circle! *rolls eyes* /sarcasm/
  - lovefifteen
    
    Many people don’t want to be homeowners. I don’t care how much I make in this life, I never want to be tied down to a property. It’s not my thing.
    
    I also find it laughable that you think any rich person automatically needs to have a guest room. You’re ridiculous!
    - ExWalbridgeGuy
      
      No, this is a personal finance math problem, not a lifestyle choice. If you’re making $450,000 a year you’re not “tied down” to a 1-br apartment because there’s a mortgage on it. With that much money you’re actually far more constrained by a lease than a mortgage.
  - Anonymous
    
    Maybe they don’t want tons of people showing up leeching off of them. Also I find it interesting that everyone assumes this is a man…why not a woman? Tons of female posters here on popville…
  - T
    
    I work in private banking for HNWIs and though I know nothing about the original poster, I would agree this situation is uncommon. I would estimate only about 2-3 percent of HNWIs don’t own their primary residence outside of very short-term or transient situations. (Manhattan is an exception, but we’re talking about DC. I’ve never seen anything like it here.)

Anon #1

$1200 1BD/1BA English basement in Hill East. Share with the SO. Washer dryer in unit.

Anonymous

My fiancee and I pay $2,850 for a 2BR in Woodley Park. The second BR is for her daughter. Great building, well kept, small workout room in the basement, and roof deck.

AGDC

$2230/mo for a 1 bed, 1 bath (~650sf) 2nd floor apartment w balcony in Mt. Vernon Triangle.
The building is 2 years old, pool, roof deck, HUGE modern gym, 24hr concierge, garage parking. Utilities not included, but electric and water costs are generally pretty low.

This is about 37% of my monthly take-home pay.

cw

I was wondering what building this is? It sounds like the price/amenities I am looking for when I move this summer

Anonymous

$2200 for a 2/1 in shaw, about 700sqft. No utilities, parking or anything included, but it is pet friendly.

Chareth Cutestory

$1850
16th & U Street
1 bed, 1 bath duplex, 2nd and 3rd floor
No amenities in building
Utilities not included
Rent = 24% of after tax month income

anonn

$2900 for a massive 2BR in Woodley Park.

Anonymous

I pay $1056, all utilities included. (Except internet, of course.) With an additional $75/month for a garage parking space. It’s a recently renovated 450 square foot studio about a 15-minute walk from the Columbia Heights metro. The building is kind of shady though.

It’s a bit over 50% of my take-home pay. And wow, reading the rest of the comments is super depressing. Where are all my other low-paid nonprofit folks at?

Anonymous

Ha, I know what you mean. It seems most of my friends make well over what I do, but when I think about it, I’d be considered pretty well-off in most of the country. It’s just that the cost of living in the city is so high that even a very decent salary can seem to fall short here. I chose the association world rather than the for-profit world because I value work/life balance more than a huge salary. I think it’s all about trade-offs in that sense.
fayettesidra

I was thinking the same thing myself. How do people in the nonprofit world afford these rents? I work in education and can hardly hack my $1k/month rent. Sheesh.

hellohi

$1400/mo in NE Capitol Hill/H Street, 1 bedroom, only pay electric. The place is a little rickety in spots but bearable, and I can walk to all kinds of places.

Anonymous

$1540 for a 1-bedroom facing Meridian Hill Park. Been there just over 4 years now (Dec. ’09), when my rent was $1350. 37% of my current take home pay. Pay electric but not for gas/heating. No amenities. Pay laundry is in basement. Actually moving out this spring because tired of all the maintenence issues.

HoodCat

I share a big, beautiful row house in Mt Pleasant with 6 other people. My rent is $1,350 ($100 is for parking spot behind the house). Two of the other large bedrooms upstairs are each $1,250, one is $1,150 and one is $950 as it’s tiny. My room has a private balcony and the girl upstairs has a private roof deck. The two bedrooms in the basement are each $1,250. They have their own kitchen, living room and bathroom down there. Utilities and twice monthly cleaning service are included. We have a large, common deck and a garden out back and a small front porch. We also have a hot tub under the deck. The house is pet friendly. My rent is about 37% of my take home pay.

KECinDC

Wow! That sounds amazing. How did you find it? We live in a large studio in Mt P. Rent is $1047, rent controlled (rent was $930 when my husband moved in six years ago) and includes water and electricity. We pay gas and cable. We love it (especially the neighborhood), but definitely wish we had the in-unit w/d and balcony.

LM

$1,500 for a 1 bedroom in Cathedral Heights, no utilities included, appx 15% of our net income.

Anonymous

4bdr/2.5 bath in Columbia Heights about 4 blocks from the metro – total rent 3150 plus utilities. We bargained down and rent is actually cheaper than it was 5 years ago :)

lmfb

1900 for a 1br/1ba basement in logan circle right off 14th St Corridor (before utilities). Not recently renovated but 800sq ft, so not too shabby.

anon

Permanent roommate and I pay about $2250 in mortgage/condo fees per month for a 2 BR/1BR, 900 sq ft condo in Adams Morgan. Also includes water/parking, electric is another $60 per month or so. It’s about 25% of our combined take-home.

NB

The bf and I pay $1395(including utilities) for a 1br with decent balcony on the 6th floor overlooking Piney Branch Park. We love it… Just wish we had a dishwasher. -_-

Anonymous

2250 – Petworth – 3/2 including basement – backyard and parking – close to metro

Allison

$1,775 – Southwest, 1Br, Everything Included (cable, electric, etc), building has a pool, a small gym, and laundry. 3 Blocks from metro.

Anonymous

First floor (not basement) rowhouse $2400 for a newly renovated 1BR + den 900 sq ft with yard right smack dab between U St and CH metro stops.

peachy

Logan Circle basement large 1-bedroom apt: $1850 + elec & 1/2 water (nb: I tried to negotiate in the lease paying for half the water as I have NEVER seen a rental charged for water, especially not on its own meter. My landlord said lives in the house above and said, “Well, I am the only one who lives here, so we should use around the same amount of water.” Even though his house is enormously bigger than my apartment.)

Anonymous

Used to live in Highland Park in Columbia heights – Rent was $2800 for 1 bedroom with a den loft. Parking was 250 and we paid all our own utilities.

Anonymous

That’s a terrible deal.

Penn Qtr

Wife and I (dinks) just arrived in DC last summer. Paying 3200 month (bout 12% gross income) for 2br/2ba in Penn Qtr, utilities included, although we plan to buy sometime next year.

Anonymous

Oh hello, first year associates.
- Penn Qtr
  
  She is, I’m a consultant

Anonymous

$3,750 mortgage for a 2BR + den/office 2BR condo real close to U St Metro. About 25% for our DINK (take home) number.

Anon

Live in Dupont. I pay 1420 a month, not including electric and cable, which usually comes out to around $75. It is a 3 bedroom, 2 bath place, total rent is $4100. Roommates pay a little less than me since I have my own bathroom and they share. When I moved in 2 years ago, I was paying $1320. This is 40% of my take home pay. Definitely moving out the next time they raise rent…

LA

Neighborhood: Adams Morgan/Columbia Heights across from Meridian Hill Park
Apartment: 1 bedroom/ 1 bathroom for $1209 a month all utilities included with in apartment washer/dryer. New building built around 5 years ago.

I live in a LIHTC building for low to moderate income people. I pay what is considered “fair market rent” in DC because I make less than the avg median household income for my area. The one benefit of being a new-ish college grad working an entry-level position for the government.

laplot

i’m a new college grad working entry level (albeit not for the feds) and making nothing… can you tell me a little more about your living situation? i’d love to pay fair market rent…
- LA
  
  Sure! Always glad to help a fellow new-ish grad out. I first found the place on Craigslist and couldn’t believe what a deal it was considering the amenities and location. Specifically, this is the building website: http://www.olympia-tottenapartments.com/ They have two buildings that are LIHTC both in Columbia Heights. Income restrictions apply. Basically you have to make no more than like $45k. Not too hard when you’re the lowest on the totem pole in an organization.
  
  Other options for fair market rent apartments can be found online: http://www.socialserve.com/tenant/DC/Search.html?city_id=51879&ch=DC
  
  Hope this helps! Best of luck!
  - JL
    
    Hey there, neighbor! Definitely both great buildings to consider if you pass the requirements.
    - laplot
      
      hey thanks!! super helfpul :)

kittee

My mortgage is $1400/month for a really nice 1 bedroom in a basement unit in Adams Morgan. Not much natural light but I don’t mind it most of the time. Paid more to live in a terrible studio on 16th and Q NW so I’m happy with my choice to buy it.

AES

1525 – utilities included. 4th flr studio. 450 sq feet. North Adams Morgan/Mt. Pleasant. Renting since 2012. About 40% of my take-hom pay.

loyalcitizenofzamunda

$3000 total: 750/each roommate

4 bedroom, 2.5 bath in Petworth/Park View. Utilities not included, but runs each roommate roughly: $125-175/month (not including cable/internet)

There is an English basement unit attached to the home. I don’t know how much that tenant pays, but their utilities are included in the rent.

loyalcitizenofzamunda

Also, this is about 35-40% of my take home pay.
- Samsonite
  
  Cleo McDowell: Look… me and the McDonald’s people got this little misunderstanding. See, they’re McDonald’s… I’m McDowell’s. They got the Golden Arches, mine is the Golden Arcs. They got the Big Mac, I got the Big Mick. We both got two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles and onions, but their buns have sesame seeds. My buns have no seeds.
  - loyalcitizenofzamunda
    
    I so much appreciate you LOL
    - bmoredc
      
      Unrelated to rents, but…I have such a soft spot in my heart for that movie! It was the first R-rated movie I ever saw, with my parents, VHS rental It felt really “adult” but also cringe-fully embarrassing to be sitting with my parents during that scene at the beginning when Eddie Murphy is in the tub with the bathing ladies, and one says something like “the royal penis is clean, your highness!” And my mother was never one to abide cursing, so “OMG OMG, they’re saying the f-word a LOT!!!” was also running through my mind. ;)

LP

$1651 for 850SF 1br/1ba in Van Ness (3 blocks from metro). Utilities included, cat friendly building with no pet rent. 37% of my income.

Sam

$2600 for one bedroom/one bath unit in Dupont Circle with outdoor space (roughly 800 square feet total indoor space). Utilities included.

Sam

Oh and sorry, I think that’s like 30% of my take home pay.

JP

Our rent is $4000 for a 4 bed/2.5 bath in U St/Adams Morgan (1700 sq feet). 2 free parking spots, but we pay all utilities…avg $350/month. The house could use some work (owners live out of state and the property manager isn’t rave-worthy), but I love the location and my street is exceptionally quiet given how close it is to 18th & U Streets.

artemis

My partner and I have shared a largish 1 bedroom near Malcolm X Park since 2012. Rent: $1980, which is between 24-30% of monthly income (it varies — the life of a freelancer). Utilities if you include cable, average about $210 a month.

J

$1650 – one bedroom basement in the U street/Adams Morgan area. Includes cable/internet, washer/dyer, water/trash. Only pay for electricity. A lot of my take home paycheck, but worth it.

mouse

$1695 for a 1bd/1ba off 15th and V NW. No dishwasher, laundry in basement, utilities (gas, electric, water/sewer) included. Excellent maintenance staff. About 36% of take home pay.

Previously was at 3rd and H St NE for 3.5 years. Rent was $2150 for a 1bd/1ba in 2010 and increased by 8% each year. Moved to different apartment in building (for balcony) and was paying $2410. Utilities not included. But beautiful apartment with HUGE walk in closet with washer/dryer, roofdeck with pool, pretty decent fitness center. But the high price and influx of hill staffers/G’town law students led me to consider other, less luxurious, and much cheaper housing options.

Anonymous

They increased your rent by 8% each year? That’s illegal unless inflation is high, which it has not been for many years.
- Anonymous
  
  It’s not illegal if the building is newer than the 1970s.
  - mouse
    
    Yeah it was a relatively new building (built in 2008 I believe). I was paying $2410 for 2013. I found a rent controlled apartment (which I honestly thought were a myth in DC) hence the $1695 and no more 8% increases!
  - Anonymous
    
    This I did not know. Damn. Glad I live in an old building
    - Allison
      
      It also doesn’t apply to old buildings that were left vacant for a minimum number of years before being redeveloped (I think it’s 10 or 15?) That’s why Columbia Uptown, despite being technically built in the 1950s, is not rent controlled– it was left vacant during the 70’s and 80’s.
Anonymous

I must be in the same building near 15th and V. Moved in late 2013, pay $1765 for a real one bedroom (bedroom has windows and a door that closes), lots of light (5 big windows), hw floors, and updated kitchen with enough space for a dining area. Great staff. No amenities, but at this price, worth it for location and space.

dcloafer

$1491 for a large 1BR + Den in Petworth, split with girlfriend, utilities included, close to metro.

dcloafer

Laundry in basement, old building, attentive staff, pretty well maintained, only 3 people murdered on my block since 2009 and none for a couple years.
- Anonymous
  
  Lol @including the number of murders!!
dcloafer

More relevant details (because this got me thinking of how much I love my place): Gas stove (tiny kitchen), top floor (fantastic view with TONS of light), thick wall (never hear my neighbors), garbage disposal (no dishwasher)
–
These units are now renting for several hundred dollars more than I pay. I have the best deal of anyone I know, and I’m never going to move.
- KinPetworth
  
  I think we live in the same building. Mostly love it.
- anonymusssssss
  
  Are you in the “New Quin” building on Quincy? They were posting all over Craigslist last summer, advertising 1BRs for ~$1800.

Anonymous

Split a 2br/2ba+den rental unit in one of the newer buildings in Navy Yard. $3325 total, no amenities included. They did include 2 free parking spaces for the year, has balcony, w/d in-unit and dishwasher. Building has gym, lounge room, rooftop deck with pool. It’s about 38% of my takehome.

pancakepopple

$1069 a month for a 1 bedroom 3rd floor walk-up in Petworth/Northern Columbia Heights. Heat and water included. I pay gas and electric. Older building, coin operated laundry. It’s about 50% of my income, but I choose to be a public servant for my city. Best deal I could find when I was looking to move, and I have to say although the building is old since I’ve gotten moved in I’ve been pretty happy. I’m happy Petworth is still affordable for folks like me.

BeverlyS

$1695 (plus $60 pet rent so $1755 total), utilities included, one bedroom in SW. Second floor, with balcony, new kitchen, lots of space and storage but no amenities for the building.

BeverlyS

Oh and split with Mr. S – about 20% of my take home.

LF

Currently pay $1790 incl. utilities, plus cable ($100/month) for a 1 BD/Bath in Adams Morgan/Mt.Pleasant, 10 min walk to Columbia Heights metro. Split with my S/O. Apartment has huge closets but a tiny, almost nonfunctional kitchen.

Looking to move — wondering how much I should pay for a brand-new renovation 1 BD basement apt. in the southern end of 16th St. Heights/north Petworth, not really metro accessible but lots of buses. Parking, W/D. I’m thinking the range should be $1450-1600 depending if cable’s included?

Anonymous

$1975. Adams Morgan. 2/1 Basement. Utilities included. I pay half of the rent and it’s 25% of my monthly income.

b

$2100/month for a 2.5 br rowhouse in MtP. Originally rented for $2k/month when we signed the lease in 2008. Parking, garage, backyard, and basement included.

Anonymous

$2100 total?! Gah. Let me know if you ever leave…
- b
  
  It was a ridiculous steal and an amazing house. We actually JUST bought a place in Petworth and moved out of MtP this week. If the stars hadn’t aligned for us like they did, we probably wouldn’t have ever left… Landlady now knows it was ridiculously under-priced though and will be jacking up the rent come tomorrow.

Slappy J

$2,700 for a 2/2 with off-street parking in Palisades. We have the 2nd and 3rd floors or a 3 storey rowhouse.

Dave

$1851 combined mortgage & exorbitant condo fee on 3bd/2ba 1286 sq/ft condo in Takoma Park, since May 2010. About 24% of take-home pay, but that only includes our wage income.

iindsay

I pay $560/month (not including utilities) in a 5br/2ba group house in Woodley Park. I believe the total cost of the house is $2500/month. The house is on the shabby side, with only necessary improvements made.

mvexplorer

$3600 in Shaw for 3/2.5 renovated townhome with a 2 car garage which is about 2000 sq. feet. No untilites are included. My portion of the rent (1150) not including untilites is about 34% of my take home pay.

Anonymous

$2300 mortgage for 3/2.5 townhouse in Bloomingdale. Utilities can be high in the winter (drafty old house + gas furnace), but probably averages out to $300-400. About 30% of our take home.

Anonymous

$2150 for a 1BR/den in Penn Quarter/Chinatown. Building’s less than 10 years old with all the usual high-rise amenities. The rent includes a parking space, water, and gas heat/cooking. Price has been the same since 2010 and it’s a bit less than 20% of our gross income.

kaloramagrl

I live in Adams Morgan in a studio apartment – good closet space but outdated kitchen. I pay $1,675 including utilities, it comes out to about 47% of my take home pay. Rent went up almost $90 last year. Rent in many neighborhoods in DC is feeling more like NYC now.

Anonymous

Splitting a 1BR basement apartment in like, the corner of Shaw/U Street/Logan with my girlfriend. $1,000 each per month ($2,000/mo total) plus Pepco ($60-130 total/month).

Truxton Thomas

My wife and I pay a $2,700 mortgage for a 3br/3ba, two-story row house in Truxton Circle/Shaw (renovated in about 2005), with parking and roof-deck. Before that we paid $1,780 for a 2br/1ba row house apartment at 11th and P NW (Shaw/Logan Circle).

I always feel like we’ve gotten lucky given our location. We were by no means early adopters in Truxton Circle, but it’s heated up quite a bit since we moved in, and we wouldn’t be able to get the price we got these days.

Anonymous

$3100 for a 2BR/2.5BA, duplex apartment, 2200 sq ft, 20 foot ceilings in living room, washer/dryer/dishwasher in unit, gas fireplace, two blocks from U Street metro. We have an lofted “guest room” space above the living room for overnight/out-of-town friends. We could rent it out, but there’s no walls and it’s directly above the kitchen. Rent includes water and trash, we pay electricity, gas, and internet.

My share of rent is $1550 and composes 35% of my take home. I’m looking to move out this year and get my own place.

Anonymous

I should say that we’ve been in this place for two years and they’ve raised the rent $50 each year on the whole place. That’s a 1.5% annual increase and this is NOT rent controlled. Not bad at all.
New residents that have moved in are paying a similar price, maybe $100 more (I’ve seen the ads on CL)
- L
  
  That is HUGE! Good deal.

emilysquirrely

$1425 for a studio 2 blocks from the Woodley Park metro. Utilities included. 44% of take home pay.

yunkstahn

$1475 for a small but cozy English basement in Capitol Hill, between Eastern Market and Capitol South. Electric not included, but it only gets high in the winter. Good-sized kitchen (with ample counter space), central A/C, washer and dryer. No back yard access, though. I’ve been there since 2009 and the landlord has raised the rent once. I really like the apartment, my upstairs neighbors, and the location. It would take winning the lottery or something to pry me out of my little Bat Cave!

ANON

$2400 small 1BR in Dupont (no parking)

Lydia

I pay 1200 to live in a two bedroom in Petworth. It’s nice but so much money!

11:05 Anon

I agree–personally I wouldnt share an apt for anything upwards of 800.

Unicorn

I live in a one bed one bath ground level, about 700 sq ft in logan circle…water and trash are included. I pay out of pocket for gas and electricity. It’s an old building and not the nicest (no a/c so I use a window unit, no washer so I have one I pull up to the sink, no dryer so I hang everything, no dishwasher so I use me)…BUT…but but but…it’s worth it. My rent is only $964/month and last year, with utilities (including internet–no cable tv for me, just antenna) I paid out 21.92% of my take home pay.

I’ll let PoPville know when I’m leaving DC and auction off my lease to somebody :-p

Anonymous

$1450 for a 1 bedroom, 1.5 bath “terrace level” (aka: basement) apartment in a Mt. Pleasant condo building. The building has a decent roof-top deck; dog park (big dogs also allowed in the building); and water, gas, and basic HD cable are included. It’s a little less than 1/2 of my monthly take-home.

Anonymous

Oh, and also comes with free parking in the building’s lot.

question

Question for anyone reading this far: what is the price discount in rent for basement and/or ground floor versus above ground apartments? Does your answer change if the property has the same window size and ceiling heights as above ground?

LF

I’d like to know this, too.
Anonymous

Not authoritative- but I find basement units are NOT MUCH CHEAPER than 1 BRs. Source- 3 months looking for an apt late last year. I suspect homeowners try to get as much of their mortgage as possible paid for by tenants.
- Anonymous
  
  Yep, this is correct.
speculative answer

I’d have a hard time paying any more than 75-80% of an above-ground unit’s price for a basement in the same building. Even that might be a stretch. Window size matters less than placement, and too many basements have windows that don’t start until eye level. I’ve never seen a basement rental I thought was worth the price asked, honestly, but maybe I’m picky.

In buildings in the right location, I wouldn’t consider ground floor a negative, especially if you have pets. Having a small terrace instead of a balcony, for example, or a direct walk-out of some sort is actually kind of nice.
- 11:05 Anon
  
  Agreed….when apartment hunting, most basements were priced the same or sometimes more (!) than comps in the area. I thusly decided a basement wasn’t for me, and wouldn’t even consider one unless it was significantly cheaper, which they werent. The only perks for a basement are they usually have washer/dryers and sometimes outdoor space. NOT WORTH ME PAYING YOUR MORTGAGE.
Anonymous

We rent our 800sqft 1 bed/1bath basement apartment for a bit less than what a studio less than half that size starts at in our area. The one bedroom apartments (again which are much smaller) are easily $200-400 more than what we rent ours for. We also include utilities and wireless internet in the rent which most apartment buildings do not. Our apartment has full size windows in the front and windows in bedroom and bathroom.
jeffb

Not really apples to apples because you get less space and low ceilings in a basement. Also many landlords don’t put as much effort into them so the appliances etc aren’t as nice. But I charge 2450 for my 1st floor 2 bdrm in Capitol Hill (Lincoln Park area) and 1750 for the basement. But the 1st floor unit is way, way nicer in addition to having better light. If the renovation on the basement were comparable to the 1st floor the price would be 2000-2200. I don’t try to make the basement nice–just keep older stuff working well there–but I also like to have one cheaper place to make some contribution to more affordable/slightly less ridiculous housing in the city. BTW, the basement is on the market now if people are interested.

Pleasant Plains rez

My husband and I are in a 2 story house in Pleasant Plains with very unfinished basement, 3 bedrooms, 1.5 bathrooms for $2345/month, plus utilities. It’s a ton of space, allows pets, and is an old home that we love despite the old home problems. The kitchen and half bathroom have been updated in the last decade, but nothing else. I think it’s a steal!

ladeeda

1365 for a studio with separate kitchen in the AU/tenleytown area. Includes parking and all utilities which is nice.

Chris

1275, all utilities including internet (and TV which I don’t use) paid. It’s a basement that’s a nice size in the Tenleytown area…picked because it’s a short walk to work. This is slightly less than half my income, but little to no transportation cost makes it much more affordable than it otherwise might be.

TStreetDuo

$1850 for 2bd/1bath on T St. right off 14th – which my husband and I share. Remolded a few years back and its a perfect size for the two of us. Utilities aren’t included and average out to about $150 a month. Rent makes up about 33% of our monthly income.

J

$1100 in Southwest for a 485 sq ft studio. All utilities included (except internet/cable). balcony, basement laundry, outdoor pool, small fitness room, 24 hour security. short walk to Waterfront or Federal Center SW metro stations. Rent has increased $50 per year since I moved in 4 years ago.

Patrick

$1900 for a good size 2 bed/1 bath on 14 & Belmont. Water included. Ground floor entrance, unit is partly underground. Updated kitchen. No laundry in unit.

Studio in Dupont: $1390

I pay $1390 for a studio on 17th St near S Street in a rental apt building – not a converted rowhouse or a rented condo. This includes utilities (water, gas, & electric, but not cable or internet) including CAC (vital to me). The unit is not big, but has a separate kitchen and a walk-in closet/dressing room, so it feels a little bigger than some studios might. It’s an older buldings with a small parking lot (not sure what the fee is) and a coin laundry in the basemet, but no other particular amenities. There is an on-site staff so repairs are generally done promptly, packages are signed for, and there is a party for residents twice a year.

I moved in 2003; at my time the rent was $850. It has increased a little almost every year since then. Currently, I understand that new tenants moving into similar units would pay more like $1500.

Anonymous

$3300 for a 2BR/2BA 3rd floor (elevator) apartment in between Dupont and Logan. Includes water and gas, storage unit, 24 hour front desk, and crappy coffee in the lobby.

Anonymous

I live in “Park View”—1 block from the Petworth metro in an small-ish older building 1 BR (not a basement) for $1375/month (gas and heat included). This is about 39% of my monthly income. Its a great apartment, but no amenities aside from w/d in bulding, and I sacrifice by having a small kitchen. Previously I lived in Col Hts with roommates in a great flat and paid around 600. I know my rent is low for the area but it is pretty hard on the pocketbook.

Anonymous

Feeling pretty ok after seeing these other posts….but damn! I need to consider buying!

Anonymous

$2,020 for a 1200 sqrft 2 bedroom 2 bathroom in logan circle.

Anonymous

Sick deal.
.
My good friend lives right at 16th/U Street in a ~1500 sq foot 3BR/2.5BA duplex apartment with two balconies and a massive 1000 sq foot private terrace. I think the whole place is like $2300. Crazy deal.

Anonymous

$780 for a Master Bedroom in a 3 bedroom house with a backyard a block from the Stadium-Armory metro. Not including utilities….but I have to move soon and I feel like finding a deal this good will likely be impossible.

irisheyesacn

I pay $975 for a bedroom on Capitol Hill – I live in the Young Christian Women’s Home, commonly referred to as “the nunnery.” Food, utilities, and wi-fi all included.

TG

Rent has gotten insane, it seems. My wife and I were lucky. We have good incomes but family helped us with a down payment on our first house. At the time, 515k mortgage was about 3,100 a month. Now we have a 625k mortgage at about 3,700/mo inclusive of taxes and insurance.

justinbc

I left Logan Circle last May and was splitting a 2 BR 1.5 bath 1900 sqft rowhouse with another person for a total of $3,450. We got a serious steal on the place 2 years prior at $3,300, mainly because it was the first time the owners had ever rented it out and weren’t aware of the value. It was on Corcoran right between 14th and 15th Streets. No parking, but did have a private deck, and the one full shared bathroom was huge with dual entry doors from the outside and the master suite (mine).
To help add perspective on other area rents, we also own a 2 BR 1.5 bath place down in Old Town Alexandria that’s about 1,500 sqft with a private yard and parking pad that we rent for $2,800. We’re closing on another property right behind Union Market that’s a 4 unit all 1 BR (real bedrooms with doors, heh) 1 bath units, which we’ll probably rent out around $1,200 each.

kittee

my dream in life is to live on Corcoran between 16th and 14th! seriously my favorite street to walk down. awesome deal.
- justinbc
  
  I’m happy we bought a place in Capitol Hill to get out from the renting habit, but damn do I miss that place in Logan! Really couldn’t have asked for a better place to live.

Art Vandelay

$1929 (utilities included) for a 780 sq ft 1/1 apartment in Friendship Heights. Cable/Internet is about $150/month. We don’t have a washer/dryer in unit but the kitchen was renovated before we moved in back in July 2012. First year’s rent was $1855 so the price hasn’t increased too much. We’re about a block from the Friendship Heights Metro station and in amazingly easy walking distance to Whole Foods, Giant, and all of the shopping on Wisconsin Ave. Not bad, all things considered, but we’re ready to move onto bigger and better things – and a place with a washer/dryer! Oh, and my fiance and I split the rent and cable so my portion ($1042/month) is about 27% of my income.

Art Vandelay

Forgot to mention that we found this place thanks to Urban Igloo! We had a great experience – SO much easier than scanning Craigslist and crossing fingers that you haven’t missed out!
Anonymous

Seems $200-300 overpriced for Friendship Heights considering it doesn’t have a W/D. Especially if this is an older building. If it’s a newer building with the usual amenities, then it might be worth it.
- Art Vandelay
  
  Yeah, we were bummed by the lack of W/D and the building is a bit older – 1960s? – but it was the best deal we could find in terms of location, Metro accessibility to buses and trains, and groceries. We looked at rentals in Cleveland Park, AdMo/Kalorama and near the Navy Yards and the pricing in those areas was higher for usually smaller, less convenient apartments.
  
  Our building, by the way, is located on Wisconsin Ave directly across the street from The Collection at Chevy Chase shops (Tiffany, etc) so perhaps that’s why the price is high? Our particular unit also overlooks Wisconsin Ave so we have a pretty nice view.
  - Anonymous
    
    Yeah, you’re probably paying for the view. At least you’re in the most convenient location possible for FH. I bet there was room to haggle, if you were willing to play hard ball. The price probably has Urban Igloo’s fee built into it.

Anona

We pay $4000 for a 2BR, 2.5BA, 1200 sq ft apt with parking. It’s two floors- basement and garden level. In between 14th st. and Dupont. It’s very nice, but it’s waaaaay more than we want to spend. In our defense, we only had 1 day to find an apartment and needed something 2 weeks later. Everything else we looked at was similarly priced, but either far from the metro or entirely in the basement. We weren’t able to go with any of the bigger apartment complexes b/c we have three pets. So- given our limited options, this was definitely best, but….ouch. All in all, this is less than 30% of our monthly income, but it’s an ungodly amount to spend on rent.

Anonymous

I pay $995 a month, one bedroom on the first floor (not basement) of an older building, a few blocks from Grant Circle in Petworth (The 64 is my main mode of transport). Its not high end, but its certainly not slummy either. No utilities paid but radiator heat is included. Moved in last May. Also of note, I have two cats and pay no cat rent or deposit. Comes to about 30% of my take home income.

Anonymous

$1900 total for a 800 sq. ft 1 bedroom in a condo building that I’m renting with the fiance in Van Ness (a block from metro) – which I had thought was a good deal until reading these posts! Utilities are included and we have two pools.

Anonymous

Gee after reading all this I really need to get moving and rent my spare bedroom with private bath. I’m right around the corner from The Harper ;- )

meo

$1765 – 1 bedroom shared with fiancee, all utilities included.
New Hampshire and V NW .

7th floor, hardwood floors, good sized living and bedrooms, tiny kitchen, hasn’t been remodeled in a while.
Good location, except for the noise coming off of New Hampshire

RCDC

U St & 16th NW
Top floor of building with 180 degree unobstructed views
$1700 – 700 Sqft 1 br 1 ba all utilities included (minus cable)
Rent controlled building, about 100 years old but newer fixtures
25% of gross income

Boozehound

My GF and I live in the heart of Logan Circle (15th and O) and we are paying $2010 for a small 1 BR in an older building. It feels like highway robbery.

Anonymous

You’re paying for location there….so if it isnt’ worth it to you, maybe you could find something in a different neighborhood. That price will get you far in other parts of the city.

Anonymous

split with my S/O
english basement a block off of stanton park on Mass ave
pay 1650/ mo
only pay eletric & cable
unit is very nice, garage parking in the rear for our bikes and my motorcycle. plus a little storage for snowboards etc
unit has washer & dryer
gas fireplace

dcd

A little off-topic, but if I wanted to rent out my 2 BR + den (or small 3rd BR), 2.5 bath in Columbia Heights, what could I expect? It’s 2 floors (upper), 1748 sq. feet, with parking, a block from the Metro.

dcd

Forgot to mention, I wouldn’t be looking to get the most I possibly could for the place, but a reasonable market rent that would ensure that it was continuously occupied.
Anonymous

Depends on the condition. If it hasn’t been renovated within 10 years, you could probably get $2600 (plus/minus $150). If it’s one of those newly renovated flip jobs, I bet you could get $3200 (plus/.minus $150).
- dcd
  
  Thanks – it was renovated about 10 years ago, the leading edge of the flips. It’s in great shape (although a lot of the improvements would be of more value to purchasers than renters).
  - Anonymous
    
    For a comp: I lived in a 2br/den 2 bath flat over a restaurant about .3 mi north on 14th from the metro for 2k. It was a great deal and we split it in 3 making my rent the lowest of all my friends. I think you could get $2600 for it and have great happy tenants/constant occupation with the plus side of not inducing poverty on them.
    - queserow
      
      i would be really interested in this – when is it available, and how do you plan on finding renters?
    - Anonymous
      
      Agreed on the price. At $2600, you will get tenants who want to stay for a long time (unless they are moving out to buy elsewhere or have major life changes that you can’t predict). The higher you go, the less likely they will stay. Keep annual increases pegged to CPI inflation.
    - Anonymous
      
      queserow: My old roommates still live there, and at this kind of price you get long termers, so it likely wont be available any time soon. If it helps, I found the place through word of mouth.
    - dcd
      
      Excellent thoughts, thank you. I will never understand the landlords who try to squeeze every last cent out of a rental, only to have constant turnover/less than ideal tenants. At these prices, one month vacant eats up the $225/month in extra rent you charged. Two months vacant, and you’re in the red. And that doesn’t take into account the (sometimes considerable) expense and (always considerable) hassle of finding new tenants. Give me great/happy tenants and constant occupation any day.
- anonCH
  
  $3200 including utilities or not? is it safe to assume that if people don’t mention anything about utilities that they AREN’T included?
  - dcd
    
    I think it’s safe to say that unless utilities are specifically included, the tenant is paying for them. Typically, the only times utilities are included (from an individual landlord, as opposed to a large building/corporate manager) is if they aren’t separately metered, or if the landlord retains some control (e.g., basement rental). I can’t imagine renting out a stand-alone condo or house and giving tenants free rein to blast the AC to keep the place cool and at the same time open the windows for some fresh air on an 85 degree day.

ShawRes

Paying $4900 a month mortgage (which includes mortgage insurance, hoping to refi and get rid of that soon) for a 2200 sf house in shaw with a 600 sq. ft roofdeck. It is about 25% of our take home pay (married). Rented for years close to Mt. Vernon Square – 2br/2ba condo with no amenities. Started at $2400 I believe in 2009; when we left in early 2013 it was at $2750. Approx. 1000 sq ft.

Anonymous

Wow that seems to me (the uneducated) a crazy high mortgage! Can you tell us more about the house? Will it be an income property?
- Anonymous
  
  That’s what flipped places are going for in prime Shaw/U Street/Logan Circle areas. Though if $5K is only 25% of their take home, they can afford it just fine.
- Anonymous
  
  This is just a guess, but if the OP has to pay mortgage insurance there’s a good chance they had less than a 20% down payment or an unconventional loan. That would account for why the monthly payment is so high. Of course interest rate will also greatly affect that cost as well.
  - ShawRes
    
    Yes – we did not have 20% down, which is why we have mortgage insurance. The purchase price was 849K and we put about 15% down. Interest rate is 3.5%. That’s what it costs to buy a house for over 2000 sf in the area now. The price per square footage was at $281, which is significantly lower than most of the other stuff in the area. In addition to mortgage insurance, the $4900 amount also include property taxes and insurance, as most mortgages do.

po’ boy

$1525 for small 1BR (non-dank basement) at great location in Mt Pleasant. All utilities (incl wifi/cable) included. All new interior w/ great kitchen, central heat/air, W/D but not much natural light. Plus extra storage in garage; spacious private entryway (enough space for patio furniture). About 40% of take home.

Looking at these comments…jeez…no wonder everything so $$ here. Place is filled with rich people!

Anon

$2100 1br/1ba Dupont (S st dog park), top floor rowhouse, water & trash included, personal roofdeck, smallish @ 450 sqft, wood fireplace.

Anonymous

$1400 for a two-bedroom, one bath, plus den, second story of a Victorian end-unit rowhouse in Truxton Circle. Utilities not included. No increases in the five years we’ve been here. Also, an off-street parking space.

Anonymous

what! that’s amazing.

fayettesidra

How much is your rent? $995/month
What neighborhood do you live in? Petworth
How many bedrooms? 1
Is it a basement? Nope
Does your building have amenities? Private courtyard, basement storage, laundry in building.
Are utilities included? Gas (including heat) and water are included. Electricity is not.
Your rent is what percentage of your monthly income? About 40%

Flatsix

$3750/mo for 3-story rowhouse in Columbia Heights near 13th & Girard. We own it now, but that was our rent before we bought it not too long ago. Utilities (water, gas, electric) are typically $400-500 a month, cleaning service is about $500 a month, and in the spring and summer the yard guy is $250/mo or so . Originally the house was a 6BR, but it is setup as a 3BR + home office now. The three finished floors are about 2400 sq ft. There’s also a 1000 sq ft unfinished basement that we use for a workshop, laundry, and storage.

Bee

i live in a 4-bedroom, 4-person group house (a bungalow) in Mount Rainier, MD. Until this summer, rent was $1,600 split four ways, $400 each.

This summer two of us bought the house and now our mortgage payment is about $900. Taxes and insurance are about $400/month. We’re still renting two rooms for $450 each, and we’re both also paying $450/month into our new roof fund.

psh

19th. and R St. $1120. Rent controlled studio. Was on the waiting list for 7 months but worth it!

Anonymous

Nice. Which mgmt company? How many square feet?
Anonymous

how do you even get on a waiting list for a building like this?
- Anonymous
  
  Some management companies keep lists for certain buildings. I’m on a list for a building in Georgetown that has particularly cheap 1 and 2BR apartments. You need to call around and do the legwork.

anon

We pay $2,300 plus electric for a 2 bed, 1.5 bath rowhouse in Shaw – been there since 2012.

andy2

1275 for 500sq ft studio in glover park all utilities included – separate kitchen and lots of closets.
Roof deck, gym and free doughnuts on Mondays!!

Anonymous

Dupont Circle, 2/1 (not sure of square footage, maybe around 800-900), $2450. Split with roommate, it’s 38% of my takehome. All utilities included, parking is extra, concierge, rooftop deck.

brightwoodparkres

I own a home in North Petworth/Brightwood Park. It has 2br/3.5 baths with a finished basement. Mortgage is $1500 with escrows and it approx 27% of my take home pay. I have a yard with parking and a nice deck for the summer. My neighbors are amazing and I really love living slightly outside the city.

skschell

$2850, 2BR, 2 bath in Mt. Vernon Triangle/Convention Center area. New building, covered parking, washer/dryer in unit. Util not included.

Anonymous

1,575 for a 750 sq foot one bedroom in brookland. Fifteen minutes walk from brookland/cua metro and on the 80 and H bus routes. Offstreet parking, small fitness center, w/d as dishwasher as well as balcony and lots of windows. Very quiet and private in safe but older building. Large remodeled kitchen. 25% of my fiancé and mines take home pay.

Puz

$1100, 2 blks from CoHi metro, all utilities incl (incl cable and internet). W/D in unit. 1B/1B Eng basement. About 800SF.

Anonymous

this seems like a steal to me!
- Puz
  
  I’m friends w the owners. They wanted a tenant they trusted.

Chazza

$3250 for brand new two floor condo, 2Bd/2.5Ba in Shaw.

pingjeepong

$1850. 2BR/1.5b; +900sqft.; H St. NE; no utilities; 2fl row-home

Anonymous

12th and U. 750 sq/ft 1bdrm. $1300 mortgage + $500 condo fee. Fee includes parking, gym, heating, cable/internet, water, garbage.

anonymusssssss

I just moved last year to one of the new buildings in Petworth/Parkview. We have an 800sf, 2BR/1.5 BA (technically 1BR+”den,” but whatever. It has doors, which is more than most residents of the Harper building can claim) that we pay $2100 for. We both smoked when we moved in, so having a balcony/patio was a must. Now we’ve quit (mostly) so it’s a less crucial feature (still nice, though). Amenities and the short walk to the metro are nice, but we may decide to downgrade when our lease is up. This feels a lot of money to spend on a rental in Petworth.

anonymusssssss

forgot, this is about 31% of our take-home. Not terrible, but we were both used to living in bargain places (group house & cavernous basement with very little light)

Anonymous

Renting: $3,300.00 row house in Bloomingdale (prob 2,500 sq ft) completely renovated in 2012; 3bdr plus den, huge walk in closet, 2.5 bath, deck, parking spot, pets allowed; utilities $250.00
Charge my renter for 1bdr condo out on Cap Hill: $1,950.00 (700 sq ft) renovated in 2007 with bathroom and kitchen upgrades in 2012, huge closets, storage room, no parking, pool, pets not allowed; utilities $150.00

Anonymous

$975 (no utilities/free wifi) – 1 bedroom english basement with full kitchen, bath and laundry around 8th/mass NE. 23% of my take home income.

Anonymous

Pretty damn good deal, depending on condition of the apartment.
.
One of my longtime FWBs lives two blocks east of Eastern Market and pays $950 for their ground level 1BR/BA apartment with private W/D and shared backyard/garden access in a 4 unit building. The whole place is only 550-600 sq feet, but it’s such a stupid good deal. I told them that they have to give it to me, if they ever leave DC ;)
- Anonymous
  
  I’m ridiculously fortunate. I’ve lived there for 10 years and my landlord has not raised my rent. It’s in great condition. New carpet throughout in 2008 and a complete bathroom/gut remodel in 2013. A 10 minute walk to EM or Union Station or 1 block to catch either the D6 or 90/92 lines.

Anonymous

Roommate and I pay around $3,300 combined. New construction building with nice amenities (roof deck, roof pool, pool table, theater) and 2 parking spot included in this price.

Anonymous

$2150 for ~800 sq ft, 1 br apartment about one block from the U Street Metro. Garage parking and all utilities included (except cable/internet). Building is about 15 years old. W/D in unit. Small gym, small roof deck in the building. 12-hr concierge. Have lived there for about a year and a half.

anonymous

how much is your rent? $2150
What neighborhood do you live in? 14th and T, right by the Harper.
How many bedrooms? 2 Is it a basement? no, 3rd floor with balcony. older building but updated kitchen and bath, no central AC, w/d in the basement.
Does your building have amenities? yes
Are utilities included? yes, water, sewer, trash
your rent is what percentage of your monthly income? i have a roommate and pay half of the rent. so it is 16.5% of my income. 33.4% of my take home income. but i don’t think using take home information is a valid assessment. Contribution to 401K, insurance, taxes, and flex spending vary per person.

Anonymous

New construction, 1 bedroom w/ den (which I use as a bedroom); lots of amenities (roof top pool, party room, theater), 2 garage parking spaces, H Street NE (H b/t @nd and 3rd); approx 900-1000sq feet – $3300.00

Anonymous

Oy. That’s a fairly terrible deal. At $3300, you should be getting at least 1200-1300 square feet.
I hate these new buildings. The square footage sucks,

Anonymous

I live in Kingman Park in a basement efficiency about 650 sq ft. I Pay $930 including utilites (elec., gas, cable/internet) with off street parking.

Logan Circle

Mortgage/Condo fees of $3,000 not including utilities. 2br/2ba with one parking spot on the Circle. This is helpful for me to get an idea of how much I might be able to rent it for as I might be moving. It’s a little under 30% of my take home pay.

Anonymous

$1130 for a 1bd/1ba, about a 5 minute walk to the Petworth metro station. No dishwasher, laundry in basement, most utilities (gas, heat, water/sewer) included. hardwood floors but thin walls. About 48% of take home pay (yay nonprofit world!)

DC_Chica

rent: $1450/month, all utilities included (up from $1400 in 2010)
neighborhood: Palisades
1 bedroom (~700 sq ft), top floor of small 3.5 story condo building
the only amenities are parking (which is ironic because I don’t have a car) and a small storage unit in the basement
% of your monthly income? ~35%

peace of mind to not have to live with a roommate again? priceless!

Anonymous

How are you managing not having a car in the Palisades? I currently live on U Street with a roommate and I’m strongly considering the Palisades for my own place. The prices are good, the apartments are nice, and it’s a very safe (if vanilla) area.
.
Same as you, I don’t own a car and the transportation issue is concerning for me. Fortunately, I do own a Vespa and use that often. But I can only use that about 10 months of out the year.
- DC_Chica
  
  I had assumed that I would want to buy a car once I moved here, but I haven’t really needed one – the bus line (D6) is pretty reliable (and it’s a huge help to have the nextbus system to let you know if it’s running early/ontime/late). Long headways on the weekends are annoying, but since it’s a cross-town route, riding it often allows you to avoid taking the Metro (with its weekend track work-related delays). It’s also only a $10-15 taxi ride to go anywhere I need to go in the city, so taking the occasional taxi seems a lot cheaper to me than owning and maintaining a car. (I’ve also seen smartcars parked near my building fairly often since that program launched.)
  Despite it’s “vanilla” reputation, the condos buildings on Macarthur do draw a more diverse crowd than most people probably imagine (my building does anyway.) When I moved here my priorities were price, pet-friendliness, and safety – the pet thing severely limited my options, and this was the nicest and most affordable 1 BR that I found anywhere in NW (I think the condo is owned by an investor who is so hands-off he/she doesn’t realize they could charge more – I’ve seen units in my building advertised for $1700+ on Craigslist).
  I forgot to mention that I pay no pet fees, I do have a dishwasher and modern-ish kitchen, and W/D is in the basement ($1 wash/ $1 dry – I hadn’t seen prices like that since college!) Also, depending on your location in the neighborhood, the noise from planes flying into DCA can be pretty loud (flightpath follows the river) – I was not prepared for that but I have (surprisingly to me, a light sleeper) gotten totally used to it.

bmoredc

I pay $1520 for a studio apartment at the border of Adams Morgan, Mt. Pleasant, and Columbia Heights, up from $1480 when I started renting in March 2012, so I’m due for a rent increase shortly but the building is under DC rent control, so the increase won’t be exorbitant. Utilities are included, with the exception of cable/phone/internet. It’s an older building, so it has “character” but is not sleek or modern (I think the newly-renovated units are trying to approximate cherry-wood cabinets and stainless steel appliances in the kitchen, but cheaply, so it’s not for anyone who’d be wedded to the idea of high-end finishes). And it does have some of the issues with plumbing and whatnot that older buildings will have. The amenities are nothing fancy (no rooftop deck, package service, doorman, media room or anything like that), but they are functional. The laundry room has a decent amount of machines and there’s a small fitness room with a couple of cardio machines and some hand-held weights. (There’s also a bike room…from which my locked bike was stolen, so I’m not personally gung-ho on that particular amenity.) One thing I SO appreciate is that (thus far at least) building staff are courteous and really on top of maintenance requests. And I suppose the studios are an ok size–again, nothing fancy, but it helps that they have separate kitchens. I’ve seen other studios in the building listed anywhere from $1450-$1600-ish, so I think it varies based on the studio size, its position in the building, and the unit’s rent regulation history.

LF

You must live in my building. I’m paying $1790 for a 1bd (just signed the lease last May) so you should protest if they try to increase your studio rent too much. But my kitchen does not have the new appliances some of the other apartments in our building do. Also, I’m lucky my bike didn’t get stolen. Hearing about that was annoying.

TMoney

I don’t rent but my mortgage is a shade over $1900 a month, which is about 50% of my take home income every month. However, for that money I get a 3br/1.5ba rowhouse near H St NE with a giant backyard and a 2-car garage. Bought 3 years ago and refinanced in 2012. I don’t mind spending half of my income when I can get all of this. It also gives me room to grow and to get a roommate if need be.

Cleveland Park

$1775 1 BR in Cleveland Park, block from metro on quiet side street off Conn Ave. Utilities included. Older building with charm and hardwoods, windows on 3 sides, tons of light ,overlooks wooded ravine. 20% of take home. I may never move again!

I used to pay $1200 on a 2/2 in Mt Vernon Sq and it was a dump midrise with nothing included.

Anonymous

Mortgage is $2700/month for a 3 bedroom (or 2 bd plus den) 1 bath up, 1 full bath in basement row house in Columbia Heights, midway between CH metro and Petworth metro. About 40% of our take home income (whoops…. that now seems like a LOT.)

If we redo the basement and have 3bdrm (or 2bd plus den) 1 bath upstairs, and finished basement with a full bath downstairs, how much do you think we could rent for?

djan07

I pay $975 (not including utilities) for a bedroom in a Logan Circle group house. The house has 3 apartments, and my apartment has 5 rooms for rent. There are a total of 9 bedrooms in the house. I’m a young professional, and my rent, again not including utilities, is approximately 40% of my income.

caitb

– Rent for a 2 bed, 1 bath basement apartment circa 2009, with parking: $1,200, no utilities included
– Mortgage for a 2 bed, 1 bath house (plus extra finished basement), with yard but no parking currently: $1,325, no utilities included
.
At present, our mortgage is equal to about 16% of our (dual income household) monthly income. Both our most recent apartment and our house are within 0.50 miles of the Columbia Heights or Petworth metro stops.

Anonymous

Damn. Fat downpayment?

pvjdp

$1400, util included, for a junior 1 Bd basement apt at street level in Lanier Heights.

Anonymous

$2400 mortgage for 3 bed/2.5 bath row home with 1 bed/1 bath separate basement apartment in H St area. The rental income brings the payment down to about $800/month. Utilities are on average about $200 per month and the payment we are left with is about 12% of our combined monthly net income.

Anonymous

$1580 Washington Apartments on 6th and N St (Mt.Vernon) 1 bedroom/1 bath.

Robby

$2250 for a 2bd/1ba English basement right off 14th St in Logan Circle. The rent includes DirecTV. It’s not fancy, but it has a full size washer and dryer and a shared backyard. Also, it’s only two steps down from the sidewalk, so we get lots of natural light too. Love. It.

Anon

$1750 for a 1 bed 1 bath, 900 Sqft with sunroom, corner unit on 4th floor in 5 story building in Chevy Chase. Water included. Basement laundry, no other amenities. Ample street parking, great historic charm and architectural elements. Quick walk to Comet and Politics and Prose, 12 min to metro.

Ryan

I think we’re neighbors!

Daniel

$2250 for mortgage, taxes, and insurance for 4 bed/2 bath duplex (2 2 bed/1 bath apartments – partner and I live in one and rent out the other) in Truxton Circle area. The rental income ($2000 + $50 parking) brings the payment down to $200/month. Utilities average about $250 per month, which leaves us with about 6% of our combined monthly net income. Thankfully, we were very fortunate to get a substantial family contribution for our down payment. However, we’re paying out the wazoo for student loans and other family obligations.

MJ

My husband and I pay $1550 for a 1 bedroom garden apartment in Eckington with a large back deck. Electricity is separate, and we split internet with upstairs neighbors. This is right about exactly 30% of our combined income.

betsu betsu

$1519 in for a large 1 bed 1 bath in Columbia Heights; moved in with my husband 2 years ago when rent was 1370. Non-existent amenities, but the apartment itself is spacious with good light.

betsu betsu

$1519 in for a large 1 bed 1 bath in Columbia Heights; moved in with my husband 2 years ago when rent was 1370. Non-existent amenities, but the apartment itself is spacious with good light.

Ryan

1 BD in Van Ness.

$1644 ($1575 last year) for a 1st floor, partially subterranean (but not basement – we have full size windows) 1BD/1BA 795 sq ft unit in a mid-century condo building on CT Ave that’s four blocks north of metro.

Unit features Parquet floors, decent closet space, and a spacious living space.

All utilities (except cable/internet/phone) are included.

Amenities: in-unit dishwasher, in-building laundry, small gym (just a converted unit.), roof deck, (very limited) parking. 24 hour doorman and security that accepts packages. In-buildingdentist!

Sadly, no pets allowed!

Hy half of the rent is almost exactly 1/3 of my monthly take-home.

On parking, there’s a waiting list, but condo owners are given priority, so renters will never get a spot.

textdoc

If it’s “partially subterranean,” isn’t that by definition a basement, albeit an English basement?

16th St heights

$1150 mortgage for large four-bedroom house near Upshur Park, plus $500 monthly payment on a line of credit.

shortstack

$2300 mortgage for a 3/1.5 house. Brookland. ~15% of gross income.

Anonymous

$600 not including utilities for a room in a 3 bed/2 ba house in Fort Totten. About a 15-20 minute walk to the Metro.

Anonymous

I pay $1670 for a 600 square foot junior 1 bd in Dupont Circle (22nd and P). Parking is an extra $250. Utilities are included, except cable+internet. I’ve lived there since 2004, and it’s rent controlled (started at $1210 in 2004). The apartment was just totally remodeled (the building moved me to another unit while they were remodeling my unit), so it’s a great deal (and I didn’t have to pay anything extra for the remodel!). It would be much more expensive if I moved here now (although you may get a good deal on a unit if it hasn’t had a lot of turnover over the years, but that would still be many hundreds more than I pay). With the remodel, I now have granite counter tops, stainless steel appliances, new dishwasher, nice shower, etc. (pre-renovation, it had a 70s era kitchen). Living through a building remodel is not fun, but it will be very nice when it is all done. Laundry is in the basement. There’s a (new) small gym and pool on the roof. 24 hour front desk. Cat friendly. I’m unemployed now, but used to be about 30% of my take home pay.

Anonymous

$1495/mo (since 2010) for 2 bedroom/1 bath English basement 3 blocks from the Columbia Heights metro. Roughly 900 sq feet and we share the backyard with the owner (upstairs). Includes DirecTV and water. Fair amount of light in the unit, nice floors and kitchen. Slightly lower ceilings and servicable bathroom that could use some updating. Rent will go up to $1595 when we leave next month.

soulshadow55

I bought a new rowhouse in Columbia Heights in 1996 for $150,00. Three bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, washer/drywer, attic space and an unfinished English basement. Still unfinished because every contractor wants to charge me about the same amount that I paid for the entire house to renovate an unfinished basement. After a few times refinancing for upgrades and repairs I now pay $1,212.00. The house also has two parking spaces, one that I rent for $125.00 a month. We pay all utilities and repairs – tons of repairs due to shoddy workmanship – new furnace and A/C unit, new water heater, new gutters, cheap pipes that burst every spring, steel beam to reinforce the first floor due to inadequate joists., blah, blah. Grew up in the area and love the house and location – just pissed at all the shoddy workmanship and repairs. Before I lived in a studio on 16th and Euclid and I paid $452 all-inclusive rent.

kolya

I currently pay $700 (everything included) for a basement studio/one bedroom apt. in a private home in the Palisades. As for percent of my income? Since it varies each month I’d say it’s about 50% give or take but I”m a “weird” case for lots of extenuating circumstances.

Love it here though and I get my own private space!

jcmeloni

Petworth (Georgia & Quincy)
1 BR Apt, not a basement. ~700 sq ft.
Laundry in building. Utilities included.
No parking except street, so we pay $140/mo to park in a different apt building a block away.

$1380 year 1, $1433 year 2 (just ended), now $1490.

It’s ~16% of mine & my partner’s take-home income.

jcmeloni

Rent-controlled. This is probably the same building as dcloafer, above, if it starts with “Para” and ends with “mount”. :) We also never plan to leave.

Dupontdweller

I pay $1170 for a 275 sq ft studio with no kitchen. (A small refrigerator sink and two burners are provided). Being in Dupont I like the location but it’s not worth it. I’ll likely move somewhere else, with at least a kitchen.

anon

I have a one bedroom basement apt (with C of O) in the southern part of Eckington–currently not rented, but a family member lives there. Completely renovated less than 2 yrs ago. Has living area, kitchen w/ small built-in microwave, regular oven, half-size refrigerator and half-size dishwasher. Separate bathroom and bedroom, about 700 sq feet, two entrances. Street parking. 10 min walk to NoMa metro. Any ideas about what the market rent would be?

anon

2/1.5 townhouse (top two floors excluding basement), large kitchen, high ceilings, fireplace for $3350 per month, we pay gas and electric (about $200/mo). Shared back patio, street parking. by Maryland & 7th NE.

anon

split with SO, 30% of our combined take home.

Park view anon

$1800 for small one bed/bath in north Columbia heights/petworth. Dishwasher and washer/dryer in unit, gym in building, pet friendly, 2 minutes to petworth metro, around the corner from The Coupe, etc.

Park view anon

I should note it’s on the second floor and gets great light.

Vince The Forester

$1,250. 1 Bedroom and den, Fairmont and Georgia. Rent is about 1/3 of my monthly income. Utilities are not included. It’s a basement.

anonymous

$1700 for a one bedroom in Logan Circle in a remodeled townhouse with loads of windows. Non-basement, no real amenities but central heat and air, which feels like a luxury. It’s less than 20 percent of my income, I’ve been here more than a decade and with rent control the annual increases have been minor.

AE

I saw a sign for apts in one of the buildings on Columbia Rd near 16th. They were advertising 1 BR for $1750, all utilities included. Seems affordable.

Anon

$1850 1 br recently renovated 2nd floor with a deck 4 blocks from CH metro. about 850 sq ft – split w my bf, approx 30% of take home pay.

Anonymous

I rented a ~1100 sq ft 2bd 1ba basement two blocks from Dupont Circle from 2009 to 2013 for $1800 a month, heat/gas and water/sewer included. Amenities were minimal: shared garden, front desk person 9-5 M-F to sign for packages, shared workshop for furniture refinishing and other minor projects. Rent was static for the entire period and generally around 55% of my take-home pay.

Bought a place at the end of 2013 and no longer have rent, hurray. (Pretty sure my old unit is still available if someone wants it.)

JGK

late to the party, but my wife and I have a 690 square ft 1 bedroom apt at New Hampshire and 15th NW for $1705 per month. That includes everything but cable/internet. We’re 2 blocks from U St Metro and easy walk/bus to everywhere else in NW. The building is old, it’s well maintained but has zero amenities which is fine with us. We live here for a spacious, reasonably priced 1 bedroom close to our favorite places, easy commute etc. I’m probably getting old in DC, but the rental prices in my ‘hood are shocking. A similarly sized 1 bedroom seems to be about $2400 and up. That seems crazy.

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