Today’s Rental is 375 Square Feet

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by Prince Of Petworth January 5, 2017 at 2:15 pm 21 Comments

rental

This rental is located at 2515 13th Street, NW. The Craigslist ad says:

“Rental Rates: $1550/month

Location: 2505 13th St NW Suite 102 Washington, DC 20009

Specials: Call for specials

Unit for Rent: Studio-BR 1-BA |Square feet: 311 – 400 sq ft | Lease Length: 12-Month

Pet Policy: Pets – Max 2 allowed Comments: Move in pet fee $150 per cat and dog. Monthly pet charge $50 for dogs”

Khris

If you’re new in town and have decided that you really want to overpay for a miserable hovel on a steep hill right next door to a high school, then this is the place for you!
LittleBluePenguin

I don’t know whether to laugh or cry, but this is appalling!
Anon Spock

No pictures of the unit. Never a good sign.
- lisavfr
  
  Agreed. Unit #102. Methinks the unit is lacking in sunlight and possibly subterranean.
victoria

“Move in pet fee $150.00” WTF??? Are you paying for a private butler to hold the pooch while you haul in your Ikea futon? And $50.00 per month for a dog is just obnoxious. Landlords should realize that pet owners are generally so happy to find a pet friendly apt. they make extra good tenants. Plus, just overpriced in general. Maybe I’m a sucker, but I currently charge $1350.00 for a real 1 bedroom apt. (500 sq. ft.) half-block from Columbia Heights Metro.
- Anon Spock
  
  +1 to that. I’d never charge a pet fee. A dog does no damage, and the LL makes an extra $750/yr just because. Never felt right to me.
- JF
  
  i completely agree, as a dog owner i was FORTUNATE to find an apartment that took a dog and didn’t require a pet deposit. i pay $20/mo in pet rent, but in DC that’s a steal. good on you for not charging anything.
- Pet Owner
  
  Pet owner and homeowner here. I’m looking at the very nice door moulding that is completely gnawed. I’m glad you’ve lucked out and not got a chewer but that doesn’t cover all dogs. Moreover, some owners are not conscientious about cleaning up after their pets when they make messes which can have significant effects on flooring. A pet deposit is pretty reasonable IMHO, though I agree having a pet fee is a bit usurious.
John

It doesn’t seem like that bad of a deal given that it’s right next to U Street and the unit has a balcony.
- RV
  
  Good deal? $1,500/mo and not only would you not be able to escape your own farts, you’d probably have to deal with the neighbors’ farts as well!
  - Evan Tupac Grooter
    
    Yeah. I used to live in the Highview next door and was constantly awoken by my neighbors alarm clock.
- Aaron
  
  Yea I agree having a balcony is pretty nice. I’ve never seen a balcony on such a small unit before!
  - wdc
    
    Anyone else thinking of The Fountainhead? The part where the builders insisted on adding balconies (at the expense of closet doors), because anyone who would live in such inexpensive housing was probably used to hanging out on tenement fire escapes?
    Man, I haven’t thought of that book in decades.
    - victoria
      
      But remember – Roark – so outraged over the balconies DYNAMITED the entire building. Yeah, because of balconies.
  - maxwell smart
    
    Sure – balconies are nice. And if this was LA, where the balcony could conceivable be used as an extension of the living space year-round, then it would help offset the limited square footage. But this is not LA, and I would imagine that it came at the cost of other things in the unit.
TX2DC

“Pet Policy: Pets – Max 2 allowed”
.
Is it even possible to house two pets in 375 sq feet? Maybe 2 goldfish. lol
banananonymous

i live in a similar, slightly larger unit in Highview, and tbh, its not bad. I have never heard my neighbors (maybe I’m lucky) as a single guy have no problem with the size. Also, never had problem with the kids at the High School. I don’t pay any utilities except for gas and internet. There is laundry, dry cleaning services and a gym on premises. Hate if you want to, but you can pay way more for a studio in dc with (nearly) all utilities included, especially this close to the metro.
Hill Denizen

The floorplan doesn’t seem to match the photos, but otherwise, the space seems nice. I wouldn’t pay that much to live in that area in that small a space, but the apartment in and of itself is pretty nice and bright with a decently sized kitchen.
- Anonymous
  
  I noticed that as well, and that the photos seemed to be taken from more than one unit. But then I noticed that the ad listed multiple square footages, so it probably is a generic advertisement for multiple studio units currently available. If so, choosing pictures from multiple units makes it appear larger than any of the units probably are.
c heights

I don’t know about the unit, but nearly everyday at rush hour there is at least one car idling at the entrance to this building and blocking Northbound 13th Street, so I have a huge grudge against this building.
Txosean

Consider me out of touch. I just did a quick search for available studios in the area of U street. For example, the Berkshire wants $2190 for their cheapest. Or the District at $2158. Now, one may be able to negotiate down, but these are quite amazing prices. This unit at $1550 appears to be the current market rate.

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