Dear PoPville

“Creative use of White House stationery in Eckington”

By Prince Of Petworth

“Dear PoPville,

I found the attached note on a car2go I picked up this morning in front of a row home at 2nd Street NE and Uhland Terrace NE in Eckington. I checked the area, and there aren’t any no parking, restricted parking, or handicap parking signs. Apparently this is just how Trump administration staffers are now using their Official Government Intimidation Stationery. I was very tempted to write at the bottom “This isn’t how public sidewalks and streets work – get out of our city if you want a private driveway” and tack it to their tree.”

Apartment Rental Scam PSA

By Prince Of Petworth

“Dear PoPville,

Just wanted to give a heads up that there is a fairly active apartment scammer on the DC Craigslist. They seem to be borderline psychopathic in their approach. They list an actual local property as a local real estate agent. Both the property and the real estate agent exist. They even go so far as to look up the real estate agent’s local license ID and the property owner information.

The red flags are pretty apparent, like them requesting a “deposit” upfront to lock in the lease before viewing. I spent the last few weeks toying with the scammer a bit before they ghosted me (understandable).

I just saw the same ad I originally responded to go back up, and figured your readers might benefit from being aware of this scam and spread the word.

I’ve attached a screenshot of the CL ad as well as the huge red flag in the “lease”:

“ARTICLE V: DEPOSIT AGREEMENT: I NANCY XXXXXXXXXXXX TRUSTEE & AARON XXXXXXXX (Landlord), MARY XXXXXXX (PROPERTY MANAGER) agrees with _______________ (Tenant) that the first month’s rent of $2800 and the security deposit of $2800 was paid prior to viewing, if for any reason tenant does not like or find the apartment not in perfect condition as advertised after viewing, tenant can terminate this agreement and the full deposit payment of $5600 will be refunded immediately on the spot.””

“How long can our landlord hold onto our rent check?”

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user Erin

“Dear PoPville,

I have a question/issue regarding rent checks that I’m hoping others can weigh in on – either with any action we can take or with how they may have handled a similar issue.

My boyfriend and I have lived in a small apartment building in NW for going on four years now. It’s a good location for us and has what we need with no-frills which is totally fine with us.

Our issue over the last year and a half has been our landlord. Our building is owned by a small rental company/individual who still uses a dropoff/pickup method of paying rent by physical check every month. The problem is that our landlord will pick up the rent checks by the 5th of each month and then not cash them for sometimes (conservatively) 3-4 weeks at a time. We’ve gotten used to that quirk but what happened this month, and is not the first time, is the landlord cashed both the rent checks for two consecutive months on the same day. The first check was written over seven weeks ago, and the second one over three.

Is there any recourse for us to try and stop our landlord from doing this or is the company allowed to hold onto checks for that long, indefinitely, etc? (more…)

“And what’s the best way to politely bring this up?”

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user Chris Williams

“Dear PoPville,

Need some suggestions from your readership. I live on the first floor of a 4 unit condo building, and my upstairs neighbor frequently enjoys playing his piano. He does have the ability to use headphones, so I don’t always hear the piano itself, but I do get the incessant pounding from him working the pedals. I believe that it already sits on a rug of some sort.

Two questions: does anybody have any particularly effective mitigation strategies? And what’s the best way to politely bring this up?”

Legit or Counterfeit No Parking Sign?

By Prince Of Petworth

“Dear PoPville,

I recently noticed new signs up on the north side of the 1400 block of Morse St. NE that say “Resident Parking Only – 6PM to 3AM – Resident or Visitor Permit Required” threatening a tow and $250 fine.

What gives? I’ve previously lived in Adams Morgan, Mt. Pleasant, U Street, and Petworth, and only saw zone permit parking only or 2 hour limit enforced 24/7. Is this a new kind of restriction, and if so, why those hours?”

“Does anyone have any recommendations of condo property managers for a building under 20 units?” also who can “install a built-in microwave?”

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user Mr.TinDC

“Dear PoPville,

Does anyone have any recommendations of condo property managers for a building under 20 units? We have minimal common spaces, and are most interested in finding a company that can help us navigate the turnover from the developer.”

And another reader writes:

“I am looking for a good contractor / handyman to install a built-in microwave. I hope to avoid having to do a blind search on yelp or other listings.”

And on the flip side: “Help! 4-month rental/sublet needed that is pitbull-friendly”

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user Marissa Dimino

“Dear PoPville,

We are a married couple looking to rent a place for the summer while we renovate our house, but every building seems to have a breed restriction. Our dog is sweet and docile, but he is a pitbull mix. If you or anyone in the Popville community can connect us with a 4-month rental/sublet that is pitbull-friendly, we would be very grateful.”

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