Photo by Jim Havard
“Dear PoPville,
I live next to a construction site and the noise has become unbearable. The new building is at my units level now and I’m going crazy listening to hammering for 12 hours a day. It’s also weird that the construction workers can look in my one and only window all day unless I keep the curtains closed. Is there any way to get out of this lease early? I can’t live in this dark box anymore.”
“Dear PoPville,
I took my Christmas tree to the curb last week and I received this week a bill for the bulk pickup. ($212, for whatever that information is worth.) (more…)
Photo by angela n.
“Dear PoPville,
Was wondering if others have had to deal with the tricky situation of moving out during the pandemic. My landlord (understandably) wants to show the apartment, but also mentioned wanting to do open houses — seriously?
I’ve also offered to make videos, and I’m not wholly opposed to showing for individuals, but was just curious how others have navigated this situation. (more…)
Photo by Jim Havard
“Dear PoPville,
We absolutely love the Waterfront area and the experience in living in this part of DC has been very positive, however we are having very serious issues with our condominium association. When we moved we were aware the building does a mandatory “water shut-off” in weekdays once every 2 months, this lasts from 9am to about 3pm. We are ok with that, the majority of the time we’ve been at work and it has not affected us.
Fast forward to last year’s pandemic, for safety and health reasons these water shut-offs were temporarily cancelled (fine by us, we work from home now). However in these past few months, we have had multiple water shut-offs (more…)
“Dear PoPville,
Several front desk people in my building frequently take off or pull down their masks (one in particular is wearing a mask maybe 50% of the time if we’re being generous). There are also many residents who never wear masks and the front desk people sit and chat with them and never remind them of the mask rules. (more…)
“Dear PoPville,
This is the response [see below] I got from my building’s manager when I let her know that I wasn’t touring other units in the building as previously discussed because I didn’t feel safe being in the lobby, hallways, or empty units. All because I rarely see the building’s employees wearing masks correctly and consistently. (more…)
Photo by brunofish
“Dear PoPville,
I’m trying to look for an apartment using various sites, but I can’t search by “smoking allowed”. Now that I have a medical marijuana card, this is a big feature for me. Anyone else run into this issue and found a solution? Thanks!”
Photo by Erin
“Dear PoPville,
I moved out of DC in January for school – I did not break my lease, had all of my housemates confirm, and also tried to replace my vacancy (set up two CL postings, forwarded responses to the housemates, etc.). For a couple months now I’ve been trying to get my security deposit back but to no avail. The landlord/rental company has said they aren’t responsible for it but the housemates are refusing to return my deposit. I’ve contacted OAT but wanted to see what are other avenues to consider. This whole situation sucks because I don’t wanna screw the old housemates over (plus small claims court sounds exhausting) but also I need that money!”
“Dear PoPville,
My building cut off our AC last week and with today’s high at 82, my apartment has been unbearably hot. Last night the thermostat read 78 at 10pm. Do DC renters have any options to file a legal complaint?
An updated reading from this morning. (80 degrees)”
Photo by Diane Krauthamer
“Dear PoPville,
I live in a large apartment complex near the DC wharf. We have been told by the building’s management that due to COVID we are not allowed to have guests – even in our own apartments! Is this even legal? Can they restrict us from having people over, even when those guests are wearing masks as they enter the property? This large building isn’t full and the leasing office has guests (strangers) visit daily (wearing masks) who tour the property with the intent to lease. How is management allowed guests and paying residents aren’t. I don’t think they can legally restrict us but I was hoping someone might have some insight into this.”