Renter’s Advice and Resources

It’s every renter’s nightmare. You walk into your apartment and get a whiff of a strange smell. It’s hard to identify, but it’s bad. You follow your nose, and unexpectedly, it does not lead you to the kitchen garbage. Instead, your nose takes you straight to your new roommate’s room. Uh oh. You’ve got a problem. Cleaning out a smelly refrigerator or recycling bin is an unpleasant but manageable task. Talking to your roommate about how bad he smells is another thing altogether. We spoke to renters about how they handled their smelly roommates–read on for their stories and the lessons they learned.

Owning a pet is a wonderful thing. Dogs provide unconditional love and cats are comforting companions. Studies have shown that people who own pets live longer and enjoy lower levels of stress. Unless, of course, your apartment smells strongly of your furry best friend. If your pet is accident prone (you know what we mean), you can forget about reducing your stress. Luckily, your apartment doesn’t have to suffer with you. Here are some tips for getting rid of odors and some advice to keep accidents from happening in the future.

Find the source of the stink. You’ve got to identify the problem before you fix it. Pets can stink up an apartment in so many ways. If your apartment smells like urine or feces, at least you know what you’re dealing with. Sometimes the smell is much less distinct so you’ll have to find the source. Has your dog or cat recently acquired an unusual odor? The smaller the apartment, the more pervasive the smell of your stinky pet will be. If your pet goes outside, supervise it closely to make sure it isn’t rolling, playing or sleeping in something you don’t want brought into your house. If you’re sure the smell isn’t coming from something the pet is tracking into the house, a bath and good brushing may eliminate the odor. If this doesn’t work, a medical problem may be to blame. Body odor isn’t necessarily the sign of a serious problem, but you don’t want to wait to find out. Take your pet to the veterinarian as soon as possible.

You haven’t gotten any sleep in two weeks because the neighbors above you seem to be part of a marathon, practicing every night by running from their bedroom to the kitchen, the bathroom, the living room, and even down the stairs. And of course, the neighbors on both sides of you are having a competition to see who can drown out the other’s music at 3 in the morning. What about the neighbor whose dog pees all over your patio furniture? What do all of your neighbors have in common? They make your life hell and just renewed their lease for another year. What can you do? Learn how to deal with a bad neighbor.

You’ve found the perfect apartment, but just as your pen touches the lease, you remember to ask: “Pets are allowed here, right?” Who would mind Princess Fluffkin, the cat you’ve had since 8 th grade? Many apartments aren’t pet friendly, and if there’s a special furry creature – besides your excessively hairy boyfriend – in your life, it might be wise to ask this question up front before falling in love with the resort style pool. Pets can be extremely destructive, and even though Princess Fluffkin may have the manners of a noble, pet fees will most likely force you to switch to store bought cat food – don’t worry, she’ll understand. Here are some good tips for pet owners when searching for a new apartment.