Movers and Shakers

by

FOOD & DRINK

Summertime and the living is easy, unless you find yourself hauling a sectional sofa up flights of stairs.

Spring and summer months account for nearly 70 percent of lease turnovers in the Richmond area. That's the figure from Duke Dodson, president of the local chapter of the National Association of Residential Property Managers and the Fan-based Dodson Property Management, which oversees more than 650 properties in the region.

Why? The school year dictates moves, Dodson notes. "Tenants who have kids in school move during the summer in order to disrupt their lives as little as possible. And any kind of rental housing near a college turns over in the summer for the same reason."

Here are some tips to make apartment life a little easier:

  • Be sure to read the ENTIRE lease if you enjoy boring things. Otherwise, just take the landlord's word for it.
  • If you're in need of extra closet space in your apartment, consider renting a storage unit for about $25 a month. Come to think of it, you could save a lot of money by living in a storage unit.
  • Remember that subletting is always an option. For what, I'm unsure. I don't really know what "subletting" means.
  • If you hear the sound of a headboard banging into a wall in the apartment next to yours, it's safe to assume that your neighbors' bed is broken and they are trying to fix it. Go see if they need help.
  • Call your landlord immediately if anything gets damaged: floorboards, appliances, your Xbox, your favorite coffee mug, your six-year relationship.
  • Before moving to a loft apartment in Shockoe Bottom, ask yourself: Are you really cool enough to handle it?
  • Landlords typically require a security deposit of one month's rent. Cool landlords will accept a box of Thin Mints.
  • Using your neighbors' Wi-Fi is OK, so long as they never find out.
  • If you are moving into the Fan, don't bother getting an apartment with a kitchen. You'll never use it.
  • Try not to think of renting as throwing money away, but rather paying not to live with your parents.