Ask a Friendly Landlord

‘Help! The Bedbugs Arrived at the Same Time As My New Neighbors’

What’s your apartment living pet peeve? Your next-door nuisance? What do you do about the nosy neighbor who rifles through your mail? Or the guy who practices the trombone at 7 a.m. on weekends? In our latest series, Ask a Friendly Landlord, a peaceabl…

What's your apartment living pet peeve? Your next-door nuisance? What do you do about the nosy neighbor who rifles through your mail? Or the guy who practices the trombone at 7 a.m. on weekends? In our latest series, Ask a Friendly Landlord, a peaceable expert suggests resolutions to the issues that arise when humans share space.

Bed bugs are, for many city dwellers, the ultimate apartment-based fear. They are tiny, they are almost invisible, and they are horribly invasive: the least-welcome houseguests of all time. And for those who get them, they can feel like a truly biblical plague. Getting rid of them often requires packing up and processing all your clothes and such, and can truly take over your life for a non-insignificant period of time.

‘Help! I Pay Too Much Rent to Be This Cold’

Developing a level of trust with your landlord is one of the surest ways to feel comfortable, safe, and happy in an apartment. A positive, mutually respectful, and communicative relationship means that you feel less worried that they’re gonna screw you over, and they’re less worried you might accidentally drill an enormous, unfillable hole into your wall while trying to mount your new 50-inch flat screen. (Seriously, find professional help for that.)

Neighbors Don’t Respect Your Space? Here’s What to Do

What’s your apartment living pet peeve? Your next door nuisance? What do you do about the nosy neighbor who rifles through your mail? Or the guy who practices the trombone at 7 a.m. on weekends? In our latest series, Ask a Friendly Landlord, a peaceabl…

What's your apartment living pet peeve? Your next door nuisance? What do you do about the nosy neighbor who rifles through your mail? Or the guy who practices the trombone at 7 a.m. on weekends? In our latest series, Ask a Friendly Landlord, a peaceable expert suggests resolutions to the issues that arise when humans share space.

Apartment issues fall into two categories: the potentially annoying—like barking pets and stinky smokers—and the potentially dangerous. The former at least has the potential to turn into great cocktail party fodder, but the latter can keep you up at night. (I have a friend who recently moved out of his apartment because his roommate had taken to drunkenly leaving things on a hot stove.)

‘Help! My Apartment Smells Worse Than the Subway’

What’s your apartment living pet peeve? Your next door nuisance? What do you do about the nosey neighbor who rifles through your mail? Or the guy who practices the trombone at 7 a.m. on weekends? In our latest series, Ask a Friendly Landlord, a peaceab…

What's your apartment living pet peeve? Your next door nuisance? What do you do about the nosey neighbor who rifles through your mail? Or the guy who practices the trombone at 7 a.m. on weekends? In our latest series, Ask a Friendly Landlord, a peaceable expert suggests resolutions to the issues that arise when humans share space.

Some of the hardest things about living in apartment buildings is the lack of control we have on the environment. Thin walls and close quarters mean that we can hear the couple next door fighting about who has to take out the trash at night, and hear their alarm going off every 15 minutes the next morning. Of course, it can also provide intrigue—never forget Miranda Hobbes meeting the hunky Dr. Robert Leeds at a tenant board meeting—but things like sounds and smells are the most frequent reminders that so often, in apartment buildings, we’re living in someone else’s world.

‘Help! My Neighbors Are Ruining My Sleep’

Those of us who live in apartments are used to adapting our lives to small spaces. We hang both our bikes and our ladles on the wall; we hold dinner parties on the floor; we haul our laundry down the street; and seethe with jealousy at the mere mention of a backyard. Walking into someone’s suburban garage, we turn into Ariel: Look at this stuff, isn’t it neat?