The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1904-09-11
Rents in Washington.

Are rents of houses abnCrmaliy high
IN Washington as compared with other
cites Of Ike size and Importance?
The question has been asked repeated
y OF late. and e has been asserted by
Iersons from other big towns who
.,avc come here with view TO either
Ser-uorary or permanent residence. that
Il r1ust be answered in the affirmative.
Irquiry among real estate agents dis
closes tire TACT that they are divided in
opinion or this subject. BY far the
greater majority Of them. however.
hold that rents here are not higher
than warranted by prevailing condi-
tions and. furthermore. that they are
not abnormaily high when compared
with other cities where the relative dis
tanccs from the business center OF the
city approximate those In Washington.
Charles S. Shreve. Of New York Ave
nue. anc Seventh Street northwest who
has had an experience with the rent
ing OF houses IN this city extending
ever forty years. said that II might be
possible that rents here are unusually
high. but he felt unable 70 assign any
reason for It. lie thought. moreover.
that this applied perhaps only TO GER
tain classes Of property. One reason.
he said. was 20 be found in the great
Scarcity Of Cheap Houses.
1T is almost impossible" said Mr..
Shreve Ito satisfy the demand for
houses ranging IN price from Sl5 10 so
& month. on the other hand, houses
renting above that. especially those for
which from 81 500 10 $500 Il year IS
asked. are a glut on the market. The
reason for this is 10 be found. no doubt.
in the fact that d very large proper
tion Of families who hitherto have
tenanted houses OF this class prefer
the higher grade Of apartment Houses
whers ttEy can enjoy the same com
fcrts aEG domestic luxuries at smaller
expenditure Of money. trouble. ard
worry. The scarcity Of the cheaper
houses Oh the contrary. Is empha sized
by thu fact that apartment houses OF
a similar grade are filed with tenants
almost before they are completed. You
must have noticed the enormous num-
Der of two and three-storX Hats that
are going hp. There is no end TO them.
The apartments in these 20 OF Ike hot
cakes. and yet there is no diminution
IN the demand for the class Of houses
that rent al about the same level"
A Different View.
Rather a different view is taken BY
G. W r. Swartzell. OF the B. H War
charge Of the renting department OF
that firm and, therefore, his opinion IS
that OF an expert.
Rents are not nigh in Washington
said he either actually or relatively
They are not. I'm fact as high as they
were ten, fifteen, or twenty years ago
Notwithstanding that building material
Of every description is extremely high
now and better style OF house +,
demanded both by Official regulations
and By families who have gradually
become accustomed to The ampier con
veniences OF domestic existence
Here in Washington, as elsewhere
the standard OF tefanL Axes the stand
ard OF rent Thus. houses the renta
Of which is from SIS 20 $40 or $50 ar,
always in demand, especially those tina
rent about S35. and we can barely keey
up the supply. There Is not much de
mand for high-priced houses, for peOpl,
who formerly rented them now eithel
buy or go into the high-priced apart
ment houses Houses from $50 -upwa II
DO no more than pay fair percentage
on the Investment, while houses below
that rental are more profitable.
1T must also be remembered tina
the standard OF the medium priced hous
has been raised considerably within tn
lats ten years. II has far more con
veniences; IL IS more ntistically finished
and its construction has become NOR,
expensive by reason OF the more strin
gent building regulations. Heavier wall