Evening star., 1934-10-13
FALL RUSH BRINGS
BIC DEMAND FOR
RESIDENCE SPACE
Rent Increases No Larger
Than in Other Sections;
5to 10 Per Cent.
POPULATION RAISED
BY FEDERAL ACTIVITY
Return Of Congress Soon to Create
Problem of Caring for Addi-
tional Thousands.
BY JAMES Y. NEWTON.

Although Washington is facing the
greatest demand for residential space
since the World War, a survey of the
large rental Offices Of the city reveals
that the increase in rents here has
been no larger than in other sections
Of the country which the National AS
sociation of Real Estate Boards reports
to be from 5 to 10 per cent.
The latest available figures show
that Washington is about 81 per cent
rented, with practically all of the more
desirable apartments occupied. There
has been a larger Fall rush than was
anticipated and housing people are at
a loss to know where will be placed
the several thousand additional per-
sons who will converge on the city
with the convening of Congress.
During the past year there has been
q constant stream of employees of the
Federal Government and of private
businesses here to nearby sections of
Maryland and Virginia, particularly to
Alexandria. But all residential space
has been absorbed in the suburbs. One
Alexandria real estate man said that
numbers of persons are turned down
by his Office daily, whom he is unable
to supply with rental space. He said:
IT could rent 500 units almost imme-
diately if they we're available
New Apartments Planned.
Plans for the construction of a num-
Der of large apartment buildings are
"on the fire." but apparently the build
erS are faced with the difficult problem
of obtaining financial backing. They
state that it is still almost an impossi-
blllty to secure money with which to
construct buildings of any great size
that contain high-class living quar-
ters. 1t is expected, however, that i'm
portant announcements regarding new
apartments will be forthcoming shortly.
The Building Owners and Managers
Association states that there has been
little more than 5 per cent increase
in rents here within recent months,
and they attribute this increase to
higher operating costs rather than to
voluntary raising of rents on the part
of landlords due to greater demand
They point out that the cost of heating
an apartment in the $50 class alone
has increased dollar, and that a still
larger increase has been noted in work
that comes under the building trades.
For Illustration, the association
stated that certain apartment build
ing consumes 373 tons of coal per
year. The type of coal used costs
$l.55 per ton more this year than was
received last year. This price makes
the heating bill $568.15 more. The
apartments rent for $4,000 a year,
thereby making the heating increase
over l per cent of the total rent re-
ceived.
1t was pointed 9out that there is
still a quantity of space available
in boarding houses throughout the
city, and that some CT the additional
persons who will arrive in the Capital
with the coming of Congress may be
absorbed in that way.
General Rent Stiffening.
The Institute of Real Estate Man
agement of the National Association
OF Real Estate Boards discovered by
its survey that rents have stiffened
very generally" over the country.
The rise is not uniform as to types.
1t has shown itself more strongly for
single family dwellings in good con-
nition and for certain apartment types
for which supply is disappearing.
The institute stated that "the news
while bad news though it is to the
family budget, is good news in the
economics of recovery. 1t lays the
foundation without which there can
be no revival of the construction in
dustry on any extensive scale. Ex-
cept of course, for individual families
or firms for their own needs and use.'
Herbert U. Nelson, secretary of the
association points out that construc-
ton cannot get into swing until we
reach the point where earning power
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