Evening star., 1942-09-06
Apartment Scarcity
Gives Rise 10 Fear Of
Rent Black Marker
Commission Frowns on
Offers Of Bonuses or
To Buy furnishings

To Buy Furnishings
An apartment in Washington, like
q gallon of gasoline, is a commodity
which has value greater than
gold.
This condition Is reflected daily
In the classified advertisements,
where desperate citizens are Of
fering everything except grandma S
uppers as an inducement.
People are offering as much as
$500 a year rental for two-bed-
room apartments They are offer
ing to pay fabulous prices for furni-
ture-if years lease on an apart
ment is thrown in. They are Of
fering cash for advance informa-
tion about someone who is thinking
OF vacating an apartment.
The Rent Control Commission is
casting a suspicious eye on many
of the devices being employed. 1t
is indicated that there may be a
breakdown before long, lest a black
market develop here in apartments
IEOWH OH bonus OHcTS.
One type of offer which the COM
mission and the Washington Real
Estate Board has declared out of
bounds Is that which involves Of
fering bonus for an apartment.
will pay s25-s35 commission for
unfurnished 3-rm. apt" says one
advertisement. Sometimes, the Of
fer of bonus will amount to sew
eral hundred dollars. To offer or
accept such a bonus is violation
of the spirit of the Rent Control
Act.
There are no vacant apartments
In Washington, there haven't been
any for some time. There are plenty
of rooms and MISUNDERSTANDING"
flats available. The principal squeeze
is In the higher priced apartments.
Citizens with money to burn can't
find place to live.
"WPB official desires furnished q
bedroom apt. in large apt. bldg;
rental no object" says one ad.
Couple wish or bedroom fur
nished apartment; / or year lease;
willing to pay annual rental UP to
$780," says another.
Willing to Buy Furniture.
Some people, looking for a fur,
nished place, offer to buy the occu-'
pants furniture in addition to pay
ing the top rent on the place.
will pay 81 900 to $4,000 cash for
contents 1-bedroom apt. if apt. itself
is available soon on lease" says an
ad.
The Rent Control Commission has
learned that some unscrupulous
brokers are paying rewards for in
formation on apartments which are
to be vacated They handle the
renting of the place, making big
commission.
There are number of advertise
ments soliciting advance informa-
ton on apartment vacancies. A
typical one reads:
Responsible party is greatly in
terested in receiving any suggestion
from vacating tenant, manager.
agent or any other person, result
ing in lease of to bedroom apt.
Am especially interested in imme-
diate knowledge pending or prob
able Army Navy transfers"
Another ). advertisement reflects
the plight of a young career women"
who plead with some kind soul
to rent them furnished apt; we pre-
fer Dupont Circle vic. so we can
walk to work as We need the eX-
ercise."
Years Rent in Advance.
Quiet, refined college graduates
and delightfully."- quiet baby want
large bedroom or 2bedroom unfurn.
apt. NV. section; will consider
years advance rent" states one ad-
vertisement.
The search for houses to rent is
nearly as desperate. One adver-
tisement for a house says:
House for diplomat, about
rooms, unfinished, garage; NV. dis
tricr, Chevy Chase or Georgetown
pref. Even Arlington"
Persons who have property to
lease can afford to pick and choose
their tenants very carefully and the
wording of an advertisement, rather
than the terms, may spell the diff
ference between success and failure
for the seeker.
One newly arrived couple put in
an advertisement which said:
Couple with two children want
unfurn. house NV. section"
i
received no response. A friend of
theirs. who was going downtown on
another errand, offered to rewrite
the advertisement for them and
run it again.
The following day the people were
embarrassed when they read the ad
written by their friend:
Cultured, conservative family de-
sire residence in refined, exclusive
neighborhood. Exchange references. >
The telephone didn't stop ringing
for two days and when the hub
bub had died down the family found
itself renting pleasant little
Georgetown house at a price which
was half what they were willing to
pay.
Which may 60 long way to ex-
plain the new note which has crept
into the wording of classified ad-
vertisements.