Those are likely all scams with stolen pics and an inability to see the unit until after you pay a deposit and first month's rent. Then you never get the keys.

Have you actually looked into them? Most of the time they’re 1 bedroom on an individual lease in a house if it’s actually that low and not a scam.

You are not going to find anywhere that’s your own place (i.e. a real 1 bed 1 bath living unit) for under $1000 in DC proper and you’d still be lucky to find it in most surrounding areas.

That sounds too good to be true!

And if it's too good to be true, it's probably not true.

A studio is probably $1800-2000 in NW. A one bedroom $2400 and a 2 bedroom $3200.

Even a room with roommates will be $1000 or more

If it’s too good to be true, then it’s a scam. I recommend finding any place to live through Zillow or another similarly reputable site.

I would read up on common craigslist housing scams. As another person mentioned, a super common one is to ask for a deposit before you can see the unit. Thats not something a legitimate listing would ask for. I also heard of one case where the scammer used a version of an email for a legitimate real estate agent and used their license number (which I think is public info) to try to scam people to think they are legit.

>I keep thinking, is there a likely catch to any studio/1br or larger that's under $1,000/month?

The catch is that no such place exists and it's a scam.

It’s a scam or just a room in a house. There is no legitimate studio or 1 bedroom for $1k.

I'm finding places in Prince George's County and elsewhere for $1200 a less on Trulia. All scams? https://www.trulia.com/for_rent/38.80253,38.99891,-77.07369,-76.87868_xy/0-1200_price/12_zm/

Not at all. But they’re also not in D.C. I'm in a four bedroom house for a little over $2000/mo—out beyond Rockville.

It depends on the place. Many places, like the ones I manage, have listings under $1k due to rent control. At the very least you can always inquire. Just be sure not to give money up front, by any means, without taking a tour!

Scam - I moved across town and my old place in Dupont has zero openings & the building next door has 1 open for way more than I was paying and it’s not as good. I had a pool on my roof, free parking, doorman - the other building has only indoor parking. If you look on the hill, you’ll see the staffers are back. It was dead a year ago. Now hundreds of suites up 28-year-olds with their badges on display.

You’d be hard pressed to find a $1000 1BR anywhere in the United States. DC rents are actually below other major cities, particularly if you incorporate inner ring suburbs.

You’ll never find a place that isn’t a scam for under $1k for a one bedroom or even a studio

Studios in NE can be found for around $1200-$1400 with no parking space, $1000 seems like youd be living with at least a few critters as roommates

Instead of looking on cragislist, try looking somewhere more repuatable like apartments.com or zillow

The only time I found one of those that actually existed it was an illegal sublease for the English basement of the house. I still took it bc it was a hell of a deal but the landlord was a pain in the ass

Scam 100%

Nah, you can get 1BR for under $1000 in many cities. Load up these parameters in Zillow for Midwest cities like St Louis or Cleveland and you'll be flooded with options.

> DC rents are actually below other major cities, particularly if you incorporate inner ring suburbs.

Huh? The DC metro area is one of the most expensive areas of the country for rent and COL (the more useful indicator imo) by almost any measurement. The only US cities that are more expensive are NYC, San Francisco, LA and Honolulu.

Craigslist ads in many cities need extra scrutiny, and will involve a number of failed contacts. I don’t know what the scammers are after, but their reply emails are rarely believable.

Boston is more expensive than DC.

But yes, DC has some of the highest rents in the country.

Some of those are clearly fake and some of those are in rough neighborhoods

Local to me. Those all look at least semi-reasonable. Some of those are not exactly near Metro (although some of them are walking distance either W. Hyattsville or PGP) so you're looking at Bus-to-Metro if you're commuting downtown in some cases. Those buildings aren't the best, but I suppose you know you're not getting luxury amenities at that price point unless you're willing to go a long way outside the city. You could do much worse. PG County has a bad rap, but this part of is alright for the most part.

I live in Arlington and pay 1800 for a one bed

A room in a group house for 1k in dc is totally doable and legit. A studio? No way. 1.5k might get you a shitty basement studio but like a nice one a couple floors up? Hell no those are 2k+

Many years ago when I moved back to DC, I turned down a real apt offer because I saw so many cheaper ones on craigslist. They turned out to be scams. Reverse image search pictures and trust your gut when it says it's too good to be true.

Yes. Beware of people who say they’re the property owners but can’t allow you to access the unit. Property records are public info which means anyone can just pluck a name from an address and pretend to be that person online.

Yeah. They’re the same picture as well.

You can absolutely get good deals on CL but that sounds scammy. Don’t sign or pay anything without seeing it and talking to the actual landlord.

Most of those, if not all, are scams. Now, it’s possible to find an apartment that’s $800, but they won’t legally be apartments. I knew of a guy who lived in a partially unfinished basement for that amount. So, luxury apartments are impossible to be true.

You can get 1500 studios in NW. Look in Cathedral Hgts/Glover Park

Reverse image search, you can see if they are a scam pretty quickly

That's great ! Good to.know

Ah yes “the heart of downtown Main Street” DC. Classic DC

Yeah you MIGHT find studios in that price range but like you said, they’re going to be in questionable areas. And it’s just not worth it to be scared to go to your corner store for butter after dark. My partner and I got really lucky on Craigslist and found a basement apartment with utilities included. Naw, the rent isn’t under $1000 but not having to pay utilities has been a LIFESAVER. I think your best luck is to find a place like that!

This is a huuuuge one that nobody thinks of. I have the google app (only way I know how to do it on iPhone) and you tap the camera on the far right of the search bar. Also great for finding products you don’t know the name of!

I’ve seen plenty of studios and one bedrooms in other parts of the country,even cities, with rent below $1000…..

A good move is just to copy and paste part of the text into Google. You’ll often find the exact same listing in cities around the country showing it’s 100 percent a scam

I was once listing a sublease on Craigslist and got a too-good-to-be-true offer from someone who was going to pay me a few months' rent to help them get on the lease when they couldn't appear in person. I probably responded a little longer than I should have before bailing out, but I've always wondered what the eventual scam was.

It was a dirt cheap lease in Cincinnati more than a decade ago, so even being as broke as I was, I had an urge to "pay to see."

It’s either a room for rent only or a scam. No there’s nowhere in metro DC upon can get a whole apartment for $1000.

I moved into Allure Apollo in Suitland when I first moved to the DMV and I paid around 3k for a two bedroom, but it was a luxury building. PG county is getting worse; if I were you I’d try the VA side and commute. PG county is cheap, but rarely that cheap. The person with a 4br should share their secret, because I’ve never seen anything that low ever.

Those prices don’t even exist in rural America.

On this do a Google image search to weed out the fakes.

Yeah unfortunately a lot of these are scams. If you can't tour the place, definite scam (no matter the excuse).

You can get a good deal, but you're not gonna get an insane good deal.

I pay 900 but I had to look on Craigslist for months

This.

If you're paying anything less than $1000 and getting over 700 square feet in space, it's definitely a scam.

Notice that none of those listings include even the neighborhood the apartment is located in. I mean, we don't need the address. But you could at least say Trinidad, or Shaw, or something.

Even for a "rough" neighborhood, some of those listings are unrealistic.

You can absolutely get a studio for less than $1800. It may not have the nicest amenities, but units in older buildings or basement apartments can be had for $1400ish. Also there are other places than NW.

I only know prices for NW . I had a 4br 3 baths condo . Rooms 1450 each and master 1650. So a studio for that price ?

I rented in a 5br/2ba for $4650 in ward 3 for a while. There absolutely are studios in rent controlled buildings in the $1300-1400 range.

Very few rent controlled in NW I think

Incorrect.

This company has about 4 in NW and about 30 or more NE/SE

https://wcsmith.com/wc-smith-rent-control-apartment-communities/

I got a 300ft studio near national cathedral for $1k when I was divorcing! And then gave the rest of my lease to another guy getting divorced! ...hope he passed it on...

Yes, that’s one company. But this argument is dumb. Point is OP can find something for less than $1800 if they are willing to give up certain amenities like in-unit laundry or a dishwasher.

I’ve lived in this area forever and I truly can’t remember the last time any studio or 1B room cost that low. Even IZ and ADUs are above that. You are better off getting a room in house or staying with family. $1000 is not realistic to be alone in the city.

K

I was in a similar situation in terms of how much I could spend to live here. I'm married with kids, had to come here for about a year for work, family stayed back home, and I visit home about once a month. So the name of the game was trying to find a relatively cheap place, in a not bad neighborhood.

Anyway, my target was NoVa, because I work south of the city. So if you're interested in that at all, maybe I can help. The basic tiers I found here were:

- $800 will get you a place with roommates, in a not super desirable, but not bad, part of town.

- $1000 will get you a place with roommates in more desirable areas (say, closer to metro)

- $1200 will get you your own 1BR place in less desirable areas (think West Alexandria)

- $1600 will get you 1BR in more desirable areas, but in old buildings (this is where I landed)

- $1900 and up opens things up considerably. 1BR in places like Old Town, nicer parts of Arlington and, sometimes, DC-proper.

Thank you!

[deleted]

>I'm just curious if anyone things I can find something in a decently safe neighborhood, these days, for under $1,000 in which I can live alone.

You're from the area and really can't tell that these are obvious scams? I've been in D.C. for eight years and rents were already stupid expensive back then.

It's good that you thought to ask before engaging with them, but no - you will not find any "decent" apartments for anything close to $1,000. (To be honest, ~$2k should probably be your baseline.)

The area’s changed quite a bit from ‘06.

Actually, a friend just had to deal with someone who DID get the keys. The owner of the unit put a lock box outside for self guided tours. Someone signed up, stole the keys to make a copy, returned them, then rented the unit and gave the tenant the copy of the keys. She moved in the same day the unit was being turned over for the ACTUAL tenants who signed with the ACTUAL owner. No one knew why she was there or how she got in, but when it was all explained it was heartbreaking. She thought she was moving her family into a nice home but had no where to go at the end of the day.

I mean I paid $600/mo for a lovely basement apartment near the Cathedral. Super safe neighborhood, awesome landlords.

In 1995...

>I'm a D.C. area local who moved away for a few years and has recently returned.

I took this to mean you've only been gone for ~3 years. My bad!

You can still find 2 beds under 2k. 1k is a scam. Even group houses cost more!

I am renting 425 sft 1br/1ba apt in Kalorama Heights/Columbia for about 1200. Came unfurnished. Lots of repairs needed in the past year. When I moved in, there was a going hole in the wall where something had been attached and ripped out by prior tenant.

Lol!

Any building built before 1975 can be a rent controlled building if all the other statutory requirements are met. Most of the apartment buildings built in upper Caucasia, upper GA Ave, 16th st, etc. were built before 1975.

But, being under rent control still allows landlords to increase the rent so they are at market level or close .

Those are better places but more exoewbsid and won’t have as many for rent by owner. Zillow doesn’t do roommates.

Girl (or guy) bye! You’ve lost the plot. DC is one of rhe most expensive markets in the country. And you can find rents under $1000 in many places.

All true, but OP wants to live alone, in a safer neighborhood, for as close to $1000 as possible. The new construction studio condos in Bladensburg NE going for $1150-$1300 fulfill almost everything OP is asking for, on platforms with a lower scam risk

I think I found my current basement apartment on Craigslist or Facebook. I forget which. But it wasn’t through a traditional realtor site like realtor or Zillow. It might’ve been through. Hot pads. They’re starting to post rooms for rent. The OP needs a basement apartment and those are often listed alongside rooms for rent. I’ve also rented rooms in basements that were apartment like and I shared the kitchen with the family upstairs or I shared the entrance. I think alternatives to rooms are best. I’ve doing it off and on for a decade. I have my own living space with separate entrance. All utilities included. I haven’t paid a utility bill in 14 years.

I don’t pay market rate for an apartment which can be $1800 to $2100 in this neighborhood. But it’s not as nice as a hookup’s new $1950 hi rise apartment nearby. Another apartment charging the same rent doesn’t have an in unit washer dryer. Laundromats and utility bills are for the birds.

Not quite. I live in a studio in NW for $1350 that I found on Craigslist during the winter - it's a tiny illegal basement unit, but it's clean, safe, has a good kitchen, and would be a legal unit if it just didn't have a short ceiling. Landlord is great; can't complain.

You just said it's not legal, so cheaper . No back exit?

Actually, DC rental rates are below those in other comparable cities. Even places like Miami, Atlanta, and Phoenix are at or above average rent in DC. That doesn’t mean it’s cheap. It means other places have increased more than DC. Nationwide the trend of private equity-owned housing and cheap lending have resulted in massive increases. DC’s relatively low increase is a result of large rental housing stock and a market with fixed housing reimbursement (military, government on assignment, corporate).

Nationwide average rent is $1978. DC’s is $2571. Here is a look at various rental markets: https://www.rent.com/research/average-rent-price-report/

Of course there are options under $1000 in some buildings and markets. But check out nationwide rents and it’s a long way down to that level: https://www.rent.com/research/average-rent-price-report/

Average rent in Cleveland and St. Louis is over $1550. They have seen 14% year over year increases. I’m sure there are select properties that rent less than a grand. But prices are skyrocketing everywhere.

Average rents are higher than DC in a dozen metro areas, including LA, Seattle, Denver, Miami, Boston, NYC, and SF. Orlando, Salt Lake, Phoenix, and Atlanta are closing in fast. That doesn’t make rent cheap or affordable. But DC has not experienced the same skyrocketing rental rates as other cities (yet).

Average rent would include all housing stock.

Again, I invite you to load up Zillow and take a look for yourself. I put those parameters in for DC and I got two (2) options: one in Columbia Heights that already has a couple dozen applications and one in Barry Farms. For St Louis, I got 276 results. DC sounds "hard-pressed" to me, St Louis doesn't.

What year was that?

1977

2016, was actually liveable but I was too old for that shit. Was right next to that grocery store (giant I think?)

Lol

no, it doesn't.

Lots of scammers out there willing to take a deposit

😂

5 + 10% are huge increases Landlords are guaranteed a certain return which is over 12% think . HUGE PROFIT

Landlords may only raise the rent by the amount specified by the DCRA each year, which is based on the Consumer Price Index. Increases in rent-controlled apartments cannot exceed 10 percent. For tenants who are elderly or disabled, allowable increases are more limited and cannot exceed 5 percent.

If a unit becomes vacant, the law does allow property owners to raise the rent on rent-controlled units, even if the last increase was less than one year ago. The owner may then increase the rent by 10 percent or up to 30 percent to match the rent of a comparable unit. But then no other increases are allowed for a full year.

https://gordonjamesrealty.com/resource/raising-the-rent-in-washington-dc/

DC has rent control, but if landlords aren’t making a 12% profit they can file a hardship petition and raise rent

https://ggwash.org/view/43149/dc-has-rent-control-but-if-landlords-arent-making-a-12-profit-they-can-file-a-hardship-petition-and-raise-rent

Front and back exits, locking storage room for my bike, working carbon monoxide and fire detectors, sweet farmhouse sink, shared laundry with the tenants upstairs, patio out back where I can grow things...

i live in a rent-controlled studio apartment with laundry in the basement in cathedral heights for $1350/mo (including $30 pet rent), 1.8k as a 'base' for a decent studio is ridiculous.

Great! What neighborhood?

Did you see my comment about my 4BR/3FB condo? Each bedroom was $1450, and Master bedroom was $1650

cool, that's really expensive and in no way representative of the norm

That was market price from 2011 for 10 years . Different groups of tenants and never empty

i'm sure most luxury apartments are seldom empty too. i don't doubt that your apartment was that expensive, and maybe rightfully so, but it likely was either in a particular area or with extra amenities (in-unit laundry, gym, pool, renovated appliances) that justified that price.

16th/U was location, and yes, remodeled .

10% max compared to the rate at non rent controlled appts, which is anything the landlord wants to charge. My rent controlled apt rose at about 4-5% a year. At the time non-rent controlled appts were raising 20-40%. Once rent freezes stopped after the shutdown some people were seeing increases above 40%. Rent control keeps rents to a manageable level & maintains affordable housing stock.

Good for you .

I have a dear friend who moved from Phoenix to Tampa. I am well aware of rhe Tampan and Phoenician markets. The increases are shocking. More shocking in rhe sunnelt than DC. So you’re right that the sun belt has seen a sharper increase in rent versus the DC area. However, DC is still more expensive trust and believe.

Like Wale said “Come to DC and I’ll make you a believer.”

Petworth :)

Welp, if you actually understood how rent control works you, too, could take advantage of it. Just a suggestion.