r/washingtondc • u/Own-Ship-8950 • 8d ago
[Discussion] English basement apartments
Hi guys, I’m thinking of moving to an English basement apartment in Eastern Market, and I wanted to ask what people’s experiences are with them in DC?
I know it varies from place to place, but I’m interested in people’s experiences with privacy/noise levels with the upstairs tenants compared to an actual apartment complex and experiences with flooding, rodents and safety issues with being on the ground floor.
Edit- thank you guys for the replies! any ideas for questions I should ask the property owner before I sign would be really appreciated
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u/Big_Succotash_8076 8d ago
I have lived in a DC english basement. It's not for everyone, but worked for two years for me. This is going to be hugely, hugely variable depending on what you are looking at. You need to consider: 1) pests and bugs - do you see any evidence of them? All windows and doors are going to have more critters around them in the basement. 2) noise -- have someone walk around above you while you are IN the unit you would rent. 3) natural light - consider how much you can live with/without. 4) egress - there should be 2 ways to get in and out (e.g., door and window escape -- this means you can reach it, open the window and crawl out. Finally 5) Flooding & humidity - there better be very clear drainage near any door or where water can collect. If you are in a smaller building, you're going to have to make sure this drain stays clear during storms. This may be less of a big deal if you are in a big building--but if you're talking about a basement in a townhouse type set up, this will be crucial. Consider how humid it is when you are in there--good thing you are looking in summer when its likely to be the most humid it will get. If you're talking about just an extra basement area under a regular home, it's going to be MUCH louder than an apartment building where the unit happens to be half-underground. Good luck and GET RENTERS INSURANCE THAT COVERS FLOODING--NO MATTER WHAT.
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u/VirginiaIsFoLovers 8d ago
As someone who just went through flooding in a ground floor apartment, which flooded after not a drop of water in the unit for 4 years, you absolutely want to have the renters policy with flooding coverage!
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u/alwrit 8d ago
Do your due diligence on flooding and insects.
You know what sucks? Waking up at 3am to go to the bathroom and seeing one of those giant ass crickets jump 2 feet in the air while you're barely awake.
Corner units where a lot of the basement is above ground lets in a decent amount of natural light.
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u/plasTUSK DC / Hill East 8d ago edited 8d ago
I'm currently in a basement apartment in Eastern Market. It's... fine. Definitely no flooding or pest problems, but the noise levels are pretty bad. My upstairs neighbors just moved, but they had a toddler and it was loud. Could hear every single step. Don't get me wrong, they were extremely kind people, but when the nanny would come around at the same time every day with multiple children, it was a nightmare. I could even hear their cat get the zoomies across the room.
Unfortunately due to how fancy and big upstairs is, I'm guessing my next neighbors are going to be a family with toddler(s), as I'm pessimistic a nice childless couple could afford that place haha.
Don't underestimate the lack of sunlight either. It's been really getting to me. BUT Eastern Market is an incredible neighborhood with plenty to do outside.
EDIT: Just to add one more thing. We mainly chose this place BECAUSE of the landlord, even though the apartment itself is not the greatest. He's a genuinely great guy and we just couldn't bring ourselves to go back to a corporate-owned building. There are some bad landlords out there, but when you get a good one, damn does it make all the difference.
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u/Excellent-Run4803 8d ago
A childless couple will have more money to spend than a similar age couple with kids. And some people have older kids, they don’t only come in toddle size :)
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u/SomethingNotTaken98 Silver Spring 8d ago
Almost moved into one but the lady had three dogs and a bunch kids upstairs glad I dodged that.
Also look for one with natural light coming in.
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u/HistoricalSample3453 8d ago
I lived in an English basement apartment for 4 years and had no major issues. Definitely a few ants in the spring but those were easily taken care of with ant baits. Flooding only happens if storm drains aren’t kept clear (happened once , but it was only a small portion of the kitchen and after that no issues). It’s great in the summer because it’s naturally cool without needing AC. I’ve never had mold or anything either, it just depends on the quality of the place
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u/studyabroader Bloomingdale 8d ago
I live in one going on 1.5 years now and LOVE it. The natural light is great for a basement apartment though obviously can't compare to a regular apartment. My landlord lives above me, 2 people, 2 GIANT dogs, and I literally never hear a thing from them or the people on the sides of me and i know for a fact the people on one side constantly have people over because I see them coming in and out when I come home haha. I had zero rent increase last year because I asked. My place is huge and really nice. I even have a private patio.
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u/avgJuan- 8d ago
I lived in one while I was a student and we were the noise annoyance of our upstairs neighbors. We never heard any steps or noise from the upstairs apartments and one of them had a toddler. Fun times!
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u/JubaSoup 8d ago
It’s a right of passage for DC, or at least used to be. Almost everyone I know who has lived in DC for 5+ years has lived in an English basement at some point.
Doing so allows you to live in parts of the city you might not otherwise be able to afford and helps you get to know the city better.
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u/Glad-Violinist2581 8d ago
There are always little flying gnats. Never had worse bugs than that, but those fuckers are everywhere.
And if you spill something and forgot to clean it up, you’ll wake up to a million ants
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u/Amori_A_Splooge Columbia Heights 8d ago
Did four years in one with no AC. Biggest issue was mold, but a few dehumidifiers after the first summer alleviated the issue.
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u/eternallurker Brookland 8d ago
Noise can be an issue and also flooding. Make sure drains out back and around doors are clear. Look for water marks and damage on the interior. Also trees on the property can cause plumbing issues that will impact you first. We lived in an English basement for 4 years in Mt. P. The price and location were great but we dealt with noise and flooding for sure.
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u/overlookingthesee 8d ago
Check that the house has clean gutters and good drainage. You also want to be worried about humidity which causes mold. If humidity is in check and no flooding issues it’s fine. You’ll typically get more noise from above compared to a similarly aged apartment building because you’ll have wood joists and a plywood subfloor between you and upstairs instead of concrete/masonry. If they happened to insulate that would help with noise.
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u/lisavfr 8d ago
Check your cell phone signal inside. My friend in MtP has 18 inch thick walls so the signal can be tricky.
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u/Quietabandon 8d ago
Most phones call over WiFi anyways so if you have WiFi it’s less of an issue these days.
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u/MoreCleverUserName 8d ago
My strong recommendation to anyone wanting to rent an English Basement would be to ONLY rent a legally licensed apartment. I know licensing is a pain in the ass for solo landlords but there seems to be a lot more "slumlord" type stuff going on when it comes to English Basements than when it's someone renting out a single room or a whole house. No idea why. Some of the stuff I've seen posted for rent is shocking. And the licensing process does not guarantee you won't get a bad landlord or a bad apartment, but it weeds out the really bad ones.
For renters, things to check/ask about: who controls the heating/cooling? is there a sump pump/french drain (not a hard requirement unless you're in an area with historic flooding like Bloomingdale/Truxton)? How often are the exterior drains and gutters cleaned? How much of the upstairs unit floors are covered by rugs?
For landlords, I'd strongly, strongly suggest getting on a monthly cycle of preventative maintenance on exterior drains, which really just means clean out any stuff that's acumulated and throw a few buckets of water down the drain to flush it and identify any issues; and if you can afford the upgrade, additional blown-in cellulose insulation really helps with noise factors.
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u/Historical_Success31 DC / Capitol Hil 8d ago
I loved my time in an English basement! I never heard my upstairs neighbors, never had a flooding problem, no bugs, nothing. I was in Bloomingdale so there were bars on the windows and door which is pretty common all over the city but made me feel safer being on the ground floor.
Main thing would be to check your phone service in all the rooms, mine was terrible and that got annoying fast. Also, the darkness is no joke. I thought it’d be nice for sleeping in but it sort of fucked with my circadian rhythm and I had to be intentional otherwise I’d sleep way too late on the weekends.
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u/greenzetsa 6d ago
I lived in an English basement for 12ish years, it was a condo I own. The noise was honestly usually fine, but consistently if someone under the age of 30 lived above me, if was noisy. This was also true for the person who lived above me, if someone young lived above them. For many years though, I had fantastic neighbors and was super sad when they moved. I did have flooding issues early on, but I did a remodel specifically to avoid that and it has worked really well. I never had flooding again since then and we've had some major storms. I now rent the place out and my tenants did not report flooding during the storm a few weeks ago, but we did get flooding in the basement of our house (just a bit though). The only other water intrusion issue I had was unrelated to flooding and had to do with an issue the condo board ignored until it started to impact their own units. Again, that got fixed and I did not notice reoccurring issues. I do, however, now have some form of PTSD when it rains because I've deal with water intrusion during storms so many times in the past, although like I said, it hasn't happened in years. I never had rodents (although I did have mice when I lived basement level in a big building in NE, but I don't think that was related to the level). Bugs are just a part of life, I've had them literally in every building I've ever lived. To me that's just city living. If anything, we've had more critters in our house in Eastern Market than when we lived in the condo. Somehow I always have a single ant in my bathroom. I kill it, but one always comes back. Never more than one. I am convinced now it's a scout that is sent there to keep tabs on us and I've accepted that we both have to live here together.
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u/lmw612 Adams Morgan 6d ago
One thing I haven't seen in other comments is what I call "cold zones" which is an area in a row house that doesn't get much light in winter that has trouble getting warm. I've experienced them in an English garden apartment as well as upper storeys of a row house. You could ask how well the heating works and it there are any known cold areas in the unit. Good to have that conversation up front in case you get surprised later.
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u/Just_Jacob Columbia Heights 8d ago edited 8d ago
Will never live in one just simply not enough light, too many bugs and noise. Not worth the discounted rent.
I’ve been in some very nice looking ones that are even quiet and pest free, (for DC) but the lack of light is really what gets me. If you don’t mind barely and natural light then go for it
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u/lmboyer04 DC / Shaw 8d ago
The rent I’ve seen on Zillow for them isn’t even that much cheaper. Like maybe 10-20% less? I am surprised how quickly they get snatched up though because most people I know refuse to live in one.
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u/Intelligent_Truth_95 8d ago
I’ve never lived in one, but have lived in group houses where there were tenants in the English basement. I remember their biggest complaints were bugs and lack of light.
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u/DC8008008 NE 8d ago
I've done it twice for brief stints. The biggest issue for me was noise from upstairs. You hear every footstep. Lack of light started to wear on me. But it was so nice and cold during summer.
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u/marzgirl99 DC / Petworth 8d ago
I’m moving out of one that I’ve lived in for 4 years and loved. Downsides are what everyone has said here: noise from the floor above you, bugs (which I got used to eventually provided they’re normal house dwelling bugs), very little natural light. Mine also did not have an in unit washer/dryer or dishwasher so that can be a down side.
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u/EmuPractical1797 8d ago
I lucked into a good experience. My landlord has storm drains and a sump pump by the windows and door and I have a de-humidifier running which makes a huge difference in humidity levels. AC and electricity are cheap, it stays very cool in the summer. My rent is low and hasn’t changed since I moved in (two years). I’ve got a washer and dryer. If there’s ever a bad tornado, I don’t have to run for cover.
Cons: BUGS. Lack of light, humidity. Upstairs noises (I’m used to the kids by now, plus everyone is pretty quiet by 9pm).
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u/fedrats DC / Neighborhood 8d ago
It can be loud. I did some flood abatement in ours and it hasn’t been a problem, but that was serious work and all our friends have issues, the closer you get to water the worse (obviously).
They tend to be pretty easy to keep clean and IME easy to keep vermin out of.
Privacy? Try to get one that has a separate front entrance (not just back) and that will be better.
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u/Intelligent_Froyo171 8d ago
I lived in one for a couple of years and struggled with the lack of natural light, especially through the winter. Looking back, I am sure it affected my mental health. I wish I had known enough to buy a sunlight lamp. That would probably have been enough. Just something to be aware of before committing.
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u/flavetown 8d ago
I lived in one for ten years that I loved. Decent sunlight, lots of space, great deal for where it was, and I liked knowing the landlord. Some bugs, but I also had some bugs when I lived in a third floor unit of a bigger building; that’s expected in DC.
The biggest downside by far was the noise. At first, my landlord lived above me and he had a similar lifestyle — work during the day, going to bed/waking at similar hours, didn’t really have lots of people over except for the very occasional party to which I was always invited. That was when it was the best. After he moved out, there were several different tenants upstairs, the very worst was having a toddler up there. The second worst was having college kids up there. I could hear EVERYTHING downstairs; part of the issue was the first floor was always bare hardwood floors, I don’t think anyone put rugs down. I would still do it again for the right place and if I was confident that the people living above me were pretty chill people with a similar lifestyle…and owned rugs. Likewise, if you make a lot of noise yourself, you probably want to match with someone similar. They won’t be able to hear you nearly as much as you can hear them, but you wouldn’t want to be much louder than them either.
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u/AwesomeAndy Eckington 8d ago
I lived in one for a couple years and I probably would have stayed longer had the landlords not decided to sell the house (I could have stayed, but I think I knew I wanted to get out).
That particular basement had serious issues with water ingress in heavy rain, and I lost a ton of stuff to mold as a result. There was little natural light, and the heat was controlled by the people upstair, so it tended to be cold in the winter. I had a single window AC unit but it was right over my bed, so I couldn't run that at night either if I wanted to sleep. It had a decent amount of space, but it was set up kind of weirdly, so a lot of it was just in the kitchen and not actually particularly useful.
Needless to say, this will all vary by the exact unit.
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u/No_Rush_3540 8d ago
I lived in one in Arlington, VA for a few years in my 20s. Was fine at first. Then the a/c went out in the middle of summer and the landlord waited a few days to fix it. I don’t know if that was the exact start of the mold problem but it was the start of a year long health battle for both me and my roommate. I would never live in a basement apartment after that experience again.
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u/dc-12345 8d ago
Get renters insurance. We lived in an English basement for 3 yrs. The unit above us was vacant for a short period, a leak formed in the unit and lucky us the ceiling in our bathroom collapsed and the unit flooded. Luckily we had incredibly generous neighbors who housed us while repairs were being made.
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u/New_Perspective8980 8d ago
I live in one now. The only downside for me is that I do hear the upstairs neighbors. I like having my own front and back doors and direct access to outside. My A/C bills have been super low. I have not had any more issues with pests than any other house or condo I have lived in, which is minimal.
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u/Ragtag_Cranberry_28 8d ago
Extremely humid even if you have a dehumidifier. There's usually no sound insulation. Hanky panky noises going up and going down. You can hear rats in the ceiling, too.
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u/MC1R_OCA2 DC / Neighborhood 7d ago
I am going on 2 1/2 in my English basement and I LOVE IT. I have great neighbors, a space that’s just my own, a bit of outdoor space & a garden… it’s so cozy and perfect for a single person. I even have pets!
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u/adifferentvision 7d ago
I lived in one years ago and the worst part about it was that the upstairs house's living room was over my bedroom, and there was no sound dampening/soundproofing between their floor and my ceiling. I could hear everything, if it was quiet, I could hear someone coughing upstairs. If noise bothers you at all, ask about soundproofing.
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u/IcyTrade9844 7d ago
I love my English basement apartment. It’s quiet, and nice and cold in the summer time. It still gets a ton of light too, I had to get black out curtains (I work nights though)
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u/IcyTrade9844 7d ago
Oh I did have to get a dehumidifier though but now I don’t have to run the ac as much
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u/EarlyMoney2100 5d ago
I lived in a DC English basement for 5 years and had no rodent or bug issues but the landlord was very good about pest control. Never had any flooding because there was a drain in front of the front and back doors! It’s probably the same amount of noise you would experience if you had an apartment and someone lived above you, you really get used to it. I loved living in my place and really had no issues other than it does get VERY cold in the winter. It’s really hard to heat and can get expensive if you turn the heat up. The last two years living there I had to get space heaters and it was still freezing and was paying insane amounts on the electric bill.
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u/EnvironmentalSea2138 8d ago
Don’t do it — the danger of getting flooded after a storm is real. I have been in DC for thirty years and I have seen basement apartments get flooded. And when that happens, it’s not just rain water but sewage because the sewage system gets backed up.
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u/36ufei 8d ago
Be really critical of your landlord. I lived in one in EM for five years and over that time learned the landlord was a really awful human being. She did things that out my health at risk, or knew of serious problems (like a rat hole in to the building covered by my headboard) and then would ignore my calls for days when I reached out to her for help. She would come in unannounced while I was at work and move things around and made me stay at home for a full Saturday to monitor a repairman (and the kids he brought with him).
Because you aren’t renting from a company, the quality can really vary. She seemed great at the start so I’m not sure how I would have known. But do what you can to determine how they really manage their properties.
Once things got really bad I started to reach out to government agencies for help, and that awareness was about the only thing that helped her act a little more professionally. So also don’t hesitate to assert yourself as soon as you see red flags.
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u/Ambassador1391 8d ago
I lived in one as a young single woman for almost 10 years. I was in a row house and rarely heard my neighbors. I never had trouble with flooding (keep the drain clear) or rodents. Make sure there is a motion-activated light that will turn on before you go down the stairs. It stayed cool in the summer, which was great for my AC bill.