Basement Living?

Basement apartments look kind of cool, don’t they? We see them on TV all the time, usually somewhere in some inner-city setting like New York.  And while images of basement apartments rarely conjure feelings of luxury, there’s something about the grittiness of a below street level apartment that comes off as somewhat romanticized and attractive.  Maybe it’s the hip young poet within all of us that finds something just ‘too cool’ about these nonconformist, dare-to-be-different little quarters.  Not to mention they’re always—yes, always—cheaper than your average apartment; usually drastically so.

One of the more famous accounts of basement-apartment living occurs in a series of stories by author Ruth McKenney, collectively known as My Sister Eileen, in which she tells her experiences living in a basement apartment in Greenwich Village, NYC for a mere $45 a month.  Sure, the story takes place in the 1940′s, but believe it or not  the price is staggering even for that time.  So why then is it that basement apartments come to be so damn cheap if the only difference between these and their above street level counterparts is merely they’re location in the building? And why don’t more people take advantage of them?

Well, as it turns out the first answer to these questions is simply that these apartments are nearly always illegal.  It’s true, and it mostly has to do with just how unsuitable these locations tend to be as livable spaces.  The Department of Housing Preservation & Development offer the following stern warning on their website:

Basements in private dwellings can NEVER be lawfully rented or occupied unless the conditions meet the minimum requirements for light, air, sanitation and egress, and have received approval by the Department of Buildings. […] Owners with illegally converted basements and cellars may face civil and criminal penalties.

Needless to say, most apartment landlords ignore these standards in order to turn over a quick buck, and eager tenants willing to make what they assume to be small sacrifices for an unbeatable price-tag are not scarce—especially, of course, during these tough economic times.  Indeed, if you’ve read Ruth McKenney’s book you’ll find that although she might appear  to have found an impressive bargain in her quaint bohemian abode, you’ll also be irked to realize she and her sister are cramped in a single small bedroom, the place is completely infested with mold, and they become the victims of a burglary during only their first week as tenants.   This happens just as frequently today within basement apartments as they did then, with burglaries being perhaps the most frequent occurrence due to how low their windows—if indeed they even have any—are to the ground.

The DHPD website continues with the following warning to prospective and current basement apartment tenants:

Occupants of illegal basement and cellar apartments face potential dangers such as carbon monoxide poisoning, inadequate light and ventilation and inadequate egress in the event of a fire.

The limited doors and windows within basement apartments make them not only extremely difficult to exit in case of a fire, but it sometimes makes it impossible for rescue personnel to enter.  Additionally, the confined space would make the accumulation of smoke rapid and unavoidable.  Flooding too can be a major problem for those living in rainy areas as water will inevitably seep through the street-level windows.  And, lastly, an invisible predator known only as radon has also been known to make basement apartment tenants their unsuspecting prey.  Defined by the Environmental Protection Agency as radioactive material found within the ground, basement apartment tenants are likely to have more exposure to this gas, potentially accumulating various forms of cancer along the way.

This is not to say that all basement apartments should be avoided.  I’m certain there are various spacious and nicely accommodating basement apartments on the market today (I wouldn’t mind finding a nice one, myself!).  But before you go hunting for one, there’s a few tips (courtesy of eHow.com) you can do to ensure that you aren’t moving into a moldy, flood-proned, fire-hazardous, burglar-targeted nightmare.

1.Avoid basement apartments that are located in coastal areas and flood plains.

2.Local government provides information pertaining to construction permits and building codes that are applicable to every apartment for your reference.  Check them out!

3.Radon testing kits are available at hardware and general merchandising stores. Use these kits to check the building grounds for toxic radon gas levels.

4.You should also contact your local police department for crime reports before you decide whether to move into a particular apartment. Preferably, your basement apartment will feature window bars; solid doors and heavy-duty locks to deter criminals.