Los Angeles Times - Ups and downs

Ups and downs
Which floor? It's a critical decision renters often make as an afterthought, but it can make or break happiness.
By Peter Bennett, Special to The Times

Beware the zoom lens
Of course, access works both ways. Street-level occupants may feel more vulnerable. Doors opened to catch the breeze are more likely to invite unexpected knocks, inquiries and the roving eyes of strangers — or even of neighbors. Legendary director Alfred Hitchcock played on those fears in "Rear Window," a classic 1954 film about a wheelchair-bound photographer, portrayed by Jimmy Stewart, who spies on his neighbors from his apartment window.

Cost is another factor in the upstairs-downstairs comparison. Stairs, for example, always magnify the agony and expense of moving furniture.

"Any time we're dealing with three or more flights of stairs, we have to add an extra man, which adds to the cost," said Megan Long, marketing director of Starving Students, a Los Angeles-based moving company. Closer to the roof and the sun's searing rays, upstairs units tend to be hotter, so air conditioners must run longer.

Yet, despite the drawbacks of summer heat and thigh-burning stairs, some landlords charge their tenants more for living upstairs. For Thomas' upstairs Rancho Cucamonga apartment, she pays a $90-a-month premium, although her unit is identical to the one directly below her. The difference in the monthly rents of the Pasadena foursome, however, is negligible, more a reflection of when they moved in than where.

Alan Nevin, chief economist for the California Building Industry Assn., said rents typically start rising for fourth-floor units and above. Better views and greater distance from street noise don't fully explain this price difference. Many people will simply pay more to one-up their neighbor — a living-above-the-crowd bias that's been hard-wired in humans since the first cliff dwellings were carved out.

"You're paying for prestige and privacy," Nevin said.

Another downside to living downstairs: Because of the law of gravity, clogged water pipes and leaky air-conditioning ducts typically cause greater damage to lower units. Renter's insurance provides some peace of mind, but even when renters are compensated for damages, they still have the hassle of filing claims, scheduling repairs and seeking substitute shelter.

Bonnie Bogharian, a Montrose shop owner who also has a Palm Springs apartment, drove out to her first-floor flat one weekend and never made it past the front door. A leak later traced to a faulty upstairs air conditioner had drenched her apartment, damaging paintings, carpets, clothes and furniture. "If I had to do it all again," Bogharian said, "I'd never live downstairs."

As more high-density housing goes up in Southern California, especially near major transit centers, more people will face the upstairs-downstairs question.

For now, Sipp, Rivers, Martinez and Valdez aren't budging from their Pasadena apartments, the women secure downstairs, the men upstairs.

"We love our neighborhood," Martinez said. "And if anything should happen, we always have Kelli and Audrey downstairs to protect us."

Starving Students Moving Company
Corporate Office: 1850 Sawtelle Blvd., Suite 300 Los Angeles, CA 90025
Phone: (800) 506-0366
http://www.ssmovers.com/