How to Rent an Apartment in DC Before You Move



You can lease a DC-area apartment without visiting in person. Start with video tours, then talk with the leasing team about current availability, and apply online once you've found the right fit. It's how many people moving for a new Capitol Hill job secure an apartment before their first day.
 
Step 1: Narrow your neighborhoods
 
Start with your commute. House office buildings are near Capitol South station, and Senate office buildings are near Union Station. Our Capitol Hill neighborhood guide compares neighborhoods in DC, Arlington, Alexandria, North Bethesda and Fairfax County.
 
Then think about how you want to live, both outside your apartment and inside it. Do you want to walk to restaurants, coffee shops and nightlife after work, or come home to a quieter neighborhood with parks and trails nearby? How close do you want to be to a grocery store, a gym or Dulles Airport for trips home? Inside your apartment, consider how much space you need, whether you want room for a home office or overnight guests, and which features matter most to you, like an in-home washer and dryer, a fitness center or a pet-friendly community. Making a short list of your must-haves now makes it easier to compare apartments quickly once you start touring by video.
 
 
Step 2: Watch video tours
 
Video tours let you see layouts, finishes and natural light from anywhere:
   
Each video's title includes the community's name. These videos are examples of apartment styles across our portfolio. The specific apartments shown may not be available when you're searching, and you'll find more video tours on each property's website.
 
Step 3: Know what to look for
 
While you watch, pay attention to the details that matter most for your day-to-day life:
 
  • Layout. Select studios have a separate sleeping area, which keeps your bed out of your living space.
  • Work-from-home space. Select apartments, including some studios, have sunrooms. They're great for a desk, a reading chair, plants or an occasional guest.
  • Building age and size. Our portfolio includes brand-new buildings and established communities, which often have larger floor plans and renovated apartments and shared spaces.
 
Step 4: Ask the leasing team the right questions
 
  • What's available for my move-in date?
  • What lease terms do you offer? Our market-rate communities offer flexible lease terms that vary by property. Affordable communities offer 12-month leases.
  • Are there any current specials? Select properties may be running them.
  • What's the pet policy? All of our market-rate communities are pet-friendly with no breed restrictions. Pet policies at our affordable communities vary by property.
  • What do I need to apply?
 
Step 5: Apply and plan your move-in
 
Once you've chosen an apartment, apply online (as of right now online applications may not be submitted for our affordable housing communities, so please reach out to the Leasing Office) and confirm your move-in date. Book movers early, especially around the holidays and early January. At any of our properties, you can pay rent, and now other bills, on a flexible schedule through the Flex platform, which can help while you wait for your first paycheck.
 
Frequently asked questions
 
Is it ok to rent an apartment sight unseen? Renting directly through a professionally managed community, with video tours and a leasing team you can talk to, makes it far more reliable than responding to an online listing from an unknown individual.
 
Will the apartment in the videos in this blog be the one I get? Not necessarily. The videos are examples, and specific apartments may already be leased. Ask the leasing team which apartments are available for your dates and look for apartment specific video tours on the websites you view.  If one isn’t available, ask the property team if you can do a live video tour.
 
How far ahead should I start? If you're starting on the Hill in January, start looking now.