Byline: Sara Gebhardt

Welcome to Apartment Life, an online discussion of the Washington area rental market, featuring Post columnist Sara Gebhardt.

In her monthly exchanges with the audience, Gebhardt discusses rental issues and lifestyle matters.

Check out our special feature: Think Smart: Apartment Hunting Made Easy .

Read Sara's latest Apartment Life column.

The transcript follows.

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washingtonpost.com: Listens to loud music late at night, drinks from the milk container -- sound like somebody you know? If your roommate's bad habits are driving you crazy, tell us about it. Send in your roommate pet peeves to: renterstips@washingtonpost.com . The most popular responses will be included in an upcoming feature for our Rentals section at washingtonpost.com.

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Sara Gebhardt: Good afternoon, renters and others who are stopping by to chat. It goes without saying that I hope you all have functioning air conditioning today. Whatever problems or questions you might have, let's get started!

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Mt. Pleasant, Washington, D.C.: Hey Sara,

Quickie for ya: Let's say I'm house sitting for neighbors during the most sweltering weeks of the year, and -- despite my best gardening efforts--I kill all their plants. Should I buy them new ones?

Sara Gebhardt: Plants are resilient, if given enough water and light. Not that I'm a gardener. But let's say you do kill their plants. It would be the courteous thing to do to offer to replace them. Most homeowners wouldn't allow you to do it if it's a great expense, especially if they know how the weather has been.

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Washington, D.C.: What is the easiest way to search for an apartment across the country?

Sara Gebhardt: The simplest answer is the Internet. Look at online listings in local newspapers, apartment web sites, craigslist, etc. Read message boards on these sites as well to do more research. Obviously, you'll want to visit a place before actually signing a lease, but the web will help you cover a lot of ground from afar.

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Washington, D.C.: I am an aspiring poet who is interested in having my works heard as well as published. When and where in my area are there poetry readings in which I can participate? What is a good route to take in publishing my works, as I have contacted a few publishing companies without reply to my inquiries>

washingtonpost.com: This is a question for the Going Out Gurus, check out their chat: Got Plans?

Sara Gebhardt: I haven't heard of apartment buildings hosting poetry readings, but you never know. Just in case nobody here can help us out, you might ask the Going Out Gurus.

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Arlington, Va.: Hey, Sara. Thanks in advance for helping me out. I'm turning 21 (yay!) tomorrow and I'm having a big party at my apt. on Saturday (ek!) please tell me what I should and shouldn't do in order to not bother my neighbors. We are having approx. 40 people in under 1300 sq. ft. of space. Any suggestions? or things we should look out for? Thanks for your help.

Sara Gebhardt: You shouldn't make so much noise that your entire building will know it's your 21st birthday. You should inform your immediate neighbors that there might be a little more activity in your apartment than usual, and if you feel it appropriate, you can also invite your neighbors as a gesture of friendliness. Another good idea is not to play music or games at a loud volume, and to make sure you have rugs covering your floors. Also, contain party-goers to your apartment so that they don't cause unnecessary commotion in common areas. And be respectful if your neighbors come tell you to keep it down.

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District: Hi, Sara. I'm considering signing a lease for an apartment in D.C. One of the clauses says that, if the tenant defaults on the lease, the landlord has the right to NOT attempt to re-rent the unit but instead the landlord can just keep collecting the rent from the tenant. I thought landlords had a duty to mitigate damages by making an effort to find a new tenant. Is it possible for a landlord to enforce this clause? Thank you.

Sara Gebhardt: As a disclaimer, remember that I am not an actual lawyer. However, you're right, generally landlords cannot double dip and they must attempt to re-rent a unit, no matter the circumstances of its vacancy. Although they may try, landlords cannot enforce illegal statements in their leases.

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Manassas, Va.: Why do people looking for roommates sometimes state "Female only" on craigslist and elsewhere but nobody found it to be discriminatory?

Sara Gebhardt: You're right. It technically goes against Fair Housing laws to "advertise" that you are looking for a specific breed of roommate--at least in the sense that it is illegal to discriminate against people based on such characteristics as race, religion, gender, family status, disability. It would not be illegal, however, to look for a roommate who is, say, a vegetarian. It's a little (legally) enforced issue, although craigslist is starting to enforce it more and more.