Apartments.com Valentine’s Day Survey Reveals Renter Feelings about Dating Close to Home

CHICAGO – Love is in the air this Valentine’s Day as Apartments.com shares the results of a recent survey about the love life and dating behaviors of renters. More than twenty one percent of survey respondents indicate that they have been in a relationship with someone they met while living in the same apartment building and approximately one in ten renters has had a romantic relationship with a roommate.

Although most people shy away from dating someone in such close proximity, three percent of respondents actually met their spouse while living in the same apartment building. A survey respondent stated, “I met my husband in April of 1996. On my first day on the job at a large apartment complex, he came in to see apartments. He came back the next day and was my first rental. Now we are married and have 2 kids.” In addition to actual dating, more than sixteen percent currently have a secret crush on someone that lives in the same apartment building and more than twenty four percent state they have had a crush on someone who works at their apartment community.

Fifty-nine percent of renters are not so optimistic about dating close to home and believe it is not a wise decision. One respondent replied, “It's not a good idea to date someone who lives in your apartment building or complex (unless it is a large complex and there is no chance you would see each other that much) because if it ends badly you would have to endure seeing that person all the time and possibly see them with a new boyfriend or girlfriend

“Hooking up with someone who lives in your same apartment building can be too close for comfort for some people, after all, you share the same address and even the same mailroom. While the convenience factor is appealing, the awkward run-ins in the laundry room while sorting through dirty clothes can often be too uncomfortable to bear,” says Sarah Preston, a relationship expert and writer for Playboy.com and Chicago magazine. She offers the following advice for those considering dating someone within the same building or apartment complex:
- If knock, knock, knockin’ on your neighbor’s door can be kept discreet, go for it. But don’t be surprised when your doorman is telling other tenants he saw you two canoodling in the corridor.
- A fun affair down the hall can be the easiest kind of fling but please keep your hands to yourself in the common areas to avoid embarrassing looks in the elevator.
- If you have a crush on someone who lives in your building, the likelihood of running into that person around the building is better than bumping into him/her at one of the zillions of bars in your city. Figure out his/her schedule and linger around the lobby when you know he/she’s coming home from work. Be friendly, hold the elevator, and make sure you look cute that day.
- Prepare yourself for when the relationship goes sour, because you’re likely to see
your ex with another love interest at some point. Breakups are hard; breakups when you have to see each other every day are a nightmare.

As part of its monthly “What Renters Want” research series, Apartments.com surveys renters on various topics. For more information on these surveys, to receive a copy of additional survey results or for a comprehensive listing of most searched markets, please contact Lisa DeVries at ldevries@apartments.com.

About Sarah Preston
Sarah Preston has been writing about nightlife and entertainment for 10 years, establishing herself as Chicago's go-to girl-about-town, thanks to her widely read “Nightspotting” column in Chicago magazine. This 30-something party-hopper has a day job, too: She's a writer at Playboy.com, where she dispenses dating advice and covers everything from celebrities’ sex lives to the hottest places to party. Now this perpetually single girl is searching for something new: her Mr. Right—or, at least, her Mr. Right Now. Read Preston’s take on the dating and social scenes in her new blog “Last Girl Standing”.

About Apartments.com
Apartments.com is the most visited national apartment Internet listing subscription service distinguished by more than two million rental listings from managed properties, newspaper classifieds and for-rent-by-owner units. Its personalized searches, highly visual ads featuring 360-degree virtual tours, professional photography and comprehensive community listings, make it possible for in-market renters to access rental inventory from across town or across the country and make informed decisions quickly. The site's foundation of solid partnerships with the local newspaper and television station Web sites of more than 170 affiliates across the country includes the Chicago Tribune (www.chicagotribune.com), The Washington Post (www.washingtonpost.com) and the Los Angeles Times (www.latimes.com). Apartments.com, a division of Chicago-based Classified Ventures, LLC, delivers highly qualified, ready-to-rent prospects to more than 15,000 trade customers, which increase closure rates and decrease the average cost of leasing an apartment.
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