Running away from my lease....... (Secretary: crime, house, neighborhood)

[MILKY]

I moved to the city last year and signed a 18 month lease, i currently live between Fells and Canton. My car has been broke into and several of my neighbor's have also. Long story short i like the city but feel this area is declining.... i work in the city ( Hampden) and want to stay. I figured word of mouth is the best way to find a good spot and a good neighborhood. I'm new to the forum and relatively new to the city........any ides?

[kharing]

If you can break your lease (might be expensive) and try another area. I think car break ins are everywhere though.

Maybe invest in a parking garage?

[thenuge]

You gotta keep that car totally empty. If you have a theft deterrent consider leaving it unlocked. Windows are expensive. As the economy dips I think we may see more petty theft.

[dontforgettofloss]

Break ins can occur anywhere, I live in the county, my car has been broken into 50 feet off the road in my driveway. It can happen anywhere and It does! Definitely do not leave anything of value in the car, even if it's not valuable, a backpack or bag of any kind...either keep your car completely empty, or trash it, literally leave gobs of trash around in it, I've seen some cars around with trash piled up on the floor even with the seat height, I could almost guarantee they aren't getting broken into!!

[kinkytoes]

Yep. I live in an "affluent" suburb and my neighbors car was broken into in her driveway.
Nevertheless, I still think breakins may be more common in cities. I agree with the advice of spending the $$ for a garage if you live in the city, or just get rid of your car. I did. If I ever needed a car for anything, I would just rent one.
As for your lease, just talk to the landlord. Ask them to let you out of the lease. They will probably ask for 2months rent, and they are not obligated to let you out if you signed for 18 months. If you decide to stay, you may want to contact Fells Point/Canton's community association and ask them to do something about the breakins...

[Bong477]

Break-ins can happen anywhere for sure, but to suggest they aren't any more common in canton/fells/etc is totally crazy. Within my first two weeks of living in federal hill, I accidentally left my GPS in the car overnight and sure enough it was gone the next morning (this is after leaving it in the car in my driveway everyday for 2 years in the suburbs). I was happy they at least only wedged open the door rather than breaking the window. Leave your car *totally* empty except for maybe trash/papers is great advice and want I've done every day since then. Its unlikely people are going to break in your car just for fun...

I wouldn't break your lease just for that, you already live in a relatively nice section of the city if you are committed to staying. You might have a little better luck in federal hill or locust point but its not going to be a massive difference.

[PenguinSix]

My car was broken into in Georgetown in DC, one block from the Secretary of State's house which had a 24 hour guard on it. Your shouldn't judge by car breakins--they happen nearly everywhere (in my case they got a cd player and a case of coke).

[Michael21214]

You might try a car cover as a theft deterrent. At least that is what we do if we go away for the weekend and have to leave a car parked in the street.

[Lumerian Feast]

Originally Posted by kinkytoes

As for your lease, just talk to the landlord. Ask them to let you out of the lease. They will probably ask for 2months rent, and they are not obligated to let you out if you signed for 18 months.

On two occasions, I've asked and gotten out of a lease and gotten a refund of my deposit. It depends on the landlord and if you've got a good relationship with them. Otherwise, I wouldn't suggest anyone pay two months rent or any other penalty; just let them keep the deposit and walk. Very few landlords are going to waste their time going to court trying to get the balance of the lease.

To the OP: move to Hampden or Wyman Park. I lived in Hampden for many years and never had anyone mess with my car. Just don't leave anything visible in it. And you can walk/bike to work. But only if you're truly unhappy; Canton/FP is still a very nice place to live, and as others have said, you're not immune to break-ins anywhere.

[MDrex]

Why don't you look into moving to Hampden since you work there?

I live in Hampden and love it. I've had a car broken into, but that was a POS beater. My nicer cars have never been touched. I'm on the east side of Hampden, which I think is nicer and has less petty crime. I always feel safe and never really worry about my property. It is the city and things are going to happen, but the statistics show that Hampden has much less crime than almost all other areas in the city.