Where am I allowed to live? (rentals, health insurance, home)

[TurboTalon]

I am a new federal hire as a GS-7. I have no debt and barely any monthly expenses so I had planned on treating myself to a short commute on the Metro and living in a nice high rise. Well, the income restrictions say that I have to make 35x my monthly rent in income (67,000) and for a consigner they have to make much more than that (100k+). I'm relocating from California and really just want a nice place by myself. I want a 20 minute commute to downtown DC and a washer/dryer in unit. Since it's my first time on my own I really don't want to deal with roommates.

Since I'm not allowed to spend the majority of my after tax income on rent what can I do? Can I just pay my entire lease up front? Do I just have to commute a lot further? Live in the hood? I thought I had a plan but it doesn't look like it's going to work. I move in a couple of weeks so I'm kind of screwed....

I'm willing and able to pay $1,800 a month but I'm not allowed to.

[pit2atl]

I dont understand 1800*35 is $63,000. You'll be making 67k correct?

[TurboTalon]

The 1800 is being prorated over a 14 month lease (2 months free) so I think the base used in the calculation is around 1905. GS-7's start at 42k so it's like 2/3 of my after tax income. I know that's a huge amount to spend on rent, relative to my income, but it's something I can afford based on my expenses.

I guess I'm just wondering if anyone has experience getting around the minimum income requirement. I can pay a huge deposit if I have to but it doesn't seem like it's allowed.

[pit2atl]

I would suggest to stay away form the complexes, and try to find some private rentals. God I looked on craiglist at these prices. Happy I'm not moving to DC.

[altru]

Agree with pit2atl above. Private rentals likely won't require the silly calculation you mentioned.

[seiketsu]

Do you know what your actual take-home pay would be, or are you sitting on a pool of savings? When I first moved here and was making $46,000, my take-home (after taxes, health insurance, retirement, and all the other payroll crap that gets taken out) was only about $2200 a month. No way could I have survived spending $1800 on rent. I think the luxury highrise might be out for you until you get more established, because even with a roommate your half would still be around $1500. I suggest a group home in a trendy neighborhood -- you should be able to find a room for under $1200, which is the max I'd recommend you spend on rent as a GS-7 with no other expenses. If you're serious about no roommates (and I don't blame you -- I too refused to have them and took on a commute from Reston to make that happen), then you'll be stuck in a less desirable building or location.