A recent New York Times article introduced Ruxton Towers, a New York City Upper West Side rental apartment building populated by a large network of friends. Of the 250 units in the building, according to the article, 75 can be tracked to Caroline Bass, senior vice president at CitiHabitats. Although she is not the building's official broker, Bass is said to split the commission for bringing in new tenants.

However, her motives are less about monetary gain and more about surrounding herself with friends.

"My friend was a friend [of Bass's] who also lived in the building," says resident Sari Rosenberg. "She told me about all the amazing people she lived with, so I looked into Ruxton Towers when I was looking for a new place to live."

If you know and feel comfortable with your neighbors, your home is likely to feel even homier. Even better, filling your building with friends isn't as hard as you think if you follow these easy steps:

Ever had your suspicions about the guy next door? Late-night visitors? A lot of people "dropping by" for quick visits? Gunshots?

"At the first place I rented in college, I was pretty sure the guy upstairs had some kind of a business going on out of his apartment," says Dusty Wymon of Dublin, Ohio. "I didn't want to jump to conclusions and say he was dealing drugs, but there were all manner of unsavories coming in and out of his apartment."

The thing about doing-the-right-thing and maintaining a peaceful home is that sometimes there is a fine line. In the same way that a neighbor's barking dog can sometimes lead to a Hatfield-and-McCoy-level conflict that can span years -- you might want to avoid creating some unlivable mess with a person who lives in spitting (or shooting) distance. And when you are dealing with someone who thinks himself or herself above the law, you might be stepping into something that isn't just emotionally trying but is actually dangerous.

So here are tips for successfully dealing with neighbors who have sold their way from pesky to blitzed -- and are wreaking neighborhood havoc in the process:

For more than three years, producer/directors Jen Senko and Fiore DeRosa have been exploring the development of the expansive luxury-housing marking in New York City -- and around the globe -- and the dire effect it has had on middle- and lower-income renters. Through their short film, "The Vanishing City," they reveal just what kind of damage all those cranes have been doing, from Brooklyn to Queens and all over New York City.

After an exhibit at the Architectural League, the two filmmakers came face to face with a model of the city that included toothpick-like-sticks representing every new high rise being added to the city.

"It looked like porcupine quills, there were so many," say Senko. "More than 300 of them in Manhattan or nearby!"

From eerie ghost tours to parades to haunted houses, spooky happenings take place every October in Salem, Mass., the site of the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. It's a place where tourists flock to bed and breakfasts or rent homes (such as the one pictured left) to relive bewitching history as they celebrate Halloween.

This two-bedroom, 1.5-bath rental house, with 12-inch-wide pumpkin pine floorboards, is a three-minute walk from Town House Square, the site of the Salem Witch Trials.

The Salem Witch Trials resulted in the arrest of hundreds of men and women and the execution by hanging of 19 who were convicted of practicing witchcraft. Another four of the accused died in prison awaiting trial. One man was even pressed to death by stones. More than 300 years later, the trials' chilling aftermath remains in more ways than one.

Ever been the victim of a party in your apartment building? Loud music, banging floorboards, drunken party guests spilling out into the halls?

"Renting is a group sport," says Naomi Kay, a store manager in Toledo, Ohio. "People forget. I used to live below these idiots. Everyone used to call the cops on them, pretty much every Saturday. They never figured out how to throw a party without having it ended by, like, midnight."

So how can you throw a party in your apartment while respecting the renters around you? Read on:

For the first time ever, the number of young adults in the U.S. who have never been married has exceeded the number of young adults who have -- 46.3 percent to 44.9 percent.

A recent Wall Street Journal article also reports that the number of married adults continues to drop. For instance, in 1960 72.2 percent of all adults were married, but that percentage has tumbled to 52 percent.

If these numbers from the Population Reference Bureau are accurate, it's reasonable to conclude that cohabitation is on the rise. So if you and your sweetie are about to sign a lease together, consider the following steps to keep your cohabitation fun and healthy:


1. Choose your place

Take into account both of your incomes. One of the main differences between cohabitators and marrieds is that generally the prior keeps their finances separate. So make sure you both agree on how much you want to spend on rent. If one of you agrees to cover more than the other, lay down ground-rules. Will the bigger spender expect his or her partner to do extra work around the house? This is not a time for mind-reading. Ask the question or state the answer before its even asked, especially if you already know the answer.


2. Who goes on the lease?

On the other hand, a main difference between cohabitators and roommates is that there is often a level of intimacy that can sometimes plummet into disrespect if two people are not careful. The best way to stay protected is to make sure that both of your names are on the lease, so that you are equally accountable. Split bills between you, with one name on some and the other name on others -- regardless of who is paying for them. Legal culpability is sometimes your saving grace in the event of a bad breakup.


3. Handling the money

Since cohabitation generally means two incomes are available but separate, it is easy to get confused about what belongs to whom. So, make sure that you keep some documentation if you share large purchases or give each other loans. If you've ever seen "Judge Judy," you know that it takes little more than a cocktail napkin scrawled with an agreement to prove a case, one way or the other. But please be a little more organized than a cocktail napkin.


4. Telling your grandmother

If you have family that skews old-fashioned, you might want to take care with this particular "happy" announcement. It's possible not everyone will see it as so happy. Avoid shouting it from the rooftops on major holidays or at your sister's wedding. When you do tell family and friends, make sure that you anticipate their fears and questions. Be ready to express how you feel about each other, where, if anywhere, you see things going and what kind of timeline you think you are looking at -- even if you plan to do this 'til death do you part. If you know someone will be particularly upset, try laying it out in a letter -- then follow up after they've had a chance to digest it.


5. You are neither married nor roommates

So act like it. Just because you moved in together doesn't mean you have to behave like there is no more fun to be squeezed out of your love affair. Don't take each other for granted. Similarly, don't treat the person you are dating like your roommate. Not everything has to be fifty-fifty. Sometimes you can make dinner and clean up. At other times he can buy the groceries and get the oil changed on both cars. That's what a relationship is -- partnership.


6. What comes after living together?

Maybe your lease ends and you decide to go back to loving each other from different addresses. Perhaps you realized you could never live with his beer belches and decided to call it quits altogether. Or maybe, just maybe, you decided to get the tax break and make it legal. No matter how your cohabitation ends, if you are clear about an exit strategy, things don't have to be complicated. Change is never easy -- just try not to take it out on each other and remember that you are both going through it together.

Cohabitation is a great way to deepen your committed relationship without needing to involve God, the government or your Great Aunt Marjorie. It is a wonderful way to explore your relationship and even take it to the next level, if you are looking to level-up.

And since everyone's doing it these days, you may as well have a good time.

Joselin Linder is co-writer of "The Good Girl's Guide to Living in Sin: The New Rules for Moving in With Your Man."

Want to know how to deal with other rental issues? Here are some AOL Real Estate guides that can help:

• Tips for Finding a Rental Apartment
• Apartment Security for Renters
• Are You Paying Too Much for Your Rental?
• Insulating Your Rental for Winter

More on AOL Real Estate:
Find out how to calculate mortgage payments.
Find homes for sale in your area.
Find foreclosures in your area.
Get property tax help from our experts.

Did you fall in love with the character of a charming, old apartment without thinking about how hard it will be to keep warm in the colder months?

Older buildings are adored for their unique architectural features, but they often lack the insulation and tightly sealed windows and doors of newer buildings. It is said that air leaking through cracks in an older building wastes as much energy as leaving one window completely open for the entire winter. (Also see "Insulation at Home Saves Money.")

But there are simple ways to improve your apartment's ability to withstand the cold, even if you aren't particularly handy.

It's not an exaggeration to say that the Brooklyn Flea -- an immense artisan market at the crossroads of Ft. Greene and Clinton Hill in Brooklyn, N.Y. -- has transformed Saturday mornings in the neighborhood. "For one thing, I've been told we've changed the primary brunch day from Sunday to Saturday," jokes Eric Demby, who co-founded the Flea, as it's affectionately known, in 2007 with Jonathan Butler, author of the popular Brooklyn blog Brownstoner.

But the market, which draws thousands of visitors every weekend, is also having an impact on the neighborhood itself, helping to fill the coffers of local businesses and exposing a whole new generation of young artists to the borough's charms. "Bringing four or five thousand people to a neighborhood every weekend is going to have some kind of obvious impact," says Demby. "It's great to have a business that has a ripple effect."

It's also bringing neighbors out of their houses. "There's a cottage industry that has sprouted up around the Flea," Demby points out. "You will now find a stoop sale on every block in a three-block radius."

The story of what's likely the world's largest pet-centric Halloween parade -- and an unlikely charity event -- starts with a lonely dog and his sociable owner.

About a decade ago, Justin Rudd of Long Beach, Calif. thought his English bulldog, Rosie, could use canine companionship. So he started an informal, weekly "yappy hour" among acquaintances. The dogs could romp and sniff, and the owners could "talk dog stuff," Rudd says. The group met at a small park in Long Beach's Belmont Shore neighborhood, a beachside community of about 8,000 (in a city of half a million) who reside in mostly single-family homes and small apartment buildings.

It didn't take long for the social circle to grow, and for "yappy hour" to customarily end with the group of dogs and their escorts strolling together along the neighborhood's main drag, Second Street. Patrons of the shops, pubs and restaurants on Second came out to watch the procession -- and at that point, Rudd says, "you've pretty much got a parade."

Most reward programs offer points for spending money. Example: charge up your Mastercard, reap miles for travel. But an apartment community in Fort Worth, Tex., has devised a way to reward residents for good behavior, community volunteer service, or simply being a faithful tenant.

Residents at the Chaparral Apartment Homes, a 10-year-old, 135-unit multifamily complex about 10 miles from Cowboys Stadium, are handed out points for certain tasks, jobs and old-fashioned positive deeds. Good tasks range from paying your rent on or before the first of the month -- that's 10 points -- or spending one hour of volunteer time with residents' children at the kids club -- that‛s 30 points. Put an "I [Heart] Chaparral" bumper sticker on your car that says you like the place, 20 points. Refer a friend, 100 points.