I'm also in an apartment and I'm very careful about who knows I have the snakes. The last thing I want is a neighbor calling the office and complaining.
I'm sure to someone who is truly terrified of snakes, knowing that there are 8 ball pythons (hey Adam - I have 8 ball pythons right now! anyway, I regress! LOL) in my apartment surely conjures up visions of them escaping and making their way into their apartment. I even make sure no one is around when I bring home a Kritter Keeper full of mice - that just begs for more questions too.