Currently, I'm trying to stay calm, not freak and keep my head level. Here is why: our "new" apartment... it's a total dump.
Matt & I walked through the apartment once...a week or two ago and it was scrappy. The home owner was "fixing" some things up... redoing the bathroom and cleaning carpets. So yea... it looked messy. We told ourselves that everything would iron out, and though it may need a wipedown, the apartment would be in full working order by the time we moved in.
Well, let me just tell you... it starts with the paint. It appears as if the home hasn't been painted in two, maybe three years. There are holes (like someone's foot) in the walls and gouges in the corners. Trim is mismatched and some walls aren't even textured or painted... they're just left in their nakedness after being "installed". The carpet is stained, old and the floors are uneven and creaky.
The bathroom... oh the bathroom! It has one coat, yes one coat of brown paint casually swiped over many coats of white.. so needless to say, it looks like a toddler painted the bathroom. There is no toilet paper dispenser, no towel rack and the floor is... ugh. I don't even know. The worst part of the bathroom is the shower...which appears to have never been cleaned, wiped down or even rinsed with any type of disinfectant. To boot, some genius repeatedly washed their paint rollers and brushes out in the shower, therefore leaving a horrid mess that caused me to shudder (I have plans of taking a scrub brush and putty knife to that shower today).
So... my fingers are sore from scrubbing nooks and crannies with PineSol, my back is angry from leaning and my knees are achy from kneeling. Grr. And... to put it frankly, I'm pissed at this home owner (can I say that here?). What the heck!? The thing that kills me, is that I know for a fact that the home owner has a wife and many children, so he should know a thing or two about having a clean and healthy home environment! Would his wife and kids live in this house? Hmmm, think about that Mr. Slum Lord!
To give this situation the benefit of the doubt, Matt is working with our leasing agent on a few terms. His email assertively told Lance (our friendly leasing agent) that a few things needed to be fixed (like a new front door, which appears to have been kicked in a few times). Matt used the words "filthy" and "disappointed". He also used the words "take action" and "we will". Matt & I are no dummies when it comes to being renters, so we took various pictures too (I'll have to post before & after photos).
Lance told us a number of these items will be taken care of in an timely manner. I'm considering billing him for my time cleaning, but don't want to push my luck. I think I need to focus more in deep breaths, positive thoughts and focusing on the fact that we won't live in this shabby apartment forever.
Oh how my heart goes out to you. Our house wasn't quite that bad when we moved in, but it was close. We had tons of trash to clean up, lots of stuff was left, painting to do, and everything looked as if it had NEVER been cleaned. Thankfully, my Mom, Mom in-law, and Brent's aunt scrubbed it down. The kitchen was HORRID. I was pregnant and couldn't go near it without getting nauseated.
ReplyDeleteOne big difference with out situation is, we bought the house. Cleaning, repairing, and painting was our responsibility. You are NOT responsible for doing the work your landlord should have done. I understand wanting to do it yourself though. You want to make it livable, and fast, since you are the ones living in it.
I wish I lived closer. I would be over there right away to help you out. Or, you could hang out at our house while the landlord cleaned everything up. I think that's an even better option. Like I said, their responsibility.
The best I can do is pray for quick action, and to sympathize.
You can always call me if you need someone to listen. I don't mind hearing people vent ;)
Well that's just awful. Renting sucks. Hopefully you get all those issues resolved quickly and peacefully.
ReplyDeleteYou really won't live there forever. It's just where you'll live for now. Good luck with the leasing agency and the landlord. Deep breaths and positive thoughts are good for you. Keep them up! :)
~Kristine