Where'm I gonna live? - Page 34

Gravdigr · 03-06-2015, 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by glatt

You wouldn't want to live in there or have your stuff in there.

Beats a bridge.

Til it falls in.

DanaC · 03-10-2015, 09:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Katkeeper

I have a suggestion from many years of traveling and hearing road noises -ear plugs!

Missed this at the time -

Katkeeper! nice to see you

Gravdigr · 03-10-2015, 02:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lamplighter

That looks like a picture billboard, but in reality those balloons are really what is holding that building up.

Well, to be fair, hot air is holding up a lot of things in DC...

Lamplighter · 03-10-2015, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gravdigr

Well, to be fair, hot air is holding up a lot of things in DC...

Undertoad · 04-02-2015, 06:16 PM

Dear Undertoad,

Please be advised that your security deposit is being kept by the owner for payment of February 2015 rent. I can be reached at the phone number above with any question. Thank you.

Property Manager

~

*fume* *fume* *fume*

Dentists in Blue Bell have felt my rage over less.

FINE. LET'S DO THIS.

Dear Borough of Collegeville, Property Inspector:

I have rented, and have now vacated the property at 60 E 5th Avenue. (It's about 500 feet away from the Borough building; the last driveway on the right before the apartments, down at the bottom of the hill.)

This property is in unlivable conditions, and it is likely to deteriorate further, creating unhealthful or dangerous conditions.

I know that Trappe Borough has a process of inspection that happens during any change in tenancy. At the very least, this property should be inspected before anyone else attempts to live there. But it should be done sooner. Here's why.

Septic issues. At several points during my tenancy, the septic system completely failed, leading to raw sewage running into the back yard, and into the basement when that route became frozen or clogged. This went on for many months. Evidence is in the back yard of the property. It's not exactly soil back there. It's not exactly sewage either, but some of it was, last year. The septic system itself was partly exposed in its "repair" and, I think, partly covered up by an old wooden door.

The entire septic system and back yard should be investigated for unhealthful or out-of-code conditions before the property is authorized for any kind of use.

Infrastructure issues. During last year's unusual snowfalls, the poorly-sealed roof developed ice dams and then a very bad leak. For the last year of my time there, the leak slowly worsened until the entire interior of one room was collapsing. The property manager was notified, but seemed uninterested in solving the problem, even after getting repeated pictures of falling drywall from the ceiling.

During my time there I took some steps to alleviate the problem. But now that I've left, the continuing leak will continue to weaken the roof support, until it eventually collapses.

Also: the property manager attempted to "winterize" the place during my departure... but chose the wrong valve to close for the incoming water. This led to an inch of water in the basement when a joint near the actual first valve failed. I found it while clearing out the last few boxes of my stuff, and shut it off at the proper valve. You may want to turn off the incoming water line to this property.

One reason why this is important: in the past, when this house was vacant, it attracted college students who broke in. Students walk past it every day, going down the hill to the path through the hollow. At one point there was an alarm system installed, but it has not been active for quite some time.

The Property Management company is ABC Realty Corp at 38 Ridge Pike. If you have any questions, you can reach me at 123-123-1234.

Undertoad

Clodfobble · 04-02-2015, 07:22 PM

OH LAWDY IT'S ON.

Definitely keep us updated.

monster · 04-02-2015, 07:23 PM

Did you give the appropriate notice to leave or that you wouldn't pay more rent until the problems were fixed? if so, can't you refer the rental agency to this communication and demand that they return your deposit rather than give it to the owner/instruct the owner to return it?

Undertoad · 04-02-2015, 09:09 PM

No, I told them on Feb 1 that I'd be out by Feb 15th, but on the basis that conditions had become unbearable, not that they could fix everything and suddenly we'd be all cool again. They knew it was unlivable conditions. The lease was over. This is just coming up with any flimsy pretense to keep the money and assuming I'm not going to do anything. And they're right, I'm not interested in legal action or we'd be deep in it already.

So I'll just make sure I'm the last one to live there, and that she has no option to rent to anyone else, and possibly that her property is condemned and she is forced to sell for demolishment before she was actually interested in doing so.

gvidas · 04-02-2015, 09:49 PM

Bluff that shit bro. Send the landlord one of your nicely written letters requesting immediate payment of your security deposit on the grounds that the house was totally unlivable. Copy and paste some shit from this thread, end with a note about how if you do not receive payment by some-date-about-a-week-from-now-maybe-ten-days, that you'll be taking them to small claims court for reimbursement of all the damages you suffered during your tenancy. Give them a quick optimistic-but-fact-based rundown of all this -- all the repairs you made out of pocket over the years, all the stuff you lost due to damage, etc. The max amount in small claims court in PA is $8k.

When the time comes to take them to small claims court, maybe you'll go, maybe you won't. But you're articulate and the evidence is on your side. Them avoiding it by cutting you a check for your security deposit would be a smart investment on their end. And arguing for it is only, at most, an hour or two of your time. Probably works out to a pretty good hourly rate.

Gravdigr · 04-02-2015, 10:44 PM

Sounds like it is, indeed, on like a pot of neck bones, now.

Griff · 04-03-2015, 06:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gvidas

Bluff that shit bro. Send the landlord one of your nicely written letters requesting immediate payment of your security deposit on the grounds that the house was totally unlivable. Copy and paste some shit from this thread, end with a note about how if you do not receive payment by some-date-about-a-week-from-now-maybe-ten-days, that you'll be taking them to small claims court for reimbursement of all the damages you suffered during your tenancy. Give them a quick optimistic-but-fact-based rundown of all this -- all the repairs you made out of pocket over the years, all the stuff you lost due to damage, etc. The max amount in small claims court in PA is $8k.

When the time comes to take them to small claims court, maybe you'll go, maybe you won't. But you're articulate and the evidence is on your side. Them avoiding it by cutting you a check for your security deposit would be a smart investment on their end. And arguing for it is only, at most, an hour or two of your time. Probably works out to a pretty good hourly rate.

At a minimum ask them to please eat a dick.

Undertoad · 04-03-2015, 07:43 AM

See, if the borough or county takes activity on behalf of the homeowner, they will put a lien on her house. Any work having to be done to condemn it will come out of that lien before anything else happens.

gvidas · 04-03-2015, 07:58 AM

Usually security deposits have to be held in escrow by a third party. It's not like the landlord gets an interest-free loan. I'm not certain about PA.

Are there two entities, the homeowner and the rental company? If so, maybe the rental co is dicking you just to get their cut of February, knowing that the house is a ship that has sunk.

Still sounds like some fairly cut & dried small claims court shit. Especially if your lease was with the rental co, since any lien on a house owned by someone else wouldn't really effect your ability to extract compensation from the rental co. They presumably have other assets, and we're talking about chump change in the context of real estate.

Undertoad · 04-03-2015, 08:34 AM

Right, there is the home owner and then there is the property management company.

The property management company tends to like me, knew what I went through and said they'd recommend me to any future landlord. And I did a website for them, for a HOA, that I continue to host. So they are putting it on the homeowner. No way to know for sure.

monster · 04-03-2015, 09:06 AM

If the lease was over, I'd say it's worth telling the management company that you expect them to return your deposit, on the grounds you stated. Then call in the council to condemn. Your letter to them will carry more weight if you're not a pissed off tenant who just learned they lost their deposit /2c.

plus it's bonus cash

04-02-2015, 07:22 PM	#501
Clodfobble UNDER CONDITIONAL MITIGATION Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 20,012	OH LAWDY IT'S ON. Definitely keep us updated. __________________ My book My other book My spirit animal

04-02-2015, 07:23 PM	#502
monster I hear them call the tide Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Perpetual Chaos Posts: 30,852	Did you give the appropriate notice to leave or that you wouldn't pay more rent until the problems were fixed? if so, can't you refer the rental agency to this communication and demand that they return your deposit rather than give it to the owner/instruct the owner to return it? __________________ The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity Amelia Earhart

04-02-2015, 10:44 PM	#505
Gravdigr The Un-Tuckian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: South Central...KY that is Posts: 39,517	Sounds like it is, indeed, on like a pot of neck bones, now. __________________ These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA, EPA, FBI, DEA, CDC, or FDIC. These statements are not intended to diagnose, cause, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. If you feel you have been harmed/offended by, or, disagree with any of the above statements or images, please feel free to fuck right off.

04-03-2015, 09:06 AM	#510
monster I hear them call the tide Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Perpetual Chaos Posts: 30,852	If the lease was over, I'd say it's worth telling the management company that you expect them to return your deposit, on the grounds you stated. Then call in the council to condemn. Your letter to them will carry more weight if you're not a pissed off tenant who just learned they lost their deposit /2c. plus it's bonus cash __________________ The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity Amelia Earhart

04-02-2015, 06:16 PM	#500
Undertoad Radical Centrist Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Cottage of Prussia Posts: 31,423	Dear Undertoad, Please be advised that your security deposit is being kept by the owner for payment of February 2015 rent. I can be reached at the phone number above with any question. Thank you. Property Manager ~ fume fume fume Dentists in Blue Bell have felt my rage over less. FINE. LET'S DO THIS. Dear Borough of Collegeville, Property Inspector: I have rented, and have now vacated the property at 60 E 5th Avenue. (It's about 500 feet away from the Borough building; the last driveway on the right before the apartments, down at the bottom of the hill.) This property is in unlivable conditions, and it is likely to deteriorate further, creating unhealthful or dangerous conditions. I know that Trappe Borough has a process of inspection that happens during any change in tenancy. At the very least, this property should be inspected before anyone else attempts to live there. But it should be done sooner. Here's why. Septic issues. At several points during my tenancy, the septic system completely failed, leading to raw sewage running into the back yard, and into the basement when that route became frozen or clogged. This went on for many months. Evidence is in the back yard of the property. It's not exactly soil back there. It's not exactly sewage either, but some of it was, last year. The septic system itself was partly exposed in its "repair" and, I think, partly covered up by an old wooden door. The entire septic system and back yard should be investigated for unhealthful or out-of-code conditions before the property is authorized for any kind of use. Infrastructure issues. During last year's unusual snowfalls, the poorly-sealed roof developed ice dams and then a very bad leak. For the last year of my time there, the leak slowly worsened until the entire interior of one room was collapsing. The property manager was notified, but seemed uninterested in solving the problem, even after getting repeated pictures of falling drywall from the ceiling. During my time there I took some steps to alleviate the problem. But now that I've left, the continuing leak will continue to weaken the roof support, until it eventually collapses. Also: the property manager attempted to "winterize" the place during my departure... but chose the wrong valve to close for the incoming water. This led to an inch of water in the basement when a joint near the actual first valve failed. I found it while clearing out the last few boxes of my stuff, and shut it off at the proper valve. You may want to turn off the incoming water line to this property. One reason why this is important: in the past, when this house was vacant, it attracted college students who broke in. Students walk past it every day, going down the hill to the path through the hollow. At one point there was an alarm system installed, but it has not been active for quite some time. The Property Management company is ABC Realty Corp at 38 Ridge Pike. If you have any questions, you can reach me at 123-123-1234. Undertoad

04-02-2015, 09:09 PM	#503
Undertoad Radical Centrist Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Cottage of Prussia Posts: 31,423	No, I told them on Feb 1 that I'd be out by Feb 15th, but on the basis that conditions had become unbearable, not that they could fix everything and suddenly we'd be all cool again. They knew it was unlivable conditions. The lease was over. This is just coming up with any flimsy pretense to keep the money and assuming I'm not going to do anything. And they're right, I'm not interested in legal action or we'd be deep in it already. So I'll just make sure I'm the last one to live there, and that she has no option to rent to anyone else, and possibly that her property is condemned and she is forced to sell for demolishment before she was actually interested in doing so.

04-02-2015, 09:49 PM	#504
gvidas Hoodoo Guru Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 286	Bluff that shit bro. Send the landlord one of your nicely written letters requesting immediate payment of your security deposit on the grounds that the house was totally unlivable. Copy and paste some shit from this thread, end with a note about how if you do not receive payment by some-date-about-a-week-from-now-maybe-ten-days, that you'll be taking them to small claims court for reimbursement of all the damages you suffered during your tenancy. Give them a quick optimistic-but-fact-based rundown of all this -- all the repairs you made out of pocket over the years, all the stuff you lost due to damage, etc. The max amount in small claims court in PA is $8k. When the time comes to take them to small claims court, maybe you'll go, maybe you won't. But you're articulate and the evidence is on your side. Them avoiding it by cutting you a check for your security deposit would be a smart investment on their end. And arguing for it is only, at most, an hour or two of your time. Probably works out to a pretty good hourly rate.

04-03-2015, 07:43 AM	#507
Undertoad Radical Centrist Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Cottage of Prussia Posts: 31,423	See, if the borough or county takes activity on behalf of the homeowner, they will put a lien on her house. Any work having to be done to condemn it will come out of that lien before anything else happens.

04-03-2015, 07:58 AM	#508
gvidas Hoodoo Guru Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 286	Usually security deposits have to be held in escrow by a third party. It's not like the landlord gets an interest-free loan. I'm not certain about PA. Are there two entities, the homeowner and the rental company? If so, maybe the rental co is dicking you just to get their cut of February, knowing that the house is a ship that has sunk. Still sounds like some fairly cut & dried small claims court shit. Especially if your lease was with the rental co, since any lien on a house owned by someone else wouldn't really effect your ability to extract compensation from the rental co. They presumably have other assets, and we're talking about chump change in the context of real estate.

04-03-2015, 08:34 AM	#509
Undertoad Radical Centrist Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Cottage of Prussia Posts: 31,423	Right, there is the home owner and then there is the property management company. The property management company tends to like me, knew what I went through and said they'd recommend me to any future landlord. And I did a website for them, for a HOA, that I continue to host. So they are putting it on the homeowner. No way to know for sure.

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