So livid right now

[Duetsche_Doggen]

So your guys know I'v been having issues with my first rental. While the parking and neighbors have gotten better but the stump has NOT. I just found out today after speaking with my neighbor that the stump has been there for......... get ready............. A YEAR!!!!! I have been here for almost three going on FOUR months now and every time I ask her about she's always "working" on it. Twice I had to do her job for her by calling to have something fixed. There is a tree root growing in the sewage pipes that of course gives constant headaches with the toilet, sink, and bathtub. I have spider crickets that come out of the wood work ( there's a nest right by my bathroom) had one jump on me in the middle of the night. I am not sure but I think there is black mode in my bathroom from the smell. I won't even go into the gutters that haven't been clean or the logs in the yard that have been there for a year.

Apparently not only that I'm not the first victim of" I'll take care of it later" that PM gives off. My neighbors been having more issues than I have. And she's been at the place for almost two years now.

This is completely inexcusable I can take a lot of things and do have patience but this is enough. After three months I finally got her to mow the lawn. Yet the stump has not been touched. She wants me to call a restaurant next door ( since they just cut down some trees) and ask them what company they use.

I told the PM that I might be moving from a job transfer her response would be that I would loose my security deposit on top of that have the option to sue for "loss rent."

Sorry if this is incoherent, it takes a lot for me to get PO'd but I've had it!!!! I'm done. I don't have the funds right now to move but best believe I am going to be pure HELL with this PM. I don't even know what else to do anymore.

I'm going to write a letter and see if I can get the dead beat city out here and seeing what they can do. However every time I call them I'm placed on hold.

Just ugh......

 

[ruthcatrin]

Figure out who the appropriate person is who's in charge of making sure rental properties are liveable and send them a letter w/return receipt. That doesn't cost as much as certified mail but confirms they got it. I "just" went through this with my former landlord (she's the reason we bought a house). Unless VA laws are totally different from NY (possible, this IS NY after all) there are things she's required to do as property manager. Heck, you might just want to send a copy of the letter (with the information that it IS a copy and to whom the originial was sent) to the owners.

If you DID sign a lease then generally yes they can expect you to pay rent on the empty apartment untill they can fill it or your lease is up, whichever comes first, but maybe you can talk them out of doing so by promising not to sue for poor living conditions....

 

[Tiger12490]

Like Ruth already stated call the owners for sure hopefully your land lord is not the owner..and if your break a lease they can and will make you pay they tried to get me in va and Cali good thing for USMC orders

Tapd on my skyrocket

 

[Duetsche_Doggen]

Thanks Ruth and Tiger good points. I wish I could afford a house if I could I'd so be out of here. No she is not the owner she is the PM, I think I found the owners online but I am not sure the information is correct.

Yeah I know she's in favor of rent loss, it just makes me so angry that she would do this. My patience at two months was getting thin, three months now was pushing but for a WHOLE YEAR it snapped.....

 

[northernmastiff]

Sorry to hear about this. Do you have a landlord-tenant board where you are? We have a province wide one that protects the rights of landlords and tenants. I had to call them once over an eviction due to a sudden sale, we were not given any notice about the sale. They helped us keep the property for the two months we were entitled to. In addition, we could move with only 15 days notice and they would have to refund the rent if we found a property that we had to get into asap. Check to see if you have one in your area because they will get the ball moving.

 

[Duetsche_Doggen]

Thanks Northern I am not sure I have one here in VA. My mother is helping me out this as well, as we speak I'm typing up the letter and taking a break so I don't get too riled up. I'm just not sure I long to give her to fix this problem. I'm thinking 15 days at least from the time she receives the letter, because a year and a months change is too long. I'm definetely leaving though.

A guy has a rental property coming up soon but it won't be ready until July, however nothing is set in stone until I know I'll be able to rent it.

 

[northernmastiff]

Do a quick search for a rental board in your area, trust me, they will help a lot if they are there. The rules up here are 60 days after you alert them to the problem. If they don't, you can take them to the rental tribunal and they have to reimburse you your rent for the time period that you lived with the problem. In addition, you stop paying rent while it is in the tribunal. Might be worth looking into since you have been dealing with it long enough. Threaten lawsuit and I am sure it will be fixed asap.

 

[chuckorlando]

In Fl you can break a lease for poor living conditions with out penalty. I would look up your rental laws. I think doodoo water is a pretty good reason to move. Call me crazy

 

[Tunride]

Call the Health Dept. In Louisville, KY they handle issues with sub-standard/dangerous living conditions. Call a local TV station with a "trouble shooter", they will sometimes get involved with your type problem. Talk to the Prosecutor about filing charges against the owner for running a "common nuisance". Not sure on this, but worth a check. I had to file the charges against the owner of rental property next door to us, years ago, when a "lady of the evening" was thrown through the window, by her "manager????" Don't just take no from any of the above, ask who could help. Good luck and sorry about your mess.

 

[ruby55]

If you search landlord/tenant law in your state you might be able to find some info too. In addition, I've had problems with bugs, water/gas leaks, theft due to landlord negligence, floods. In most cases, the landlord or PM were willing to let me get the problem repaired at my expense, & reduce my rent payments accordingly. However this PM sounds like a real doozy; if you choose to go this route I would get the agreement in writing first.

 

[musicdeb]

Ditto to what others said. Sorry to hear you are going thru this bull crap, DD.

 

[Jakesmum]

Black mold is a huge health hazard for anyone living in the property as well as any bugs that aren't exterminated and sewage back up. Up here in Canada we have recently had a landlord sued for close to $60,000 for renting apartments that were condemned due to conditions such as what you are living in right now. As other people have mentioned, see if there is a landlord/tenant board that you can make a complaint to, there has to be some sort of by-law that they have to abide by, contact your local health authority, try to find out who owns the property, they may not be aware that the property manager they have is not doing their job. I wish you luck and hope that this situation gets taken care of.

 

[Duetsche_Doggen]

Thank you all for the tips and suggestions. I been taking videos and pictures, of any and EVERYTHING that has been occuring since I moved in. Not to mention documenting conversations between the PM and myself. I feel upset the most because I feel "betrayed" the realtor was very nice and sincere I just never got a bad feeling from her. Yet she propbably knew that issues that were going on in the unit. This is what upsets me the most was distrust. I take trust very seriously so its hard for me not to take it personally.

I checked online for the rental board but I think that is something for Canada only. I have a copy of my VRTLA and read it religously.

 

[ruthcatrin]

http://www.dhcd.virginia.gov/HomelessnesstoHomeownership/PDFs/Landlord_Tenant_Handbook.pdf

http://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/consumers/f-landlord.shtml

http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/states/virginia/renting/tenantrights

There, the middle one specifically states that in situations like yours you probly want the local Building Inspectors office, but all three contain ALOT of informational links that appear to apply across teh state.

 

[Duetsche_Doggen]

Thanks Ruth I had these bookmared already. Like I mentioned I read the VRTLA religiously. I'm busting her for the lack of care to the property. I sent out my letter and finally got in touch with an inspector.

However they seem to be just as dingy as the PM. I called the inspector around noon today to schedule an appointment after they take my name and number down, the lady told me the inspector would give me a 30 minute call. Ok cool, I left my phone at home so I leave work early and prep the house a bit while I wait. Finally around 3pm after hearing nothing I call them this time a different lady answers the phone she has no clue what I'm talking about. So she takes down my information again and says she'll call me back. She calls back tells me that the inspector is not coming out today. I told her that I was expected to get a 30 minute call before she arrived. The lady tells me that it didn't mean todaytoday......really....You people didn't specificy what date.

An hour later I get a call from a private number with a voicemail. Its the freaking inspector telling me she's running late and if I want her to come out today to call her. So I did, of course she wasn't there . Honestly what is wrong with people.......Maybe tomorrow......

 

[ruthcatrin]

Ah,good, I finally had a chance to dig out my notes from our dealing and so went digging, missed you said that.

And how fun....

 

[chuckorlando]

I feel so bad for you. This is why folks snap. Why is it so damn hard? You should have one number and done. Actualy, you should'nt have to call anyone. Laws be damned, one has a moral responcibility. I'm also the same with trust. Once you blow it it's gone

 

[Duetsche_Doggen]

Thanks again Ruth by the second month I was getting alittle annoyed and started prepping just in case.

Thanks Chuck I don't expect my first place to be perfect and there's bound to be some issues but this is unexcusable. If I am not mistaken you own a Lawn company? If so at one point I was going to ask you how long it took to get a contract. It took her 2 MONTHS just to get the lawn cut. Every time I'd ask her about it she would claim that she was "working on it" or the "contract fell through" I don't know to much about setting up contracts but 2 months for lawn service is ridiculous. Of course I had to e-mail her about twice a month just a find out a status.

I'm just ready to be done with this place.