postgraduationhaze

Its been a mighty rough day.

Piece this together:
Dear____

I am in a bit of a bind with my apartment, specifically, there has been problem after problem with this apartment, and the latest is that last night, I was chased out of my apartment by centipedes (no joke). There wasn’t 100’s but there were about 10 running out of my bedroom and a couple in the sink, one that I killed.

I don’t know what to do. My apartment is very, very clean (I actually pay monthly to have it professionally cleaned on top of my own cleaning that I do weekly) and I take my trash out regularly, don’t leave dishes or food in the sink—you get the picture.

I am staying at Sarah’s apartment tonight, (the building manager, who I called last night in a panic, is spraying my apartment today) and last night I spent the night in Naperville with another friend. I know that they’re just bugs, but I worry be/c a) centipedes typically only live where there is water…these were outdoor centipedes which means that somewhere in the building there is freestanding water be/c its not coming from my apartment. Even if they spray and I am having cleaners come again on Thursday, I can’t guarantee that the quality of the building will simply usher more centipedes in, regardless of how clean I have kept and am keeping my own apartment.

Among the centipedes have been these other problems:

The refrigerator broke and I lost a fridge full of food –the fridge was replaced, the food was not (not that I am trying to be petty but it was annoying);

The bathroom sink broke and leaked for weeks until they had someone finally repair it (at 630pm at night—when I came home from work, there was a man, dirt, and parts laying all over the bathroom and the hallway for about an hour);

The toilet periodically won’t flush (which I was told sometimes happens in the building);

There is a foul odor in the hallway which smells of a dead person which I have reported numerous times but it has only, in the best case scenario, reached a more mild stench; and

The radiators do not work properly; they’re very, very loud and only distribute heat in the bedroom and not the living room/kitchen.

So. Please let me know what the best step is for me. I am willing to let him take a month of my rent to get me out of this lease. I just feel like I would be a fool to continue to pay 695 a month for an apartment that is riddled with problems.



Thanks,
Cherie

---Then I researched the best route, legally, to get out of my lease before August, and then had a conversation with my landlord--

So by law I have to give him 30 days to make the repairs and if it isn’t fixed or solved by then I can say that I was “constructively evicted” meaning that I was pushed out of my apartment be/c my landlord didn’t do his job. I just got off the phone with him and tomorrow they are exterminating the entire building and researching where these bugs are coming from. They are also fixing the heat and also going to fix my toilet within a week. I told him that I was going to give him a month and if not, would pursue means of terminating my lease. So I feel better be/c I am doing this lawfully and also be/c he now knows what is really going on; I guess that the building manager doesn’t really tell him always. So anyway.



But then I realized that it'd be best to have records of this conversation:

Things got really ugly with my landlord. I called him back to get his last name and his mailing address and he started to tell me that he didn't think I was being straight with him and what did I need that for.

Excuse me?

I lost it, told him that was completely unacceptable and then he told me that these are minor problems.

Excuse me?

You aren't living with centipedes Mr. Keller so pardon my haste but this is wrong--you cannot treat me this way.

So I mailed him a letter (certified mail, return receipt) to ensure a) that this conversation about how this stuff is going to be fixed will actually be in writing if 30 days passes and nothing happens and b) to explain that I have a right to protect myself.

I am so angry right now. I cannot believe it.

Then I sent this letter:

March 23, 2005


RE: Apartment issues

Dear ___,

This letter is to confirm our conversation today regarding the concerns I have with the apartment I am renting from you at 809 West Lakeside Place, Apartment 102, Chicago IL 60640.

In the order of the priority of the issues I called you with today I will expect to have my apartment and the surrounding apartments and area sprayed for centipedes by tomorrow, March 24, 2005. The heating issues in the front room and kitchen will be dealt with and resolved within the next thirty days, and the flushing mechanism of the toilet will also be fixed within the next thirty days. I sincerely appreciate your help and attentiveness to these issues. Should you find any errors or inconsistencies with this list and/or timeline, please do not hesitate to contact me.

In regards to your trepidation to give me your last name and mailing address, I apologize for making you feel uncomfortable. That was not my intent. You are my landlord and that information is the least that I should be able to have for my own purposes. My living situation is of the utmost importance to me, and I am keeping records of the problems I have encountered to protect myself, which I feel is not only completely acceptable but also completely necessary for my own well being. It is not meant to intimidate or allude to anything other than just my own protection. This letter is simply meant to insure that our conversation will indeed lead to the outcomes promised. Although I wish I could simply take your word for it, I feel most comfortable knowing that, similar to the lease I signed, I have documents with regard to these additional issues.


Sincerely,






--Thats where I am at now. What an asshole. Will told me his landlord give them her contact information when she's on vacation.

I think this man knows I am not going to play aroudn with this and I want to get out of this and you can bet your life on it that I am not going to stay here any longer than I have to.

Another night bunking it with a friend. Sigh. The good news is that since this is a Christian office (I guess...) we get Good Friday off. So tomorrow = friday to me. Not like I have anything to do though.

besides watch for centipedes.

A special thanks to Jliz and Sarah for being hosts...time to go and get my hobo lifestyle on. Uh Huh.

So pissed still.

Posted by * on 23 March 2005 at 6:03 PM | Permalink