Good Grief!

I just got the keys to my new apartment, and the caretaker and I did a walk through to make sure that things are in good order.

The problems pointed out to me at the start:

1. Neither living room window close completely.  They remain open about 1 inch each.

2. The 2 windows in one bedroom don't close completely. They also remain open about 1 inch. This same room has a screem missing (it is sitting on the floor against the wall)

3. A panel from the baseboard radiator in the living room is missing. It's the small rectangle piece at the end that covers the pipe connection.

4. One of the horizonal blinds in the 2nd bedroom is broken. It doesn't close.

5. There is no thermostat installed as yet. Just the wiring for it.

6. The cleaning sure isn't very good. Streaks from plaster dust every where. Looks like it needs a couple of clean rinses to get it all removed from the floors, counters, BR mirror and kitchen appliances.

I think that was it.  It wasn't a complete thorough going over. I'll look at it more closely over the next week or so and let them know what I find.

I was told that everything will be fixed.  It will be interesting to see how long it takes to actually fix it.

So far as the windows go, it's a good thing that I face south there because the wind this time of year comes from the north.  So I won't get the ice cold wind blowing in, so I should be ok for a few days. I tend to keep my windows open a little bit in the winter anyway, especially in the bedroom.

I now know what the layout is so at least now I can plan for how I want things. Especially the computer desk and TV for the wiring that will be done on Saturday morning.

I don't know what the law is in your province, but here in California, there are certain basic things that a rental property must have, such as roofs that don't leak, no insects or rodents, hot water, and heating.  This is called habitability.  Considering how cold it is where you are, the landlord must fix the windows and thermostat.  He cannot allow you to go without heating.  If he refuses to get the apartment in presentable shape before you move in, you can ask for your deposit and first month's rent back.

Don't move in until the apartment is the way it should be.  Landlords often make verbal promises, and then don't go through with them.  Get everything in writing, and a date when all of the repairs will be done.  If he refuses to do this, you can contact your city hall or county department of public health for assistance.  If he refuses to refund the money, you can take him to court.

I am not a lawyer, but worked for real estate and litigation attorneys (trial lawyers) for many, many years.  Don't let him rent a property that is legally uninhabitable.

Some years ago I was living in an apartment on the second floor of a house. The lady who owned it lived on the main floor.  She decided to sell the house and gave me some advance warning that she was going to have some things fixed in my apartment, as well as around the outside of the house, in preparation of selling.

I came home the evening on the first day that this "fixing" took place.  All of my living room furniture was stacked on top over each other in the middle of the living room. Every single wall and doorway had heavy clear plastic over it, so did all of the floors.  My bed was completely draped in clear plastic as was all of my furniture in every room. All of the fixtures in the bathroom and the appliances and counters in the the kitchen too.  There was plaster dust and hunks of plaster all over the place.

I was absolutely beside myself.  The place was completely uninhabitable! 

I lived like that for about 2 weeks!  I worked in a law firm at the time and I asked my employer if it was within the law for me to withhold my rent. He told me that it was not. My only recourse was to speak to the owner and get permission from her to move out with short notice, and if she didn't agree, I could make a claim with the Rentals Board.

I was lucky that the lady who owned the house was also my friend and she understood why I asked to move out on short notice. I found a new place within a few days and moved out a day or two after that.

I'm sure the stuff will be fixed in the new place, but it's just a matter of "when?"

We've been having very mild temperatures here this winter, even getting above zero which is highly unusual, and I rarely turn on my heat being so high on because I get more than enough from the apartments below me.  Though because the apartment building has been largely empty, there aren't many people below me, so it hasn't been as warm in my place as it usually is in the winter.

The caretaker said the windows did close until today. But the cleaning people must have done something because ever since they washed the windows they don't close. It's likely they put them back in wrong and if that is the case I can probably figure out what the problem is and fix it myself.

My concern is the thermostat, not because I can't turn it on, but because I can't turn it off! I can't stand it too hot.

When you're ready to move in, take pictures of everything wrong. cracks in the walls, broken cabinets.. every LITTLE thing. Document it all, stick it in the envelope and mail it to yourself. Do NOT open the envelope unless there's an issue with the landlords on these items. You can say "it was there before I moved in, here's proof" and the envelope will have the date stamped on it from the PO.

I wish I did this before I moved here. There's a nice crack in the wall, and I didn't notice it until after I moved in. I know I'll be paying for that when I move out in the future.

Draco said:

When you're ready to move in, take pictures of everything wrong. cracks in the walls, broken cabinets.. every LITTLE thing. Document it all, stick it in the envelope and mail it to yourself. Do NOT open the envelope unless there's an issue with the landlords on these items. You can say "it was there before I moved in, here's proof" and the envelope will have the date stamped on it from the PO.

I wish I did this before I moved here. There's a nice crack in the wall, and I didn't notice it until after I moved in. I know I'll be paying for that when I move out in the future.

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That's a good idea.  Now if I could just remember what box I put my camera in. I have no clue because I was just throwing things into boxes.

I just remembered that I do have a cell phone, but I don't know how to get the pictures off of it, and my phone is so cheap that I can't store pictures because it affects the function of my telephone and my ability to receive text messages.

Draco's suggestion that you take pictures is excellent.  I forgot to add that in my previous post.  Because I was a legal secretary, I'd had prospective landlords here in Los Angeles refuse to rent to me because I worked for lawyers.  Some real estate lawyers actually advise landlords to do that!  You gotta wonder what illegal things these landlords are doing if they're afraid to rent to law firm employees!  We make ideal tenants -- we make good money, the rent will be paid on time, we often work long hours, so we won't be disturbing our neighbors, etc.  Yet they'd rather rent to someone who'd be lucky to get the rent paid before the middle of the month!

The majority of landlords count on people being ignorant of the law, and try to take full advantage, knowing that they'd be in big trouble if they got caught.  Since you have a legal background, you have an advantage that 99.9% of the population does not.

If you can't find your camera, Natalie, borrow one.  It's worth the time to take pictures.

By the way, my mom has an orange cat named Natalie.  She was originally mine, but became hers when I moved to a place that didn't accept animals.  (My former landlord sold the house out from under me, so I had to scramble to find another place to live.)  Nattie was part of a feral colony, and I took her when she was a kitten.  She is the sweetest of cats, and turned 18 in December (as you know, "Natalie" means "Christmas child").  Her other nicknames are Natalia and Nattles.  She gives a "nyat" sound whenever she hears her name -- we call it "the Nat language." 

ericsmom1000 said:

By the way, my mom has an orange cat named Natalie.  She was originally mine, but became hers when I moved to a place that didn't accept animals.  (My former landlord sold the house out from under me, so I had to scramble to find another place to live.)  Nattie was part of a feral colony, and I took her when she was a kitten.  She is the sweetest of cats, and turned 18 in December (as you know, "Natalie" means "Christmas child").  Her other nicknames are Natalia and Nattles.  She gives a "nyat" sound whenever she hears her name -- we call it "the Nat language." 

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When I get moved I'll look through a few boxes. I have a general idea in which stack of boxes the camera is in. It's just buried at the bottom of the pile.

Today when I got home from work a few construction workers were still here. One that is rather friendly and tends to chat with me whenever he sees me, told me that they are going to start ripping up the apartments on Wednesay, and that the prep work IE: laying plastic etc will be done Monday and Tuesday.  When I told him that I had a preview of my new apartment and told him what was not finished, he said that he will be here tomorrow and he'll stop by to check things out and see if he can at least the my windows to close for me, and to put in the screen that is sitting on the floor.  He isn't an electrician so he can't do the thermostat though.

Ericsmom, my name isn't really Natalie, it's Linda.  I had a very bad experience in an online gaming forum, and I wanted to get lost on the internet, so I picked a random name to use here. It's confusing,  lol   I do answer to "Natalie" though,  lol Of course I pretty much answer to anything