# A plague upon my house??? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 15, 2000, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-plague-upon-my-house/12829 "2000-01-15T17:57:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![kellibelli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e480ec/32.png) [@kellibelli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kellibelli)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2000, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-plague-upon-my-house/12829/1 "2000-01-15T17:57:00Z")
Ok, you just are _not_ gonna believe **this!** I will start at the beginning… In late july I moved back to the trailer park where I grew up. I found a beautiful mobile home to rent, with a stunning view of the river, a big yard, and quiet safe streets. As soon as the weather turned cold, trouble started. First the furnace stunk when run…but the landlord insisted I was iagining it. Then a pipe burst under the kitchen, no damage to my stuff. The a pipe burst under the bathroom, flooded the back end of the trailer, Frankie’scloste, the bathroom, bathrm cabinets, my bedroom, my closte, and the end of the hall. My bed sits on 2 boxsprings, instead of a boxpsring and a frame, so it took days to get all teh water dried up. It left the floor in the hall by my bedroom door sagging and ruined. Then over xmas, we were home for 4 days, and since it was really cold, the furnace ran, alot. We stunk of oil, our clothes, hair, blankets, everything. Upset, i told Dad, who went ‘cowboy’ on me and took care of it (he made the furnace guy and the landlord come over and the furnace guy disconnected the unit immediately…the thingy that vents the fumes wasnt venting.) I had no heat over new years weekend, had to rent little heaters, and the fear of a fire kept me awake for days! The landlord is going to replace the sagging floor soon, and new carpet to replace the ruined stuff…but before he could, \* I stepped on the sagging part, and went right through!!\* Now, this morning, the sewer is backed up, and by whats in my bath tub, I can tell what the folks next door had for supper last night. I expect the locusts any friggin minute! I am not upset though…but soon that cup of tea is gonna want to see daylight, and then I might be a little more tense. So, how’s _your_ weekend shaping up?? ---
**Author:** ![Persephone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@Persephone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Persephone)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2000, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-plague-upon-my-house/12829/2 "2000-01-16T06:12:00Z")
Wow. ((((((Kelli))))) I can’t say don’t worry, because you do have some rather worrisome stuff going on there. But you’ll get through it. Grit your teeth, deal with the crises one at a time, and they will go away eventually. I’ll be thinking of ya! ---
**Author:** ![WallyM7](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5e925/32.png) [@WallyM7](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WallyM7)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2000, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-plague-upon-my-house/12829/3 "2000-01-16T06:14:00Z")
As usual, I’m at the shop. Geez, Kells. What did you do to piss off the Trailer Gods? Here’s a bright thought for you, babe: The worst has already happened. It’s clear sailing from here on. People who have never experienced misery can never be happy. They have nothing to compare it to. Guilty. I’m an optomist. I have to be or I would have thrown the towel in by now. Put your hands on the ten and two position, grip that steering wheel, and keep trucking. Who loves ya? * * * A seminar on time travel will be held two weeks ago. ---
**Author:** ![ChiefScott](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58f4c7/32.png) [@ChiefScott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChiefScott)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2000, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-plague-upon-my-house/12829/4 "2000-01-16T06:16:00Z")
A cellar would take care of most of those problems – a feature not found in most mobile homes though. [hypnotically]Come to the other side, kelli. The land of houses, apartments, duplexes, condos and ranches…[hypnotically] * * * You are now leaving a “Smiley-free zone”! A public service message brought to you by G.R.O.S.S. ---
**Author:** ![ChiefScott](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58f4c7/32.png) [@ChiefScott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChiefScott)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2000, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-plague-upon-my-house/12829/5 "2000-01-16T06:18:00Z")
Sorry for your troubles kelli, but look at the bright side… your trailer isn’t leaving for six months and planes don’t take off and land on your roof! * * * You are now leaving a “Smiley-free zone”! A public service message brought to you by G.R.O.S.S. ---
**Author:** ![kellibelli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e480ec/32.png) [@kellibelli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kellibelli)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2000, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-plague-upon-my-house/12829/6 "2000-01-16T06:52:00Z")
I am not sweating it…no biggie. I think I may have pissed off those trailer gods wally! And scott…oh YES! all I need now is a basement!! I can picture it, full of water and sewage…yummy! 😛 \*picturing a plane landing on trailer roof… I am going to see my new niece as soon as i can shower…I smell pretty funky! ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2000, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-plague-upon-my-house/12829/7 "2000-01-15T19:26:00Z")
Trailer gods! The church building isn’t too hard to picture, but the hymns? Nearer My God to Thee would be a good one for whenever the wind picks up. Kellibelli – you always seem to get to the bright side of things pretty quickly. Love your attitude. ---
**Author:** ![techchick68](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ea5d25/32.png) [@techchick68](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/techchick68)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2000, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-plague-upon-my-house/12829/8 "2000-01-15T20:09:00Z")
Kelli, Could be worse, you could be homeless 🙂 Hope it gets better. There are some good things that come of this. You now know the heater is safe. Soon, the sewer system will be fixed. New carpet! That’s a plus, and you will know the integrity of the flooring beneath you. And, since you don’t own the property, you don’t have to fork out the money and deal with insurance companies. This is the best thing about being a renter, it’s the landlords financial problem, not yours. Just some positives things that might help you through this. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2000, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-plague-upon-my-house/12829/9 "2000-01-15T21:25:00Z")
> [@](#): > > The worst has already happened. It’s clear sailing from here on. Omigod, Wally! Don’t you KNOW any better that to say that out loud!!! Quick, go knock on the nearest available piece of wood!!! And ::clears throat to give mini-lecture:: renters ought to have insurance too! -Melin ---
**Author:** ![Doctordec](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cdc98d/32.png) [@Doctordec](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctordec)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2000, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-plague-upon-my-house/12829/10 "2000-01-15T21:52:00Z")
Could have been worse. You could have been standing in the bathtub when the sewer burfed (new word) out. The burst pipe could have shorted out your Christmas lights. And when you went through the floor, you could have kept going out and down the hill. I’d say you have good reason to count your blessings. It’s just the “laughing gods” after all. * * * “Hope is not a method” ---
**Author:** ![kellibelli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e480ec/32.png) [@kellibelli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kellibelli)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2000, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-plague-upon-my-house/12829/11 "2000-01-15T21:59:00Z")
You guys are totally _mental!!_ I am calling my ins agent Monday, FOR SURE!!! Hey god, its me, Kelli…OK\< I HEAR YOU!!! I had thought of the ‘in the tub when it burfed’ thing too…\ There was actual poop in my tub when it drained\ I used all my bleach to clean it out. ---
**Author:** ![Dark\_Wing\_Duck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f0a364/32.png) [@Dark\_Wing\_Duck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dark_Wing_Duck)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2000, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-plague-upon-my-house/12829/12 "2000-01-15T22:55:00Z")
That sounds similar to the last apartment I was in, a moderately expensive townhouse in a nice section of town. When I moved in they were in the midst of spending god knows how much money repainting all the buildings, replacing railroad-tie retaining walls with brick, resurfacing and repainting the parking lots, etc. Over the course of nine months, the furnace went out six times, the air conditioning went out ten times, and the sewer backed up into the apartment five times. After the fourth sewer backup, I gave the manager hell. She replied that she had 100% occupancy and a list of people waiting to move in. Then she slammed a notice of lease termination down in front of me. Of course, I signed it. Two days later the sewer backed up again. At the time I moved out the air conditioning was still not working, and I had to pack in near-90 degree heat. Incidentally, my next-door neighbors told me they had been moved there from another unit in the same complex after their sewer line backed up and flooded their apartment with a foot of water. I sent a letter to the president of the company that owned the complex, detailing all these problems. I never got a reply. They did, however, sue me for damage to the carpet. But on the bright side, I’ve been in a great, well-managed complex for almost two years now. Don’t get discouraged - you shall overcome! ---
**Author:** ![Poto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ab992/32.png) [@Poto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poto)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2000, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-plague-upon-my-house/12829/13 "2000-01-15T23:01:00Z")
I was fortunate to quit renting in 1984. I can call up whoever to fix problems or I can attempt to fix it myself. Maybe it’s time to move on? ---
**Author:** ![Poto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ab992/32.png) [@Poto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poto)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2000, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-plague-upon-my-house/12829/14 "2000-01-16T14:29:00Z")
How’s the situation today, Kelli? ---
**Author:** ![kellibelli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e480ec/32.png) [@kellibelli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kellibelli)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2000, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-plague-upon-my-house/12829/15 "2000-01-16T15:55:00Z")
All is fine, but I check the tub every time I go by. As far as moving on…alas, I went bankrupt in '98, so I wont be purchasing a home in next few decades. I try to look at it this way, the more stuff that breaks, the more stuff gets replaced…like the furnace. Now I have a brand new, efficient, quiet unit, and soon, I will have new hall carpet, and tomorrow, they fix the floor. I am DEFINITELY getting tenant insurance right away, I cant afford it, but I cant afford NOT to have it either. Ted seems to be coming down with that dreaded flu, he is back in bed with a head ache. ---
**Author:** ![Poto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ab992/32.png) [@Poto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poto)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2000, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-plague-upon-my-house/12829/16 "2000-01-16T16:40:00Z")
Well, by summer, you could look for more reliable rental space for the next winter. Lots of people go bankrupt, but you still have to rent and the landlords can’t turn you away that easily.Good luck. ---
**Author:** ![Shadowfox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Shadowfox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shadowfox)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2000, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-plague-upon-my-house/12829/17 "2000-01-16T16:52:00Z")
Kelli, it could be worse…you could have **rats** ## That’s right, **rats**. The last place we lived in was right behind a foundry. We kept on catching what we thought were mice in the mouse traps, until a friend of ours pointed out that those were the biggest mice he had ever seen. They were coming in through a rather large hole in the concrete foundation, which we covered with a piece of sheet metal. Then they started coming in through an old gopher burrow that we didn’t notice. We tried filling it in, but they just kept on digging the dirt out and coming back. We called the landlord on many occasions, but he told us that if we didn’t like it, we could always move. We ended up calling the city inspector, who came out and confirmed that the rodents were indeed rats, and the landlord ended up getting a pretty hefty fine for the “rodent infestation”. What was really funny was that the landlord tried to claim that we “planted” the rats in the house. We thank the gods above every day that none of the children got bit by one of those things. We moved out over a year ago and from what I’ve heard, the house is still unoccupied because he hasn’t been able to re-rent it or sell it. Shadowfox “We are what we pretend to be.” - Kurt Vonnegut ---
**Author:** ![Persephone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@Persephone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Persephone)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2000, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-plague-upon-my-house/12829/18 "2000-01-17T06:55:00Z")
Kelli, as a fellow tenant, I say, get the renter’s insurance. It’s cheap. Like, $100 for a whole year. And get _replacement value!_ That way, if someting gets wrecked, you will get paid what it would cost to replace it, not what it’s worth. If you have car insurance, try going to the agency that takes care of that, too. Some agencies will cut you a break for multiple policies. 🙂 * * * “The quickest way to a man’s heart is through his ribcage.” --anonymous redhead ---
**Author:** ![Zeb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/57b2e6/32.png) [@Zeb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeb)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2000, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-plague-upon-my-house/12829/19 "2000-01-17T02:18:00Z")
WallyM7 said: > [@](#): > > The worst has already happened.It’s clear sailing from here. Completely untrue. When you really piss the Trailer Gods off, they send tornados and UFO abductions. Good luck, Kelli. And go for the renter’s insurance. Worst case senario, most jurisdictions have some sort of Tenants court, if it comes to that. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2000, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-plague-upon-my-house/12829/20 "2000-01-17T02:27:00Z")
Kelli, dear–let me share some of the things that have happened to me in the lasr 30 days. 1- **My very first car wreck** I’ve been driving for 20 years, no wrecks. Some dim bulb jets out of a parking lot & broadsides me so hard that my car spins totally around, tail end facing the direction I was going in. 2- **The driver tries to stall** She didn’t call the insurance company, wouldn’t answer _their_ calls or letters for weeks. And after I was nice enough not to press charges! :mad: 3- **Already mentioned Illness** See my Horrible Malady Alert Notice. 4- **Heartbreak** The woman I’ve had a crush on/been in love with has announced that she will never marry again. After 2 failed marriages, who can blame her? But my hopes are dashed. Your problems are worse than mine, Kelli. But you’re not alone. But if we share our troubles, somehow they don’t seem as big. And you do have friends. Always. 🙂 * * * “Show me a sane man, and I will cure him for you.”----Jung [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-plague-upon-my-house/12829.md?page=2)