It all goes to what some here pointed out…it would be very easy for the landlord to put a bit of thought into the process so as to provide some ability for residents to simply get in or out of their own homes, as some outlined above. They also could have written the notice as a polite request to limit foot traffic as much as feasible, instead of a proclamation " prohibiting" tenants from use of their homes all day
While I agree there are work-arounds and you’ve had adequate notice, I’m also put off by the tone of the warnings and their failure to try to come up with a solution that would work better for their customers.
I suggest you put up your own sign. “Tenants will be entering and existing their residences between 9:00 a.m. and noon. Please adjust painting schedule accordingly.”
Now, *they *have notice.
That’s what I was going to say. If I’d lived in the OP’s complex last year and they did this I’d have ended up having to wake up about 4 hours early then find someplace to hang out for six hours before I went in to work. I’d probably just ignore the paint crew though and go on as usual. If it was something where I really did have to vacant my apartment (like fumigation or in-unit maintenance) I’d definitely expect my landlord to pay for a hotel room though. Especially if I was working a 3rd shift job again and slept during normal business hours.
I agree with what a poster above said, what really concerns me is the tone of the letter. It doesnt acknowledge or show any understanding of how burdensome this request is. It should show some type of understanding of this with a request that residents try to avoid multiple trips in or out. But instead, the letter does not even acknowledge or apologize foe the huge inconvenience, and it says we are " prohibited" entry or exit after 9 am, and thanks tenants " in advance" for cooperating. There is nothing in the letter to even allow for the possibility of a resident not being able to do this, there should at least be some type of comment such as " we understand there may be some situations requiring some flexibility, in that case please contact the office to make alternate arrangements"
They don’t need to, and know perfectly well that if the letter is stated in a sweet “please, please” manner, more people than necessary will take advantage of it. Those who really need an exception will call and make individual arrangements if really necessary.
Hey, I prefer to sleep until noon every day, and actually have a schedule that accommodates that most of the time. Once in a while, though, I have to get up when “normal” people do, and instead of whining about it, I suck it up and deal. It won’t kill me. It won’t even make a wart grow on the end of my nose.
If I really needed an exception or wanted to know how things will really go down, I would call my apartment manager. I guess in 22 years of renting, I’ve gotten so very lucky and haven’t run across this attitude from management companies that people are talking about here. Often, the manager has gone through this work before, and may know how you can get around things on the day. You just have to ask. Wording the notice the way she did simply minimizes how many people she has to talk about it with.
Check your lease. 24 hours notice is all any landlord has to give for anything. Giving longer than that, which they did for the Friday work, is a favor.
Seadragontatoo, you are fortunate if youve never run into this attitude…at my last place the manager was really approachable and very friendly, she seemed to like making the place very workable with tenants. I never came across anything like this before. This manager is not approachable and so the reason I prefer not calling her about this issue. The tone of this letter shows how the owner views tenants, as one poster said, as cattle. Im not sure if a considerately worded notice would make people take advantage of it. I tend to feel like respect begets respect, and a simple show of understanding towards anothers needs will result in tenants who want to make an effort to cooperate. I wonder if the tone of this letter will cause people to feel they cant ask for what they need, and instead they will just “sneak” in and out, not feeling they could approach the management ahead of time.
Bulldoody.
“trapped at home for seven hours”, huh? What kinda hellhole do you live in?
Personally, I’d get up early and make a day of it. Somewhere for breakfast, then maybe do some shopping. Hit a bar at 2 for a few drafts. You know, have fun?
Kayaker, your missing the point…it doesnt mean its a “hellhole”…with my schedule, waking up at 8 am on my day off is pretty burdensome, assuming your schedule is more 9 to 5, would you want to wake up at 3 am on a Sunday morning and have to find somehwere to hang out for seven hours, on your Sunday morning? For me, friday is my day off, my sunday, to get some rest and take it easy, then go out for a bit. Waking at about 8 am on friday for me is akin to some waking at 3 or 4 am on a sunday
I’ve done far more burdensome things and I’ve had a blast the whole time. Meh. Put a six-pack in a cooler and go to the park!
It’s one day. Get over it.
I don’t get kickbacks from the towing company I use. What am I doing wrong?
- Silver Fire, apartment manager
(To be fair, I’ve only ever towed one car. Maybe you have to call so many times before the benefits kick in?)
Dude, tenants are cattle. Do you think your landlord is running a charity recreation center out of the goodness of her heart? She wants you to pay your rent and stay out of her face, you want her to provide you a place to live and stay out of your face. Are you really upset that he doesn’t want to be besties with you?
There are buildings out there that offer five star white glove service to tenants. But if you can’t afford one of those, you get what everyone else gets. If you talk to your landlord, she can probably give you some advice. But if you don’t feel like talking to her because she’s “unapproachable” or a big meanie face, that’s on you.
Dude, I think you’re missing out on some serious filthy lucre! Where have you been? Is your apartment a small-time operation? I think this happens more with bigger corporate apartment management companies. Or used to anyway, before California passed some laws about it.
Where I lived a few years ago (complex with about 150 units), the tow trucks came around several times every week in the middle of the night. They always found a few cars to tow away (and made a lot of noise too, at 4 in the morning). By the time the owner paid the towing and storage fees, it was several hundred bucks to get your car back.
This was way too common – Common enough to spawn lots of threads on message boards where people ranted about it. (Google predatory towing.) Common enough that California finally passed some laws.
Nobody had the slightest doubts whatsoever that the corporate apartment management companies were getting a piece of all that money.
ETA: Where I live now (complex with about 250 units), the management is continually threatening to tow away every car in sight for every petty little nit-pick, but I haven’t seen it actually happening (much). There is a towing company that patrols the lot, though. I’m sure this was once a major profit center here too, but not any more, no doubt due to the laws.
In addition to this, she’s doing property improvements. Like…without petitions and court dates and lawyers. She’s making the place a better place for you to live. And you’re bitching about it because it might slightly inconvenience you for a few hours?
Get over yourself and grow up.
Im glad I posted this, I got alot of helpful feedback and apparently am not alone in feeling seven hours is an unreasonable amount of time to demand people not be able to get into their apartments, including those who work third shifts and other situations. As many pointed out, it would be easy fornthe landlord to employ any number of options so tenants can ,if they need to, get in their home. I live in a rather high rent place so something this basic should be accomodated for
It’s not. It’s owned by a management company that owns rental properties all over the state.
I probably don’t tow as much as I technically could. The one time I did call a truck in was because my plow guy was coming for snow removal and one tenant didn’t move their car despite ample warning they would need to do so. Attempts to reach the tenant were unsuccessful. It cost them a hundred bucks, I think, assuming they went to pick it up before the end of business that day. Maybe $125? Something like that.
I could tow when people aren’t parked in their assigned spot or when guests park in assigned tenant parking but the company put new sidewalks in right before I got here and got rid of the poles that had the spot numbers on them and they haven’t bothered getting the lot resurfaced and having the numbers painted directly on the spaces so I don’t bother enforcing parking rules for the 1/4 of the lot that still has identifying marks (numbered poles that are in the grass, not on the sidewalks, and were never removed).
Personally, I like to sleep in on a sunday. So, if your waking at 8 am is like someone else waking at 3 am, then you’re really sleeping until around 1 pm. If you sleep in, maybe 2 or 3. So for most of this inconvenience, you’ll be sleeping anyways. So you’re really trapped for maybe an hour or two. So if you don’t want to get up at 8 because it is too burdensome, then wake up and watch a movie or do some gaming.
I really don’t see what the big issue is if you’re gonna be sleeping through most of it. Especially if they gave you a five or six day notice.
Unless it’s an appointment that cannot be rescheduled with notice, there’s nothing I would do at 11am that can’t be done at 4pm. But that’s just me, and and with long notice like that, I would simply plan accordingly. I really don’t think it’s a big deal at all, either. I also have a “just deal with it” attitude toward many things in life, because there is very little to get so worked up about. Healthy heart and blood pressure are worth it.
Its not the end of the world but the wording of the letter telling people they will be prohibited all day from their homes with no acknowledgment of the burden it really could put on some people depending on whats going on in their life…i need to sleep til around eleven or sometimes noon and wanted to take a free class i was offered after i get up. Yea i could just sit around for five or so hours after but i would miss the class and not be able to really enjoy my day off or do other things…anyways not much more to say, except im not sure about this complex anymore…its fairly high rent so i feel like the least they could do is put a wee bit of thought into the process so as not to demand all tenants be locked out or in, take your pick. Its not like the olden days when business owners had a sense of professional ethics