This isn’t really a rant, it’s just a little vent. Not enough vitriol for the Pit, really.
Here’s the story: several years ago, my hubby and I bought a couple of investment (rental) properties in WV. One is a 10-unit apartment house in a very small West Virginia town, the other is a 6-unit trailer park in an even smaller West Virginia town.
We’ve had a lot of trouble finding/keeping a good manager for the properties, so several months ago, we made the decision to move out here ourselves so I could manage the properties. We moved into the “Owner’s Apartment” in the apartment building (when it was converted from a motel to an apartment building some 25 years ago, Apt. 4 was developed as the “Owner’s Apartment”; it’s the nicest unit in the building: 3BR, 2 baths, central air, dishwasher, carpeting everywhere but the kitchen-and don’t get me started on how stupid it is to have carpeting in the bathrooms, but there ya go, etc; I have no complaints about the apartment itself. It needed some basic maintenance like carpet cleaning, but it’s nice).
My complaints are thus:
Tenants who think I’m their ‘mother’ or ‘scout master’ or something; they come to me to complain about trifling differences with other tenants expect me to get in the middle and moderate. I’m sorry, but you’re supposed to be adults. You know, handle these things on your own. If your kitchen leaks, if your toilet runs, if your door won’t lock properly, I want to know about it, so I can put it on the list for my handyman to take care of. If you come knock on my door because so-and-so was in your face about something, I don’t really want to hear it.
Tenants who think I’m the local Rent-a-Center. Two days ago, one of the tenants from apt. 9 came to me and asked if I had a vacuum cleaner they could borrow; they were shampooing the carpeting, he explained, and they needed a vacuum. I had my reservations, since I have a pretty pricey vacuum cleaner, but I loaned it to him, with an admonition that he’d better be careful with it. He promised he would. Several hours later, I went up to see when I’d be getting my vacuum back. My apartment is on the ground floor, his is on the third floor. When I went to check on my vacuum is when I found out that, a couple of days previous, he had busted the lock off his door (but he hastily promised he was going to replace it), and his door does not lock. He told me he had to wait “15 more minutes” for a particular section of the carpet to dry, vacuum it, then he’d bring my vacuum back to me. A couple of hours later, I was getting ready for bed, and realized he still hadn’t brought my vacuum back, so I went up again, ready to sound ‘stern’ (so much for not being their ‘mother’, huh?) about him not returning my vacuum! So I went up, only to find no one home, door wide open (duh, he busted the lock!) and my $400.00 vacuum cleaner sitting right there where anyone could have taken it! So I took it back, unhappy at having to lug it back down two flights of stairs when I’m sick anyway (unremitting kidney infection). I expected him to show up the next day, apologetic, or at lest curious as to whether I was the one who took the vacuum. Haven’t heard a peep out of him!
There have also been knocks on my door asking to borrow a screwdriver, a wrench, a light bulb, and two AA batteries.
I am not the Rent-a-Center, or the local convenience store, folks. Go get your own stuff!
Meantime, the woman in Apt 5, a single mother of three, does not watch her children. I cannot tell you how many times (and I’ve only lived here less than a month) I’ve seen her not-yet-three-year-old daughter out in front of the apartment building alone. This is not exactly a crime-infested area, nor is it a particularly busy street, even by West Union standards. But two is far too young to be out alone (and I’m not a ‘helicopter’ parent); more than once, her kids (the oldest is 5) have knocked on my door, wanting to know if they can come in (mother nowhere to be seen), wanting to know if I know where Mommy is, etc.
I truly feel badly for the kids. CPS is aware of the situation, and I’m this close to making them more aware. When I see the little one out and about by herself, I’ll escort her back up to her apartment. But I’m not a daycare provider. My husband works out of town, and it’s really all I can manage to care for myself (in my current state of health), the properties, and my 9YO daughter.
We have some good tenants, but sheesh. I’m going to have to draw a hard line with some of these folks! And right now, I don’t even have the energy to start on the drama at the trailer park! It’s a Jerry Springer show waiting to happen. :eek:
I’m not worried about any of them stumbling on this thread. We’re the only family in the building with internet.