I pit my client's awful landlady.

The BBQ Pit
1

I pit my client’s awful landlady.

Her husband is a lovely man whom we all loved for the many years that he managed the properties. When something was broken, he fixed it. If there was an issue, he’d just tell us, and we’d take care of it.

They decided he was getting too old to do the landlord stuff, and he passed it to his wife. She is an unmitigated, ringtailed bitch.

Anything that breaks or falls apart it falls to me to fix. If you ask her about it, she just yells at you. For anything that comes up, she just yells. The carpets are probably 20 or 30 years old. The place is infested with roaches. I had to send her a copy of the civil code specifically placing responsibility for habitability issues like roaches on the landlord, before she would do anything about it.

She speaks to everyone in the building as if they are some kind of dirty, disreputable ne’er-do-wells who are lucky to be there. She constantly threatens everybody with eviction (which is illegal) over things that they have no control over. She thinks she should be getting way more than the $2000 a month she is getting already. For a place where the wiring is so old that if you use a heater and the microwave at the same time, it blows a fuse. Where the tiling around the bathtub is falling off of the rotted wood behind it, and every time I try to redo the grout or caulk it just cracks off because the whole wall flexes. Where the mailboxes have no locks and just hang open. Where the stove has no fiberglass insulation left around the oven. Where there is no heat. (except for the aforementioned space heaters, personal property of the tenants.)

I believe very strongly in the rights of our immigrant population, and I personally welcome them into my community and my life. I have no problem whatsoever with newcomers here, and I think that we reject them at our peril for various reasons economically and ideologically. But it is pretty galling for someone to come here from another nation, make a vast amount of money in what I feel is clearly an exploitive manner, and act the whole time as if the native population weren’t fit to tie her shoes.

I am so ashamed to admit this: but I, who have earnestly endeavored all my life to not be the ugly thing that is a racist; I who make it a regular practice to examine myself and my attitudes uncompromisingly for the intellectual ignorance that betrays racial predjudice – I find that I now have to fight down a visceral reaction to Chinese women, that I never had before I met her. I know she’s just one tyrant and it’s nothing to do with the rest of her compatriots, but it’s a struggle.

We really have to stop worshipping the pursuit of material wealth at any cost. It’s so unbecoming, and it is totally stunting our growth as people.

2

It’s a shame that your are forced to continue living there. And even if you could find some way to escape, that all the other $2,000 per month apartments are all gone.

3

Why have you not already repeatedly spoken to your cities housing inspections and code enforcement team?

Now honestly, if the building is that bad they may suspend her renter’s license and force everyone to move out until she has it up to code. That may hurt you by forcing you to find somewhere else rather quickly, but it will cost her a fortune in lost rent and repair expenses to get it back to where she can rent it again. It may also cost her a ton of legal fees if she’s stupid enough to fight it in court or fails to do the work. Which bad landlords all too often do.

And in the end, if she owns more than one property, it just puts her on their list to keep an eye on and take a closer look at those properties too.

4

I’d guess that if the OP were in a position to do so, s/he would’ve done so already. Sometimes it’s not so simple.

5

It’s the OP’s client’s landlady; presumably the client is the one living there.

6

It’s not my apartment, it’s my client’s place. I am her attendant, as she is both elderly and disabled. In addition, it’s a Section 8 apartment. It’s not in a housing project; it’s a duplex, with a third unit they made out of the basement. (my client is not in there, thank god!)

There is literally no way my client could move out of there. She would be forced to enter a nursing home, and she very understandably does not want to do that.

You know, the sad state of the unit would be something my client could deal with, if the lady would just accord her minimal dignity and respect. She’s been there for almost fifteen years. There is no call to be so disdainful and angry all the time. I myself have never had a landlord who is anywhere near so abusive.

7

I highly doubt this is the case. What makes this apartment distinguishable from any other, that her only alternative is a nursing home?

8

Section 8 is government subsidized, I believe. Call those folks. There should be numbers posted somewhere in the complex. Or maybe there’s a elder abuse hotline you can call.

9

Then check your state laws regarding repairs and reimbursements.

In my very first apartment over 35 years ago, they refused to fix or replace the garbage disposal. I looked up the applicable state laws (much harder without the internet) and found that if your landlord refused to make repairs and you did them, you could legally deduct the expense from your next rent check.

The moment I threatened to do that, they replaced the disposal.

I’ve used that threat once or twice since then.

Granted, there are some expenses and repairs that you should not make.

10

The pitcher leans in and shakes off the first sign from the catcher. Little looked overmatched on those first two fastballs. Will they try it again or look to make him chase a breaking ball out of the zone? The pitcher winds up…

11

Are there no other places in the area who accept Section 8 vouchers (they are portable once awarded)? Or is it the act of going through a move that’s physically impractical?

The local Housing Authority that administers the Section 8 program is supposed to inspect the unit annually to ensure habitability standards are maintained. What state are you in, that has such lax standards that heating isn’t required? Not to mention that $2K/mo seems a little bit high unless we’re talking about at least a 2br-2ba unit.

12

That’s a little oracular, wouldn’t you say?

13

Blank Slate: She lives in the SF Bay Area. Vacancies are few and far between, and none of them accept Section 8.

People are getting $2500 for studio apartments around here. Her sole income is Social Security, which is nowhere near that much.

She is in her 70s and can barely walk. (with a walker)

As I said, there is literally no way she could move anywhere.

14

Well, you’ve been offered suggestions. If you want to blow them off, then you’re on your own.

15

I would look into an assisted living place. If she is so disabled maybe a nursing home would be best. Where is her family?

16

kaylasdad99: No, no one else accepts Section 8 around here anymore, even though it pays market-rate, because Sec 8 tenants don’t move out fast enough. Since landlords can raise rents as much as they want between tenants. :rolleyes:

The apartment is inspected; in fact, it was inspected every six months as far back as I can remember, because there was always something that failed.***
And whatever fails, I then have to figure out how to fix. I will say this, it has really added to my skill set. As far as the heat thing goes, Sec 8 will accept space heaters as adequate. I think, with so many, many people out on the streets these days, agency workers & contractors are just glad to have the few units that do accept Section 8, and so are primarily concerned with safety issues. For instance, they have never once commented on the sad state of the carpets, but they are right on top of anything that could be hazardous.

*** The last inspection however, after my doing everything from painting and spackling to replacing light fixtures and repairing cracked floor tiles over the years – the last inspection she finally passed in every way, for the first time! Woo hoo! Once that happens, inspections go to two-year intervals.

17

Well you just got the landlady a 2 year reprieve. You should’ve let it fail inspection.

18

Chimera: Sorry if I took too long to answer you.

**I was busy making dinner and cleaning up for the little old disabled lady I told you about.
**

19

Lol that would serve her right; but really, my client really would have noplace else to go.
I am a little ridiculously proud of myself, though. Time was, I didn’t even know how to fix a toilet that kept running.

20

Has it occurred to you that the landlady is so abusive because she hopes it will drive your client out, thereby allowing her to raise the rent? In other words, she’s a bully.