Insomnia

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Couldn't sleep, due in no small part to some issues my wife and I are having with our new land-lady.

So I put my energies to good use, and wrote the 'letter of protest' I was going to write tomorrow.

That ###### - may she die slowly while crowds of demonic children shrill discordantly about her.

[mrswooten4ever 0]

May a thousand fleas infest her armpits LOL

Edited May 3, 2006 by MrsW2B

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

May a thousand fleas infest her armpits LOL

May her children all be born with small penises. Including the girls!

[Kajikit 65]

I hope you got some rest after you wrote the letter... sometimes it really helps to write down the worries that are on your mind - then you can rest.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

No still up - our vicious dragon-####### of a land-lady is sending over a "handyman" sometime this morning. A handyman enigmatically known as "Mr Tommy".

It turned out to be quite a good letter though.

[PsychoKat 0]

May a thousand fleas infest her armpits LOL

May her children all be born with small penises. Including the girls!

Or as an old song my parents used to listen to said...make the you a her for this

"May the bird of paradise fly up your nose"

"May an elephant caress you with his toes"

"May your wife be plagued with runners in her hose"

"May the bird of paradise fly up your nose"

[kml_36 0]

May a thousand fleas infest her armpits LOL

May her children all be born with small penises. Including the girls!

[ChristinaM 0]

Post this awesome letter, Fishy?

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Post this awesome letter, Fishy?

Certainly:

With reference to your letter of XXX XXX XXXX, I would like to address some of the points raised therein.

Firstly, with regards to the intermittent hot water in the kitchen area - I tried the valves under the sink as you suggested but to no avail. I can only assume therefore, that there is a problem with the kitchen plumbing that is preventing the delivery of hot water to the kitchen area. That said, however, in my reading of our lease agreement, I must respectfully dispute the assertion that financial responsibility for the repair (should such be necessary) be borne my wife and I, persuant to the "Maintenance and repair: rules" section (11) of the agreement.

New Jersey Tenant law broadly states that:

"Landlords have a duty under New Jersey landlord-tenant law to maintain their rental property in a safe and decent condition. This duty applies to all leases, whether written or oral. The duty to keep rental units safe and decent is called the warranty of habitability. The warranty of habitability is based upon common sense: in return for paying rent to the landlord, the landlord must make sure that the housing is fit to be occupied by the tenant.

The warranty of habitability has been held to include keeping the basic elements of your housing unit in good condition. This includes taking care of physical elements, such as the roof, windows, walls, etc.; the systems that supply your heat, hot and cold water, and electricity and gas; appliances, such as the stove, refrigerator, and dishwasher; keeping apartments pest-free and common areas clean; and providing security against crime, such as locks on doors and windows to deter break-ins."

While the bathroom area does indeed have hot water, the lack of hot running water in the kitchen area, in my interpretation, represents a sanitation issue. More specifically, there is no way for my wife and I to properly clean and sanitise our dishes or cooking utensils in the kitchen sink. As such, it must fall under the umbrella of the Warranty Of Habitability (under NJ Landlord-Tenant law), and is not an issue of "day to day maintenance" that we would contractually be expected to pay for. As a result, it is a reasonable expectation that this problem be rectified immediately and without cost to my wife and I.

This touches on the second area that I want to talk about. On several separate occasions you have referred to the condition of the apartment as being "perfect" and that there "should be no issues" with it. With respect, it is customary in my experience, prior to entering into a new lease agreement for the prospective tenant and the landlord (or landlords agent) to conduct a walkthrough of the apartment to assess the specific condition of the domicile, to ensure that it is satisfactory to both parties and to identify any issues and prevent future misunderstandings. These findings are usually set down in a formal document which attests to the findings of the inspection. This document can then be used by both parties to accurately assess any subsequent repair and maintenance charges at the end of the lease agreement.

While signing the lease agreement does indeed indicate acceptance of the apartment and conditions therein, persuant to section 5 "Condition of Premises", it should be made clear that my wife and I were not granted a proper opportunity to view the apartment in a 'move-in' condition and no walkthrough was conducted. The one occasion when we did view the unit, it was in the process of being renovated and cleaned. As a result, a number of small areas of concern which we identified in a brief, cursory examination were not raised intially because it was understood that these were still to be addressed as part of the renovations. Additionally, we were also given some assurances by your daughter and by other family members who were helping with the renovation, that those areas of concern would be addressed prior to our moving into the property.

It was with some surprise therefore, on moving into the apartment on XXXXXday XXXX XXX, that we discovered that the unit had not been properly cleaned, and that the general condition of the place was much the same as it was when we initially viewed it. As a result, we had to spend several hours sweeping, mopping and scrubbing the floors, and cleaning the bathroom and the kitchen area.

As this is to the benefit of both parties, and in the spirit of alleviating any future misunderstandings, I politely request that a walkthrough of the apartment be conducted forthwith. If you or an agent are unavailable to participate, I will of course contact a 3rd party to act as an independent observer and furnish you with a copy of the completed inspection report for your reference.

With regards to the issue of opened mail. Allow me to apologise sincerely for the incident in question. One item of mail was indeed opened mistakenly. Allow me to assure you that it has not, and will not happen again. Furthermore, I can confirm that we have received several other items of mail addressed to your daughter. These have been collated and will be held for her until such time as she (or a relative) is able to come by and pick them up. I trust this will resolve the matter to your satisfaction.

[ChristinaM 0]

Yep, that's a pretty good one!

Good luck getting it resolved.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Yep, that's a pretty good one!

Good luck getting it resolved.

Not bad for my having had no sleep.

The wife was in tears yesterday - not what you want when you've just moved into a new place and are trying to get started in a new job, in a new state.

The pattern goes something like this. We inform her politely of problems with the apartment. She responds with an aggressively worded, notarised letter....

We moved in there two weeks ago, and there is still no hot water in the kitchen. She seems to feel that we should have to pay for that. I disagree.

[ChristinaM 0]

As a former lettings agent, I agree with you. The place should be habitable, and there are some places where you can legally withhold rent until a problem which makes somewhere unlivable is fixed. Alternatively, pay to have it fixed and deduct it from next months rent, with a letter of explanation.

Does she own many properties? A veiled hint about letting people know that she's not a good landlady may grease the wheels if it gets to that stage...

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

As a former lettings agent, I agree with you. The place should be habitable, and there are some places where you can legally withhold rent until a problem which makes somewhere unlivable is fixed. Alternatively, pay to have it fixed and deduct it from next months rent, with a letter of explanation.

Does she own many properties? A veiled hint about letting people know that she's not a good landlady may grease the wheels if it gets to that stage...

Thanks for the tip.

Our lease does require us to pay for maintenance on the apartment, keeping it in "good order". The definition of good order to me does not include having to wash your dishes in cold water.

[Jaylen Brit 0]

great letter

Let us know how dragon-lady takes it..and if 'Mr Tommy' carried a silencer....

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

great letter

Let us know how dragon-lady takes it..and if 'Mr Tommy' carried a silencer....

I know - lets hope not.