My mom rented a house and is now about to move out because…

[103cv4th]

the house is full of issues! I don’t know why she even moved in there in the first place! I swear it’s like that movie the Money Pit. LOL!

She’s finding more and more things wrong with it and now she just found out the “house is for sale by owner”.

Here’s what she emailed me:

Housing Inspection

1. Lead base paint disclosure in Rental Agreement was not informed verbally or in writing prior to moving into the home.
2. Plumbing issues: Bathtub upstairs does not drain. Both kitchen sinks drain slowly.
3. Kitchen beam is leaking water due to plumbing issues from upstairs bathroom.
4. Mold / soap scum on tiling in bath tub walls and ceiling.
5. No smoke detectors in home.
6. Small spigot faucet in kitchen sink does not work.
7. Damage to inside wall in kitchen cupboard (bottom right cupboard near kitchen window).
8. Kitchen cupboards dirty inside and out.
9. Paint on woodwork. Front door, wall in hallway by stairs, living room & bedrooms sill windows as well as other parts in the home.
10. Paint on the floor of the front porch.
11. Light in the basement stairs does not work.
12. Dirt, stains and feces on basement stairs.
13. Front yard has no grass to water (mainly dirt). Backyard has no grass just dirt and rocks.
14. Door in smaller bedroom upstairs does not close properly. Slightly ajar.
15. Missing vertical blinds in Master bedroom.
16. Vertical blinds do not open and close properly. Vertical blinds hard to move back and forth in all bedrooms especially Master bedroom.
17. Master bedroom is missing one (1) light décor on chandelier.
18. Missing crystals décor parts on chandeliers in dining room and foyer.
19. Small bedroom also has a broken light.
20. Two (2) cracked windows near landing stairs.
21. Two (2) missing drawers in bathroom cabinet.
22. Missing drawer knobs in kitchen, dining room and upstairs bathroom.
23. Missing window screens-
 2 in Master bedroom
 1 in small bedroom upstairs
 1 in third bedroom upstairs
 1 in bathroom upstairs
24. No lights in the backdoor or in the balcony.
25. Prior to moving in to home verbally agreed on cats. Landlord did not request pet deposit. Per Rental Agreement states dog with deposit this was not what was discussed.

And she hasn’t been there for more than 2 months! She is in a month to month lease but I find this to be utterly ridiculous!!

[bsrsharma]

Is it Section 8?

[103cv4th]

No, it’s not a section 8. That’s the funny thing about it.

[103cv4th]

No, it’s not a section 8. That’s the funny thing about it.

[greensd]

I don’t get it… is this a joke? Has she rented before? This stuff sounds pretty much standard. Some of it should have been resolved before she moved in (like whether there’s grass in the yard or whether the lease allows cats). Some of it is just maintenance issues that the landlord really has no choice about fixing (like leaky plumbing and no smoke alarms) — a letter from a lawyer or maybe even a chat with the housing inspector should resolve that if the landlord is refusing to move on it. The rest of it is pretty much just how most people live. Paint on the porch? Missing chandelier crystals? Door doesn’t close right? Sorry, that doesn’t make it uninhabitable. The crew who painted my current place before I moved in seem to have just set off a paint-filled bomb in the middle of the house. They painted the stone fireplace, they painted the lightbulbs in the light fixtures, they even painted over dishes the last tenants left in cupboards. Eh. It’s not my investment they’re devaluing. The rent’s right and I like the neighborhood, so I stay.

As a life-longer renter, I’ve seen lived in a lot of rental units, and while some are nicer than others, they all have the kind of cosmetic issues you list (and no, none of them have been section 8 or public housing of any kind). Unless you’re paying $3000/mo in rent or something, that’s just life. (I’m told owner-occupied homes aren’t always perfect either, but having been priced out forever, I wouldn’t know first-hand.)

Of course, that said, she’s got a month-to-month lease, so if it bugs her every time she comes home, she should just move. As a tenant, you need to remember that you’re the customer. If you don’t like how your landlord handles things, take your business elsewhere. And she should also remember to take a couple of those crystals with her when she leaves…

[103cv4th]

That’s the thing… the landlord told her that they were going to fix everything and she agreed that would be fine. Like the missing blinds, fixing the door, getting the missing pieces to the light fixtures but nothing has been done.

I talked to her earlier and she plans on moving soon. If it’s not one thing then it’s another. She wants to find a place that will offer her a lease and not just month to month.

Too funny about the crystals! I should tell her that… she’ll get a kick out of it!

[103cv4th]

That’s the thing… the landlord told her that they were going to fix everything and she agreed that would be fine. Like the missing blinds, fixing the door, getting the missing pieces to the light fixtures but nothing has been done.

I talked to her earlier and she plans on moving soon. If it’s not one thing then it’s another. She wants to find a place that will offer her a lease and not just month to month.

Too funny about the crystals! I should tell her that… she’ll get a kick out of it!

[The OC Scam]

I don’t recommend to list the address of your home or anyone you know!

[103cv4th]

That’s true but it won’t allow me to edit the post now.

Although, I did have the admin remove the address.

[103cv4th]

That’s true but it won’t allow me to edit the post now.

Although, I did have the admin remove the address.

[temeculaguy]

Half these are silly,most are things she should have noticed before renting. When you walk through a place you open the blinds, flick light switches, etc. Hell, I do that in the first two minutes when checking into a hotel room. Hit the landlord up about the plumbing issues, they have to address them in order to sell anyway. I think your mom wants to move in with you, spend more time with her or some other issue is at play here. Help her pick a new place that you inspect and help her move. The place is below standard but it was also probably cheap, what is utterly ridiculous is this list that includes “no grass in front or back,” unless they came out the night before and cut up all the sod, caveat emptor, how the hell do you miss that, a seven year old can find that.

I am having my first rental experience in a few decades as a strategic move and my landlord is estatic, I can make a list that is longer of the things that I have fixed, replaced or painted, why? Because it mattered to me and I don’t expect a landlord to have my standards. You know those new Mr. Clean magic erasers, they cost about $2 and in ten minutes the soap scum is gone, it took me less time than making a list or calling the landlord.

[patb]

[quote=103cv4th]

Housing Inspection

1. Lead base paint disclosure in Rental Agreement was not informed verbally or in writing prior to moving into the home.
2. Plumbing issues: Bathtub upstairs does not drain. Both kitchen sinks drain slowly.
3. Kitchen beam is leaking water due to plumbing issues from upstairs bathroom.
4.
5. No smoke detectors in home.
6. Small spigot faucet in kitchen sink does not work.
7.
11. Light in the basement stairs does not work.
12.
19. Small bedroom also has a broken light.
20.o
24. No lights in the backdoor or in the balcony.
25. Prior to moving in to home verbally agreed on cats. Landlord did not request pet deposit. Per Rental Agreement states dog with deposit this was not what was discussed.
![/quote]

Um the plumbing issue is a problem, tell the LL to send a plumber.
Sounds like she needs to learn how to change a light bulb.
Smoke detectors will be given away free by most fire departments, or tell LL as it’s usually a code violation.

beyond that, your mom has to learn how to clean up, and stop bitching.

If this is meant to preserve her deposit, fine, but, honestly, she sounds like a right pain.

[Author]

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