Renting Under These Conditions?

[robivi3]

Annika, that family is in serious need of assimilation!!!!!

[Annika]

Annika, that family is in serious need of assimilation!!!!!

LOL! Yeah, it's a crazy situation. I don't know why the wife hangs around after he's cheated on her numerous times lately, but she does. The day she caught them in the act, she dragged the girlfriend out into the yard and they got into a fist fight. Seems to me that she ought to be mad at her husband more than the girlfriend!

Either way, my sister's boyfriend had to get himself and his kids out of there, and quickly, before someone got seriously hurt.

I'm sooo glad they got the house!

[robivi3]

We are the Borg...

[robivi3]

I know who "Annika" is... you were on the Raven when you and your parents were taken, out of Federation Space and away from any Starfleet protection... the first humans to be assimilated.

[scammer]

They got the house! They got the house!

They can start moving in immediately, and will be getting the power and water transferred into their names tomorrow.

Thanks for the info on the number of kids, and for the other responses!

I am soooo relieved that it worked out.

I really wrestled on making this one little comment;

This situation has the potential to end in crying, screaming, an eviction and everyone moving back to your place. For what it is worth keep an ear out, and try to monitor if you can. When people get desperate the rent is the first thing they gamble with. They think they can catch up next week........

[Annika]

I really wrestled on making this one little comment;

This situation has the potential to end in crying, screaming, an eviction and everyone moving back to your place. For what it is worth keep an ear out, and try to monitor if you can. When people get desperate the rent is the first thing they gamble with. They think they can catch up next week........

Yep, they're both the "I'll catch up next week" kind.

I didn't post an update 'cuz it'll just turn into a vent, but if anyone's interested, here's what happened when she moved out.

After all the damages we found downstairs afterwards, things didn't end on the best of terms. There's absolutely no way she'll be allowed to come back.

Some examples:

She broke my VCR, which we found stuffed in a closet. Apparently she thought we wouldn't find it.

She allowed her son to put stickers on the walls, on the bed frame, and on our downstairs refrigerator. She also allowed him to draw on the stair handrail.

The paneling near her son's bed was pulled loose from the wall.

There are at least 80-100 thumbtack holes in the walls and ceiling. No exaggeration.

Either she or her son broke the downstairs telephone. Speaking of the phone, you ought to see the makeup that's caked up on the ear piece. Gag.

The bathroom flooring around the tub has apparently gotten wet, and is squishy. The underflooring and lineoleum are going to have to be replaced, which may involve removing the bathtub too. Fun.

We GAVE her, for FREE, an older (but working) refrigerator for her new house, but she turned her nose up at it, and went and rented a "better" one instead. Our dad got a bunch of furniture and household things for her too (used but in good condition), and she turned her nose up at most of it, as well.

She left a mattress and a computer desk here, expecting us to dispose of them.

Add that stuff to the other stuff she did while she was here (too much to go into, but it's along those same lines) ......

Nope, she's definitely not coming back. If she finds herself in financial trouble again -- and I'm 99.9% sure she's well on her way -- she can stay with our mom next time.

She's 32 years old. She has nothing to her name except a truck that might be worth $1,000 on a good day. She can't save money. If she happens to get some money (tax refund, etc.), it slips through her fingers like grains of sand. Tomorrow doesn't exist. If she's got $20 in her pocket, she'll order a pizza, and then have to scrounge around for food until her next paycheck. She can't tell the difference between "need" and "want".

She filed bankruptcy about 3 years ago because of credit card carelessness. Her boyfriend filed too, but I'm not sure what his situation was. If they get in trouble again, they won't be able to file again for another 5 (or is it 7?) years.

I love her to pieces, but I've learned that you can't help somebody who won't even make an effort to help themself. I've done all I can do, and it breaks my heart to have to say that.

BTW, they're getting married on Thursday.

(Sorry for the vent! )

[scammer]

Yup...........My guess is this will end in crash and burn, thats when she will be broke down, homeless, and no were to go. My advice if she has to move back in, you just need a deposit of $600, and weekly rent of $200. See not as inviting, makes her pay attention to taking care of stuff. Your gonna be better equiped then mom to handle her. Put the burden of responsibility on her shoulders not yours. No move back without COMPLETE deposit paid upfront.

[Annika]

Yup...........My guess is this will end in crash and burn, thats when she will be broke down, homeless, and no were to go. My advice if she has to move back in, you just need a deposit of $600, and weekly rent of $200. See not as inviting, makes her pay attention to taking care of stuff. Your gonna be better equiped then mom to handle her. Put the burden of responsibility on her shoulders not yours. No move back without COMPLETE deposit paid upfront.

We're not going to let her move back in for ANY price. Well, I might consider it for $2,000 a month ... LOL!

It's not just the damages and lack of privacy. Our house is only 1,100 square feet, and just has a standard water heater/septic tank/etc., meant for a regularly-sized family. We were starting to have problems with the septic tank, with so many people in the house, as well as constantly running out of hot water. The house just doesn't have the capacity for so many extra people.

I'm hoping that she'll wise up and do better with her money, now that she's in a "sink or swim" situation, with no more handouts. But I'm not holding my breath.

[Annika]

Oh! I forgot to mention this:

After my sister left, my husband and I started cleaning up the downstairs, and along with the broken/damaged stuff, we found an old quilt that our great-grandmother had made many many years ago. It's in near-perfect condition, and is almost completely hand-sewn (very intricate).

My sister has never wanted anything to do with quilting or sewing or anything like that, and has never acquired an appreciation for the time involved in making a quilt.

Our great-grandmother taught me how to sew when I was a child, and I even make my own quilts now. Nothing as fancy as hers, though.

When I saw the quilt that my sister left behind, I grabbed it up, and put it away for safekeeping. I'm not going to mention it to her, either. She left it. I claimed it. It has a LOT of sentimental value to me that she'll never understand.

There's no way I'd sell it, but I bet it's worth at least $300. My sister would fall over if she knew that. Hee hee hee hee hee ....

[robivi3]

AMEN, it ain't the money, it is the heritage. my dad in later years went through "phases" in and out of nuttiness. Had to do with liver damage and drugs from being in the jungle in WW2, they had to share needles and reuse them. he got serum hepatitis and in later years it created lots of problems along with the psych stuff that came to the surface after retirement.

When i left home I took all of my grandfathers drafting tools and photos, even the one that was framed with him in his Prussian Officers Uniform. Thank God i did, all the rest of our momentos are gone, stolen or placed in storage that i never new about until years later and never retrieved.

[13inOR]

Annika, she wouldnt just fall over, she probably would have already hocked it if she knew! LOL
Glad you got your grandmas quilt out of the deal--you deserve it! : )

[Minnymouth]

My grandparents have been gone 30 years + and I also have many quilts that my grandmother made and I helped stitch on as a young girl..... I also have quilts,crocheted bedspreads, and afghans that my mother made.....

I'm talking about the old fashioned "tack quilts" not the sewing machine kind.... The kind very few people do any more, all done by hand. Would be amazing to know how much some of them would bring at sale....

Things like this that belong to our parents/grandparents have a special meaning to us. We look and touch them and they bring back the "past" and the memories start flowing.

Yes, was your "lucky day" when she left it behind......... I too, would stash it away and say nothing...

Minny

[GoingDown]

My sister and her boyfriend (they're engaged) are having trouble finding an apartment or rental house. Do you have any suggestions? Here are the details:

My sister currently lives with me (divorce situation), and her boyfriend stays here part of the time, and a motel the other part of the time (long story, but what happened wasn't his fault).

Both have filed bankruptcy in the last few years. I'm not sure why her boyfriend filed, but she filed because of she got in over her head with credit cards. Both have lousy credit, and my sister is getting into trouble with credit cards again. She denies it, but I see the mail that comes in (it's obvious from the unopened envelopes that it's correspondence from credit card companies in addition to monthly statements), and she's been getting collection-type calls.

They have three kids from their previous marriages. He gets his kids every other weekend; she gets her son every other week. The kids are fairly well-behaved.

They both work full time, but even though we're not charging them "rent" to stay here (just $50 to help with the power bill), much of their money goes toward child support, credit card bills, cell phone bills, homeschooling of one child, etc. He makes decent money; she's barely above minimum wage.

They've looked at several houses and apartments that they can afford. They are over-qualified for low-income apartments. They can't afford a regular apartment. So far, private individuals won't rent to them because of there being "too many kids" and/or because they're not married, making them "unstable" (as they put it). They're planning to get married as soon as they have a place to live. Many older folks in this little neck-of-the-woods are very "traditional" when it comes to their idea of what a "perfect family" is, and just assume that people who don't fit their mold would make bad renters.

They're non-smokers, non-party'ers, no pets, quiet, etc. And all three kids are seldom together at the same time. They would make decent renters, especially if she can get out of the credit card habit. And we can honestly give them a good reference without having to fib.

Unfortunately, time is of the essence. Our house just doesn't have the capacity for this many people, plus there are issues resulting from first/third-shift work schedules, lack of privacy, as well as some other things.

How can they make themselves more "appealing"?

And would they get in trouble somehow if they said they'd just gotten married, in order to secure the house/apartment, and then really get married a week or two later? Just a little temporary fib?

Other suggestions?

(Sorry this got so long. )

If landlords tried that in Phoenix, Arizona, and the rejected renters filed a complaint against them, those landlords would find themselves being summoned to municipal court on discrimination charges. It's amazing how different parts of the country deal with these issues.

[scammer]

I'm slow, What exactly did the landlords do that would not work in AZ??

Just curious Goingdown, maybe you can teach a simple chap like me.
Explain the discrimination part for me???

[GoingDown]

Just curious Goingdown, maybe you can teach a simple chap like me.
Explain the discrimination part for me???