And your little dog too - Part II

Unit 104 was vacant about three weeks.  The tenants left it clean, clean, clean.  However, we did need to do quite a bit of improvement work.

1.  Tore out the vinyl paneling surrounding the bathtub and replaced it with nice 13" tiles.
2.  Replaced the sliding door in the master bedroom with a 6' window. 
3.  Replaced the carpet - throughout! 

Three little bullets items that represented a big chunk of change and ended up taking about 3 weeks to coordinate and install.  (Thanks to Duane H, Gary K, and Paula in the flooring department at Big R). 

A few days later Rosie & Jesus moved in. 

Wednesday, Day 3 - we get word that there's water on the bathroom floor.  So I called Rosie.  It's not coming from the toilet, not coming from the sink, not coming from the shower, she says.  Hmmm.  We replaced the toilet - maybe the gasket between the tank and the bowl isn't tight enough?  I asked her to watch that for a day or so.  Friday - she says she still can't identify where it's coming from, so Dwight says he'll go over on Sunday afternoon.

When he got there he knocked on the door - no answer.  Rang the doorbell - no answer.  He opened the door an announced himself - no answer...well, no human answer. (is this starting to sound like deja vu?)  There was, however, a canine greeter.  A very enthusiastic, friendly pit bull puppy.  Did you hear me?  1 - A pit bull.  2 - a Puppy. 

When he told me I hit the roof!  Their lease says no pets, no dogs.  It even says "no visiting dogs!"  Not only that, I just paid for that carpet 5 days ago and they have a puppy roaming the apartment unrestricted?

Monday morning there was a strongly worded email in our property manager's inbox.  I was so frustrated and told her I wanted them "outta there!"  Seriously - less than a week on brand new carpet, with a brand new lease, they have a dog???

Jana (property manager) called to confront them.  The dog was not theirs, it was just visiting.  Jana reminded them of the lease they'd just signed that included 'no visiting dogs.'  She told them that the landlord wanted to evict them for breaking the lease. 

Rosie called me twice and left me a long voicemail that morning.  "It isn't our dog.  He was just visiting.  I'm sorry."  Blah, blah, blah.  I was not in a compassionate mood and had a really hard time believing she was telling the truth.  Visiting - HA!

Jana went over there that afternoon to see if the dog was still there.  Although no one was home, and there was no sign of the dog, the neighbors had seen and met the dog the day before and confirmed that it was, indeed, visiting. 

Dwight made me call Rosie that evening.  Ugh.  So, I called.  Rosie spent 10 minutes telling me how they messed up, they were wrong, please give us another chance, blah, blah, blah.  So then I said, "now you need to hear my side!  Jana made it very clear that this apartment is a no-dog-zone!  Including no visiting dogs.  You betrayed me - We were trusting you and you betrayed that trust.  Now, not only have you lost my trust, you let a puppy roam all over that new carpet.  And now the neighbors who saw the dog are going to think that if you have one, it must be okay." 

In the end I gave them another chance.  I felt, however, that it was important for her to understand just how serious we are.  I hope she knows that this was her one and only chance and that dog better not visit again. 

By the way, Dwight found the leak - a very small gap in the caulk in the corner where the shower door rail connects with the tub.  It only leaked when the water hit it directly and even then was pretty small.  Whew. 

"...and your little dog, too!"

Earlier this summer - when we'd finished up 102 (the first vacancy of the summer) we received the good news that a woman named Margaret had signed a lease and was moving in that Tuesday.  Terrific news! 

The apartment was ready except for a shelf in the refrigerator.  At noon on Tuesday I dropped by to install the shelf in the fridge.   I knocked but there was no answer.  So I knocked again and let myself in - announcing myself as I went. 

I saw boxes, evidence that Margaret had started moving her stuff in.  But instead of human voice, or silence, I heard barking in response to my calls.  Not one dog - but two dogs, barking furiously from the kitchen.  And there, in a crate in the kitchen sat two little dogs yapping their little lungs out.  Sigh. 

After putting the shelf in the fridge, I went back to the car to find a paper.  I left a 'welcome' note on Margaret's door that went something like this: 

"Margaret - welcome!  I'm glad to have you here and hope you enjoy your time here, but the dogs absolutely cannot stay.  You must either get rid of the dogs or leave."

After posting the note, I promptly called the Property Manager.  She, being a more compassionate person than I, scurried around and not only found her another place to live that afternoon, but also sent her handi-guy out to help Margaret relocate the boxes she had already moved. 

I don't regret taking such an active stance on the first day.  Early in our landlord experience I was far more 'grey' and more willing to relent, but we've battled the dog owners so many times and literally paid the price, that the issue has become black and white, and shadows of grey have been washed away. 

So, the message is loud and clear.  Tenants are welcomed with open arms, but their little dog is as welcome as Toto in the Wicked Witch of the West's castle. 

You want a good reference from me?

My phone rang two weeks ago - it was Francesca.  You remember Victor and Francesca:  Midnight Moveouts and the owner of Gus, the guinea pig? 

Yep, Francesca called to say that they had found a new place to live, but that our property manager had told their potential new landlord bad things about them. 

I knew immediately what the property manager had said. 
1.  They were behind in their rent
2.  They moved out without giving any notice
The facts speak for themselves, no need to be mean, vindictive, or nasty.  Just the facts. 

Francesca wanted to know if the new landlord could call me.  Frankly, I was a bit speechless for a moment.  She thought that since they'd left the apartment clean, that my memory was also wiped clean and I would give them a good reference. 

I said sure, I'd be happy to talk to that guy - have him give me a call.  I would certainly tell him that they'd left the apartment clean and I had happily given them $100 of their deposit back.  But, I would have to tell him the whole story.  They were behind in their rent and moved out without notice.

We had a very nice conversation and I closed by assuring her I would be happy to talk to her new landlord with the entire story.  That was two weeks ago.  Funny thing - I haven't heard a peep from Francesca or her new landlord! 

Gus - the Guinea Pig

Victor and Francesca were tenants in 102.  They were pretty good tenants, but got behind in their rent a few times.  They were behind again this in June. 

Saturday, July 13 - we found them moving out on Saturday morning.  So, we approach and ask "what's up?" 
"Jana's mean," they tell us.  What?  Jana (our fabulous property manager)  said they had to pay their rent and I guess that's mean. 
So, they're moving out.  But they promise to leave it clean because Franchesca used to work for Merry Maids.  Somehow that supposed to console me.

Oh yea, they also promised to pay us their back rent. 

Monday, July 15 - I check the apartment.
Dirty, cluttered, big TV in living room, furniture in both bedrooms with clothes!
The carpet in the hall was all clawed up by the puppy they had closed up in the bathroom!
Oh yea - and Gus, the guinea pig in the kitchen.  Sigh.

I ran to Safeway and picked up a guinea pig snack stick to hold him over, praying they were going to come back for him. 

I checked in on Gus every day with fingers crossed, hoping he'd be gone.  Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. Oh brother.  How am I going to get rid of Gus?  Thursday, Friday - nothing.  Saturday Victor and Franchesca show up!  "Yea," I'm thinking.  They took all the furniture, but when they left, Gus was still in the kitchen. 

Sunday, they show up again and I tell them I'll give them $100 of their deposit back if they come back and clean AND if they get the guinea pig.  I figure that it's going to cost me $100 to clean!

Three days later they call me to collect.  It's clean - really clean!  Merry Maids clean!  And, best of all, Gus is gone. 

Will we get our back rent?  I'm sure of it  - when guinea pigs fly!