It's Raining Cats and Dogs - Part II

January 2017 -

As I said earlier, we told the folks in both 101 and 102 to get rid of their pets.  101 said okay and moved out.  But we didn't hear anything from 102.  We waited and assumed that 102 was going to move out as well, but we didn't hear from him directly.

On January 1 we went into 102 to see if he'd gone.  It was mostly empty - no furniture, but there was still a refrigerator full of food, the washer and dryer, a lawn mower (why?)  and some miscellaneous stuff.  So we asked him, via text message, when he would be getting the rest of his stuff out and clean.  His answer?  "I'm out."

So, here we go again.  But, the good thing is that he was out.

Flashback:  Earlier in the fall, when we were haggling back and forth about the animals, Diego was in 102 changing furnace filters and smoke alarm batteries he was talking to the tenant's kids.  Of course, kids don't know what's secret and what's not, right?

So the kids tell Diego about the dog they used to have - at the apartment.  Apparently they had a dog earlier in the year.  And when they left the apartment they would lock him in the bedroom.  The dog didn't like the bedroom and being separated so he clawed and dug a hole in the carpet by the door which the family covered up with a small rug.

So,  after getting 101 ready, we plunged into 102 - starting with cleaning out the fridge.  Anyone hungry?  There was left over pizza, a huge jar of pickles, some left over casseroles, and more!  What could be better?

We called a guy to haul away the washer and dryer and kept the lawn mower.  We're not sure why he had a lawn mower, however, but it turns out to be a pretty nice lawn mower!

So, we repainted, replaced flooring in every room, light fixtures, water damaged floors in laundry room, and more. Now it looks awesome, of course.  That's just the way we roll.

It ended up taking us about 4 weeks to get that unit done but by February 15 it was ready for tenants. We waited and waited asking our property manager 'what's up?'   She received plenty of inquiries about the unit but the all had dogs!  We  decided to hold out for a pet-free tenant!

It's Raining Cats and Dogs

It's been a while  since we've posted anything - and things were quiet for a while, but we had an amazing sequence of events which, of course, involved pets.  Last summer, 2016, the woman in unit 104 had a cat.  We knew she was moving out in July so we decided to turn a blind eye.  WRONG!

Meanwhile a new guy moved into 101 and promptly got a dog.  Of course, we told him he had to get rid of the dog, which he seemed to do.  At least the dog wasn't there when the Property Manager did a follow up check.

The lady in 104 moved out  - problem solved.  WRONG

Then 102 got a cat. and 103 got a cat.  Why?  Because 104 had a cat, so it must be okay, right?
By this time it's October.  And then we see it, or should I say, "them?"   Cat in the window, litter box in the bathroom - both 102 and 103.   Oh yea - and we also found out that 101 still has a dog.

Here's comes the ultimatum - Get rid of the pets or get out.  They all say okay and we think it's all good.  Then, in November, Diego had an unrelated chat with the people in 103 during which time they told us that their 5 year old daughter doesn't understand why they had to get rid of their cat when the people in 101 and 102 still had their pets.

So, we went back to them and issued the ultimatums again.  Get rid of the pets or get out by December 31.   The guy in 101 says that he'd rather keep his dog than keep his apartment and he would be out by Dec 15.

Flashback - last July we did a major renovation of Unit 101.  New carpet throughout, new paint on every wall and ceiling, scraped the popcorn ceiling.  It was pristine!

Now, here we are, six months later we had to repaint every wall all over again.  There were scratches, dings, gouges and dirt on every single wall.  Far more than we could cover with just a "touch up."

We decided enjoy Christmas and tackle it afterward.  So, by January 15th we had it ready to rent.  A fabulous new tenant - single mom - nurse - quiet - no pets.  Happy sigh.

What about 102, you ask?  I'll tel you next time.

September 2014 - Part II
In early September we told the tenants in 104 that we were going to raise their rent.  They couldn't  pay that much so they were working on finding a new place.  Now, rents in Greeley have gone crazy, occupancy is at an all time high and if we don't keep our rents at market levels, we'll end up with the deadbeat tenants .  Additionally, these rents are what is keeping mom  comfortably in her apartment! 

So mid-September Diego was at the apartments mowing lawns when he talked to Rosalinda who was moving out.  What?  Seems that there was an altercation at the apartment the previous night and boyfriend had beat her up, landed in jail, and now she was getting out of Dodge City, asap!  Who could blame her.  But, because she left in such a hurry, she had to leave a lot behind.  Really a lot. 
The apartment was full of furniture, cabinets full of food, pan of rice that had been cooking on the stove.  Additionally it was dirty, dirty, dirty. 

Though carpets would have to be replaced after just 1 year - but Smart Carpets were miracle workers!  We gave furniture to Arc and anyone who wanted it.  Threw a bunch of stuff away.  Wow.
Clean and rent!

September 2014
So it had been a quiet year - no real drama but when it rains it pours.
In May we got news that the girls in 102 were moving out.  Good news.  Why, you ask?  Well they have a dog.  "Really," you say, "Haven't you learned your lesson about allowing dogs?" 
It's not my fault. :) The tenant said that the dog was an assistance dog she needed because of her military disability and at the time I didn't want to confront her about ADA* rules on assistance dog, so I let it slide.


When they said they'd found a house with a yard for the dog I rejoiced.  Oh, and by the way... oops... the dog had torn a small hole in the carpet in the bedroom.  Of course he did!  When we inspected the apartment after they moved out we discovered this was no small hole, and no small patch required.  It was a bonafide HOLE in the carpet about the size of a 9" x 13" cake pan.  And the dog had scratched through the carpet and through the padding all the way to the subfloor. 


After they moved out they started asking when they would get their deposit back.  Our answer?  "What deposit?"  The hole was in the middle of the room, not in the corner, so a patch would look horrible.   We did concede a bit, and only made them pay for the carpet - not installation. 


In case you care, the ADA says that landlord must allow dogs that assist in someone with basic life functions.   For example, they open doors, guide the blind, perform CPR, etc.  The law does not provide any protection for companion dogs (e.g., companionship for anxiety).  The landlord has the right to require documentation to prove the animal meets these qualifications.


Stay tuned... there's a whole new story coming on 104! 

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!