Have any of you previously rented?
Did you fill out one of those little checklists where you are supposed to document flaws in the house upon moving in? Were you aware that this is a sneaky tactic by landlords to be able to charge you for things you didn't do to the house because there is no way to document every single flaw a home has?
I decided, upon receiving the follow- up of this process from our previous residence, that I would like to send my own itemized list to the landlords.
If you are new here, read the previous two posts to familiarize yourself with our ordeal. You will be a bit lost without doing that, first.
Oh- I am going to use the rate of $25 an hour- as that is apparently what the landlord paid himself, and I also am charging for 'time spent doing ____' as that was used as a line item.
mopping up floor after first flooding.....................................$25
moving items in garage to avoid damage after first flooding.....$15
removing baseboards and cleaning up mold .....................$25
cleaning mold out of dishwasher............................$10
cleaning mold off bathroom ceiling..................$10
time spent trapping mice and cleaning up mouse poop in kitchen........$50
first refill of inhaler.....................................$20
mopping up after second, third, fourth, and fifth floodings...................$75
re- cleaning moldy areas in laundry......................$10
time spent wondering why I couldn't breathe.......$125
cost of trip when it was neccessary to vacate house- gas $30 food $18 drive time $50
doctor's appointment.................................$30
prescriptions...............................................$180
time spent in communication with landlord........$40
eye doctor appointment...........................$45
eye prescriptions........................................$10
time spent at doctor and eye doctor.......$50
time husband spent away from work......$50
cost of moving (again).........$200
time spent looking for different housing........$75
Total..........................................................$1128
Please pay upon receipt.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Sunday, October 2, 2011
The Statistics of Moving
I have decided that every time we move it puts us behind by about 6 months. If you've read previously, you know we have moved 7 times in our almost 8 years of marriage. Let's do some quick computing.....ah, yes, we are 3.5 years behind right now. I can admit that a portion of this delay is because I am an 'interiors' kids of gal. Let me explain.
Did you know I was once an interior design major for three years? Yes, well, I was, and that is my passion. Because of that, I can't stand it when my living space is in shambles, when things are not organized to promote efficiency, when the toys are running the household, and when things are ugly. When we move, it takes time to figure out how our family uses the new space and how to use my decor to pretty- up the space. For example, I thought it would make great sense to do most of our schooling upstairs. The kids are all sharing one (large) bedroom, and we had a third room open for a school room. Except that, as it turns out, we like to do school downstairs and Mommy develops insomnia when she equates her bedroom with math and language arts. Which is why I am up at 11:30 blogging. For another example, the hideous floral wallpaper in the kitchen simply had to go and the space needed to be balances with some cool colors.
Well, it did.
The greater point here is that I think we (I) have come to grips with our space, and that we seem to be settling in to life in that space. On a truly bright note, it is happening about 3 months ahead of schedule. If this were any other move, we'd all still be walking around trying to remember the shortest distance from the yard to the potty. And that includes the grown- ups.
Yes, we've all settled in quite nicely. I found a tiny leak in the bathroom by the shower the other day. Alli immediately said, " We had better be able to fix it 'cause I don't want to move out of here!"
That was encouraging, heart- warming, soul- filling even. I agree with her, I love our house. We have trees. We have a great yard, bike riding space, a quiet neighborhood, a phenominal garage, a basement that is still pretty much empty, an awesome porch, and drywall. Can you believe it? We have drywall! We live across the street from a convent and have nuns as neighbors. Really, as a Catholic, can it get better? Christ in the Eucharist and nuns for neighbors. For my fellow Catholics, I needn't say more. ; )
So I guess that what it all comes down to is that even though we had a really bad expereince at our last residence, we are glad it brought us to where we are now. We hope to stay for a long time, to enjoy evenings on our porch, and to put up many Christmas trees in the front window. I think that potential is worth every move. Even if we are 3.5 years behind right now.
Did you know I was once an interior design major for three years? Yes, well, I was, and that is my passion. Because of that, I can't stand it when my living space is in shambles, when things are not organized to promote efficiency, when the toys are running the household, and when things are ugly. When we move, it takes time to figure out how our family uses the new space and how to use my decor to pretty- up the space. For example, I thought it would make great sense to do most of our schooling upstairs. The kids are all sharing one (large) bedroom, and we had a third room open for a school room. Except that, as it turns out, we like to do school downstairs and Mommy develops insomnia when she equates her bedroom with math and language arts. Which is why I am up at 11:30 blogging. For another example, the hideous floral wallpaper in the kitchen simply had to go and the space needed to be balances with some cool colors.
Well, it did.
The greater point here is that I think we (I) have come to grips with our space, and that we seem to be settling in to life in that space. On a truly bright note, it is happening about 3 months ahead of schedule. If this were any other move, we'd all still be walking around trying to remember the shortest distance from the yard to the potty. And that includes the grown- ups.
Yes, we've all settled in quite nicely. I found a tiny leak in the bathroom by the shower the other day. Alli immediately said, " We had better be able to fix it 'cause I don't want to move out of here!"
That was encouraging, heart- warming, soul- filling even. I agree with her, I love our house. We have trees. We have a great yard, bike riding space, a quiet neighborhood, a phenominal garage, a basement that is still pretty much empty, an awesome porch, and drywall. Can you believe it? We have drywall! We live across the street from a convent and have nuns as neighbors. Really, as a Catholic, can it get better? Christ in the Eucharist and nuns for neighbors. For my fellow Catholics, I needn't say more. ; )
So I guess that what it all comes down to is that even though we had a really bad expereince at our last residence, we are glad it brought us to where we are now. We hope to stay for a long time, to enjoy evenings on our porch, and to put up many Christmas trees in the front window. I think that potential is worth every move. Even if we are 3.5 years behind right now.
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