Tuesday, March 15, 2005

Nothing, really

My daughter's pinkeye still hasn't cleared up, which means daycare won't take her. These are the days that I wish we had family nearby, so that someone could watch her while I went to school.
Oh well, I guess I'll just catch up on my reading and clean house a little bit, and complain.

Not that cleaning is terribly high priority here...
the gates have been broken for over a year, like, bent in broken, and, since they've painted them since, I figure they're not in any hurry to fix them.
Since the first time they broke last year, my cars have been broken into 5 times, though, since I'm a poor law student, all they've taken in the last 3 trips has been a Contracts CD and an old discman.
My faucets have been leaking since last September, despite my multiple requests to get them fixed, and a trip by the maintenance guy.
When we moved in, the cabinets under the sinks were all warped and moldy, and when we asked them to replace them, they replaced the paint over the mold.
And yet, no sooner do I get a broken slat on a blind than I receive a notice that "appearance is of utmost importance" to the complex. Appearance matters because there's no substance anywhere else. There's overflowing trash, crime, stolen cars, weekly fights, drug deals, and graffiti running through this place, and it doesn't look as though Alliance Property Management really cares to remedy any of these things.
I called the security patrol yesterday morning at 7:40, and got a "prompt return" as promised, after 2 more calls, and 12 hours.
All's not lost, though, because we'll be moving out at the end of the semester, into a place where I can let my kids play outside and not worry about them cutting themselves on broken beer bottles. Woohoo!

4 comments:

Sam said...

You should sue them; you have all sorts of contracts claims and could probably legally withhold rent for the mold thing. You could probably even get them to replace your contracts CDs for failure to properly maintain a security feature.

Steve said...

I have to tell you, Sam, I've considered it. I don't want to stir up any hornet's nests, though. Since I already know I'm going to be leaving, I'll save my gripes for when I move out, so I can get my deposit back.

red.hot.mamma! said...

actually, you don't want to withhold rent in texas, as that may get you evicted, even if they are not making repairs. what you want to do is keep written proof of all your requests with date on them - don't just ask them orally to fix the problem.

but i disagree that you should not make waves. you really should establish your grasp of the law and your right as a tenant now, so when deposit refund time rolls around, they know not to mess with you. here's a really good website to check out:
http://www.texastenant.org/index.html

and one final word: too many people don't want to stir up the hornet's nest, which is why we all get shat upon on such a regular basis. we need to ALL stop being doormats letting large corporations run all over us! sure, we may lose a battle here, there and everywhere, but it's important to STIR UP THE HORNET'S NEST!! if one person does it, they're considered marginal, radical, a freak. IF WE ALL DO IT, they can't call us all radicals, now can they?

sorry, whew! i knew alot of activists, many of them socialists, in austin, so i tend to get on my people power trips. and i just watched the movie "outfoxed."

Michelle said...

No way, don't withhold the rent. In Australia, those who rent go through a rental database. If you miss payments or withold you get a strike against your name. Wait till you leave make sure you take photos, and write down everything.