Saturday, August 2, 2008

Why Landlords Charge A Cleaning Deposit....

This is the wraught iron porch step railing. It is broken off at the base. Just about the only way to break off a railing is to want to break off a railing. Grab a hold of it and shake and push and pull until it breaks.
Just a small portion of the items left after the tenants moved out. I called the Mom three times yesterday and four times today requesting the return of the key and the garage door openner. I told her I loaded all her kids' stuff in my truck and wanted to know where she wanted me to bring it.
The garage
A bedroom. Icicle lights were strung all around the room, attached to the walls with 16 penny nails.
The laundrey room.
Someone must have forgotten their key and busted through the door, destroying the door jam in the process.

I am not sure I wish to know what this substance is. I will be wearing rubber gloves when I clean it, and probably a mask. Seeing as the tenant is a nurse at a large local hospital, maybe she could tell me what it is. I really, really hope it pink baby lotion. It is all over the floor also.

Cigarette butts were everywhere, in dresser drawers, behind drapes, on windowsills, on shelfs in the closet, on the floor. The tenants smoked Newport menthols and Camel lights.

For some unknown reason, it was important for the tenant's son or girlfriend to put this hole in the wall. The lease holder has two children, a boy and a girl. The boy has a 16 year old pregnant girlfriend who calls 911 whenever they have a fight. The girl has a crack head for a boyfriend who has warrants out for his arrest.

Half eaten chicken in the icebox. The bowl in the back fruit loops in chocolate milk. From the outside, the house looks pretty good, except for teh cars parked in the front yard. I never read police calls except for one day I did and lo and behold, there was the address of my house listed. I went down there and knocked on the door. A man, smoking a cigarette answered, holding onto the collar of a big white dog.
"Who are you?", I asked.
"I live here", he replied, "Who the fu** are you?"
"I'm the fu**in' landlord," I said, " and you don't fu**in' live here and this is a non-smoking house now get the fu** out of here."
His attitude changed really fast.


It was probably too much trouble to hook up the dryer vent.
This was one of many half empty Hardee's cups sitting on windowsills. The pop separated and the syrup seaped out of the cup and sugarized on the windowsill. What a mess.
I don't know what they did to the hardwoor floors, but they ruined them.
Notice the broken glass in the door and the big dog on a chain. There was another dog running around the yard.
Clothes were strewn all over the hose, lots of bras, thong panties and socks.
When I flushed the toilet, fruit flys flew out of the bathroom sink drain.
The lease said a non-smoking house. Cigarette butts were found everywhere, including dresser drawers.
In early July I was driving down the street when cop cars came smoking by. Yep, to my house. I told the tenant that effect July 31, the lease was terminated and she needed to move. Lots of tears, what will she do?, She knew her kids would cause her to get evicted. Well, I said, you were right in that matter, you are evicted.

This is the door jam on the front screen door. The renters fixed it with roofing nails.
My friend Karen and I spent all day today loading everything in the truck, ready to deliver it to where ever the ex renters want it. It will probably end up at the dump.While these tenants had poor housekeeping skills, the house, other than the broken glass, punched out screens, and broken door jams, survived their tenancy well, a testament to the thoroughness of the builder who built this house in 1956.

Before the tenants moved in I put three coats of polyurethane on the floors. I will be able to repair the floors. I will never be able to make this nurse understand she is responsible for the actions of her children and will have to pay me the money I will have to spend over and above her cleaning deposit to fix the house.

I really hope she takes better care of her patients than she did my house.

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