Sunday, October 16, 2005

Pay Your Rent!

Living in an apartment building requires some moments of compromise. One has to accept the fact that meatloaf smells at ten in the morning can be jarring. Popcorn smells from across the hall at 10:00 in the evening require tremendous self-control as you sit watching television just before you head to bed.

You have to accept the fact that you should not try to carry a huge basket of dirty laundry out into the hallway without checking the status of the one washer and dryer available on your floor.

And finally, you must be patient with the next door neighbor whose phone ringer is set a little shrill and which seems to ring off the wall day after day. Just because she has more friends than you is not a reason to hate her.

At the end of September there were a number of yellow forms taped to the inside windows of the entry way to the foyers of the various apartment buildings. When I went to read them, I noticed that they were eviction notices. A few weeks later, furniture and personal belongings were placed near the street for some of these evictions.

I understand that the landlord has to meet expenses and canĂ‚’t provide free housing for people, but why are they not evicting all the tenants that don'’t pay? For instance, we have a tenant that lives above us. A noisy tenant. They (he/she) seem(s) to be moving furniture at the end of every day, are always jumping and running around, and really disturbing when eating since they eat just above our dining table. They are pretty quiet in the daytime, but keep very late hours. I have called the business office about this tenant months ago---and they said they would get right on it. Well, the noise continues. How do I know the tenant isn'’t paying? One reason is that they sneak in and out instead of using the elevator. I have never seen them. Second reason, is that there is no apartment above our apartment. This is the space beneath the roof of the building. They must be very small in order to live in that three foot high space. I want them out of here! Dump all their nuts out on the street like they do with everyone else!

6 comments:

  1. i wonder how many people there are at any one time getting evicted.

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  2. "Dump their nuts out on the street...." Hoo boy. They leave the women (and the female squirrels) behind?

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  3. Tabor, you are BRILLIANT! This one really had me going until I realized at the end that you were referring to the squirrels who have inhabited the space upstairs. Wonderful wonderful piece of writing!

    My hat is off to you, my friend!

    (they say oil of peppermint, sprinkled at any possible point of entry will run them off forever. Also, a single hot pepper, cut open and place just so will run them away)

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  4. Dan, It is sad to think of folks being evicted because sometimes it is not from bad decisions on their part, but just unlucky circumstances. We had 4 apartments with notices.
    Actually, the tenant that I want out above me may not be a squirrel. He can do quite a samba, and I think it could even be a raccoon--nuts or non I want him gone!

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  5. Anonymous12:56 PM

    DUH! I'm so gulliable...I didn't get it until I saw Weary's comment. I should have known because I have them too...dropping nuts on the shed's tin roof. Sometimes I wonder if they are slipping from their paws or are the throwing them?!

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  6. LOL too funny. I was thinking what horrible living conditions it must be to have such short ceilings. hehe ;)

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