Dishonest Land(ladies) / Possible forced move-out - Posted by Angelus433

Posted by Angelus433 on August 26, 2006 at 16:22:01:

Good idea on getting our own home, we’ve just started looking into it. I don’t know if we’ll be able to qualify for anything, though. I work full-time (below $30k/yr), and attend the University full-time - so my wife and I don’t have anything in the way of savings. :frowning: She also has joint custody of her younger sister w/disabilities, so her only income is the $300/mo from respite care. Having to help support an extra person, often forces us to live beyond our means …yep, it sends us into the realm of EVIL credit card debt. There is a program that we can qualify for, my wife belongs to the regional Native Corp. It’s the Interior Regional Housing Authority TEAM program, http://www.irha.org/team.html

The only thing with that, is that new applications won’t be accepted until the new year - January 2007.

sigh

Dishonest Land(ladies) / Possible forced move-out - Posted by Angelus433

Posted by Angelus433 on August 26, 2006 at 04:22:04:

Hi everyone.

I’m seriously needing some constructive advice, I hope that someone here will be able to assist. First of all, I’ve been renting a small 1-bedroom apt here in Alaska - since Oct. 2002. Other than our crappy loud neighbors, we’ve loved living here – It’s quite literally, one of the best complexes to get into (clean, safe) for the price.

And here comes the craptacular part:

I live w/my S.O., and it has always been financially impossible for us to pay the rent by the normal due date - the 5th of every month. Only last year ('05), did we finally get the new Landlady to negotiate into our lease that rent would be due on the 7th — which is Payday. Up until then, we always paid a late fee, which was an extra $50.00 on top of the normal rent (also always on the same cashiers check). It was a huge mistake on our part, to not insist on having it written down and sent to us officially. However, it does state on our Tenant Ledger (provided to us a couple days ago), that our rent is not due until the 7th, as per the landlady.

Anyway …Earlier this week, we rec’d a notice under our door, late in the evening, that we “owed” a late fee of $50.00, due by September 1st. It was for April 2006, and stated that we were “late” with the rent that month. Well, we have excellent paying habits – We know that we stretched our luck getting the current landlady to agree/understand that payday is not until the 7th, and we always drop it off that same day, we don’t push our luck (ya’ know, having a place to live is on the top of our agenda …duh ). Luckily, I save most of our cashiers check reciepts — And sure enough, our cashiers check receipt states that it was drawn on April 7th, 2006.

We brought it to the landlady-in-training – The previous one is still around to “train” the new one, and she’s also the General Manager of the one of the properties tied into this one. So technically, the old manager is still the boss. New landlady listened to us, raised some eyebrows, and then said she’d talk to old landlady about it. Late the next evening, she slipped the Tenant Ledger under the door – With a handwritten note on the last page that the Late Fee was still due, and that Old-landlady stated that our rent check was NOT REC’D until May 1st.

Now, what really gets me is that I was an auditor at a hotel for a number of years and I understand how to read statements and ledgers quite well. Upon examining the tenant ledger, I noticed that in 2005, rent was charged on the first of the month and then nothing the rest of the month. On the first of the following month, rent was charged again, but this time a check was posted for the previous month. Four days later on the fifth, another check was posted for the current month’s rent. This same thing happened again this year in April. The note the new landlady had handwritten on the bottom states that the ledger clearly shows that rent was not received on time. After speaking with her, I pointed out that the ledger simply states that it wasn’t posted until that day, not whether or not it was received.

The kicker to all this is, I could care less about the late fee. What worries my wife and I, is that another tenant mentioned that the management was planning on turning the pod in which we live, along with the one next to it into employee housing. The loud neighbors I spoke of before are generally employees of the management company that they put up in the apartments for seasonal work. What gets me, is why they would do this in the fall, as September 15th tends to be the closing time for almost all summer work. The tenant that had mentioned this to my wife stated that the new landlady contacted her about this at 11:30PM of all times and asked if she would like to move into another apartment that was open. As far as I know, nobody else has been contacted about this or any other notice given of the upcoming change. We are terribly worried about this possibility because it would explain why they would want the late fee paid and the account zeroed out. Our yearly lease is up for renewal on October 14th, 2006 and as I understand it, they may choose not to renew it due to the need for housing their staff. I am under the impression that they must give no less than 30 days written notice that we need to move out, otherwise legally they must renew the lease unless other concerns arise (of which there are none). Am I right?

What really gets us P.O.'d, is the definite possibility that they’re apparently more interested in having their Imported Non-US citizen employee’s moved into these 2 pods (approximately 12 apt.'s in 1 pod, many have been LONG-time residents, we’re talking 5 years+ — quite a few of them are elderly as well). Until we can afford a home of our own, this has been a home to all of us long-time renters. It’s literally just a stroll from both work, and the University. I know for a fact (due to the workers loud mouths) that their rent is 800/month (more than our 675), and that the workers make beans for hourly wage. So, I guess it’s all about making the money. Grr!

I really would appreciate some input on this Would we be better off verbally acknowledging to the current Landlady that, at the end of the day, it’s a “respected” manager’s word against two “kids”, and grudgingly pay the late fee that’s supposedly due? God, I don’t know. This whole thing has just got us so worked up.

Thank you to all, for any help.

Re: Dishonest Land(ladies) / Possible forced - Posted by BTI

Posted by BTI on August 26, 2006 at 13:15:46:

Have to agree with Passerby, can’t prove received date but you can begin to get a more businesslike mindset, next time get a receipt that specifies the date received, what was received, and what it covers.

Next ask the company you got the check from to see when it was deposited and to whom, I doubt they held the check from the 7th to the first when it was posted, and get a copy if it helps your case.

Lastly, your probably right, a new landlord generally has a bigger nut to crack and a tenant waiting in the wings that will pay more, on the date the landlord wants, and likely can’t easily go somewhere else is a lot better for the new landlord.

Start following the main group on this site and learn how you can get into a property under your present financial situation because it looks like your lease is going to end.

BTI

Re: Dishonest Land… / Possible forced move-out - Posted by passerby

Posted by passerby on August 26, 2006 at 10:24:24:

The first part about the late fee, I haven’t a clue and it sounds hard to prove when the ‘receiving date’ was. The second part about the 30 day written notice to end the lease isn’t customary (unless language in contract). The lease defines the term and so, no notice is necessary, i.e., lease date is move out date. So sorry to hear about the situation.