In parts I and II, I described my experience with the perfect storm of plumbing and greedy, irresponsible landlords. It is nearly two and a half months since my rented house, my home of seventeen years, flooded with sewage. It took the landlord a week to respond to a problem that California renters' law stipulates must be dealt with within forty eight hours, a health and safety issue. I had thought the landlord and I had reached an agreement that I would do my best to facilitate the rehab of the building, to include not bringing in any county agencies, and in return would be able to move back in under the then-current rental agreement on completion of construction. It was a problem that had been manifest on a very small scale for some six years, and though I had reported it to the property owner frequently, he had chosen not to act, and I, foolishly, had chosen to stay. On the 24th of November, the day before Thanksgiving, a month and a half after the start of this mess, I received by email notice to quit the property asap. I felt it ironic that my landlord, a Viet Nam veteran and previous commander of the local American Legion post, would put a fellow Viet Nam veteran on the street for the holidays.
I have removed all my belongings and put them in storage. Expensive. Thank God for friends with pickup trucks. Hauled away the remnants of seventeen years of occupancy, and left the place cleaner than when I moved in, considering it is now a construction site and that my friends couldn't enter the premises without vomiting due to the smell. And I have received my deposit and last months' rent, making it possible to house hunt. Landlord still refuses to discuss personal property loss, so it will be off to court, but not until I have found a new place. I may need a reference...but if we go to court, I will absolutely contact every county agency that may be interested, and if the building is condemned, as it may well be, I will claim the same responsibility the landlord claims for my losses. Zero. Chuck will have to buy his way out of demolition, at a much higher price than he would have paid to buy his way into legal construction. ******* County is not cheap in these matters.
I am still staying with a friend, an ex, actually, and it is...interesting, to say the least. It didn't end well way back when we were madly in love with each other, and I can only hope for a happier outcome this time 'round. I think we are both really trying not to be too...trying with each other.
House hunting here involves a local newspaper, a local realtor's rental list, the grapevine, and of course, Craig's List. This morning, I think I found my old home, re-listed on CL;
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AVAILABLE AFTER JANUARY 1, 2011!!
Charming, furnished, guest house in a lovely part of **** with views of the **** **** Mts. and lots of privacy. Sitting on a 2.5 acre hilltop up a private driveway. Ideal for writer or creative person who wants a retreat.
- Freshly remodeled. - Furnished. - One bedroom - Wrap around deck with views - Wood burning fireplace - Open plan living room - Bathroom with shower - Separate laundry room with washer & DryerPlease note: This is a short term rental only - ONE WEEK MINIMUM / THREE MONTH MAXIMUM No full move ins please.
Price discount negotiable depending on duration of stay. Please feel free to inquire regarding your specific needs.
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For $595 per week! Yoiks! I had been paying just under twice that per month. And no mention, oddly, of a kitchen, unless one knew, as do I, that the structure was permitted as a cabana, a pool house without a pool. Which means, locally, one room with 3/4 bath. Everything else is "off permit," built illegally without permits, inspections or fees. Clearly, Chuck and JoAnn feel the need to recoup their loss through negligence as quickly as possible. I wonder if they kept the kitchen or stripped it to comply with their permits.
What I find odd about this scenario is that there is currently a glut of available rental property on the market, especially in the wake of the foreclosure binge. What I do not find surprising is that the middle class, like their wealthy masters, has turned to the working classes and poor to recoup their losses. My argument is and always has been that wealth in this country is generated from the bottom up, that the American model of capitalism relies solely upon exploitation of the poor and working classes, either directly or through appropriation of public property and monies provided by the taxpayers. The poor and working classes. Payroll taxes, where there is no wiggle room, as there is in income tax. This keeps rents surprisingly high.
I am not writing for sympathy here, I am venting. My guess is that this site is populated more by landlords than tenants, and I hardly expect to find solace in the home of the middle class. I am, however, more than a bit tired of hearing the middle class squeak about being squeezed when they have been doing some damned hard squeezing of their own.