Little Red Riding Hood, The Real Estate Agent, And The Evil LandLord
February 6th 2007 05:17
An example of atrocious rubbish
Oh, Where to begin? At the end of 2004 we get notice - we are being kicked out of the stud where we keep our horses. Now, Im sure the stud manager wouldnt tell it that way, but all I could see, was after 6 years of blood and sweat, I was being replaced and slowly but surely, forced out. Good! Said I, finally, I'll have a property of my own, and set out to find one. We searched through crap after crap, and finally, we found a property that, at least, had its skeleton intact. Something to build on, something to improve. On the day we inspected, the owners met us there, promising sincerely that all the rubbish would be removed before we moved in, blaming the previous tenants. Feeling pressure of time and delighted to find a halfway decent property after all the crap, we agreed to move in for the price of $450 a week, way above the market price for this area, but hey, we were desperate.
Early april we move in, utterly astounded to find the rubbish still here! A week in the house showed EVERY SINGLE tap dripping and in need of repair, electrics exploding in our faces and the place utterly overrrun by cockroaches, ants, and wasps.
Battlers we are, we endured, entering into perfectly amicable agreements to remove rubbish and repair the house.
Maintenance men began to arrive without warning. On any given day cars could pull up, stating - "Im here to fix this, or that" having rented for years and knowing this was against the law, I began to frown, but still, I thought, at least somethings being done.
I could go on and on - The day the landlords themselves showed up at 7am on a saturday morning to install smoke detectors without warning, the electrician, plumber, whatever, but it all began on the day the septic inspector showed up.
Representing a government body, you can imagine his shock when he found out I had not been informed of his coming. Not 5 mins later the landlords themselves arrived, everyone professing confusion at why I had not been warned. Long story short, the septic system had failed, it was a health hazard! (thanks very much!) The landlords told me to my face that the real estate had not done their job, that they would like to deal directly with us. I agreed, and we exchanged numbers. Having worked in industries requiring heavy machinery, I understood what would be happening with the new septic tank and asked if I could recieve plenty of warning when they would have to tear up the place. They said sure, no problem. The estimated industry value of the horses owned by my stud on this land is $80,000.
A week later I was told - by the real estate! - that the owners would be raising the rent and required an inspection. Hurt and confused I began to worry. What kind of people were these guys? To say to my face they no longer wanted the real estate and then take it back?
Once again, I will cut a long story short. The real estate found on inspection that the property was in better condition than when it was rented, as we have repaired much ourselves and done all the cleaning and pest control within our power. In total, we have spent about $700 that we have not even thought about asking for in reimbursment, even though we could. The real estate then ordered the landlords to remove the rubbish and repair the septic tank asap, as we were obviously 'a'class tenants(and always have been!)
The excavator arrived without prior warning on a sunday morning when I was at work, the week before christmas. Needless to say, $80,000 worth of horseflesh did not take it well, and threatened to pulverize what was left of the fences. I was contacted at work, where I explained the situation to a seemingly understanding boss, and cut my shift short. The work began the next morning, was not completed till late on tuesday, and, breathing a sigh of relief that the horses had survived, prepared for things to return to normal.
My boss then informed me that whatever reason I had for cutting shifts the week before christmas was not good enough(and this guy will get an angst post all his own, dont you worry!) and I was no longer required. I had explained to him at length the value of my animals, how many years it had taken me to build my stud from nothing - bottom line - he didnt care. I was fired.
We are now involved in a very ugly legal battle. My mother lives with myself and my fiancee here on the property, and she approached Fair Trading to ask the best course of action. They advised us to lodge an official complaint against the obviously negligent real estate, to ask for back rent on land that had been unuseable, and a set rent reduction for the paddock we can now NEVER use - they cut the septic trench right up the centre. They have also advised we ask for $700 compensation for my lost wages in that week. All this has been done, and today.....
The real estate agents informed us the rent would be increased to $470. While we search the absolutely DEAD rental market and overpriced buyers market for somewhere to escape to, we forward every complaint and letter directly to the Tenancy Board, hoping to go to court soon, and prove that we are in the right, fight for a violation of our rights!!
Anyone out there know a good rental property of at least 6 acres?
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Comment by Wendi
*LOL*
Hoping you find your paradise,
W
Comment by Anonymous
Comment by Kleonaptra
Kalikapsychosis