Date: Sat, 16 Feb 2002 15:32:52 -0500 (EST) From: "Keith F. Lynch" <kfl at keithlynch.net> To: WSFAlist at keithlynch.net Subject: [WSFA] Groceries and landlords (was Re: Last night's meeting) Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net> eginter at klgai.com wrote: > Keith left his groceries. Sorry about that. I don't know if it showed, but I was very distracted last night. The groceries consist entirely of cereal, which will not spoil even after months at room temperature. If you don't mind storing them somehwere that animals and rain won't get to them, I'll pick them up at the March meeting. I could return earlier, but I'd rather not, since it's a four hour five dollar round trip during rush hour, and a five hour four dollar round trip at other times. Thanks to Ron Kean for showing me the "My Organic Market" grocery store between the Metro station and your house. It has better prices than stores in my area. Plus, Maryland has no sales tax on groceries, unlike Virginia and DC. It's just as well that the groceries aren't here, considering what it is I'm distracted about. On Tuesday my landlord is doing an "intensive" extermination, and I'm required to remove everything from closets and cabinets, move all furniture away from the walls, and unplug everything. This makes little sense, since, for the first time ever, I haven't seen any roaches or other vermin in months. I've lived here 23 years, and I have books stacked almost to the ceiling against most of the walls. Most of my bookcases are very idiosyncratic, built in place, requiring the wall for support. Plus, my closets and cabinets are absolutely packed, as is the space on top of the kitchen cabinets. Moving everything away from the walls would be a tremenduous effort. And I have no place to put everything, anyhow. Perhaps I should simply refuse. Or wait until the exterminator shows up, and work out some kind of compromise, perhaps involving bribery. I can't believe I'm the only tenant who is bothered by this. And there are other onerous requirements which don't bother me, such as "removing all pets". I don't have any. But suppose I did? Where would I remove them *to*? And suppose I had been at a con this weekend, and hadn't returned until Tuesday? I can't talk to the other tenants because they all only speak Spanish. Maybe they're more tolerant of this crap than I am. While I like the low crime rate, and the short distance to Metro, I don't like the rent increases, which have greatly outpaced inflation. (Though admittedly all other apartments have done the same.) Or the fact that they took away the storage rooms, guest parking, and the ability to discard large items. They also like to do surprise inspections for things like unauthorized houseguests, unsanitary conditions, disabled smoke detectors, and unauthorized cable TV use. And once a month or so they turn off the water for most of a day for "emergency repairs". A few years ago, they replaced the showerhead with a low flow model, and did the same with the toilet (which I often have to flush several times in a row, unlike the old one). They advertised a $100 referral bonus. I referred a friend. (Yes, I warned him about the downside.) He moved in. They refused to pay on the grounds that he used their web site. (The one I pointed him at!) In the seven months since then, they've increased the promised referral bonus to $200, and now $300. (Maybe they shouldn't have increased rents by 10% at the height of a recession? Or at the height of an INS crackdown, considering that many of my neighbors are probably illegal aliens. Especially not after they'd increased rents by 20% last year.) Needless to say, I haven't referred anyone else. Also, on cold windless winter nights the place smells like someone routed a chimney through it. Smoke stains are even visible on the walls where vents blow at them. (This problem is not new.) I don't know where the smoke comes from, as none of the apartments have fireplaces as far as I know. It doesn't make the smoke detector go off. On the plus side, heat is free, and I do like to keep the place very warm. One of the reasons I chose this apartment is that it's upwind of DC and has no windows facing that direction. Yes, even in the 70s, I feared a terrorist with a nuke. I still do. Also, it's in the basement. I don't have to worry about the floor supporting all my books. Nor about the noise made by my treadmill, which I often use late at night, bothering neighbors. I've visited Scott Hofmann and Sam Lubell. Both of them live in apartments (or are they condos?) even closer to Metro stations than I live. Both places look nice. Scott, Sam, please tell me more. Would I have to have a credit rating? (I have never borrowed any money, or had a credit card, so presumably I have none.) Is there good sound-proofing? Do I have control of the thermostat, and if so what does heating cost? Is the landlord intrusive? Are there other problems? Thanks. -- Keith F. Lynch - kfl at keithlynch.net - http://keithlynch.net/ I always welcome replies to my e-mail, postings, and web pages, but unsolicited bulk e-mail (spam) is not acceptable. Please do not send me HTML, "rich text," or attachments, as all such email is discarded unread.