Inconvenienced by landlord - is it ridiculous to ask for some money off the rent?
January 28, 2012 10:42 AM Subscribe
Inconvenienced by landlord - is it ridiculous to ask for some money off the rent?
Myself and my S.O. rent a fairly nice house in a nice neighborhood; we've been there for almost 2 years and would like to continue living at this address, but the landlord has started to do things that are giving us second thoughts. We had a one year lease, which expired, so we are now month-to-month. We are never late with the rent. We take care of the property very well, and fix small things here and there without being asked. We're excellent tenants. We really do not wish to move, as we have too many things going on in our lives right now that it would be a major disruption.
At the end of last year (right around the holidays), our landlord decided that all the windows in the house needed replacing. Our first reaction was, "Why?" and "Are you going to do try and do this around Christmas?!?!?" (good thing they didn't!)..... The old windows, while original to the house, were fine - no broken or cracked glass, and they opened/closed/locked just fine - and while they weren't the most energy efficient, soundproof, super UV blocking whizzbang windows, we did not have any problems with them. They didn't need fixing, like a leaky faucet or broken refrigerator. We certainly didn't like the idea of a major renovation occurring while we were occupying the property - it seems that that kind of work would be better suited when a house is vacant. The window representative assured us that it would take only one day to replace all the windows. We decided that one day wouldn't kill us and agreed to let the landlord have this done on our day off so that we could watch over our belongings. I know that we had the right to refuse the work, as the local tenant laws state that any non-essential work done has to be agreed upon by both tenant and landlord. But we thought the long term benefits outweighed the negatives...
The installation was done last week and ended up being very stressful for us and our pets. The landlord was hovering about as well, and at one point the landlord's family showed up, and proceeded to invite themselves to pick some fruit from the trees that are in our backyard. Fruit that we also like to eat, and that we pay the utility bill for to have them watered. To make matters worse, a few windows did not fit correctly, so instead of one day, we now are facing another day of stress to finish the installation. Also during this very day, at the last minute, the landlord had a roofing company come out to inspect/patch some areas in our roof. Oh yeah, and it was raining on and off all day, so the roofers couldn't do much and would have to come back when everything was dry. Did I mention that after all this we had to do quite a bit of cleaning up inside the house afterwards?
A few days ago, the kitchen faucet sprung a leak that required a replacement. We thought that a plumber would be there solo, but the landlord and the landlord's S.O. showed up because they had bought the faucet. The landlord couple then hovered over the plumber as he worked, and several times they butted in and were practically doing his job for him. As I observed this, ultimately ignored by everybody, as we were just the peon tenants, this was disrupting my S.O. who was trying to work in the room next to the kitchen.
The icing on the cake was early this Sat. morning. Expecting to sleep in for a few extra hours, we were awakened by the roofing company (who came back to finish the job) walking and hammering on our roof. I was livid at this point and told them to stop immediately while I called the landlord. I told the landlord to make them disappear because we've 'had it'. We had no warning about the roofers coming and neither did the landlord, or so they say. Thankfully they left right after that.
Our first year or so of living here has been really good, but as small things have broken or been an issue, it feels like it's a little bit of a hassle to get the landlord to act on it. Lately, it feels like the landlord has this self-serving, 'I know what's best' attitude and seems completely insensitive to our rights of privacy and to have a sanctuary we call home, free of this bullshit.
I now this is just a case of 'when it rains, it pours', but am I totally wrong in asking the landlord to take a few hundred bucks off the rent for all this hassle?
Myself and my S.O. rent a fairly nice house in a nice neighborhood; we've been there for almost 2 years and would like to continue living at this address, but the landlord has started to do things that are giving us second thoughts. We had a one year lease, which expired, so we are now month-to-month. We are never late with the rent. We take care of the property very well, and fix small things here and there without being asked. We're excellent tenants. We really do not wish to move, as we have too many things going on in our lives right now that it would be a major disruption.
At the end of last year (right around the holidays), our landlord decided that all the windows in the house needed replacing. Our first reaction was, "Why?" and "Are you going to do try and do this around Christmas?!?!?" (good thing they didn't!)..... The old windows, while original to the house, were fine - no broken or cracked glass, and they opened/closed/locked just fine - and while they weren't the most energy efficient, soundproof, super UV blocking whizzbang windows, we did not have any problems with them. They didn't need fixing, like a leaky faucet or broken refrigerator. We certainly didn't like the idea of a major renovation occurring while we were occupying the property - it seems that that kind of work would be better suited when a house is vacant. The window representative assured us that it would take only one day to replace all the windows. We decided that one day wouldn't kill us and agreed to let the landlord have this done on our day off so that we could watch over our belongings. I know that we had the right to refuse the work, as the local tenant laws state that any non-essential work done has to be agreed upon by both tenant and landlord. But we thought the long term benefits outweighed the negatives...
The installation was done last week and ended up being very stressful for us and our pets. The landlord was hovering about as well, and at one point the landlord's family showed up, and proceeded to invite themselves to pick some fruit from the trees that are in our backyard. Fruit that we also like to eat, and that we pay the utility bill for to have them watered. To make matters worse, a few windows did not fit correctly, so instead of one day, we now are facing another day of stress to finish the installation. Also during this very day, at the last minute, the landlord had a roofing company come out to inspect/patch some areas in our roof. Oh yeah, and it was raining on and off all day, so the roofers couldn't do much and would have to come back when everything was dry. Did I mention that after all this we had to do quite a bit of cleaning up inside the house afterwards?
A few days ago, the kitchen faucet sprung a leak that required a replacement. We thought that a plumber would be there solo, but the landlord and the landlord's S.O. showed up because they had bought the faucet. The landlord couple then hovered over the plumber as he worked, and several times they butted in and were practically doing his job for him. As I observed this, ultimately ignored by everybody, as we were just the peon tenants, this was disrupting my S.O. who was trying to work in the room next to the kitchen.
The icing on the cake was early this Sat. morning. Expecting to sleep in for a few extra hours, we were awakened by the roofing company (who came back to finish the job) walking and hammering on our roof. I was livid at this point and told them to stop immediately while I called the landlord. I told the landlord to make them disappear because we've 'had it'. We had no warning about the roofers coming and neither did the landlord, or so they say. Thankfully they left right after that.
Our first year or so of living here has been really good, but as small things have broken or been an issue, it feels like it's a little bit of a hassle to get the landlord to act on it. Lately, it feels like the landlord has this self-serving, 'I know what's best' attitude and seems completely insensitive to our rights of privacy and to have a sanctuary we call home, free of this bullshit.
I now this is just a case of 'when it rains, it pours', but am I totally wrong in asking the landlord to take a few hundred bucks off the rent for all this hassle?
I think you are probably wrong--while these things may have not been done as you wished or thought necessary they are with in the purview of the landlord. Some of them seem a bit thoughtless but why not ride things out for another 4-5 months and see how it goes.
posted by rmhsinc at 10:55 AM on January 28, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by rmhsinc at 10:55 AM on January 28, 2012 [2 favorites]
You can certainly ask -- and you may want to get things in writing if you are concerned about this happening some more. Maybe get a short term-lease with clearly laid-out expectations for how these things are to be handled.
As someone who's been on both sides of this situation (landlord and tenant of a rental house) what you're describing is fairly typical. Especially if it's a somewhat older house -- stuff happens and needs to be fixed. And trying to get roofers/plumbers/window people to show up exactly when they're supposed to is always a crapshoot.
If I were you, I would cool off a bit and figure out exactly what you want from your landlord going forward. It's reasonable to be frustrated, but I also think your landlord is just a bit clueless, and not really doing anything too unusual here.
posted by pantarei70 at 10:56 AM on January 28, 2012
As someone who's been on both sides of this situation (landlord and tenant of a rental house) what you're describing is fairly typical. Especially if it's a somewhat older house -- stuff happens and needs to be fixed. And trying to get roofers/plumbers/window people to show up exactly when they're supposed to is always a crapshoot.
If I were you, I would cool off a bit and figure out exactly what you want from your landlord going forward. It's reasonable to be frustrated, but I also think your landlord is just a bit clueless, and not really doing anything too unusual here.
posted by pantarei70 at 10:56 AM on January 28, 2012
My real concern if I were you would be that the combination of now having a month-to-month lease plus fixing up the place is that he's planning to move either himself or a family member in in the near future.
posted by thatone at 10:57 AM on January 28, 2012 [47 favorites]
posted by thatone at 10:57 AM on January 28, 2012 [47 favorites]
You can ask, but you might not receive. A couple of years ago I was renting a house(with 2 other people) and the landlords decided that they wanted to put it on the market, meaning that a real estate agent would be by to show the house whenever someone was interested. The landlords were already the worst ever, constantly ignoring our calls when things needed to be fixed, they were responsible for mowing the lawn and had the uncanny ability to have it mowed RIGHT before -as in a day before - the city was going to fine them $1000 because the grass was over a foot tall. So we felt pretty resentful that they were then going to impose on us like that...but it was in the lease that they just had to give us 24 hours notice before coming by to show the house or for whatever reason.
What was really annoying was that some people saw the listing and then would just show up at the house! Wanting to take a look...WTF.
Luckily they were asking WAY too much for the house so there wasn't a huge amount of interest.
Good luck!
posted by fromageball at 10:57 AM on January 28, 2012
What was really annoying was that some people saw the listing and then would just show up at the house! Wanting to take a look...WTF.
Luckily they were asking WAY too much for the house so there wasn't a huge amount of interest.
Good luck!
posted by fromageball at 10:57 AM on January 28, 2012
You can certainly ask, but they might well say no. You might also want to wait a few days until things cool off since you're pretty angry at them right now and they're probably not happy with you for chasing the roofers off.
If seems like these things are definitely just on the "annoying" end of the scale of landlord shittyness so if you'd like to stay there you might try to keep the relationship cordial. Remember, if you move you might end up with a new landlord who is more actively terrible rather than just sort of clueless and annoying, sometimes it's better to stick with the known evil.
posted by ghharr at 10:58 AM on January 28, 2012
If seems like these things are definitely just on the "annoying" end of the scale of landlord shittyness so if you'd like to stay there you might try to keep the relationship cordial. Remember, if you move you might end up with a new landlord who is more actively terrible rather than just sort of clueless and annoying, sometimes it's better to stick with the known evil.
posted by ghharr at 10:58 AM on January 28, 2012
I think asking for money off the rent is going to exacerbate things further and sour the situation unnecessarily. I don't think you have much of a valid claim for simply being annoyed, and only for the last month or so. The landlord had no control over the roofers, for example, so this might not be the best hill to make a stand on. Can you request that the landlord give you better notice about when repairs are scheduled so you can be better prepared? You can blame it on the pets and say that you need to take some time to lock them up, get them settled, etc. so there aren't skittish pets around when strangers are in the house. I don't know anything about tenancy laws, but since you're on a month-to-month I'd be worried that if this turns into a real fight that they could tell you it's time to move out so they can finish renovations and leave you high and dry.
posted by lilac girl at 11:05 AM on January 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by lilac girl at 11:05 AM on January 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
You had the right to refuse the non-essential work, and you didn't exercise that right. You could ask for the rent reduction (if you do, tie it to the fact that it took longer than you were told, not to the fact that it happened at all), but you would probably be better off just opening up better lines of communication with your landlord.
Did you complain to your landlord about these various things that annoyed you while they were happening? Did you ask the family not to pick the fruit? Did you say "hey, guys, can you keep it down, we're trying to work here?" when the landlord was hovering over the plumber?
The story about the landlord not knowing the roofers were coming, as ridiculous as it may sound, is plausible - apparently in many places roofers are in such high demand that you are just supposed to be grateful that they show up at all. (Even if it's at 7AM and you get home from work at 2AM and the noise makes you want to curl up in the fetal position and cry.)
Generally speaking, good landlords like to maintain their property. I would rather have my current landlord (who just got insulation put into the attic through the access door in my apartment, a process which was supposed to take a day or two and actually took three days) than my landlords who were getting ready to sell the house to be gutted and turned into condos and didn't fix the leak behind the tub even though there were mushrooms growing in the bathroom floor.
posted by mskyle at 11:07 AM on January 28, 2012
Did you complain to your landlord about these various things that annoyed you while they were happening? Did you ask the family not to pick the fruit? Did you say "hey, guys, can you keep it down, we're trying to work here?" when the landlord was hovering over the plumber?
The story about the landlord not knowing the roofers were coming, as ridiculous as it may sound, is plausible - apparently in many places roofers are in such high demand that you are just supposed to be grateful that they show up at all. (Even if it's at 7AM and you get home from work at 2AM and the noise makes you want to curl up in the fetal position and cry.)
Generally speaking, good landlords like to maintain their property. I would rather have my current landlord (who just got insulation put into the attic through the access door in my apartment, a process which was supposed to take a day or two and actually took three days) than my landlords who were getting ready to sell the house to be gutted and turned into condos and didn't fix the leak behind the tub even though there were mushrooms growing in the bathroom floor.
posted by mskyle at 11:07 AM on January 28, 2012
Yes, it's ridiculous to ask the landlord to deduct money from the rent for this.
You would be asking for a fight, and this is all based on things that you agreed to, that are normal, and that, really, weren't that bad. I understand why you're annoyed, and I would be too, but I don't think you have a leg to stand on -- and why sour your landlord-tenant relationship?
posted by J. Wilson at 11:09 AM on January 28, 2012 [2 favorites]
You would be asking for a fight, and this is all based on things that you agreed to, that are normal, and that, really, weren't that bad. I understand why you're annoyed, and I would be too, but I don't think you have a leg to stand on -- and why sour your landlord-tenant relationship?
posted by J. Wilson at 11:09 AM on January 28, 2012 [2 favorites]
You're annoyed that he's fixing your house? I'm a landlord, and if you asked me for money off your rent in this situation the most I'd do is take off the $30 or whatever for the extra day of window construction.
Paying rent on time doesn't make you a good tenant. That's what you're supposed to do. It makes you a tenant. Doing minor repairs is good, but he has no way of knowing that you've replaced an outlet cover or whatever. A good tenant is someone who is understanding and communicative about things like what you're describing, and that's not you.
And the roofers generally don't really know themselves when they'll get to a particular job. They finish one as quickly as they can, then move to the next one.
posted by cmoj at 11:11 AM on January 28, 2012 [15 favorites]
Paying rent on time doesn't make you a good tenant. That's what you're supposed to do. It makes you a tenant. Doing minor repairs is good, but he has no way of knowing that you've replaced an outlet cover or whatever. A good tenant is someone who is understanding and communicative about things like what you're describing, and that's not you.
And the roofers generally don't really know themselves when they'll get to a particular job. They finish one as quickly as they can, then move to the next one.
posted by cmoj at 11:11 AM on January 28, 2012 [15 favorites]
It doesn't really sound like that much hassle to me. You sound a bit high-maintenance. Next time don't take a day off work to "watch over your belongings". Go to work. Let the landlord do what he wants to do - with the roofer, the window people, the plumber. Don't hover. Don't be inconvenienced. Don't be annoyed by the landlord's family (seriously, you need 100% of the fruit on those trees because you pay for the water?!). If you weren't there, you wouldn't be annoyed.
So no, I don't think you should ask for money off the rent.
You can expect reasonable work hours (say, not before eight in the morning). Did the roofers show up before 8?
posted by valeries at 11:13 AM on January 28, 2012 [29 favorites]
So no, I don't think you should ask for money off the rent.
You can expect reasonable work hours (say, not before eight in the morning). Did the roofers show up before 8?
posted by valeries at 11:13 AM on January 28, 2012 [29 favorites]
Some landlords tend to have very strong feelings about who owns the house. Thus, they have no problem picking fruit from their tree, replacing their windows, or overseeing the plumbing done on their faucet.
In other words, they see it is their home that you are a guest in.
This people can be very hard to rent from. They just can't seem to understand that it is their property but your home. I do realize that you don't want to move right now, but I would plan to do so at the next most convenient time. Start looking for a new place now.
This will not get better, and you can't change their state of mind.
posted by Shouraku at 11:18 AM on January 28, 2012 [3 favorites]
In other words, they see it is their home that you are a guest in.
This people can be very hard to rent from. They just can't seem to understand that it is their property but your home. I do realize that you don't want to move right now, but I would plan to do so at the next most convenient time. Start looking for a new place now.
This will not get better, and you can't change their state of mind.
posted by Shouraku at 11:18 AM on January 28, 2012 [3 favorites]
"I'm pretty sure (not knowing the jurisdiction) that this isn't a right, given notice. The landlord owns the house and can make improvements as they see fit."
Agreed. Also, since you signed the lease, you agreed to whatever terms are in it. In my case we found out that the landlords just had to give us 24 hours notice before a real estate agent could come by to sell the house. I think a 24 hour notice is pretty standard in leases.
posted by fromageball at 11:20 AM on January 28, 2012
Agreed. Also, since you signed the lease, you agreed to whatever terms are in it. In my case we found out that the landlords just had to give us 24 hours notice before a real estate agent could come by to sell the house. I think a 24 hour notice is pretty standard in leases.
posted by fromageball at 11:20 AM on January 28, 2012
I think asking for money is a bit much, but requesting in writing that the landlord's family or persons not essential for repairs be present is within reason.
posted by HMSSM at 11:21 AM on January 28, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by HMSSM at 11:21 AM on January 28, 2012 [2 favorites]
I was going by what the OP said - "the local tenant laws state that any non-essential work done has to be agreed upon by both tenant and landlord." I have never heard of anything like that in any jurisdiction I've lived in, but it hardly matters since the OP did not even try to exercise the right s/he believed s/he had.
posted by mskyle at 11:23 AM on January 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by mskyle at 11:23 AM on January 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
I think it would be beneficial for you to differentiate between the awkwardness of his (or her) behavior (as well as those of their family) and his right to invest in the house. So you could indeed mention how you felt about his family invading your privacy and eating your fruits. But as far as doing renovations (and I don't think one or two days inside and one day on the roof can be considered major, really) he can't possibly wait until the house is vacant because (a) who knows when that's going to happen, and a roof is especially important to maintain, and (b) an empty house equals financial losses.
posted by ddaavviidd at 11:23 AM on January 28, 2012
posted by ddaavviidd at 11:23 AM on January 28, 2012
You can insist on being given 24hr notice, but that's about it.
Just the hazards of renting. Maybe start investigating what it would take for y'all to own?
Like others said, this seems like a ramp-up for offering the house.
posted by batmonkey at 11:23 AM on January 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
Just the hazards of renting. Maybe start investigating what it would take for y'all to own?
Like others said, this seems like a ramp-up for offering the house.
posted by batmonkey at 11:23 AM on January 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
Re-reading your question, the lack of advance notice for the roofers is not very nice, but that's not really something you should ask money for. Also, it's not like they were going inside the house.
posted by ddaavviidd at 11:25 AM on January 28, 2012
posted by ddaavviidd at 11:25 AM on January 28, 2012
I think you're overreacting, but asking for 24 hours notice before contractors do work seems reasonable.
(really, you're complaining that your utility bills will be lower? Or, if your landlord pays your heat, that the landlord won't need to raise your rent because of soaring heating bills?)
posted by leahwrenn at 11:29 AM on January 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
(really, you're complaining that your utility bills will be lower? Or, if your landlord pays your heat, that the landlord won't need to raise your rent because of soaring heating bills?)
posted by leahwrenn at 11:29 AM on January 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
Lately, it feels like the landlord has this self-serving, 'I know what's best' attitude and seems completely insensitive to our rights of privacy and to have a sanctuary we call home, free of this bullshit.
I've been on both sides of the landlord/tenant relationship
Having a bunch of extraneous people trooping around is a totally fair thing to be upset about. Having the landlord maintain and/or improve the property isn't.
posted by ambrosia at 11:43 AM on January 28, 2012 [2 favorites]
I've been on both sides of the landlord/tenant relationship
Having a bunch of extraneous people trooping around is a totally fair thing to be upset about. Having the landlord maintain and/or improve the property isn't.
posted by ambrosia at 11:43 AM on January 28, 2012 [2 favorites]
No offense intended, but I think you're overreacting in a way that makes come off as a tad spoiled and entitled. What you describe strikes me as Annoying but certainly not Outrageous.
If you're paying the utilities, why begrudge more energy efficient windows, if that is in fact what they installed? Which would you prefer a roof inspection before a leak begins or a roof repair once one starts? And...what exactly is the relationship between intrusive fruit pickers and paying the water bill?
You have a very good argument for asking for more courtesy in how improvements are scheduled and performed. As in: Please don't invite the family, please give us more notice, please work with us on scheduling, please remind contractors to clean up after themselves blah blah blah.
You don't have a good argument for asking for compensation. Asking for money instead of courtesy seems backwards to me. It may well strike your landlord as um..."self-serving", high maintenance and antagonizing.
posted by space_cookie at 11:46 AM on January 28, 2012 [8 favorites]
If you're paying the utilities, why begrudge more energy efficient windows, if that is in fact what they installed? Which would you prefer a roof inspection before a leak begins or a roof repair once one starts? And...what exactly is the relationship between intrusive fruit pickers and paying the water bill?
You have a very good argument for asking for more courtesy in how improvements are scheduled and performed. As in: Please don't invite the family, please give us more notice, please work with us on scheduling, please remind contractors to clean up after themselves blah blah blah.
You don't have a good argument for asking for compensation. Asking for money instead of courtesy seems backwards to me. It may well strike your landlord as um..."self-serving", high maintenance and antagonizing.
posted by space_cookie at 11:46 AM on January 28, 2012 [8 favorites]
Lately, it feels like the landlord has this self-serving, 'I know what's best' attitude and seems completely insensitive to our rights of privacy and to have a sanctuary we call home, free of this bullshit.
Well unless you find a magical self-healing house to live in you're going to have to deal with this. Houses break and you have to fix them and two days is nothing in terms of house-fixing. Really, it's a laughably trivial amount of inconvenience to get anything done at all.
posted by fshgrl at 11:48 AM on January 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
Well unless you find a magical self-healing house to live in you're going to have to deal with this. Houses break and you have to fix them and two days is nothing in terms of house-fixing. Really, it's a laughably trivial amount of inconvenience to get anything done at all.
posted by fshgrl at 11:48 AM on January 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Follow up - we pay all the utility bills. We have been communicative with the landlord to a fault about everything concerning their house. And I went out to the backyard while the fruit plundering was happening, asking them to please leave us some (they probably took a good 4-5 grocery bags full).
Admittedly, we are taking this a bit personal due to the bad timing coupled with the amount of stress we are dealing with in our personal lives as well. But the whole 'inviting the family over to watch the circus' is pretty rude.
Thank you all for the input. I still think that asking politely for a day or two worth of rent off the next check is worth trying.
posted by kilohertz at 11:56 AM on January 28, 2012
Admittedly, we are taking this a bit personal due to the bad timing coupled with the amount of stress we are dealing with in our personal lives as well. But the whole 'inviting the family over to watch the circus' is pretty rude.
Thank you all for the input. I still think that asking politely for a day or two worth of rent off the next check is worth trying.
posted by kilohertz at 11:56 AM on January 28, 2012
It seems like you've made up your mind (despite the prevailing advice to the contrary), but please also consider: Do you really expect your landlord to agree to knock off rent money? In addition to whether asking may strain the relationship, if it is unlikely that the landlord will agree (my strong suspicion), then there isn't really a reason to ask.
posted by J. Wilson at 12:16 PM on January 28, 2012
posted by J. Wilson at 12:16 PM on January 28, 2012
Just FYI, it's possible the landlord decided to have the windows replaced when he did to take advantage of tax credits for energy efficient upgrades.
I can understand why you would want to ask for a rent credit, but keep in mind that if you are paying utilities, you may actually see some savings on your energy bills as a result of the window replacement, and that would more than offset a few days rent.
posted by MegoSteve at 12:24 PM on January 28, 2012
I can understand why you would want to ask for a rent credit, but keep in mind that if you are paying utilities, you may actually see some savings on your energy bills as a result of the window replacement, and that would more than offset a few days rent.
posted by MegoSteve at 12:24 PM on January 28, 2012
Asking for 24 hours notice for repairs/upgrades is reasonable, and losing 4-5 grocery bags of fruit would annoy me too, but only if the yard was included in the lease, and only if it meant that I had to go out and buy fruit. If it's included in the lease, legally, then use/enjoyment of the tree belongs to the tenant while the lease is in force. And the landlord and his family shouldn't be spending more time at the house than necessary. As for the rest, and the extent of your complaints, I think you're frustrated because of a lot of little things, and I understand that frustration, but asking for compensation strikes me as uncalled for (except, perhaps, for the fruit). This is the sort of thing best addressed with a quick chat. You're month-to-month, so you don't have a lot of leverage if the landlord decides that you're too much hassle.
posted by smorange at 12:26 PM on January 28, 2012
posted by smorange at 12:26 PM on January 28, 2012
I'm sorry, but when I was reading your list of complaints I thought, "Wow, it sounds like a lot of upgrades and fix-its have intersected and the tenants are really taking stressed out", but I don't think you're owed any money.
Let's take it case by case.
Roof- you mentioned it has been raining in your area. Given how annoying you found this intrusion, I can only imagine you'd be even more annoyed if the roof was actually leaking. So getting this fixed pronto (whenever they can come over) is good. The fact that the roofers (or the landlord, if s/he knew) didn't call to let you know they were coming over, not so good.
Faucet- you said it is difficult to get your landlord to fix things, but it sounds like s/he was being responsive to your problem...and got you a new faucet! If I was the landlord I'd come and hover too, because plumbers can be f***ing expensive.
Back yard/fruit trees- You've got a point here, but bear in mind the trees have been growing (if they're fruiting) far longer than you've been watering them. This more sounds like a pile-on (you were already irritated by the intrusion, and now you're extra irritated because everyone is stepping on your toes). You're reasonable in being irritated, but unless this happens again I'd just drop it.
Windows- your landlord is upgrading the property. You're entirely reasonable in not wanting him to do it when you're in residence...but you said ok. And it is an old house, the fact that the windows didn't all fit can't be totally surprising to anyone involved. It sounds like they tried to finish it up asap (all in one day).
All in all - I'd encourage you to write an angry letter, keep it in a desk for a month and reconsider with your significant other, bearing in mind how much of your time it will take you (and how much it will cost) for you to move from a place that you've been pretty happy, everything considered.
I definitely wouldn't ask for a break in your rent.
posted by arnicae at 12:32 PM on January 28, 2012 [6 favorites]
Let's take it case by case.
Roof- you mentioned it has been raining in your area. Given how annoying you found this intrusion, I can only imagine you'd be even more annoyed if the roof was actually leaking. So getting this fixed pronto (whenever they can come over) is good. The fact that the roofers (or the landlord, if s/he knew) didn't call to let you know they were coming over, not so good.
Faucet- you said it is difficult to get your landlord to fix things, but it sounds like s/he was being responsive to your problem...and got you a new faucet! If I was the landlord I'd come and hover too, because plumbers can be f***ing expensive.
Back yard/fruit trees- You've got a point here, but bear in mind the trees have been growing (if they're fruiting) far longer than you've been watering them. This more sounds like a pile-on (you were already irritated by the intrusion, and now you're extra irritated because everyone is stepping on your toes). You're reasonable in being irritated, but unless this happens again I'd just drop it.
Windows- your landlord is upgrading the property. You're entirely reasonable in not wanting him to do it when you're in residence...but you said ok. And it is an old house, the fact that the windows didn't all fit can't be totally surprising to anyone involved. It sounds like they tried to finish it up asap (all in one day).
All in all - I'd encourage you to write an angry letter, keep it in a desk for a month and reconsider with your significant other, bearing in mind how much of your time it will take you (and how much it will cost) for you to move from a place that you've been pretty happy, everything considered.
I definitely wouldn't ask for a break in your rent.
posted by arnicae at 12:32 PM on January 28, 2012 [6 favorites]
As someone above mentioned the possibility that they may just be getting ready to have a family member move in. It seems like that is a definite possibility.
I would not appreciate all the extra people around either. And picking fruit from a property that you rent is over the top.
Be ready to relocate. And asking for refund of a couple of days rent for inconvenience sounds very petty to me.
posted by JayRwv at 12:34 PM on January 28, 2012 [2 favorites]
I would not appreciate all the extra people around either. And picking fruit from a property that you rent is over the top.
Be ready to relocate. And asking for refund of a couple of days rent for inconvenience sounds very petty to me.
posted by JayRwv at 12:34 PM on January 28, 2012 [2 favorites]
I'd be careful if I were you unless you're ok with moving. You have a month to month lease. As has been said above, I wouldn't ask for a break in your rent.
Perhaps you should look for somewhere else to live, and then judge your current situation in comparison to what you find elsewhere (plus the hassle of moving).
posted by 2oh1 at 12:48 PM on January 28, 2012
Perhaps you should look for somewhere else to live, and then judge your current situation in comparison to what you find elsewhere (plus the hassle of moving).
posted by 2oh1 at 12:48 PM on January 28, 2012
As others have pointed out you are frustrated, possibly because of the perceived lack of control. Calm down have a drink and enjoy your lower energy bills and dry house.
posted by jmsta at 12:50 PM on January 28, 2012
posted by jmsta at 12:50 PM on January 28, 2012
Inviting his family over without your permission = a bit much. Yes, it's their house but you're paying rent, you're not a guest. I'd talk to him about this, and only this. It's one thing for a landlord to overview the repairs and make sure they are done properly and nothing goes awry with your belongings; it's a whole other story for him to invite people (his family, friends, neighbors, etc) over without your permission.
You're making a much bigger deal about all the rest than you should be. If you want a house in spanking new condition, move to a new home, otherwise, repairs and upgrades are necessary and will continue to take place regardless of your wishes or how much stress is going on in your life. Give yourself some time to cool off and let it go.
posted by Neekee at 1:21 PM on January 28, 2012 [2 favorites]
You're making a much bigger deal about all the rest than you should be. If you want a house in spanking new condition, move to a new home, otherwise, repairs and upgrades are necessary and will continue to take place regardless of your wishes or how much stress is going on in your life. Give yourself some time to cool off and let it go.
posted by Neekee at 1:21 PM on January 28, 2012 [2 favorites]
Some landlords tend to have very strong feelings about who owns the house. Thus, they have no problem picking fruit from their tree, replacing their windows, or overseeing the plumbing done on their faucet.
In other words, they see it is their home that you are a guest in.
I have experienced this several times in the 20+ years I've rented various places. In my experience it tends to happen the most with small-time landlords, particularly those who own a single rental property but also with the occasional hypervigilant soul whose empire consists of a few houses or a couple of small apartment buildings.
One guy rented us his late mother's house right up the street from him, then proceeded to stop up whenever he wanted to "chat", mow the lawn at ungodly hours, and coming up with his family to pick blueberries off the bushes that bordered one side of the house (which I had plans for.) He was indignant when the blueberry issue was brought up because they had been "picking those berries for 20 years!"
One batshit-crazy landlord of a told us up front about all the scummy tricks she used to get around Equal Opportunity laws. We were very young and desperate at the time so we rented from her anyway, but I guess we shouldn't have been surprised when she also used scummy tricks to avoid giving 24 hours notice before coming over to look around our apartment to see how we kept house; to try to dictate that I could not babysit a mixed-raced baby in my apartment because she doesn't want "them" in here; and to start some shit between us and our neighbor so she would have a reason to evict us.
The worst was when we rented half a double house where the landlord lived in the other side. They were constantly bothered by our noise (as if they couldn't have anticipated this before renting to a family with a 3-year-old and two teenage boys?) The husband was constantly coming over to fix little things (not that we told him anything needed fixing, I guess he had made a list in his head in between tenants or something.) He saw we had installed a hook-and-eye lock on the bedroom door and blew his stack over the tiny holes that would be left in the woodwork.
The hands-off landlords have been the ones who had a bunch of places and didn't have time to be a pest. Major renovations were only scheduled if they were fixing the place up to sell or wanting to raise the rent significantly.
I don't think you've got much chance of getting a rent reduction, at least not without creating serious bad will with your landlord. You might try discussing with them the following: that they give you a certain amount of notice when repairs are to be done, and that your understanding is that you rented the property including the fruit trees, and you would appreciate them not helping themselves to your crop. (Would they raid a garden you planted in the backyard?) But really, I'd be prepared to look for a new place in the near future, because if my experience holds consistent, they will be indignant and unreasonable about being told what they can and can't do with "their" property (never mind that you are paying them money for exclusive use of that property.)
Also, unless these are just the most super-responsible, anal-retentive types who just get off on taking super-good shiny care of everything they own, I'd be saving up money to move because chances are they are getting ready to sell the house out from under you.
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 1:29 PM on January 28, 2012 [6 favorites]
In other words, they see it is their home that you are a guest in.
I have experienced this several times in the 20+ years I've rented various places. In my experience it tends to happen the most with small-time landlords, particularly those who own a single rental property but also with the occasional hypervigilant soul whose empire consists of a few houses or a couple of small apartment buildings.
One guy rented us his late mother's house right up the street from him, then proceeded to stop up whenever he wanted to "chat", mow the lawn at ungodly hours, and coming up with his family to pick blueberries off the bushes that bordered one side of the house (which I had plans for.) He was indignant when the blueberry issue was brought up because they had been "picking those berries for 20 years!"
One batshit-crazy landlord of a told us up front about all the scummy tricks she used to get around Equal Opportunity laws. We were very young and desperate at the time so we rented from her anyway, but I guess we shouldn't have been surprised when she also used scummy tricks to avoid giving 24 hours notice before coming over to look around our apartment to see how we kept house; to try to dictate that I could not babysit a mixed-raced baby in my apartment because she doesn't want "them" in here; and to start some shit between us and our neighbor so she would have a reason to evict us.
The worst was when we rented half a double house where the landlord lived in the other side. They were constantly bothered by our noise (as if they couldn't have anticipated this before renting to a family with a 3-year-old and two teenage boys?) The husband was constantly coming over to fix little things (not that we told him anything needed fixing, I guess he had made a list in his head in between tenants or something.) He saw we had installed a hook-and-eye lock on the bedroom door and blew his stack over the tiny holes that would be left in the woodwork.
The hands-off landlords have been the ones who had a bunch of places and didn't have time to be a pest. Major renovations were only scheduled if they were fixing the place up to sell or wanting to raise the rent significantly.
I don't think you've got much chance of getting a rent reduction, at least not without creating serious bad will with your landlord. You might try discussing with them the following: that they give you a certain amount of notice when repairs are to be done, and that your understanding is that you rented the property including the fruit trees, and you would appreciate them not helping themselves to your crop. (Would they raid a garden you planted in the backyard?) But really, I'd be prepared to look for a new place in the near future, because if my experience holds consistent, they will be indignant and unreasonable about being told what they can and can't do with "their" property (never mind that you are paying them money for exclusive use of that property.)
Also, unless these are just the most super-responsible, anal-retentive types who just get off on taking super-good shiny care of everything they own, I'd be saving up money to move because chances are they are getting ready to sell the house out from under you.
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 1:29 PM on January 28, 2012 [6 favorites]
Only thing I find over the line on the list of stuff you mention is the lack of notice and the fruit thing.
We rented a house with horse pasture and about four months after moving in the landlord said "oh, by the way, we're going to rent out the pasture." Our lease was for the entire property, and we said "no" and they backed off. Generally, at least around here, unless explicitly stated otherwise, you're not renting "the house" you're renting "the property" which means that things like fruit trees and such are "yours" for the duration.
There is a responsibility attached to that, like what you were doing, keeping them watered, or the landlord often will pay for a landscaping service if they want to insure that the grounds are kept neat and alive, but the use of the grounds is generally yours.
In other words, the landlord has no right, as far as I know, to help themselves to fruit from trees on the property you're leasing unless the lease or rent agreement specifically states that.
The flip side of that is we had to call our lawyer to write the landlord, letting them know we'd take them to court if someone showed up with a horse trailer.
But the maintenance stuff? That's just part-and-parcel. I do think you should be expecting a notice in the spring that either they're moving someone in or the house is going on the market.
posted by maxwelton at 1:34 PM on January 28, 2012 [2 favorites]
We rented a house with horse pasture and about four months after moving in the landlord said "oh, by the way, we're going to rent out the pasture." Our lease was for the entire property, and we said "no" and they backed off. Generally, at least around here, unless explicitly stated otherwise, you're not renting "the house" you're renting "the property" which means that things like fruit trees and such are "yours" for the duration.
There is a responsibility attached to that, like what you were doing, keeping them watered, or the landlord often will pay for a landscaping service if they want to insure that the grounds are kept neat and alive, but the use of the grounds is generally yours.
In other words, the landlord has no right, as far as I know, to help themselves to fruit from trees on the property you're leasing unless the lease or rent agreement specifically states that.
The flip side of that is we had to call our lawyer to write the landlord, letting them know we'd take them to court if someone showed up with a horse trailer.
But the maintenance stuff? That's just part-and-parcel. I do think you should be expecting a notice in the spring that either they're moving someone in or the house is going on the market.
posted by maxwelton at 1:34 PM on January 28, 2012 [2 favorites]
(And yes, as the Empress says, if the rental market isn't tight, it's way, way better to rent from an investor with lots of property [assuming his properties look to be well maintained] than to rent from a small-time guy, everything else being equal. Ideally you want a management company handling the day-to-day stuff.)
posted by maxwelton at 1:41 PM on January 28, 2012
posted by maxwelton at 1:41 PM on January 28, 2012
Paying rent on time doesn't make you a good tenant. That's what you're supposed to do. It makes you a tenant.
Finally, this is kind of bullshit. I've never been a landlord, but several friends are. I think, to a person, they agree tenants whose checks are always on time are good tenants, since that seems to be unusual. The last place we rented, the landlord used to occasionally drop us a thank-you for being the only tenants of his who consistently got their rent in a couple of days early. The OP sounds a bit like us, in that what they expect to be buying with their monthly check is not only a place to stay, but also a place to stay free from intrusion, a refuge. The main motivation for buying our own place was to cement the latter point, but it should be a given.
posted by maxwelton at 1:50 PM on January 28, 2012 [3 favorites]
Finally, this is kind of bullshit. I've never been a landlord, but several friends are. I think, to a person, they agree tenants whose checks are always on time are good tenants, since that seems to be unusual. The last place we rented, the landlord used to occasionally drop us a thank-you for being the only tenants of his who consistently got their rent in a couple of days early. The OP sounds a bit like us, in that what they expect to be buying with their monthly check is not only a place to stay, but also a place to stay free from intrusion, a refuge. The main motivation for buying our own place was to cement the latter point, but it should be a given.
posted by maxwelton at 1:50 PM on January 28, 2012 [3 favorites]
No new lease and
improvements with seemingly little thought for the occupants personal space?
Sounds to me as if he is getting the house ready to sell this spring, if not earlier.
From the way he's acting, in his mind he may see you less as "renters", and more as "the last box to check (give 30-days notice to) before we drop a For Sale sign in the yard".
posted by blueberry at 1:56 PM on January 28, 2012
improvements with seemingly little thought for the occupants personal space?
Sounds to me as if he is getting the house ready to sell this spring, if not earlier.
From the way he's acting, in his mind he may see you less as "renters", and more as "the last box to check (give 30-days notice to) before we drop a For Sale sign in the yard".
posted by blueberry at 1:56 PM on January 28, 2012
Not only do I think you should not ask for money off the rent, I think you are really exaggerating these minor inconveniences far out of proportion to the situation.
We certainly didn't like the idea of a major renovation occurring while we were occupying the property - it seems that that kind of work would be better suited when a house is vacant
Seems hard for your landlord to evermfix the windows, then. You didn't opt to move away at the end of the lease, and you insist on staying home when work is being done, so I don't see how he could anticipate when the house was ever going to be vacant. And many tax breaks require you to at least contract the workers for repairs before the end of the year, which explains him informing you about the windows over the holidays.
So, he gave you notice, and you agreed. i'm surprised he has to ask your permission, but if your lease says that, then he followed the rules. He also tried to get the roofing contractors to have an estimate done on the same day. That seems like he was doing his best not to inconvenience you further.
Your month-to-month arrangement sounds like a temporary arrangement to me, and I think he is protecting his Investment because he doesn't expect you to be around long and he wants the house ready for the next tenant, whether it's his familyor not.
The landlord couple then hovered over the plumber as he worked, and several times they butted in and were practically doing his job for him. As I observed this, ultimately ignored by everybody, as we were just the peon tenants, this was disrupting my S.O. who was trying to work in the room next to the kitchen.
It hardly seems fair to blame your landlord and his wife for your spouse not being able to work. The faucet had a leak that needed fixing. That would suggest to me that hey, maybe the room next to the kitchen is not the best place to try to get work done! Also, did you want to have to deal with the hasle yourself? If you want the landlord to handle repairs, why do you care that the plumber dealt with him instead of you? The peons remark is just silly.
The noise from the roofers coming early I can certainly appreciate was very annoying, because at this moment I have hammering and stomping all over my roof. This has been going on for about ten days now. it's the price of having a roof fixed, I'm afraid. You get used to inconveniences like this when you have a house. Your roof needs patching, and the roofers are going to be loud. My cats don't care for it, either.
Now, since you weren't expecting them, I could see that being a rude awakening. But rather than getting up, going out and yelling at them, I would have allowed them to work, grumbly though I might be for not getting the chance to sleep in, because with a roof that needs patching, the sooner the repairs the better, and who knows when those roofers will be available again? Now you will just have them coming back again anyway. It's not like the holes in the roof are going to go away on their own.
Now, the fruit thing--do you maintain these trees? If the lease spells out that they are yours, rhen, and you are the ones who prune them and care for them, you certainly could have stopped the 'fruit plunderers' and taken the fruit from them.. Since you didn't, and you don't seem shy about exercising your rights, I'm left wondering if you really know what your rights are regarding those trees.
If you want to stay in the house, you could always negotiate buying it from the landlord. Since you don't own it, though, I think the landlord is perfectly within his rights to have work done.
Honestly, there's nothing major here to have you so upset. I think the stress you alluded to between you and your spouse is coloring your judgment.
posted by misha at 2:02 PM on January 28, 2012 [4 favorites]
We certainly didn't like the idea of a major renovation occurring while we were occupying the property - it seems that that kind of work would be better suited when a house is vacant
Seems hard for your landlord to evermfix the windows, then. You didn't opt to move away at the end of the lease, and you insist on staying home when work is being done, so I don't see how he could anticipate when the house was ever going to be vacant. And many tax breaks require you to at least contract the workers for repairs before the end of the year, which explains him informing you about the windows over the holidays.
So, he gave you notice, and you agreed. i'm surprised he has to ask your permission, but if your lease says that, then he followed the rules. He also tried to get the roofing contractors to have an estimate done on the same day. That seems like he was doing his best not to inconvenience you further.
Your month-to-month arrangement sounds like a temporary arrangement to me, and I think he is protecting his Investment because he doesn't expect you to be around long and he wants the house ready for the next tenant, whether it's his familyor not.
The landlord couple then hovered over the plumber as he worked, and several times they butted in and were practically doing his job for him. As I observed this, ultimately ignored by everybody, as we were just the peon tenants, this was disrupting my S.O. who was trying to work in the room next to the kitchen.
It hardly seems fair to blame your landlord and his wife for your spouse not being able to work. The faucet had a leak that needed fixing. That would suggest to me that hey, maybe the room next to the kitchen is not the best place to try to get work done! Also, did you want to have to deal with the hasle yourself? If you want the landlord to handle repairs, why do you care that the plumber dealt with him instead of you? The peons remark is just silly.
The noise from the roofers coming early I can certainly appreciate was very annoying, because at this moment I have hammering and stomping all over my roof. This has been going on for about ten days now. it's the price of having a roof fixed, I'm afraid. You get used to inconveniences like this when you have a house. Your roof needs patching, and the roofers are going to be loud. My cats don't care for it, either.
Now, since you weren't expecting them, I could see that being a rude awakening. But rather than getting up, going out and yelling at them, I would have allowed them to work, grumbly though I might be for not getting the chance to sleep in, because with a roof that needs patching, the sooner the repairs the better, and who knows when those roofers will be available again? Now you will just have them coming back again anyway. It's not like the holes in the roof are going to go away on their own.
Now, the fruit thing--do you maintain these trees? If the lease spells out that they are yours, rhen, and you are the ones who prune them and care for them, you certainly could have stopped the 'fruit plunderers' and taken the fruit from them.. Since you didn't, and you don't seem shy about exercising your rights, I'm left wondering if you really know what your rights are regarding those trees.
If you want to stay in the house, you could always negotiate buying it from the landlord. Since you don't own it, though, I think the landlord is perfectly within his rights to have work done.
Honestly, there's nothing major here to have you so upset. I think the stress you alluded to between you and your spouse is coloring your judgment.
posted by misha at 2:02 PM on January 28, 2012 [4 favorites]
No way would the landlord give you any money for your inconvenience. Yes, it all sounds inconvenient, the family being present is inappropriate, they should have offered to help clean or to hire someone. I'd be interested in how you could even word such a request in a way that sounds less petty and annoyed and more justified and reasonable.
I really think you need to take some deep breaths, calm down, and then talk to your landlord about the future. If you want to keep living there, I suggest you get a lease that clearly spells out the things that have caused you such aggravation and what your recourse is.
posted by sm1tten at 2:05 PM on January 28, 2012
I really think you need to take some deep breaths, calm down, and then talk to your landlord about the future. If you want to keep living there, I suggest you get a lease that clearly spells out the things that have caused you such aggravation and what your recourse is.
posted by sm1tten at 2:05 PM on January 28, 2012
Of course I meant, let you take any money off the rent.
posted by sm1tten at 2:39 PM on January 28, 2012
posted by sm1tten at 2:39 PM on January 28, 2012
As an NYC renter who has suffered many such small indignities like these (except, what's a yard?), here's the lesson I strive to learn and relearn:
Life is too short. Your landlord intruded on your life in ways that were out of your control, and that can leave anyone feeling disrespected and annoyed. But that's over. Now you have a choice—do you want this stuff to continue to occupy your mental space? The inconveniences are finished, there seems to be no particular reason to expect them to recur, and they can't interfere with your emotional well-being going forward unless you consent to it. So make a conscious commitment to move on to more constructive things. That's all you can control.
posted by dixiecupdrinking at 2:57 PM on January 28, 2012 [4 favorites]
Life is too short. Your landlord intruded on your life in ways that were out of your control, and that can leave anyone feeling disrespected and annoyed. But that's over. Now you have a choice—do you want this stuff to continue to occupy your mental space? The inconveniences are finished, there seems to be no particular reason to expect them to recur, and they can't interfere with your emotional well-being going forward unless you consent to it. So make a conscious commitment to move on to more constructive things. That's all you can control.
posted by dixiecupdrinking at 2:57 PM on January 28, 2012 [4 favorites]
Since you did not complain in this post that they took all of the fruit, I have to assume that they honored your request and left some for you. Great! But you say that the plunderers hauled away 4-5 bags of fruit leaving me to wonder whether you would have been able to eat that much fruit before it spoiled anyway.
I agree with dixicupdrinking...this stuff is occupying too much of your mental space if (involuntarily) sharing fruit you probably couldn't have even eaten is such a problem. Request that repairs be done with fewer "plunderers" in tow if you must, but let the other stuff go.
posted by murrey at 3:18 PM on January 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
I agree with dixicupdrinking...this stuff is occupying too much of your mental space if (involuntarily) sharing fruit you probably couldn't have even eaten is such a problem. Request that repairs be done with fewer "plunderers" in tow if you must, but let the other stuff go.
posted by murrey at 3:18 PM on January 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
My landlady, about a year ago in a different house than where I live now, wanted to properly connect her daughter's basement room to our basement suite, then put someone new in there. Well, it kind of felt like what you're currently going through.
She, before it all got started, offered to drop the rent from $650 to $500 for the month, so perhaps use that as a reference point.
Then again, you would have been in a much better position to ask for this is you had gotten more advanced warning.
posted by Slackermagee at 4:40 PM on January 28, 2012
She, before it all got started, offered to drop the rent from $650 to $500 for the month, so perhaps use that as a reference point.
Then again, you would have been in a much better position to ask for this is you had gotten more advanced warning.
posted by Slackermagee at 4:40 PM on January 28, 2012
Is money particularly tight right now? I only ask because out of 4 questions of yours, 2 have been about trying to get compensation over trivial things which makes me think you're either under financial stress or a high maintenance person to deal with. I think you need to relax, let it go. if/when you're out of this place (sounds like the landlord has plans for you to leave) consider buying your own place or tweaking your finances in such a way so that you don't feel the need to be compensated for normal parts of life, in what seems like an effort to look for cash anywhere you can. That's not normal.
posted by Jubey at 5:23 PM on January 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Jubey at 5:23 PM on January 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
Yeah, those family members who came around to watch? One or more of 'em will be moving into your house in the near future. What does your lease say about how much notice your landlord needs to provide before kicking you out? Think you're going to need more time than that to find a new place and move in? Yep, start looking now.
posted by mie at 5:47 PM on January 28, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by mie at 5:47 PM on January 28, 2012 [3 favorites]
Most of this seems like reasonable, if annoying, stuff that you kind of have to expect when renting. The fruit thing would make my blood boil (it's incredibly rude that they didn't ask you first) and I would bring that up with the landlord, but I wouldn't expect money out of it.
posted by lwb at 11:39 PM on January 28, 2012
posted by lwb at 11:39 PM on January 28, 2012
I agree with those saying annoying but reasonable. I also agree with the voices saying that some landlords really don't think of the house as someone else's home and that is a crappy thing to deal with as a renter.
However, new windows are not a major renovation. Knocking down a wall is a major renovation. Tearing out the bathtub and leaving you without a toilet for a week is a major renovation. Replacing all the cupboards in the kitchen, likewise.
The faucet and roof repairs weren't renovations of any kind, they were repairs and, presumably, necessary. Repairs are inconvenient, sure, but that's life. It's totally reasonable for the landlord to be there with the plumber. He's the one paying the bill and it's his property. Possibly he thought he was doing you a favour by meeting the plumber and letting him in. As far as the roofers are concerned, I've never dealt with a contractor who made appointments. They come when they are available, and building trades usually begin work at 7 a.m. Again: a pain the ass, but totally reasonable. Neither of these things are grounds for asking for a rent reduction; your landlord is doing his job as a landlord.
So: you were inconvenienced for two days for a small renovation. Add up the total number of hours of inconvenience, determine what portion of the month's rent that represents and ask for that back from your landlord. Were they in your home for two eight-hour days? Sixteen hours = 2/3 of a day's rent. If 2/3 of a day's rent = several hundred dollars, then by all means ask your landlord to take that off next month's rent. If, on the other hand, your rent is, say, $3,000 a month, then you should ask yourself whether it's worth your while to bring this up for $67.
posted by looli at 12:20 AM on January 29, 2012 [3 favorites]
However, new windows are not a major renovation. Knocking down a wall is a major renovation. Tearing out the bathtub and leaving you without a toilet for a week is a major renovation. Replacing all the cupboards in the kitchen, likewise.
The faucet and roof repairs weren't renovations of any kind, they were repairs and, presumably, necessary. Repairs are inconvenient, sure, but that's life. It's totally reasonable for the landlord to be there with the plumber. He's the one paying the bill and it's his property. Possibly he thought he was doing you a favour by meeting the plumber and letting him in. As far as the roofers are concerned, I've never dealt with a contractor who made appointments. They come when they are available, and building trades usually begin work at 7 a.m. Again: a pain the ass, but totally reasonable. Neither of these things are grounds for asking for a rent reduction; your landlord is doing his job as a landlord.
So: you were inconvenienced for two days for a small renovation. Add up the total number of hours of inconvenience, determine what portion of the month's rent that represents and ask for that back from your landlord. Were they in your home for two eight-hour days? Sixteen hours = 2/3 of a day's rent. If 2/3 of a day's rent = several hundred dollars, then by all means ask your landlord to take that off next month's rent. If, on the other hand, your rent is, say, $3,000 a month, then you should ask yourself whether it's worth your while to bring this up for $67.
posted by looli at 12:20 AM on January 29, 2012 [3 favorites]
This thread is closed to new comments.
I think so, yes. I know it sucks because it's all happening at once and it's irritating and interrupting your regular lives and all, but it sounds like he's just trying to make improvements to his property. I would love for my landlord to care enough about his property to install new windows; instead, I've got rattling, leaky windows with plastic over them to keep out some of the cold air. I suspect your heating/air conditioning bills will decrease because of the new windows.
It seems like it's just a bad intersection of you and your s.o. having a lot going on, and your landlord sounds like kind of a doofus, and so it's all prickly right now. Hopefully things will calm down for everyone once the roof is fixed. Just try to roll with it until then.
posted by jabes at 10:52 AM on January 28, 2012 [19 favorites]