I should just bail, right?

August 7, 2012 10:27 PM

Should I give notice one week after moving in?

I just moved into a new place, and it's going horribly. There are a lot of things wrong with the apartment, and I'm keeping this vague on purpose, but it's not a good situation. The straw that is breaking my back, honestly, is that the landlady is extremely nosy and strict about my dog. We moved in less than a week ago, and every day there's another problem with my dog.

He smells bad! I should bathe him more. (He's a German Shepherd - you're not supposed to give them baths very often).
He barks sometimes. Maybe I should keep him tied up in the yard? (Hell no).

Etc., etc. I told her tonight that I thought that things were not working out, and that I more or less felt like she was asking me to leave. She replied that she's not asking me to leave, but . . . she's basically asking me to leave.

All my stuff is in boxes. It's just a huge pain in the ass to move after one month. Has anyone done this? Should I try to stay, or just suck it up and move?

posted by ablazingsaddle to home & garden (19 answers total)

Is this a month-to-month? It's a bigger pain in the ass to move after 3 or 4 months when you're more settled and things have just gotten worse and worse. If you can find a new place and you can leave without penalty then I think it's better to move sooner than later.
posted by brainmouse at 10:31 PM on August 7, 2012 [5 favorites]

Life's too short to put up with that kind of crap. Move out. This time, make sure in advance that your new place is dog-friendly and you-friendly. Learn from this experience.
posted by JimN2TAW at 10:34 PM on August 7, 2012 [5 favorites]

Cut your losses and bail. It's not going to get better.
posted by erst at 10:35 PM on August 7, 2012 [17 favorites]

Totally bail. I can vouch for how much it sucks to move after a few months of it being a nightmare. Better to schelp all your stuff while it's still in boxes versus having to do it after you've unpacked and broken down/recycled the boxes.
posted by FlamingBore at 10:37 PM on August 7, 2012 [3 favorites]

Bail. The dog issue is only going to get worse for a start.
posted by Mezentian at 10:40 PM on August 7, 2012 [2 favorites]

Ugh. I'm just freshly released from an inordinate amount of time spent with a landlord (well, apartment complex company) that was utterly terrible, and my biggest regret is that they didn't show how atrocious they were from Week 1 when I could still get out easily. This person is doing you a favor - so long as you can do so without losing an undue amount of money, I would DEFINITELY get out of Dodge now ... and for the sake of the next renter, be sure to post reviews online wherever is appropriate so others can hopefully learn from your experience.

So sorry you're going through this, but I'd think of it kind of like a new relationship: you should still be in the honeymoon stage here - if this person is treating you like this now, so early on, can you imagine what she'll be like once she's certain you're in it for the long haul?
posted by DingoMutt at 10:42 PM on August 7, 2012 [4 favorites]

Assume you resolve all of the issues with regards to your dog. Will your landlady simply pick a new target and continue harassing you? That is something you risk by staying there.
posted by germdisco at 10:43 PM on August 7, 2012 [1 favorite]

Move. I have done this after a month. It was much easier than doing it after a year or two.
posted by small_ruminant at 10:48 PM on August 7, 2012 [1 favorite]

You will never be more packed and ready to move than you are now! It will only get worse. Also, your apartment will fill up with even more stuff. And then it will get dirty, and you'll have to clean it, and your landlady will steal the deposit because she hates your dog. Etc. etc.
posted by PercussivePaul at 11:48 PM on August 7, 2012 [5 favorites]

Yes I would move out. It's much easier now.
posted by carter at 4:02 AM on August 8, 2012 [1 favorite]

Nthing the above. Even if your landlady isn't trying to be unreasonable or intentionally difficult, this strong of a reaction is unlikely to lead to anything but long term friction and issues. Do the both of you a favor and get out. Just be vaguely apologetic that it won't work out but firm that your dog needs a more accommodating situation, point out that you'll all be happier in the long run, and there shouldn't be too much acrimony.
posted by snuffleupagus at 4:46 AM on August 8, 2012

As long as it isn't a lease, move out now. You're still all packed, presumably. Yes it will suck to find another new apartment, and (pay for movers/pay for a U-Haul/bribe friends to help you move yourself) again, but much less so than staying in this place.
posted by tckma at 5:41 AM on August 8, 2012

Oh yes, bail.

If you're on a month-to-month, great, give notice, in writing based upon what's in your lease.

If you've signed a lease, be SURE to have the landlady provide you with a release from the lease, and that you'll get your deposit back.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 5:49 AM on August 8, 2012 [3 favorites]

I would say that approximately 100% of the time when a new tenant smells a rat upon move-in, the smell only gets rattier over time.
posted by RJ Reynolds at 6:00 AM on August 8, 2012 [3 favorites]

It's only going to get harder to leave the longer you stay, and the longer you stay the more shit you are going to have to put up with. Moving sucks and it sucks that you have to do it again soon, but this is the best and least painful time for you to do it. Make it happen.
posted by Scientist at 9:49 AM on August 8, 2012

Also if you haven't been there a whole month you should ask for your landlady to refund you a prorated amount based on the part of the month that you paid for but didn't use. My SO had to do this a while back and she did get most of that money back (including part of her deposit) despite the landlord being kind of a shit. She had to make some noises about taking him to small claims court over it, but in the end she got about $1000 back out of the effort so you totally should try to get whatever refund you can.
posted by Scientist at 9:52 AM on August 8, 2012

be SURE to have the landlady provide you with a release from the lease, and that you'll get your deposit back.
THIS. You are likely involved in a scam...before move-in: oh sure a dog is fine. after move-in: guess what, the dog isn't fine. after move-out: well, the dog caused all this drama, and it was (excuse)...no security deposit for you.
Stay for as many months as she has security deposit...I guarantee you will never see that money again otherwise.
posted by sexyrobot at 9:53 AM on August 8, 2012

Thanks for the kick in the pants, y'all. The dog and I will be getting the hell out of Dodge come September 1. Yay! (?)
posted by ablazingsaddle at 10:53 AM on August 8, 2012 [1 favorite]

Oh, good. Dog haters are relentless.
posted by Lizzle at 9:04 AM on August 9, 2012