How do I cope with living in a place I don't like?
July 20, 2017 12:08 PM Subscribe
Need suggestions on how do I manage living in a place I don't particularly enjoy until it's time to move. Snowflakes inside.
So I had this dream of living in a cul-de-sac property, with nice neighbors and all that - and when I saw the owner putting up the "to let" sign I couldn't resist. It was around the time I was moving from the countryside to the city (Buenos Aires) and needed a place to live. I had a look and on a whim decided to take it. But now, three months after letting the house and doing a fair amount of renovation and creating new storage spaces and painting (which wasn't necessary in a rental, but I thought I wanted to live in a nice place), and also spending a fair amount on that, I want to leave.
The house is very, very cold. And as someone who is often working from home, this is a disgrace. Acoustic is very bad, so I can hear my neighbour sneezing and equally they can hear anything I say, from phone calls to my bad singing. Plus, the people from the cul-de-sac are mostly self-entitled, middle class folk who let, for example, their dogs play with their muddy paws in my front and not even clean it. Every house has a dog and they are all used to the space, I have a dog too, but he didn't get along with the others. I feel like an outsider.
Parking is horrendous - I asked all neighbors if building a small ramp in front of my house was ok, but one of the two people who actually owns their own home in the cul-de-sac opposed to it and said that would be prejudicial to the aesthetics of the place - as if her 5 cars didn't. I also don't really like socializing with them both due to lack of time and also because I don't identify with them. To me it would be a lot easier and cheaper to live in an apartment.
I made a mistake rushing into renting this place, but I want to get out. I moved in May and the earliest I could live is April next year, otherwise the house owner might not want to give me the deposit back. I am really not sure if I will be able to talk him around letting me go before the end of the contract without penalizing me. If he refuses, I will have to come up with a Plan B, which is coping with it and paying for my mistake.
In case I can't get any of this to work, I was looking for suggestions to make the place I live more, erm, bearable to be in (considering that I like the way I set up the house, the furniture and all and that I work from home a lot - I just don't like my neighbors and this cul-de-sac life). What can I do?
So I had this dream of living in a cul-de-sac property, with nice neighbors and all that - and when I saw the owner putting up the "to let" sign I couldn't resist. It was around the time I was moving from the countryside to the city (Buenos Aires) and needed a place to live. I had a look and on a whim decided to take it. But now, three months after letting the house and doing a fair amount of renovation and creating new storage spaces and painting (which wasn't necessary in a rental, but I thought I wanted to live in a nice place), and also spending a fair amount on that, I want to leave.
The house is very, very cold. And as someone who is often working from home, this is a disgrace. Acoustic is very bad, so I can hear my neighbour sneezing and equally they can hear anything I say, from phone calls to my bad singing. Plus, the people from the cul-de-sac are mostly self-entitled, middle class folk who let, for example, their dogs play with their muddy paws in my front and not even clean it. Every house has a dog and they are all used to the space, I have a dog too, but he didn't get along with the others. I feel like an outsider.
Parking is horrendous - I asked all neighbors if building a small ramp in front of my house was ok, but one of the two people who actually owns their own home in the cul-de-sac opposed to it and said that would be prejudicial to the aesthetics of the place - as if her 5 cars didn't. I also don't really like socializing with them both due to lack of time and also because I don't identify with them. To me it would be a lot easier and cheaper to live in an apartment.
I made a mistake rushing into renting this place, but I want to get out. I moved in May and the earliest I could live is April next year, otherwise the house owner might not want to give me the deposit back. I am really not sure if I will be able to talk him around letting me go before the end of the contract without penalizing me. If he refuses, I will have to come up with a Plan B, which is coping with it and paying for my mistake.
In case I can't get any of this to work, I was looking for suggestions to make the place I live more, erm, bearable to be in (considering that I like the way I set up the house, the furniture and all and that I work from home a lot - I just don't like my neighbors and this cul-de-sac life). What can I do?
otherwise the house owner might not want to give me the deposit back
Just the deposit? or nine months rent as well? Because if it's just the deposit, try taking the amount, dividing it by 270 (days left on your contract) and see if the number is more or less the price of a daily frappuccino at Starbucks which a lot of folk spend without thinking.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 1:05 PM on July 20, 2017 [6 favorites]
Just the deposit? or nine months rent as well? Because if it's just the deposit, try taking the amount, dividing it by 270 (days left on your contract) and see if the number is more or less the price of a daily frappuccino at Starbucks which a lot of folk spend without thinking.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 1:05 PM on July 20, 2017 [6 favorites]
Best answer: In the past when I have had a lease, finding either a replacement tenant to sign a new lease, or a subletter to take over my lease (though I was ultimately responsible) was enough. That would be it'd be up to me to find people on craigslist and show them the place, and then the landlord would need them to apply and approve them. If you want out, talk to your landlord. Usually all they care about is having a tenant giving them money, not necessarily who the specific tenant is.
Or, just check the terms of your lease and see what happens if you break it. If the penalty is only your deposit, well, that's a really lenient lease-break fee so you could consider just forfeiting the money for your happiness. My apartments usually charged two month's of rent, on top of whatever rent you owe, if you simply walked away from your lease, so breaking a lease and incurring the penalty is usually very expensive. If you don't have any penalties like that, it might be worth it. In some states, they might be able to hold you accountable for the entire nine months, which is another story. You'll need to review whatever you signed and the laws in your state.
posted by AppleTurnover at 1:08 PM on July 20, 2017
Or, just check the terms of your lease and see what happens if you break it. If the penalty is only your deposit, well, that's a really lenient lease-break fee so you could consider just forfeiting the money for your happiness. My apartments usually charged two month's of rent, on top of whatever rent you owe, if you simply walked away from your lease, so breaking a lease and incurring the penalty is usually very expensive. If you don't have any penalties like that, it might be worth it. In some states, they might be able to hold you accountable for the entire nine months, which is another story. You'll need to review whatever you signed and the laws in your state.
posted by AppleTurnover at 1:08 PM on July 20, 2017
Can you move somewhere else and put this place on AirBnb until your lease is up? The furniture wouldn't be that big an investment (you could even rent it) and since you work from home, you might be able to take a few hours out between guests to clean the place or AirBnb will help you find a "co-host" to deal with it. Take a look at comparable properties and their calendars to see if your likely proceeds (rent x occupancy less expenses including taxes and the 3 percent AirBnb fee) might make it work.
posted by carmicha at 1:47 PM on July 20, 2017
posted by carmicha at 1:47 PM on July 20, 2017
Best answer: I rent an apartment that is freezing in winter and I also work at home. Dress for the temperature. Wear long underwear if necessary. Leave home and work in a cafe if that doesn't work. Also, can you make a point of mindfully enjoying the things you do like about your home? As a reminder about the stuff that does work for you? My place is too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter and the cold is the worst. I feel for you. Good luck!
posted by Bella Donna at 6:06 PM on July 20, 2017
posted by Bella Donna at 6:06 PM on July 20, 2017
This thread is closed to new comments.
Otherwise, my advice is two-fold: try not to let the little stuff bother you; and, spend time away from home when you can.
Finally, maybe see about getting some rugs and soft furnishings like drapes to help with noise absorption.
posted by bluedaisy at 12:50 PM on July 20, 2017