[Steppes] Apartment locating help needed

[Elaine Crittenden]

When I lived in an apartment 15 years ago, I paid $800 for a pet deposit for
my two cats, fully-clawed, in addition to my $350 "people deposit." I had
velvet sofas and chairs in the living room plus white drapes. My cats'
litter box was cleaned twice a day. They never tore up my furniture, much
less the apartment, nor had they had "accidents."

When I married and moved out, I got the full deposit back because, after
eight years there, nothing was ruined. The new owners' new manager nearly
had a stroke when she saw what I had been charged and she, in astonishment,
wrote out my in-full-refund for the people- and the pet-deposits. (Hint:
Always keep a record of the check and the lease agreement to prove what you
paid.)

However, I know people with houses to rent. And, yes, to recarpet the house,
even with used (but clean, "gently used") carpet, *is* over $500 these days.
Not to mention the smell that won't easily be taken care of, nor the expense
of replacing the drapes and venetian blinds because of cats that climb and
dogs that jump.

One renter actually moved out of their rent house in a huff because he was
asked to pay three months' back rent, and he left two dogs and a cat in the
house. It was three days before the landlord discovered the tenant had left.
Stories like that don't get bandied about among renters' conversations...
But then, that was a "house renter," not an "apartment dweller." (BTW, the
owners adopted the cat and found homes for the dogs-- because the owners
didn't have a completely fenced-in yard for the dogs.)

My father was in the construction business for years. He was called in to
fix two houses that had been torn up in various ways. One set of renters
that had gotten kicked out had actually torn out the back of the empty house
next to them and stabled a horse in it!

There are other experiences I have heard. I have come to find that not all
landlords are evil and greedy.

Lete

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>From: Lady Sunnifa <sunnifa at housewhiteshark.org>
>To: "Barony of Steppes - SCA, Inc." <steppes at ansteorra.org>
>Subject: Re: [Steppes] Apartment locating help needed
>Date: Fri Aug 22,2003,9:05 AM
>

>
>
> Oh, yes... I forgot about the 'pet rent'. I'd love to see a justification
> for -that-, other than to bilk people of more money. I used to live in a
> place that did that, and I never saw complex personnel picking up dog poo
> or the lawn folks taking extra pains in areas dogs frequent, and since
> the dogs are kept inside, no holes in the landscaping. Carpet damage by
> cats and dogs is supposed to be covered by the pet deposit and damage
> deposit, as is chewed or clawed woodwork. Do they actually expect a pet to
> do over $500 damage? I just can't imagine. When I look for new apartments,
> I avoid places that charge that fee like the plague.
>