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Old 11-16-2013, 08:33 PM
 
12 posts, read 13,262 times
Reputation: 14

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I am having MAJOR problems with my property manager. I have lived in the same house for 3+ years. Always paid my rent ( $1750 - gulp) and until recently had a good working relationship with the PM. Now he wants me to do many things one of which is clean out my garage which he says is a fire hazard. It's not, and has been the same for the past 3 years, and move my pickup truck, which has also been there for 3 years. He has it in for me and is relentless. He called me 5 times this week from his vacation to yell at me.
Do I have the rights to leave things the way they were? In the lease it says I can leave my truck. he now wants me to move it elsewhere on the property. It may seems like I am being petty but in the past 4 months I have done so much to appease him that I feel like even if I do what he wants it still won't be enough. I am in Durango.
Thanks so much in advance.
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Old 11-16-2013, 09:41 PM
 
Location: Sun City West, Arizona
50,330 posts, read 23,916,283 times
Reputation: 32627
Quote:
Originally Posted by englisharbour View Post
I am having MAJOR problems with my property manager. I have lived in the same house for 3+ years. Always paid my rent ( $1750 - gulp) and until recently had a good working relationship with the PM. Now he wants me to do many things one of which is clean out my garage which he says is a fire hazard. It's not, and has been the same for the past 3 years, and move my pickup truck, which has also been there for 3 years. He has it in for me and is relentless. He called me 5 times this week from his vacation to yell at me.
Do I have the rights to leave things the way they were? In the lease it says I can leave my truck. he now wants me to move it elsewhere on the property. It may seems like I am being petty but in the past 4 months I have done so much to appease him that I feel like even if I do what he wants it still won't be enough. I am in Durango.
Thanks so much in advance.
An HOA property manager?
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Old 11-16-2013, 09:45 PM
 
12 posts, read 13,262 times
Reputation: 14
No.
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Old 11-16-2013, 10:06 PM
 
Location: Temporarily, in Limerick
2,898 posts, read 6,326,580 times
Reputation: 3424
Things may have changed, not because he has it in for you (unlikely after 3-yrs as a good tenant), but his home insurance inspector may have visited & told him he is in violation of old or new laws, thereby is facing policy cancellation due to the fire hazards. He may not have been aware of old laws in the past or city laws may have now changed. A landlord is normally given 30-days to make changes, unless s/he petitions through the insurance agent to request an extension. If the changes aren't made, the insurance policy will be cancelled. For certain types of homes, the insurance may be hard to get again, so policy retention is of the utmost importance.

I was a former landlord for decades & have gone through the same (laws simply change), although I handled it far more respectfully than he seems to be. But, he's obviously upset if he's calling multiple times, as you're not being respectful & complying with his wishes.

If he's simply asking you to move your truck to another location on the property, why is that a problem for you? You're being given another location in which to park. You're lucky to have a parking space as no landlord is required to offer one. The contents of the garage might be a problem (either they're considered dangerous and/or flammable or might be blocking egress or smoke alarms) or his garage itself might now be defined as a hazard, as determined by a changed law. None of this is uncommon from what I've seen. A sister of mine in PA was told her homeowner's insurance would no longer cover her garage, as it was so old, the design was now somehow outdated & not considered safe. Her county (or town, I forget which) determined it could still stand, but not be used for car parking.

I'd suggest:

1. Move your truck to where he's provided another spot for you. Why so stubborn? He's changing the spot. Ask why, but in the meantime, move your vehicle.

2. Ask him why your belongings are now considered a fire hazard. (Do you store propane tanks or something hazardous in his garage, or are your belongings stuffed to the ceiling & other doors cannot be accessed?) Once you get your answer, you'll feel better about moving them, but in the end, you'll be moving them.

3. If he screams at you, explain all you did before, calmly. You've been a good tenant, is your lease now changing, is there a problem with you specifically? Let him know you'd like to continue to be on good terms & would like to have a sit-down upon his return from vacation so you understand why there are new rules/changes to your lease.

4. Landlords reserve the right to change leases as is necessary (such as, if laws change) & particularly if they're mo-to-mo, so if you were allowed to park in one location for 3-yrs, you can legally be asked to move elsewhere. You mentioned he's on vacation, so he should offer a written addendum with any lease changes for you to sign upon return... meaning, changes to your lease. If not, ask that it be done when he returns.

5. Familiarize yourself with CO Tenant/Landlord laws, which are free online. If you feel he's being unfair, every state has free Legal Aide (oftentimes with very specific hours/days) in which residents may call for free advice. They're normally listed in the front blue pages (state gov't offices) section of the white pages phone book. If you have no book, search online or call the Secy of State's Office for the #. Read your state laws first, before calling, so you know what you're talking about.

6. You don't own the property. He's asking for changes for a reason. Have you asked the reason/s? If you don't comply with lease changes, he can evict you for not complying with the lease. In MA, where I owned, 3 lease violations can result in eviction. I never did it, I'm just well aware of my own state's laws, especially now as I'm a renter.

7. Document everything, every phone call & conversation. It may be useful down the line, particularly if you need to speak with Legal Aide to relay correct info & find out your rights & his. What I've always done when renting is to follow-up on anything which was discussed with a letter to the Landlord/Property Mngr/Rental Office. If I report something broken, I document it & deliver the letter to them, even if we've spoken. It helps me keep details/dates straight & is a kind reminder to them that work needs to be done.

Good luck.
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Old 11-17-2013, 07:16 AM
 
Location: Western, Colorado
1,599 posts, read 3,108,777 times
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Just move and save yourself the grief.
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Old 11-17-2013, 11:04 AM
 
5,048 posts, read 9,568,193 times
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Do you mean a landlord? The owner? I don't know of any professional property manager who calls from vacation or would even consider it.

Yes, something suddenly happened. Like someone said...possibly insurance agent. Could be the landlord's hoa office had a complaint. Maybe a son or friend saw the issues and told him. Could be he found he could get higher rent. Maybe he wants you to move out so he can sell the place; maybe even has a buyer in mind and is too old school to figure out anything else. Could be he is showing symptoms of dementia.
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Old 11-17-2013, 11:13 AM
 
160 posts, read 353,437 times
Reputation: 90
I agree with Pantan. This isn't really a big deal! Cooperate. Move the truck or get rid of it. Maybe consider getting rid of the stuff in the garage? It can be hard with winter coming on to find another place to move to, especially if you like where you are.
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Old 11-17-2013, 11:39 AM
 
12 posts, read 13,262 times
Reputation: 14
PatanjaliTwist,
Thank you so much for taking so much time in giving me this informative response! There is a melodramatic piece to this story and that is that there is a garage apartment on this same property. It has been inhabited by 4 different people since I have lived here and there has never been any problems. Now the new tenant is causing all my problems. She is the reason I have had to do so many things on my property. She has called me up and abused me because I had left some items outside my garage, overnight, to take to the landfill. She complained to the PM last week that I had to dispose of the filter from the pumphouse that the tradesman had left out near the garages, there are many, many more examples but i won't bore you with them.
She is an unhappy elderly person who has nothing to do during the day except call the PM about things I do. Or don't do. She says my truck is an eyesore. It is a normal F150. We live in the country, out of town. Everyone has a pickup truck. There is over 2 acres here. My truck is parked off the driveway and is in no-ones way. As it has been for the past 3 years. The PM says it will be in the way of the Snow plow guy, but again, it has been in the same place and my plow guy, who I pay for, has never had a problem with it being there. There are no new rules, no new insurance changes. The new tenant says that the contents on my side of the shared garage makes it hard for her to access her side. This is not true at all.
This is a vindictive attack and if I keep doing what they ask the demands will never end. I won't renew my lease next year so that is not an issue for me. I just want to know what my rights are.
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Old 11-17-2013, 11:42 AM
 
12 posts, read 13,262 times
Reputation: 14
Additionally, I am a single mother with 2 young children, one of which has special needs. I am physically and emotionally drained. My house is my sanctuary. I feel like I am backed up against the wall.
Next thing will be that this tenant won't help with the costs of the snow plow guy. I will have to foot the bill and she will reap the rewards.
Sigh.
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Old 11-17-2013, 12:43 PM
 
Location: Na'alehu Hawaii/Buena Vista Colorado
5,529 posts, read 12,598,371 times
Reputation: 6187
You say that you want to know what your rights are. You have rights given to you in your lease. If your lease doesn't specify where you can park your truck, then your property manager can't make you move it. And the lease can't be changed without both parties signing it.

If you feel that your property manager is harassing you, perhaps you could see if the city/county government has regulations covering tenant's rights. And, as someone suggested, the state has some excellent tenant's rights legislation.

I know this may be difficult, but have you tried talking with the new tenant? She sounds pretty lonely. One thing you could possibly do would be to measure the middle of the garage, and paint a line delineating the two halves.
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