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Old 11-23-2013, 11:14 AM
 
38 posts, read 64,252 times
Reputation: 68

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Quote:
Originally Posted by STT Resident View Post
Sorry but, legally your, "feelings" aren't relevant here. You're in a special living situation where special conditions exist and safeguards are in place for the benefit of all the residents. As long as you're a resident of that community you have to abide by their rules - which are there as much for your benefit as anyone else's. Hopefully there'll soon come a time when you can live more independently in a place where regular landlord tenant laws prevail and you have more autonomy. Good luck!
Again, thanks SST Resident.

I am the least mentally handicapped individual here, and almost do not qualify to live here. Because of a depression diagnosis and a bank account that was hacked into (losing $60,000), I was fortunate to find this place. I guess I need to count the blessings I have. Thanks for being a good sounding board for me!
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Old 11-23-2013, 01:11 PM
 
38 posts, read 64,252 times
Reputation: 68
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kim in FL View Post
Even containers stacked neatly floor to ceiling are a hazard. Clutter is clutter; doesn't matter if it's neatly stacked, boxed, labeled and organized by color, size or brand or thrown haphazardly about the place. It's not how it's stored..it's HOW MUCH is stored.

As a tenant, you do not have a right to fill your unit from stem to stern with crap ( be it garbage or brand new items you can't live without) And in some cases (watch Hoarders on TV once or twice) homeowners dont' have that right either.
No, they are quite neat and orderly. They are simply full, and not with "crap." It is a mystery to me as to why my closet with clothes in it, or the pantry with food (all closed containers specially bought to avoid any issue - (and I am a neat freak) constitute a fire hazard. Honestly, other than being full, it looks like a Home and Garden closet. And, there is no clutter. It must be a HUD requirement.

Also, I am very happy and blessed to have found this apartment. I need to count my blessings, sometimes. I just found the comment by the mgt. somewhat knit-picky.
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Old 11-23-2013, 03:36 PM
 
Location: West Virginia
13,912 posts, read 39,111,696 times
Reputation: 10234
Why dont you ask the Mgr what he would suggest. Tell him whats in them ask for ideas. We are not there have no idea what hes looking at or thinking.
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Old 11-23-2013, 04:16 PM
 
38 posts, read 64,252 times
Reputation: 68
Quote:
Originally Posted by Katie1 View Post
Why dont you ask the Mgr what he would suggest. Tell him whats in them ask for ideas. We are not there have no idea what hes looking at or thinking.
Hi Kate1

Our Mgr is kind of a "relief pitcher" for the original manager. Because of cut backs in the mental health system (here in MS we have been cut by 65% of our budget), individuals are being asked to do far too much - or - in this case, the wrong individuals are being asked to jobs for which they are not suited.

I actually have engaged the Mgr about the specifics of what they would like. Believe me, I was polite because the wrong word or hint of any "attitude" will get you evicted. The response was loud and unclear, but I did get a response. She simply said, "Get rid of it!" When I asked her what in particular she meant, she told me not to be stupid and that I knew better. I went over her head to the head of the Mental Health Dept that oversees the HUD program. I gave him the situation, and he told me he had no time for issues like this. He told me Obama Care had ruined everything regarding the financial aspect of the core programs of the Center, and he would probably not have a job in the next 6 weeks. Then, he walked off.

It is kind of a scary situation around here. Nerves are on edge and people in charge are really bent out of shape because of the financial bind the current Health Care laws have created. I just do not want to be a victim of the fall out. That is why, when I ran across this thread while looking for the legal aspects of the situation, I jumped on it and laid out my situation. I was not sure if what I experienced was a legitimate "fire hazard," or another hot tempered experience with the administration - specifically one known to be nasty and blunt.

I cannot get an idea of what she wants. Told I should know better and not to be stupid is rather insulting. I do have a Master's from Columbia Seminary and a BS in Psychology from Rhodes College in Memphis (both really good schools). I am not the flaky type. I simply encountered a change in brain chemistry in my early 30's causing depression, and then eventual collapse. Now all is really ok, but the language and rants from management is enough to cause anyone great stress.

Kind of between a rock and a hard place at the moment. But, I will attempt to make things look ?thinner? to her eyes. Several real problem residents have been evicted, and that is used as threat that it can happen to anyone. It really does make you feel like a child. Also makes me mad.
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Old 11-25-2013, 10:09 AM
 
Location: U.S.A., Earth
5,511 posts, read 4,444,376 times
Reputation: 5764
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kim in FL View Post
Even containers stacked neatly floor to ceiling are a hazard. Clutter is clutter; doesn't matter if it's neatly stacked, boxed, labeled and organized by color, size or brand or thrown haphazardly about the place. It's not how it's stored..it's HOW MUCH is stored.

As a tenant, you do not have a right to fill your unit from stem to stern with crap ( be it garbage or brand new items you can't live without) And in some cases (watch Hoarders on TV once or twice) homeowners dont' have that right either.
Much of this can be subjective too. AFAIK, specific violations include: ensuring there's 2 to 4" clearance around the sprinkler heads, access to key utilities like heating/cooling units, wall panels, and then there's whatever else the township ordanance requires with occupancy codes. Although it sounds like someone is literally turning their unit it a warehouse with barely a smidge of empty space. That sounds excessive.
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Old 11-25-2013, 04:54 PM
 
Location: West Virginia
13,912 posts, read 39,111,696 times
Reputation: 10234
OK Harvest...can you rent a small storage unit? Or just get rid of a piece of furniture bring the stuff in the closet out. Then cover with table cloth add a smal xmas tree LOL Post some pic so we can get/give you ideas!
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Old 03-13-2014, 02:37 PM
 
10 posts, read 17,668 times
Reputation: 10
Oh how I need this post. stick with me while I lay down the facts.

I have a severe autoimmune illness. It keeps me in pain and unable to do much. I have very little energy. The city gave me a disability parking spot in front of my building, I have handicapped plates. I don't LOOK sick. I have a service dog. He is the same kind of helping dog as a guide dog but he alerts for seizures.

The building has a janitor and his wife, both Serbian and don't understand English. Every time I see the wife, she rails at me, screaming about my dog walking on the front carpeted stairs, until I get to my apartment. They want me to use the back stairs that are covered in ice in the winter and descend into an area that is very dangerous.

Homeless people live under the stairs, the area configuration allows only one way out, stepping over the condums. Lastly, it forces me to walk twice as far to my car as using the front door.

ADA law says Service dogs aren't pets. They can't be forced to use the back stairs, service elevators, etc. Would you do that to a blind person?

Little by little the management has come up with problems with me. The latest is that my dog is getting fur on the front stair carpeting. This carpet is 40 years old and disgusting. They clean it by sweeping it with a broom. This is not HUD. It's cheaper because it is in an iffy neighborhood.

There is one dog hater. This tenant is very loud. She is angry at the world. She told management that I let my dog run loose on the stairway. Complete fabrication. He's like Velcro. He won't go anywhere without me. Management did not verify.

For that complaint, I got a letter stating that if I continued, I would be heavily fined and possibly evicted. What's next? Raising the rent?

Now, the real doozy. We have yearly inspections, too. They are merely an opportunity to nose around. They turn the faucets on and off. Oh, those problems I'm having with the toilet that doesn't flush or the fridge that doesn't seal in the cold air? We no fix.

I do e -bay. It's something I can do off and on and it's not as stressful as other things. I cannot work, otherwise. My e-bay stash is in rubber totes and cardboard boxes. It's gathered on three sides of my dining room table. It's messy looking but clearly clothing and shoes. I have signs indicating what is in each area: ebay shoes, ebay summer shirts, ebay antiques, rummage sale, etc.

During the inspection, the landlord asked, what's all this? It was all I could do not to come up with a smarty pants answer. "Well, these are ebay shoes..."

She asked me how long it was going to stay there.i was taken aback. I knew our rummage sale date, so I just gave her that. I was going to say ebay takes as long as it takes. But I thought she might tell me ebay is illegal in her building.

Her reason? There might be mice or bedbugs under my stuff. Gee, did she check my closets or under my sofa for that? Actually, the building has ants, mice and rats. I have a cat. It's like 24 hour security. They don't come in. I check my stuff for bed bugs anywhere I go.

The rest of building has mice. Other tenants complain. I've been in other tenants' apartments. Beyond messy into disgusting. No notices went to them.

She said, " just give me a date when it will all very gone" I didn't answer. Ebay is a means of paying her my rent.

Also, I pulled out all the stops and cleaned the apt until it shined. I do have trouble keeping up due to illness. But that's my problem, not hers.i don't like to be messy but I have many days of pain and lying in bed. There's no telling if I can make that happen with another "inspection".

This is causing me a lot of stress. In turn, my autoimmune system flares up.
I can take my dog anywhere with no problems. But I am not safe in my own home. This is where I need to feel safe and not defensive or worried about attacks.

I have contacted the town's committee on Landlord's and tenant negotiations. They also have a person for service dogs. I'm about to call the ADA's housing department. They do not deal with service dogs but would deal with my landlord issues.

I can get more totes to make things look neater. Move a few things to a friend's leaky garage.

I read the lease: nothing about having a business. Dogs were only referenced in terms of destruction.

I have so many questions. Do I start writing a letter to the landlord now? I can refer them to the law for all of their problems. Problem is, once I do that, isn't it like declaring war?

(This program continues to delete parts of my posts)

I believe I have the law on my side for much of this but some things are open to interpretation. How much stuff is too much?

I have checked other places for $300 more than mine. Yuck. Nothing good. I'm interested in what you have to say. I liked the post from the landlord. I have been a landlord but nothing like this!
I'm not ready to move. I'd like some time to sit and enjoy my apartment. Please comment. Critical but gentle comments, too.
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Old 03-14-2014, 12:30 PM
 
Location: Austin, TX
16,787 posts, read 48,857,761 times
Reputation: 9477
Quote:
Originally Posted by Yellerdog View Post
Oh how I need this post. stick with me while I lay down the facts.

I have a severe autoimmune illness. It keeps me in pain and unable to do much. I have very little energy. The city gave me a disability parking spot in front of my building, I have handicapped plates. I don't LOOK sick. I have a service dog. He is the same kind of helping dog as a guide dog but he alerts for seizures.

The building has a janitor and his wife, both Serbian and don't understand English. Every time I see the wife, she rails at me, screaming about my dog walking on the front carpeted stairs, until I get to my apartment. They want me to use the back stairs that are covered in ice in the winter and descend into an area that is very dangerous.

Homeless people live under the stairs, the area configuration allows only one way out, stepping over the condums. Lastly, it forces me to walk twice as far to my car as using the front door.

ADA law says Service dogs aren't pets. They can't be forced to use the back stairs, service elevators, etc. Would you do that to a blind person?

Little by little the management has come up with problems with me. The latest is that my dog is getting fur on the front stair carpeting. This carpet is 40 years old and disgusting. They clean it by sweeping it with a broom. This is not HUD. It's cheaper because it is in an iffy neighborhood.

There is one dog hater. This tenant is very loud. She is angry at the world. She told management that I let my dog run loose on the stairway. Complete fabrication. He's like Velcro. He won't go anywhere without me. Management did not verify.

For that complaint, I got a letter stating that if I continued, I would be heavily fined and possibly evicted. What's next? Raising the rent?

Now, the real doozy. We have yearly inspections, too. They are merely an opportunity to nose around. They turn the faucets on and off. Oh, those problems I'm having with the toilet that doesn't flush or the fridge that doesn't seal in the cold air? We no fix.

I do e -bay. It's something I can do off and on and it's not as stressful as other things. I cannot work, otherwise. My e-bay stash is in rubber totes and cardboard boxes. It's gathered on three sides of my dining room table. It's messy looking but clearly clothing and shoes. I have signs indicating what is in each area: ebay shoes, ebay summer shirts, ebay antiques, rummage sale, etc.

During the inspection, the landlord asked, what's all this? It was all I could do not to come up with a smarty pants answer. "Well, these are ebay shoes..."

She asked me how long it was going to stay there.i was taken aback. I knew our rummage sale date, so I just gave her that. I was going to say ebay takes as long as it takes. But I thought she might tell me ebay is illegal in her building.

Her reason? There might be mice or bedbugs under my stuff. Gee, did she check my closets or under my sofa for that? Actually, the building has ants, mice and rats. I have a cat. It's like 24 hour security. They don't come in. I check my stuff for bed bugs anywhere I go.

The rest of building has mice. Other tenants complain. I've been in other tenants' apartments. Beyond messy into disgusting. No notices went to them.

She said, " just give me a date when it will all very gone" I didn't answer. Ebay is a means of paying her my rent.

Also, I pulled out all the stops and cleaned the apt until it shined. I do have trouble keeping up due to illness. But that's my problem, not hers.i don't like to be messy but I have many days of pain and lying in bed. There's no telling if I can make that happen with another "inspection".

This is causing me a lot of stress. In turn, my autoimmune system flares up.
I can take my dog anywhere with no problems. But I am not safe in my own home. This is where I need to feel safe and not defensive or worried about attacks.

I have contacted the town's committee on Landlord's and tenant negotiations. They also have a person for service dogs. I'm about to call the ADA's housing department. They do not deal with service dogs but would deal with my landlord issues.

I can get more totes to make things look neater. Move a few things to a friend's leaky garage.

I read the lease: nothing about having a business. Dogs were only referenced in terms of destruction.

I have so many questions. Do I start writing a letter to the landlord now? I can refer them to the law for all of their problems. Problem is, once I do that, isn't it like declaring war?

(This program continues to delete parts of my posts)

I believe I have the law on my side for much of this but some things are open to interpretation. How much stuff is too much?

I have checked other places for $300 more than mine. Yuck. Nothing good. I'm interested in what you have to say. I liked the post from the landlord. I have been a landlord but nothing like this!
I'm not ready to move. I'd like some time to sit and enjoy my apartment. Please comment. Critical but gentle comments, too.
There is lots of good information here regarding the rights of people who have "service animals". Can an Emotional Support Dog Be Any Size?

It sounds like you already have contacts in the community who can assist you, you should work with them.
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Old 03-14-2014, 05:29 PM
 
Location: The Chatterdome in La La Land, CaliFUNia
39,031 posts, read 22,953,607 times
Reputation: 36026
Quote:
Originally Posted by sponger42 View Post
Uh... "inspections"?

Not a chance, buddy. Tell him to go inspect himself when he shows up on your doorstep. Call the cops on him for tresspassing if he forces his way in.

Look up the Landlord/Tenant laws in your state. Here in CA, "inspections" is not considered a valid reason for the landlord to demand entry. (Emergency repairs without notice, showing the property with adequate notice, normal repairs with adequate notice, and by your request are the only valid reasons, if I recall correctly)

You are paying for the space, thus you can do with it as you will until you are no longer leasing it. You might have to pay for damages, exterminators, extra deposit for pets, etc. but you do not need to live up to somebody else's standards for cleanlieness. He's your landlord, not your mother.

Your landlord is overstepping the law. Call him on it.
I live in a complex in California and I found out through a neighbor that the management company does inspections. I used to have a similar issue as the OP in my old apartment but now my place is presentable, clutter free and presentable as I was depressed living in an apartment that was too tiny for comfort. Now that I'm in a better place, is landlord inspections legal? I am a private person and don't like intrusions into my space.
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Old 03-15-2014, 08:45 AM
 
Location: St Thomas, US Virgin Islands
24,665 posts, read 69,464,851 times
Reputation: 26726
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chatteress View Post
I live in a complex in California and I found out through a neighbor that the management company does inspections. I used to have a similar issue as the OP in my old apartment but now my place is presentable, clutter free and presentable as I was depressed living in an apartment that was too tiny for comfort. Now that I'm in a better place, is landlord inspections legal? I am a private person and don't like intrusions into my space.
As long as your landlord gives you 24 hours notice of entry (or whatever's required in CA) he can enter and, yes, he can legally do so to make an inspection. I'd suggest you talk to the management company directly and find out how often they do such inspections and confirm that they give you the required notice.
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