Moving in 2 weeks-- zero luck finding an apartment that allows a three year old child and a small dog! (broker, bankrupt)

[BOORGONG]

I can't fathom why people feel the need to procreate and then rent a unit from someone who for all intents and purposes is adamant about a kid free zone on his property. Why invoke a discriminatory practice when a landlord is only out to safeguard his goods from the onslaught of a malicious toddler. The laws of the land should protect property above the so-called entitlement agenda of very small children, IMHO.

[Whatsnext75]

Lol...im not sure if that was a serious post or what

[LLCNYC]

Originally Posted by Whatsnext75

Lol...im not sure if that was a serious post or what

Lol me either...

[BOORGONG]

Simply put; small children are distinct from their genitors in that they have little or no capacity for abnegation and display a lack of empathy for others, not to mention a wilful disrespect for property. In fact, it has been proven that the concept of property is foreign to them up to the time you attempt retrieving something dear to them from their sorry little hands.

[BOORGONG]

Does Massachussets have a law about pressure treated lumber on stairs and decks surrounding apartment rentals?
I am also thinking those pesky little ones are another impediment to profit for landlords. Parents wanting to rent must also be wary of the prospect their little ones may scrape their knees and hands on the poisonous surfaces these structures afford.
I cannot understand how these parents omit this detail in their search for an apartment. Concomitantly, building owners must look at this situation with open eyes; remediation in the form of cedar boards to replace treated lumber should be envisaged as soon as is humanly possible when children are wont to crawl on decks and stairs.

MDF is as I stated earlier another material that releases harmful toxins through time wherever it is found. Little ones can chew on it too. Why not?

[BostonMike7]

Originally Posted by BOORGONG

Does Massachussets have a law about pressure treated lumber on stairs and decks surrounding apartment rentals?
I am also thinking those pesky little ones are another impediment to profit for landlords. Parents wanting to rent must also be wary of the prospect their little ones may scrape their knees and hands on the poisonous surfaces these structures afford.
I cannot understand how these parents omit this detail in their search for an apartment. Concomitantly, building owners must look at this situation with open eyes; remediation in the form of cedar boards to replace treated lumber should be envisaged as soon as is humanly possible when children are wont to crawl on decks and stairs.

MDF is as I stated earlier another material that releases harmful toxins through time wherever it is found. Little ones can chew on it too. Why not?

A lot of the nasty chemicals in PT lumber were phased out around 2002, but I understand the point you are making. There are a lot of nasty chemicals in many of the building materials used in construction over the years. Many have only begun being recently removed/controlled/limited, but there is nothing in place that says you need to remediate (as far as I know). Asbestos was found in a lot of other things other than insulation, and often overlooked by those who don't know what it is, 100-year old lead pipes (and solder) can still be in place, and any change in local water chemistry can cause it to leech into the supply (and no law to remove and change it out). Formaldehyde (and other VOC's) was used in many building materials over the years, and offgasses from the materials over time and into the air. Formaldehyde-based insulation was used in the 1970's. You've got lead paint of course, and everyone is concerned with radon when purchasing a house, but strangely not when renting.


Lead-based paint actually started getting phased out around 1960, starting with most wall paints, and then trim paints. The law went into effect around 1978, but manufacturers knew it was coming and got a head start on changing their formuations before then. But, laws regarding VOC levels didn't come into play until the mid/late 80's, and even then it wasn't a total elimination, but a lowering of acceptable levels. These days, the levels are even lower, but still present. Take a walk down the interior door aisle (the MDF-style doors)in Home Depot on a warm humid day and take a nice whiff of VOC's that are linked to causing cancer.


If anything, renting in a newer remodel would leave me more concerned about VOC outgassing from newer building materials (doors, cabinets, paints, glues, etc), vs the risk of renting an older unit with encapsulated lead paint and materials which have long-since outgassed their VOC's


If I told my wife all this, she'd probably make me rip out half our house.

[BOORGONG]

Originally Posted by BostonMike7

A lot of the nasty chemicals in PT lumber were phased out around 2002, but I understand the point you are making. There are a lot of nasty chemicals in many of the building materials used in construction over the years. Many have only begun being recently removed/controlled/limited, but there is nothing in place that says you need to remediate (as far as I know). Asbestos was found in a lot of other things other than insulation, and often overlooked by those who don't know what it is, 100-year old lead pipes (and solder) can still be in place, and any change in local water chemistry can cause it to leech into the supply (and no law to remove and change it out). Formaldehyde (and other VOC's) was used in many building materials over the years, and offgasses from the materials over time and into the air. Formaldehyde-based insulation was used in the 1970's. You've got lead paint of course, and everyone is concerned with radon when purchasing a house, but strangely not when renting.


Lead-based paint actually started getting phased out around 1960, starting with most wall paints, and then trim paints. The law went into effect around 1978, but manufacturers knew it was coming and got a head start on changing their formuations before then. But, laws regarding VOC levels didn't come into play until the mid/late 80's, and even then it wasn't a total elimination, but a lowering of acceptable levels. These days, the levels are even lower, but still present. Take a walk down the interior door aisle (the MDF-style doors)in Home Depot on a warm humid day and take a nice whiff of VOC's that are linked to causing cancer.


If anything, renting in a newer remodel would leave me more concerned about VOC outgassing from newer building materials (doors, cabinets, paints, glues, etc), vs the risk of renting an older unit with encapsulated lead paint and materials which have long-since outgassed their VOC's


If I told my wife all this, she'd probably make me rip out half our house.

Thank you!
My exact thoughts... but better refined.

[bugelrex]

Btw, someone just posted on a Newton, MA website on behalf of a refugee family looking for a 2br deleaded apt in Newton ( quite an expensive town) for $1700 which will be paid by the government with some supplemented by charity.

I would bet good money that the refugee family will get this low cost deleaded apartment in one of the nicest areas in MA before the OP does.

This shows how unlevel the playing field is for renters with kids:
Renters without kids get preferences
Affordable deleaded units are taken up by the government

It's no wonder house prices keep soaring, families are left with no choice but to buy

[GeePee]

Originally Posted by bugelrex

Btw, someone just posted on a Newton, MA website on behalf of a refugee family looking for a 2br deleaded apt in Newton ( quite an expensive town) for $1700 which will be paid by the government with some supplemented by charity.

I would bet good money that the refugee family will get this low cost deleaded apartment in one of the nicest areas in MA before the OP does.

For sure... and when they have more kids they will be in a 3 bedroom.

[Whatsnext75]

Complete crap. Sick of hard working people getting screwed.