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Just moved into an apartment in a private home in an owner occupied house. I love the apartment, the LLs are very nice, and I ma happy. I'm just a little concerned because there's the potential for communication issues - you see...my new LLs are very elderly (he is 91, she is not much younger and neither are in great health) and don't speak much English (very Greek neighborhood in NYC).
Often when I see the LL outside and we exchange niceties, he looks visibly confused. I take it to mean that he can't understand what I am saying, so I slow down and then usually give up. I've had no issues so far, but the apartment is old and so I am thinking ahead and worrying ahead about if I do need something fixed, etc.
Example - the doorknob to my unit is quite old and the key is sticky - takes me 5 minutes to open my door every time I come home. It's annoying. So I bought an identical knob at Home Depot, and am perfectly capable of changing it. I'd of course give them the new key, I just want to be able to open my lock seamlessly. How do I communicate with him that this is what I'd like to do? I haven't changed it yet bc I don't want to upset him.
Any ideas? He asks me for my name every time we chat - looks embarassed to do so, but I get it. He's just so nice though - I'd love to live here for a while (unless I can manage to get out of NYC haha) so I am a bit worried about the fact that they're elderly.
Anyone care to offer advice or talk me off of the unnecessary ledge I've jumped onto?
Just tell them.
Hey Mr. Papadopolis the lock on my door is broken. I bought a new one and I'm gonna give you the key. Here it is.
Eh! Who are you. Oh you da new girl. Hokay you com daun I make you da soup
He's probably not gonna care as long as you don't hand him a bill for the lock. I doubt he has any idea how the laws work. Just give him a key so when you lock yourself out he can let you in
Take your current key in when you buy the new lock and have the new lock keyed to work with your existing key. The landlord's key will still work and he won't get confused.
Before you change the lock, I suggest that you get a little tube of graphite and puff some into your existing door lock. That costs under a dollar and might fix your problem.
And if you do change it out, give him the old doorknob. If it is old it may be original to the house and he might want to keep the original hardware. Sometimes they are old, but very expensive as an antique.
It might be worth it to take the old doorknob to a locksmith and just have it serviced and replace it back on the door.
I'll try the graphite powder. When I say I bought the identical knob at Home Depot, that's what I meant. It's a simple brass locking knob from Kwikset. Nothing special, just old and worn. I'm not terribly hung up on the lock thing, it was an example of something simple that is difficult to communicate - I'm not sure how it's going to go if something actually breaks. I'm pretty handy so am capable of fixing minor things. But if the stove stops working (front two burners already need a stick lighter to ignite), I can't fix that obviously.
You can use Google Translate to convert english text to greek and greek to english. This will allow you to communicate more complex communication in writing.
I'm betting it's not so much a language barrier. I'd be wondering how mentally reliabke this 91 year old landlord actually is. The OP's description in the thread starter made me wonder about dementia (or something like it).
I'm betting it's not so much a language barrier. I'd be wondering how mentally reliabke this 91 year old landlord actually is. The OP's description in the thread starter made me wonder about dementia (or something like it).
I can't speculate on that. He's 91, so who knows...maybe some mild dementia but seems fairly sharp otherwise. The health issues that I mentioned are physical. He does speak & understand English, just not well. His wife seems to only know a few words/phrases.
Another example - this is a neighborhood where street parking is difficult. They no longer drive and the driveway sits empty. I'd love to ask him if they'd be interested in letting me rent the spot (spots in the area go for around $150, yay NYC!). If not, no problem but worth asking (which would save me having to move the car a few times a week). That's a more complex question than "where do I put my trash?" so I'd love to ask it but since there are a few nuances (I want to make sure he knows that I'm willing to pay!)
Maybe I'm overthinking, or thinking ahead for problems that aren't here. I'm a planner. Just want to avoid anything that can be avoided - I'm trying to be a proactive, responsible tenant
Use google translate to type out your questions and requests.
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