free 2 be marlo

Thursday, January 29, 2004

Posted by Jerko @ 8:10 p.m. ET

How do, all? I've been treated to the privilege of my very own F2BM account so no more hiding in the replies for me! So let's get started:

I'm rather confident that the readers of this site are just a bit older than me and will have likely dealt with the things I am currently dealing with, and reprehensible and inhuman landlords are probably no exception. However, I don't care, so keep reading because my situation is exceptional and I'm gonna bitch about it until I'm blue in the face... though I plan on changing audiences from time to time to avoid getting punched.

I'm currently living in Madison, WI because I'm a student at the University of 'consin. When you stop and think about it, Madison is a lot like Washington DC. It has a capital building, a Berko, and jack shit for Mexican food, just smaller magnitudes of each of the above. No other city in the world can boast that credential.

Anyway, I'm living in a house that was built before the Civil War and bought before anyone could register it on some "List of Old Places that are Old" protection list. Therefore, I hasn't been maintained since. Cloth wiring, a dirt floor in part of the basement (yes I'm sure it's not just really dirty), and a two faucet basin sink. After the house fire, they covered up the damage and leased it again. I think they salvaged everything from the wreckage and nailed it together, though. So yes I'm pissed that I was dumb enough to sign the lease on this, how you say, shit hole, but I'm even more pissed that they are lying to prospective tenants. Understand that my gripes do not stem from personal dissatisfaction; they are in response to the inhuman treatment students recieve from Madison Property Management.

In response to the misleading and deceitful rental agent who leads groups through our house in the hope that they will be as blind as us, I began talking to these groups, pointing out facts such as the lack of a radiator in one of the bedrooms, the boards they've nailed up in place of patching the plaster, the bug problem that persists year-round, the wind that blows through the cabinets and also up into the kitchen from the basement, and the overall crappiness of the house. I've suggested that people look at the basement so I could force the rental agent to chuckle nervously and say, "I don't think they need to see that." Obviously, said rental agent has grown rather irritated with me and gone as far as to call me hostile and unpleasant, writing off my comments as a product of a disgruntled or generally disagreeable tenant. After a few more appointments, he told me that it wasn't fair to the company to behave the way I had been and that he didn't appreciate my attitude. I laughed at him and went back to my episode of whatever crap was on TV. Half an hour later, I get a call from someone at the company who is obviously upset and nearly yelling at me for my unfair treatment of the rental agent and the company, my poor attitude, and for not addressing the problems with them.

Information you haven't been given yet: a) I didn't talk to the rental agent, so I couldn't have treated him unfairly. b) I had addressed the problems with someone there, but she doesn't work there anymore, so they clearly aren't responsible for that (the way it was phrased to me over the phone). c) I've always had a poor attitude and nobody's gonna change that by yelling at me on the phone. Or at all.

In the pauses when this woman would stop to breath, I had the chance to respond, but because she's a nasty robot out to destroy humanity, she doesn't breath so I wasn't doing much talking. I was instructed to write a letter with all the complaints and whatnot. I did. It's enclosed below.

Dear Ms. “Nicky”:

As you probably recall, you spoke at me on the phone the other day in regards to the “fairness” of the behavior of certain parties. What has become apparent to me in the past eight months is that Madison Property Management is hardly concerned with fairness to anyone but themselves, as evidenced by the condition of all their properties, the Park Terrace West fiasco, your belligerent demeanor on the telephone, the rental agent’s refusal to fully inform potential renters, and his childish interaction with me.

My definition comes from the notion that when one is in a position to provide housing to people in need of it, such as college students, your priority should be on providing them with quality homes and not drafty boxes in which they store their belongings. This implies that rent should be obtainable and that profit comes more slowly. Ideally, the tenants will like the property so much that they will resign their lease and will take more care of the property; it follows that your total costs will be lower. Perhaps the definition you were using is different than mine, so to clear things up, here is what I believe fair to be: • Informing your potential customers fully of all aspects of the property they are interested in, including what is not included in the lease, preexisting conditions that you have not or will not remedy • Allowing your customers to be fully informed of the living conditions inside this house by outside sources • Treating your customers with the dignity they deserve by providing them with suitable and fairly priced housing putting their comfort above your profit

The definition that I gather you have been using is: • Informing the potential customers with the smallest amount of information as possible until they are bound by a lease to ensure a profit • Blaming previous or current tenants for inherent problems with properties • Raising rent based on the amount of accountability prior tenants demanded of you • Admonishing yourselves of any accountability once a lease has been signed • Performing expected duties on your own schedule with a priority on cost far above that of convenience or enduring repair

Given two radically different ideas of the same concept, it is clear why the conflicts are occurring. Conflict being a normal part of life, there is nothing wrong with it at a rudimentary level. However, for you to command me to stop doing my part to cease your company’s improper treatment of its potential renters is inexcusable and further proves the point that Madison Property Management’s ideals are colored green.

As requested, I am writing to inform you of the complaints with this property and all improvements that must be made in order for your company to complete its role in renting this house fair. In addition, I am including the original letter I submitted to Neva. Please note that the patches and the painting are not repairs we are requesting at this moment unless we are compensated for the inconvenience. That should be completed in time for the next tenants.

Sincerely,

Phil Berko

I may not write very clearly all the time, but I think that letter is pretty well written and it's obvious that I'm not bitching about the condition of the house for the sake of my own gratification, but for the sake of the fairness they brought up. The response I got back was laughable, yet frustrating.

Dear Mr. Berko:

I received your letter dated January 20, 2004 in which you state 29 maintenance request, of which 13 appear marked off as completed. The first page of your letter implies that we have not completed any maintenance within your residence in the past eight months, however our records show we were there numerous times in late August and early September to complete your requests. We have also been to your residence numerous times since September to replace your stove, clean behind your refridgerator [mispelled in original], and paint your kitchen ceiling after a leak.

Based on your letter, I will schedule a member of our maintenance staff to come to your residence for the following items:

1. Inspect downstairs bathroom toilet paper holder for repair or replacement
2. Inspect downstairs bathroom toilet for repair of valve knob
3. Install blinds on upstairs porch door

I have enclosed a key copy form for you to obtain a second key for the back door lock. With regard to the southernmost window of the living room, please contact me in the spring tme and I will address the window repair at that time.

With regard to the upstairs bathroom sink and garbage disposal, I will have a member of out staff inspect to determine if replacement of the sink or installing a garbage disposal are feasible. With regard to patching and painting the walls, our painting staff were scheduled to complete that work in September. You contacted our office to cancel your paint request on September 8, 2003. If you would like members of our staff to patch and paint the walls, please contact me at 268-4922 sot hat we may schedule a time and date. I cannot grant a rent credit to your account for painting your residence.

You are free to share your opinion about your tenancy with anyone, however vulgar language, hostility, and rudeness towards members of our staff and prospective residents in[mispelled in original] not acceptable.

If you would like to discuss this matter further, please contact me at 268-4922.

Sincerely, [signed] Nicky Property Representative

Fucking A. I hate dealing with fucktards. I only hope that this miserable bitch has the forsight to get shot in the uterus for posterity. So what has been solved? We can spin our TP in the bathroom downstairs. If our toilet runs, we can shut off the water now. That's it. We still have box elder bugs crawling around the bathroom. My thermometer reads "-2" and there are goddamn insects crawling around my bathroom! I didn't know that was even possible. I can "refridgerate" food in my kitchen cabinets. And we pay for the heat. But it's okay because we can hang up the toilet paper in the bathroom with the bugs in it.

Well, it seems that I've forgotten the point I was going to make, but it doesn't matter. I've occupied you for a long time, so thank me later, but there you have it. My first real entry. More comin'.

I have, however, convinced myself to continue with this fight because 7 of us paid $40 a piece to heat this box last month and that alone grounds to bitch some more to them.

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Replies: 3 comments

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