Well, in 17 days my wife and I need to be out of our location.

[diabeticman]

The city official started the process to condemn our apartment yesterday. The landlord who is a slumlord--(I hate to be so rude) hasn't been fixing up our place. He has had ownership of this location for 10 months. In that 10 months he has made our side of the whole property worse than we might have done living there for 10 years.


Our "apartment" must at one time been a mother-in-law suit of some sort. a living room bedroom kitchen and small half bath upstairs and our shower is down in the basement. The house itself belong to our first landlord who died. While the estate was in limbo they allowed us to stay. The new owner claimed he wanted us because it is hard to find tenants so loyal to a place. He said that to our face behind our back he talked about evicting us to the people who rented the bigger home.

We became friend with the neighbors who couldn't understand WHY landlord would come fix their side but not our They came regularly for 2 months and took one afternoon to put in a new toilet since the ring on the bottom of our broke and we had a slow leak Long story short he came in had to take out the carpet and floor due to the black mold and water damage than decided to tear down the walls to the drywall surface. Landlord disappeared for months after that. Couldn't get him to answer his phone or come fix anything. IN September we find out that the landlord had no clearances to rent the bigger house to our neighbors. City had not approved it which surprised and scared my neighbors. City said don't worry if it passes inspection you can stay. My wife complained about our bathroom and the issues we had.

Landlord finally shows up in October explains he thought his business partner was taking care of everything so the city gave him 60 days total to fix both sides of the property. 30 days past he only showed up 4 times in that 30 days and was playing with the foundation. our kitchen wall is actually worse than he started and he didn't do the repairs in any of the houses BUT he is demanding rent. Both places have been considered uninhabitable by the city. Lawyers we talk to said both sides had a right to withhold rent.

So he is now suing/evicting neighbor to get back rent. Code enforcement finds all this out and as a way of trying to protect us (my wife and the neighbors believe as well as the lawyer we talk to) they basically gave us the paper to vacate yesterday. Neighbor had to Officially subpoena the code enforcement officer to testify to the condition of her place for her hearing today (She had to even serve him the paper which he wasn't worried about and even told her how to go to the judges office and get him subpoena for this) They also told neighbor they themselves were filing charges on the landlord today.

So just keep your fingers crossed for us that we find a place and our luck hold us that we can take care of everything we have too.

considering this really is the first place my wife and I had. Got married and moved into this place all the same time. Any ideas about moving or looking would be appreciated.

[SugarShack]

1. Do not use realtor or newspaper for ads. drive around and look for little rent sign

nailed to a tree! It will be a better place, and cost less. Also, Craig's List is good, but again steer AWAY FROM REALTORS! Look at rental signs people planted in the ground on street corners.

I saw a rent sign on our corner, when I was looking. We moved in the next week, and rented the house for two years. We have now owned it for 21 years! I was using ads and realtors and found nothing we could afford. Hubby told me to look for a rental signed nailed to a tree! Sorta what I found.
Hope this helps!

[ellie]

2. This is good advice.

I have found many a rental this way. Look in the place you want to live.

[Warpy]

3. It depends on the area

Those little signs in the Boston area generally led to illegal basement apartments with all the mold you could eat thrown in for free. Or uninsulated garage apartments. Or something else you wouldn't want to live in unless you were absolutely desperate.

[Victor_c3]

6. Funny, I would have said the complete opposite of what the people above me recommended

Craigs list was very frustrating to me and led to me ending up having to deal with a lot of weirdos, making lots of phone calls, and not getting anywhere. You'll pay more going the realtor route, but everything will go a lot smoother. But that was just my experience.

[Fumesucker]

10. Reading between the lines I don't think the OP can pay more than absolute minimum

If they had the wherewithal they wouldn't have been there in the first place I suspect.

Poor people often have to go to a lot more trouble to save a little money and still end up paying more much of the time anyway.

[diabeticman]

14. Thanks. I'll keep my eyes out.

[SoCalDem]

18. Ask everyone you know if THEY know of anyone who has a rental property

Lots of people are scared to advertise, and only rent to people they know or who come recommended by people they know.

[grasswire]

4. what a crazy situation

Sounds like this landlord has made himself vulnerable to some fines and penalties. I don't know where you live, but your local housing authority or tenants' rights organization might have some advice for you in dealing with this situation.

And the housing authority might be able to help you find some temporary housing that will give you a little more time to look for a new place. If you are disabled, services will be more readily available to you.

Best of luck, indeed. Keep us posted.

[diabeticman]

15. Code enforcement pressed charges today. They are trying to protect our neighbor or make her case

against the landlord stronger by taking the steps that they are. Neighbors had been withholding rent like we had been. HOWEVER landlord had them sign a lease however never had us. SO he is suing them for non-payment however code enforcement is going to testify that it is in a condiction that warranted non-payment because it wasn't up to code.


They are basically shutting down the landlords right to rent the house. Another landlord code enforcement encouraged us to call for places is actually talking with the bank to see if he can get the house. IF he can he can take possession of it in 2 days and make the repairs himself so he can rent the property to both of us.

[rox63]

5. What area of the country are you in?

That might make a difference in the best way to search for a place.

[diabeticman]

16. a dying town known as New Castle PA where pay checks suck and some people greedy or in such need of

money will squeeze the dime out of a person if they can.

[rox63]

17. For a place that is well kept and quiet

Look for a multi-family house where the owner also lives there. Landlords generally won't live in a place that is falling apart. Also, apartments above stores are often a good deal. The building has to be kept in decent condition, so they don't lose the business tenant, and they are usually in walkable neighborhoods.

In my town (mid-size city in eastern Mass.), there's an insurance agency that has several apartments upstairs in the same building, and they advertise them on the sign in front of the business. And there is a hardware store owner that also owns an apartment building across an alley from the store. There's usually a sign near the entrance to the store when there's an apartment available, and you apply for the apartment at the store's service desk. If tenants have problems, they can go next door to the store to let the landlord know.

Maybe there are similar situations in your area?

[riderinthestorm]

7. Do you want to stay in an apartment complex or in a house/neighborhood location?

You will find a lot of realtor offerings on the big complexes online, or simply go to that complex and ask if they have any apartments available.

If you are looking for another situation like the one you had, try Craigslist. Or even your local small town newspaper. Lots of elderly people renting out their basement apartment or in-law suite aren't terribly computer savvy and will advertise in the paper.

Good luck. Sounds like a mess at your place. Its probably better you are out of it since it all seems to be getting worse instead of better.

[bluestate10]

8. If you have a government housing authority near you, talk to them.

Also, talk to the city housing inspection department, explain your situation and ask them whether they can suggest housing options. If housing costs are an issue for you and your wife, government agencies are a better place to start than private landlords.

[Scruffy Rumbler]

9. Packing and moving! So much fun! (sarcasm)

Hey diabeticman!

Been through many moves myself. Both local and cross country. Hope the following helps!

1.Check out U-haul type places for returned used boxes. Sometimes they have them for free or very cheep. (Avoid boxes from grocery stores that contained fruit).

2.Use your bedding/towels/out of season clothes to pack dishes and nic nacs.

3.LABEL your boxes with what is specificaly in them (on the sides as well on top). Takes a few minutes extra while packing, but during the chaos of post move, you will be glad to know what is in what.

4. If you can afford to, hire "two men and a truck" type moving service. Check craig's list or your penny saver type paper.

5.Pack a suitcase or backpack with medications, important documents and the like and keep it with you.

6. Have a kitchen box with the basics to cook with (coffee pot, fry pan, set of dishes/siverware for the two of you) Nice to be able to unpack that and have a somewhat funtioning kitchen right away without going through multiple boxes. You will need these in the final days leading up to the move as well as the first days in your new place.

7. As you sort through stuff for packing have "keep/throw away/ donate" boxes that you can put items in.

8. Don't wait till the last minute. A few boxes a day of things you don't use on a regular bases, helps a lot.

9. Be prepared for the emotions that come up. Watching your "life" being boxed up can be a bit unsettling.

10. Make a list of utility companies that you need to transfer/cancel/start up.

11. When breaking down and packing electronics, use a bit of tape and label the ends of cords with helpful hints; ie. into TV, into dvd/vcr.

12. As you pack things, dust them! ( I am not the best at dusting on a regular basis) lol

13. Breakage happens!

14. When moving day comes, be sure it is moving day and not packing and moving.

10 years in one location! Be ready for anything! I found a dead baby snake one time in a closet I didn't use much. No clue how it got there!

Be patient and kind to yourself and your wife as you go through this. Remember to take care of yourself!

Best of luck to you and your wife.

Scruffy

[riderinthestorm]

11. Those are great suggestions! I'd also add that free boxes can be found at the liquor store

departments virtually anywhere. You can also find a lot of free boxes behind the stores in their recycling dumpsters.

Try to find a new apartment soon. It would really help if you can move things out of the old place over the course of a few days if you are doing it yourself. Trying to do it all in one day is very stressful and HARD.

Edited to add a strong suggestion that you don't wait to start packing. You need to be sorting and getting things into boxes now. It will take every single day of the remaining 16 days that you have to get everything sorted and into boxes for the move. 10 years in one place is a LONG time and you have a lot more "stuff" than you think you do....

[Scruffy Rumbler]

12. +1

[diabeticman]

13. Great check list. My wife is copying it. She has already bought: packing tape, sharpies,

a box cutter to cut tape off boxes when unpacking or repacking a box.

[Scruffy Rumbler]

19. Glad there is useful info there for you and your wife.

Oh and books.... if you have many, don't fill a box with them. I like to put a couple in the bottom of a box then fill box with light weight items.

And lift with your legs...not your back!. lol

I hope this experience goes smoothly for you!

[csziggy]

20. Other good places for boxes - copy centers

FedEx Kinkos, etc. Emptied paper boxes are sturdy, large enough to put a good amount in but small enough to not get too heavy.

You may have to make arrangements to pick them up. They tend to flatten them for garbage/recycling unless they know someone is looking.

[Scruffy Rumbler]

21. Great suggestion!

And I like how they have a lid that stays on well.

[csziggy]

22. It is a good idea to tape the seams

Those boxes are intended for one time use ans the seams can come loose. But they are still good boxes.