Issues
So Saturday I had the chance to look at an apartment that may possibly be my future place of residence. It isn’t in the best of neighborhoods, and it will extend my commute slightly. But the price is right, and Zai can continue walking to work.
She needs to get her license and a car… but I’m willing to do this for now.
We looked at the place, and there’s no polite way to say it, its a dump. This is no fault of the landlord, just horrible tenants before us. They’re small issues, but they quickly pile up:
Broken Windows
Chipped Paint
Chipped Plaster
Filthy Carpet
Filthy Floors
Not one, but TWO non-working stoves
Bedrooms I can stretch my arms and touch both walls
Damaged door to apartment
A missing doorknob on the pantry
A loaf of bread nailed to the top of the doorframe
Now, I should probably speak of the pros:
Nice-sized living room, dining room, and kitchen
Walk-in closet
Walk-in pantry
The building itself well-kept, with a heavy locked door leading outside
About ten steps away from a mexican place with excellent chorizo tortas
Nice high ceilings (as a tall man, I appreciate the hell out of that)
Tall windows which make the place nice and sunny during the day
Wrought iron light fixtures
Two extra rooms to accomodate a study for me and a painting room for Zai
So I kinda like the idea. I saw the place, in all its decrept splendor, and still thought ‘this could be home.’
But there’s one large issue at hand. One that thrusts me into the middle of a situation I don’t really want to be a part of. Zai’s godfather is the landlord.
This means I wanted to be extra-careful in my demands of the landlord. I didn’t want to insult someone who would become family. It was made more difficult by the fact that I’ve never dealt with a landlord before, I didn’t know if what I THOUGHT a landlord should be responsible for was accurate.
So I asked my parents, who said that the landlord should be responsible for everything. So I relay this to Zai, who relays this to her parents…
Hoo boy.
I won’t say what came next, its not my place. But I’m pretty sure my family has managed to insult her family without even trying. Sooo… I think I have some work to do.
Zel-kun out.