Hi Spencer and jaimi - yes it's a wonderful poster of Ferlinghetti (still going strong, well into his 90s), but vintage rather than reproduction, thus very very expensive. City Lights Books in San Francisco sells a photo, but only 8" x 10". Quite a character! PS: Not as huge as it looks, about 20"x 35", my camera enlarging the foreground.

I echo Moggie's "double better", and look forward to photos. LOL.

Color scheme for my new business digs, along with a deep rose rug.

BTW, I think that odd exterior paint job is absolutely delightful, peeking out of the greenery like a fairy tale cottage.

Anxious to see pictures!

Well... Jaimi is struggling..... move out and demand every dime back, which she will have to go to court to get I'm sure OR stay and bite the bullet.. She has put a lot of money out of pocket at this point and she met with the landlord yesterday. She has been sanding, cleaning and painting since she signed the lease and rightfully feels she should not have to pay rent for August and that the rent should start today.... He doesn't agree and says she owes rent for every day regardless of the fact that she and Alec have had to kill themselves for the past 12 of 14 days trying to get the place sanitary (had to close the doors with my elbow cause the doors were black with years of grimy hand prints) and the carpet and floors.... well, the worst our renovation crew had ever seen...

I am waiting to hear from her this morning... Going up to read Tiffany's tenant laws she posted....

Live and learn...this is why a Tiffany said get a deal in writing, first. The landlord likely has a mortgage on the place, and of course he wants his rent. He does not want to put money into the place, sounds like.

He is coming out the winner, with all that free labour.

In small claims court, with nothing in writing, I suspect you (she) would not have a case.

Your decision is likely either to stay, and try to get further improvements in writing, OR cut your losses and leave. Which, given she has a lease, will also cost.

I would try the route of getting further improvements as a discount, and get the deal in writing. For example, is he paying for the carpet replacement? There may be something in the tenants act about unhygienic unsafe living conditions. Did you take photos? Documentation is always important!

It sounds like he does not really want to be bothered with the place. He is old, and just wants it rented. The quality of the space...meh...whatever, in his view. He likely views aesthetics as her issue.

IF he will not discount further improvements, you have a difficult choice, unless you can find a way to twist his arm, to give you credit.

Oh, I'm so sorry for Jami and you. You are both so energetic and eager to tackle problems. People are not like you and we've all been there. It becomes so disappointing when you think you can trust them. I feel for both of you!

It can be looked at from both sides. On one hand, this place was nowhere near habitable and could even be judged a health hazard. The landlord could be seen as having benefitted at this point because of the hard work Jaimie and friends put in, not to mention cost of materials.

On the other hand, the landlord didn't force Jamie to sign the lease or not allow her the opportunity to have a good look at the property before hand. Also, if she leaves now, he will have to expend funds he may not have to get the place habitable for the next tenant. He probably does have a mortgage and thought everything was good because he had a lease signed at a good price, and now it's all gone to heck.

I'm just saying...no winners here. Maybe a compromise is called for.

Sigh ......

20 year old kids make a lot of mistakes, and moms of 20 year old kids sometimes don't think straight when a child really really wants something … no question that the yard was more than perfect for a presumably gentle pit bull mix, against whom landlords have many prejudices.

Anyway, one way or another, it will work out, lessons have been learned, money is just money, not happiness, common sense, love, a home.Since there is now no way to go except up and better, let's put our energy and thoughts into encouragement, comfort, love, hope, support and all those wonderfully eternal things that make life worth living.

"helpme" is only 21, and is still learning here. It is a bummer situation, for sure, but a learning experience, too. I tell my students all the time, you don't learn if you don't make some mistakes now and then. It is important to realize mistakes, learn from them and move on.

Part of what she is learning is how to get along in the world with all kinds of people....some landlords are just more willing to work with you than others...some leases are less clear than necessary about work in lieu of rent...some places allow pets because other pets have "already been there"... some verbal agreements are really worth nothing without paperwork to back it up.

Anyhow, lots of things to learn about! I sincerely hope an agreement can be worked out. It seems she would be the ideal tenant (one who cares!) and the landlord is losing an opportunity if he doesn't try to work something out for her.

hey BLee, we crossed posts but said essentially the same thing. Fist bump!

Bump!

I agree with Jen046.

This thread may qualify as a diary for documentation purposes, and the carpet workers hired by Spencer, as witnesses. A compromise could be to claim a discount for the floors, which are a health and safety issue, but agree to step back on the painting of the cabinets time and cost, as that is an aesthetics issue.

Just home and we unloaded the moving truck and put everything of jaimi's and Alec's in my garage....

New carpet and the place still reeks and I mean reeks heavy of cat urine...

jaimi rented a truck and Alec's stepdad and I met that at the trouse and helped them load everything into the truck.... It didn't take long because they had everything with their bed out on the porch and that was where they had slept but they never unpacked.... Thank God...

I bleached the heck out of everything and did the floors.... That place hasn't looked that clean since 1990.... We took a ton of pictures and left the key in the lockbox permanently mounted next to the front door... The landlord was at his property below but wouldn't answer the door when Alec's stepdad went down to tell him the kids are moving and that we would want him to walk through with us before he leaves. I'm sending jaimi to the courthouse in the morning to file to get her entire $4K plus back....

No sure what everyone wrote up above.... but it's a lesson she'll not soon forget... I read tenant law and landlord law this morning.... Then called a good friend of mine that manages the largest residential property management company in North County and he said to get her out today because the lease states it starts today... He also said there's not a chance in the world that she'll lose...

The hired labor told jaimi if she needs them, they will give a statement in court...

She'll look for another place and you can bet this... she might be wearing the same pair of skinny jeans when she goes out looking but she definitely won't be sporting those rose colored glasses ....

So so sorry :-( However, if everything works out properly, everyone will end up in a much more healthy and (hopefully) attractive place.

Gosh, what a shame it came to this. I pray for only the best for Jamie.

I am so very sorry for all involved. A hard lesson, to be sure. Hoping for sunnier days ahead for you all. After a good night's sleep. Everything looks better in the morning.

Jaimie, your unlucky experience is not "typical''; most people are willing to work on resolving problems, pleased to help those around them achieve their goals, happy with "win win" situations. We hear far too much of the nasty, too little of the far more common acts of generosity, consideration, helpfulness. In my almost 75 years on this lovely planet, I have learned to be cautious, but even more I have come to believe that people are basically good. I expect a bright future for you!

Thanks, Ali.

Goodnight, everyone - after 15 hours of zzzzzzzz, I am still finding it difficult to stay vertical for more than a few hours. Feel great, just very tired, and so pleased to be rid of many cubic feet of stuff that should have been disposed of long ago, eager to begin afresh in a tidy new space, and ever so grateful for all the caring support offered by my loving Houzz family.

Glad you are moving on...! You have gotten good advice, from experts, which is a number one bonus here.

Moving out before lease starts, never thought of that...and getting your carpet witnesses on board, also great idea. Chances in court look much better....

Moving forward, now...and with an eye to what needs to be looked at...ie everything! In your next rental.

J,, When you find your next house, we will be here for you. Hugs.

Wow, what a ride! I hope this turns out well for all. Spencer, you are a great mom, being there for your daughter. Yes, she will look at things much differently next time. And that will be a good thing. Glad for every bit of documentation you have!

Got every dime of the kids money back for her.... done deal....

How fantastic is that Spencer! You rock!!!

Terrific!!! Another Party ?? What Time???

OH Good news! Sounds like you're relieved! Hope she finds something even bettah really soon!

So, back to the drawing board.....but with some good insight and experience to make a more informed decision.

That was quick. Great news.

I've been following. Glad to hear the good news for you and your daughter.

Hurrah! Break out the drinks! Party time!

Super! Someone once commented "All's well that ends well" - bruises heal, and tomorrow is a fresh day..

I hope you got your own money back, too, Spence.

Love your enthusiasm for a party licksch!!! And God help us... she's out looking for another place to live! LOL Haven't seen her since last night... but of course she's called... ahhh... if only we were 20 or 21 again ... remember how we bounced back from anything and everything? LOL

Great news, Spencer! Does that mean there was also reimbursement for money already spent on cleaners, etc., or is it limited to money already paid him (actual rent money/deposit)?
(Of course, if he repaid every cent, he's still ahead, because of all the labor that's already gone into it. But I know some things just don't come out equally, ad this may be one of them.)
In any case, you can breathe a little easier, knowing that she is out of there.

Great news! So happy!

Every dime including what was spent on the labor I hired.... I let Jaimi and her dad handle it until it was out of control... I met the guy on Saturday... Nice guy... wrong Mom to mess with... Left him a message Tuesday morning ... a very matter of fact message and he called me within an hour to arrange getting her paid... Told him I would spend $20K to get her $ back because now it was principle and in the meanwhile SD County Health & Safety and County Code Enforcement would be called if I didn't hear from him with an equitable resolution to the issue within two hours...

Thanks all... I just told her that I think she should stay home and save money for now and that she insists on finding a place right away, that I won't bail her out again... I won't step up to save the day next time... if there's a next time, that tells me she didn't learn a thing other than look at the carpet... LOL

Good for you, Spence, well done.

Long LONG two months my peeps... floors being acid stained next week... carpet comes up Monday he says...

My walls should be done within two weeks... shopping for a gorgeous rug TIFF... used on craigslist would be awesome... hugs to all.. going to bed... yeah... I know it's early... i'm getting old,,,

Yeaaaaa! Next chapter begins!

Mama Bear brings out the big guns...he was likely quaking in his boots...

That is what mothers are for. She is a lucky girl to have you.

just turn it into a bar....

Applause! Code Enforcement, Brilliant.

Sounds great! Let us know when you actually have that money back. (I'm not suspicious or anything, am I????)

I thought justin was referring to the gaudy rococo set. None of us thought of making that dresser into a bar. Hey justin! paint it black!

i would definitely paint it black and then turn it into a lil'bar

We just moved into a new house and not sure I like the cabinet color. We are considering painting them gray. I also recently moved into a new office and bought the most comfortable chair from this place online. https://www.everythingforoffices.com/seating-chairs/mesh-office-chairs/

We had a cabinet that we needed expanded to put in the newer shape of a TV - i.e. our old wall unit had a square and we wanted a larger TV that is a rectangle. AMAZING workmanship from our new friend Elroy of JC Custom Design works. Check out his site for ideas to fix your cabinets if you are in the Denver area and need custom woodworking or carpentry.

Can't you remove it?