OT - but I'd like to vent. :/

  • So...I noticed after I went food shopping that my fridge was slightly warmer then usual. I turned the level up a notch. Well, a few days after we went food shopping, the gallon of milk I bought had spoiled. So, DF called our landlord on Memorial Day and left a message. Wednesday rolled around and we still didn't get a call back, so DF called him once more. Still no answer. Later on our landlord finally called and DF explained to him how our freezer is fine, but the fridge is now warm and dairy products spoil. Our landlord said someone should of been out here either Tuesday or Wednesday! He said an air condition guy will be here tomorrow (at the time - it was suppose to be today) and that they'll check out our fridge and see if it's fixable or it will have to be replaced. He said he'd call back with a time. He called back and gave DF his brother's number. His brother wanted the serial # of the fridge because he believed he knew what the problem was. DF gets off the phone with him and calls his brother -- TWICE -- with no answer and left a message. We didn't get a call back that night....NOR this morning. So I figured this air condition guy would just show up and we'd get things moving. NOPE! It's 7:30PM and no contact from anyone.

    Now, I probably wouldn't be so mad if I didn't just go food shopping last weekend and bought tons of yogurts, lunch meat, cheeses, etc on top of the stuff I already had in my fridge. I opened it and it has a bad smell, so now I have to go through it and pick out went bad. The worst part is it's not even closed to being fixed!! And I surely don't have the money to go food shopping again. I have a set budget since money is tight right now. I could put it on my CC and all that, but then that's more money I am putting out.

    This isn't the first time our problems have been ignored. When we first moved in, something broke on the toilet and we couldn't flush it. It took 3 days for us to get in contact with our landlord, and then 4 days for him to send someone out to fix it. We went 7 days without a toilet.

    He is a business man. This is his business and he should know that this is our personal lives. What are we suppose to do? DF can call him AGAIN and let him know that ONCE AGAIN no one showed up to even take a peek at the fridge. I'm so upset right now. I feel like there is money being flushed down the toilet and I refuse to buy milk or anything until this is fixed.

    Sorry for this long rant. But it's the only thing that has literally stopped me from wanting to eat my emotions.
  • So, I don't know much about landlords, as I've been living with my parents or in dorms my whole life, BUT I do know that when it comes to stuff like this, you have legal rights. What they are, I don't know haha. My brother, the big time hot shot lawyer in the family, always advises us to note EVERYTHING. He always says that whenever someone starts doing something bad, to keep a journal of the dates and times of conversations, what promises were made, if they were followed through, if so, was it on time, yadda yadda yadda. There's a good chance that other people in your building are having similar issues. Try to keep records of what's up, so then you can at least put it in front of him and say "look what you didn't do" and you'll have some proof that he's gotta get off his arse and do something.
  • Back in the day when we rented we would give the landlord ONE day to fix something. If he didn't get to it (important things) we would hire someone to fix it and send him the bill. After a couple times of doing this he started coming the same day we called. LMAO Much cheaper for him.
  • I'm not sure what the laws are in your state, but here after a certain amount of time (1 week, I think) you have the legal right to get it fixed yourself and deduct the money from rent. Call your local chapter of fair housing and see what they can do for you. They'll know what laws are on your side.

    Our landlord is a bit slow too (and really hard to contact.) I know how frustrating it is! Our door locks didn't work properly for a couple weeks and we live in an area that has had a rash of break-ins. Thankfully nothing happened, but still... I think landlords should furnish references when you move in. Renters have to, why not landlords?
  • I feel your pain. I have been trying for *ahem* 3 YEARS to get my landlord to come and fix my dripping shower. After 2 years he came and looked at it (only because after almost a month he finally came to repair the leaky toilet) said he'd be back "next week" to replace the washer thingie in the shower-that was last July :K They act so inconvenienced about anything!
  • Your landlord sucks.
  • Everyone above is totally right..... you DO have legal rights. Like they said, check with your state's laws and whatnot... and if its possible, get it fixed and send him the darn bill or take it from your rent. Serves them right. That's ridiculous!
  • Wormwood, I feel you completely. This year I've been lucky enough to have a landlord that is very quick to respond (our boiler broke last week and we had no hot water and he came around within about 3 hours of me texting him) but last year our landlady was awful, not to mention a complete b*tch. I'm so sorry you're having so much trouble with him, but he is taking your hard-earned money for rent and I'd keep pestering him until he does something about that fridge.

    The others have a good point about legal rights - I don't know what they are either, but you should absolutely look it up because if you have a bit more support on your side in the form of specific tenant laws (and you can quote these laws to him on the phone if he doesn't show up again) then he might think you're going to sue him or something and move quicker!
  • Yep.
    You certainly do have tenant rights. Contact fair housing to get the exact statute, and make an itemized list of the groceries that went bad and the price. If you still have the grocery receipt, staple that to your list. He owes you for every cent you lost, I do know that much. Like everyone said above, log conversation dates/times/promises made, and even when you called and had to leave a message and got no call back.

    Deduct it from your rent, and include a copy of the itemized list and statute. Also include your bill if you have it repaired on your own.

    Ive had a ton of crappy landlords in my day, so I feel you. That's why I learned to do a lot of plumbing repairs myself.
  • Ask him if you can call your own fridge person and send him the bill!