As happened this month in Phoenix, AZ USA

What I haven't told you until this post the following that occurred PRIOR to the giving of the keys:


1 - He was given TWO Adobe portable air coolers of the square-built roller type for a shop, plus we left TWO washers and ONE dryer that belonged to us. And I also heard that he was offered $200 for ONE of TWO non-working washers that also belonged to us that were left in the west side back yard!

2 - He opened THREE mailing boxes and stolen the following items from them: a cable lock that is not inexpensive, and parts for both a toilet and a hamper. He had stuffed the box that had the cable lock with some of my books, and threw away the other boxes! (There was another mailing box that had a part that he threw out also, though this box was previously opened by me.)

3 - He tampered with at least ONE of the packing boxes being prepared for moving, which had two books left inside: the following day I found one of the books thrown out (besides other items, including my sister's metal drinking cup), the other taken to the living room area on the east side of the duplex!

4 - On one of the telephone calls I had with him I mentioned that I had some remaining items in my closet including a bicycle helmet with an uopened two-pack of filing boxes that I told him in as a nicest way as possible to please check and take out so that his parents could bring with the other (though ufortunately not all remaining) items we had left to the new residence, yet this never materialized, and like the other items I doubt if he ever gave them to charity.

5 - About a week prior to 7/30/07 he had one of his workers cut one of the sides of the shed with an electrical saw - never asked us if such was safe to perform! (He was fortunate that no items were damaged, as that worker knew that yet he was under orders to perform from the owner/landlord!)


Can you see why I and the rest of my family was upset with him - he even had the gall to tell me on the return back to the duplex in the rental truck that "I got nothing!" (i.e. out of all of "his" help, etc.) - and if the former and everything else relevant that I said from prior posts does not fit well with the definition of "being mistreated" than I don't know what is! As I said before, we had lived there for over 31 years, which should have been commendable for such a very long stay at that duplex, yet he didn't take such into thoughtful cosideration, I guess, plus, I am sorry to say, that with the kind of behavior that even his own parents warned us about satisfies all the prerequisites for "on the sidelines" a young crook - conniving, thieving, and lying.

I appreciate your caring understanding or "being with us" as to what has happened with everything, as even though landords, as you should know, could go on the "wrong side" of things, though not so "often" as tenants as we both seriously know, since in terms of their sheer numbers and "rental actions" commit for more harm/damage than a landord any day - that could never be disputed based on the reality of renting in the United States especially on the "historical" level, and I am hoping that we could gradually replace when found, etc., those items we have "lost" from this move*, though it gets so upsetting when you lose the originals, having kept and taken care of certain items especially for years, and beyond us at those times past to think that something "so shocking" would happen at a later time that would result in their loss.

Yes I guess that whatever happens CAN happen in Phoenix just like our "cool" weather - the heat is hot, though dry, which sometimes feels beating and so laden in the air during our summer, and good to know that you were here on one visit, and if you should ever have a chance to come over again to please do! The valley of the sun is goig thru growing pains and changes that you find make a difference that what you have seen even a few years back - new buildings and teardowns of sorry to say "old", freeway finishings, upscaling such as in suburban Tempe, and other "citified" changes.

About sometime back I thought that if we even had the keys sooner to the new residence - say about two weeks prior to 7/30/07 along with the rental truck, we probably would have moved out our items from BOTH sides of the duplex OK without the unfortunate events that had transpired for us.


* A good note/story here: our next-door neighbor on the north side gave us a 6-foot wooden ladder that did belong to the previous owner, yet for some strange reason was found on the other side of the fence/backyard facing the golf course sometime back: apparently, his son was drunk and placed the ladder there; they did show him the ladder sometime after finding, though he said he already bought another ladder, and decided to keep until we moved in - at least this made up for the loss of one of our other ladders, to say here.

[OHlandlord]

I'm sorry your rental experience ended badly for you. Yes there can be bad LLs as easily as there can be bad tenants. You'll just have to move on. Whatever happened to items that you left on the property (washers, bike helmets, file folders, or whatever) is no longer your concern, whether he sold them or gave them to charity. As I mentioned before, once you left those items, he owns them. The same with any property that you gave him prior to leaving. So the washers and anything else left there were no longer yours. He can do as he pleases with them.

If he tampered with the U.S. mail while you were living there, you should have reported this to the post office. Tampering with mail is a crime. It is too late to do anything about it now.

We have already discussed the alterations to the shed. As long as you were given notice that work was being done to the shed, you have no recourse. If you had questions about what type of work was to be done, or what you needed to move out of their way, you needed to ask them at that time. You need to cooperate with the LL on any scheduled work that is to be done on a property. The contractor wil only do what he is being paid to do. Since you weren't paying him, the contractor would only follow directions from his boss.

I really am sorry that this didn't work out better. Just try to put it behind you and move on. Harboring feelings of hurt and continuing to be upset for any mistreatment will do no good. I hope you will be happy in your new place.

very thorough advice here, and helpful!!!

In honest terms - and I hope this is within your understanding, would have extreme difficulty in granting him an overall satisfactory reference to others who would be looking for a reputable landord in that vicinity of Phoenix due to what has transpired especially at the end with our moving situation in early August and, in thinking over this yourself, to give a possible real-life event, if you were a person looking for a house to rent in this part of town and were seeking reliable information concerning the landlords from ones who rent around there - say, including myself (if I were renting there too in another property and know about him), would you rent from him after I told you what happened with me and my family? Yes, I would not prevaricate to you on our bad experiences in order for you to find a place to live in such an area. This "imperfect" world and our country unfortunately is not always or all-the-time a respecting, peaceful, understanding and going-well place to live in. Certain adults have their shortcomings and slip-ups. Businesses are open to engage in deceit or fraud, go against or around legitimate laws, commit violations, and get sued. The BBB (Better Business Bureau) and others who render such services to the U.S. public keep records on businesses - both satisfactory and unsatisfactory, and these act as references for those who need to know how a business stands.

I have felt upset for my sister that I gave the $150.00 to him and later told from his father that he gave the money back? That he told me that we were - after he agreed to help out as he freely done so, plus as his parents have confirmed to us (though also to remind you warned us about his "character") in the rental truck on return to the rental - giving him B.S.? And with all the other "rogue-runs" he tended to express justs is telling much about him and in how he approaches and does his "doing business as" doings.

Sorry to conclude in this way, yet the assessment is clear: to give a favorable bearing only on what was positive just would not "hold the water" well. False help was recognized and "peppered" in his obvious actions to us.

Appreciate all the time that you have taken in posting with me on the circumstances given with these past "transition" events to the new residence, and I hope in a sense that you noted such dialogue to be valuable to your continued community-work as a landlord and in other posts with World Law Direct, as when I write to state the event-details as they have gradually been given I do get concerned if anything was taken to be misunderstood or even miscontrued in topic-seriousness to everything written. Take care.


P.S.: To the other unregistrant: Are you a landlord too?

[OHlandlord]

Good luck to you Phoenix. You live in a beautiful area of the country. Enjoy it, in what I consider the best time of year there. Hopefully you will have bettter commuications and understanding with your new LL.