by "Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing." (granfury)
Published 02/06/2017 at 17:27
by "Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing." (granfury)
Published 02/06/2017 at 17:27
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STARS: 0
I’ve been in my building for over 4 years now. The owner has been reasonable with the rent when I was unemployed and I’m doing everything I can to pay him back as quickly as I can, but I’m wondering if he’s got financial problems.
Today I flushed, and the toilet didn’t refill. I went down to the basement and checked that the main water valves were all open. So far, so good. But when I was walking back to my unit I noticed some paint around what appeared to be the main water valve by the sidewalk. I called the water department and found that the water was cut off today for failure to pay the bill. This is not good.
I’ve checked online, and it doesn’t appear that the building is for sale or in foreclosure, so it hasn’t reached panic mode yet. But I am wondering if it’s time to leave this neighborhood. On a discussion group for my area I learned that there was recently an armed robbery right on the exact corner where I live. It happened at 1 in the morning the other day, and for the next month I leave for work in the 2AM hour - oh crap. I thought the area was actually improving, but maybe not.
The unit behind me has been vacant for a month, and the party animals above me have been rather quiet lately. I think I’ve heard them coming and going, so they’re still here; I can also tell that they’re still here because they’ve gone back to stealing my laundry supplies. C’mon, if you’re going to take stuff, why do you remove it from, and leave it on top of, the cabinet and make it obvious that you’re taking it?
After being unemployed I’ve been trying to get back on my feet, but I don’t have the money to pay for moving and a deposit and all of that. I’m not sure what to do at this point.
"Chariotoflove" (chariotoflove)
02/06/2017 at 17:34, STARS: 0
Your landlord is a decent guy, from what you said. Have you tried talking to him to ask what’s going on?
"XJDano" (xjdano)
02/06/2017 at 17:37, STARS: 0
Move out to Ofallon so I can kick out my inlaws. But I actually just want to sell it.
"E90M3" (e90m3)
02/06/2017 at 17:40, STARS: 0
If you can move, sounds like you should.
"Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing." (granfury)
02/06/2017 at 17:50, STARS: 0
I’ve reached out to him and am just waiting for some sort of response.
"Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing." (granfury)
02/06/2017 at 17:53, STARS: 0
Are you looking to move? Is this a second house?
After the car is paid off (October 2017), paying down debt and saving up for a down payment are extremely high on my priority list. Compared to SoCal, housing prices here in MO are absolutely dirt cheap, and I can probably find something bigger than I have now with a mortgage payment less than half what I’m paying in rent. I want to stay close to the city, however, since I’ve gotten quite comfortable with this 2 mile daily commute. A garage would be nice, though...
"Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing." (granfury)
02/06/2017 at 17:54, STARS: 0
I can’t, and that’s the problem...
"LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com" (limitedtimeonly)
02/06/2017 at 18:05, STARS: 2
In most jurisdictions, water supply is a requirement for the unit being habitable, and you could justifiably withhold rent for those days you are without water. I know you are trying to work with someone who was accommodating to you, but this is a legitimate reason to deduct rent.
To answer your question, I would do everything I could to move, because to have a landlord let the water get cut off is a bad sign of instability. You might put up with in it the short term only to find it is long term.
"someassemblyrequired" (someassemblyrequired)
02/06/2017 at 18:11, STARS: 1
In MO, might actually be cheaper long term to buy something. I know in other states I’ve lived, there’s lots of zero/very low downpayment programs that might be a good option in this case.
Also, since the property is now technically unihabitable, there may be community/tenants rights organizations that can help with moving assistance or working with the city to get the utilities turned back on (i.e. you pay water bill & withold from rent). Not familiar with MO, but I’d probably contact them and get their take about what your legal rights are and if there are any programs which could help you out.
"XJDano" (xjdano)
02/06/2017 at 18:19, STARS: 0
It was my first house. We bought a second. It needs work (50's build), but has a 2 car garage & 900 sq ft.
"Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing." (granfury)
02/06/2017 at 18:32, STARS: 0
Too bad it’s not in O’Fallon IL; I think O’Fallon MO would be just too far of a commute. Just for the sake of curiosity text me the address. I love ‘50s-vintage homes.
"E90M3" (e90m3)
02/06/2017 at 19:25, STARS: 0
Well damn, I’ve been unemployed for 10 months now, I know that struggle.
"Birddog" (maintmgt)
02/07/2017 at 02:34, STARS: 0
I’ve been in a similar, total crap situation when the county shut down the Trailer Park I was in a few years back. I just happened to lose my job at the same time making things worse.
Contact the Salvation Army and any/all “community action” agencies in the area. They all have programs that will help with deposits and relocation.
Best wishes!