Moving Part II

Meanwhile, we decide to rent the new place. We carefully look over the lease, but he wants the security deposit ASAP to make sure we are serious about renting the property. This means we have to come up with $1300 before we receive our deposit back from our current residence. We figure out how to do that, but run into another snag. He would like to have someone in the house the 2nd week of June. We want to move the last week of June so we don’t pay rent at both locations.

We compromise and meet in the middle, paying half a month rent. I decide to contact the current landlord and try to make a deal with her about the lockbox. Let us out of the lease early and we will allow the lockbox and access to the home. Keeping it very clean and showable.

She called in a maid to clean the house on Saturday morning for a showing that was to happen at 1:00. We vacate the house, allowing a stranger unsupervised access to our home and valuables for several hours. Receive a call that the showing has been moved to 2:00 and that another showing is scheduled for 4:00. Receive another call that I need to mow by 4:00. The lawn is not unsightly and has been mowed previous week.

Most importantly, I find out that the lockbox has been installed without my permission and with disregard of my concerns. I watch Star Trek while the kids are at a Birthday party, excellent movie.

When I leave the theater I am extremely pissed off at the lockbox fiasco and the mowing demands made by the landlord. I call her on my way home. A heated exchange ensued with the landlord hanging up on me. She called back and left an angry message that she was going to get the authorities involved if I didn’t let people into the house.

The next day she begins texting, which that Sunday was Mother’s day. I asked her to stop texting on the holiday as it was causing stress. She continues to text anyway. Sally calls her and she calms down. She apologizes for being a terrible landlord and said she wanted out of the house because its not something she is very good at. I call the realtor and receive very specific answers to my concerns about the lockbox, who can access it, what types of people, how much advance notice do we receive, etc.

We reach an agreement to help the landlord sell the home. If it sells, we get out of the lease early, thereby saving paying rent on two places at the same time. The realtor agrees to not let anyone in the home from 3 – 6 during the week. I also will receive at least 1 hour notice before a realtor can show the house and I can decline this request. We agree to keep things picked up and try to be available for house showings as much as possible.