Thursday, May 06, 2010

WEAR AND TEAR

Seeking all help.
Seeking all suggestions.
Seeking all links.
All lawyers.
All tips, help and words.

Our old landlord doesn't understand the definition of wear and tear.
I'm trying to research it online with Illinois law, DuPage County law and whatever municipalities involved with Tenant rights, but I'm getting differing information and obviously not detailed enough for me.

I could just phone up an attny and go from there, but I'm trying to make that my last result.

According to her, our security deposit is going to be affected because:
1) the satellite dish is up on the roof. She had told us that she would have it professionally removed. I received a voicemail yesterday from her asking if we wanted the dish, if we had planned on having it taken down, why we haven't taken it down yet, and then she proceeded to tell me that she'll have her contractor look at it and she doesn't know how much labor he'll charge to remove it.

2) She is taking off $80 from the security deposit because once the satellite dish is off, the plate and bolts she wants out as well, and according to a roofing company that is her cost to repair the "shingles."

3) She is "dinging" us for a ding/nick/gouge that is on the control panel of the semigloss dryer that she purchased brand new, 2 years ago. She is replacing the entire control panel for a knick less then half an inch long. Um, when you turn in a leased vehicle, do you replace the entire quarter panel of the passenger side door because of a small scratch and dent?

4) She is "dinging" us for a knick (knack paddy whack) she discovered on the high gloss black dishwasher that was brand new and installed just before we moved in, four years ago. This she discovered while she "did another walk thru on the home a second time, much more closely." WHAT?

5) She is dinging us because we had put one of those child safety grey foam things along the edges of the fireplace, being that we didn't want any head bumps from a very old brick fireplace. When she decided to remove the foam proof item, it left that sticky goo behind. Again, according to her voicemail she left me, she is going to "ding" us because she doesn't know how long it will take for her contractor to remove it, and that's all part of his labor charges.

Um, has she ever heard of GOO-OFF?

This ends part 1 of Wear and Tear.
Part II involves the things I DID to prepare the house for the landlord walk thru.

She doesn't rent anymore then this home, so that might help you with your advice pertaining to interest bearing deposits as well as a written itemization letter stating damages vs "wear and tears."

Also, if I could get everything unpacked I would find the box labeled, "Important docs" because in it somewhere, is our lease.

This woman is JACKED.
To think she's a realtor? Good gravy.
She couldn't even clean up the mold left behind from a broken A/C vent.
Yet she wants to "ding" us for a scratch on a dryer? She wants the dryer to be new for the next tenant since it was new when we moved in.


Uh, okay lady. I'm sure the new car owner wants the used car he's buying to be in just as brand new shape as it was when the previous owner drove it off the lot with a 3 year lease.

5 comments:

KathyA said...

Send her a copy of the blog? Any renters' rights groups around?

austere said...

She is a cheat.Please take her to the cleaners.

Cheryl said...

I hope you find your answers. 'Normal wear and tear' is so subjective. If she's rented before and is a Realtor, she probably knows what she can get away with. Your analogy to the new car is perfect. No one should expect a rental house to be turned over with no signs of wear and tear. Good luck honey. I hope the next comments holds the answers you're looking for.

... Paige said...

Good luck, I really hope it works out for you...what a sticky wicket

Anonymous said...

Unfortunately you'll probably just have to deal with it. Unless you can get a free attorney....it won't be worth fighting her. She probably won't even actually fix any of it!! Bright side, now that you're a home owner, you won't have to deal with it again! :0) Miss you
D