apartment inspections

[Kogarashi]

That's ridiculous. What do they think, their tenants are 10 years old? I would not want to live in a place that doesn't treat me like an adult.

I think part of it was due to agreements with the university. I could be mistaken, but if I recall, in order for off-campus housing to be considered "approved" for university students, one thing they were required to do was monthly inspections. The dorms had them too (albeit much quicker due to smaller living spaces). If off-campus housing wasn't approved by the university, then single undergrads couldn't live in them and still attend the university. Annoying, but doable, and university approval also meant that if there were disputes between tenants and landlords, it could be taken to the university for mediation, something the non-approved housing didn't have to deal with.

[BookstoreEscapee]

I think part of it was due to agreements with the university. I could be mistaken, but if I recall, in order for off-campus housing to be considered "approved" for university students, one thing they were required to do was monthly inspections. The dorms had them too (albeit much quicker due to smaller living spaces). If off-campus housing wasn't approved by the university, then single undergrads couldn't live in them and still attend the university. Annoying, but doable, and university approval also meant that if there were disputes between tenants and landlords, it could be taken to the university for mediation, something the non-approved housing didn't have to deal with.

Wow. My college didn't come in our rooms at all during the year unless there was a specific reason. They did maintenance-type stuff during winter break (heaters, windows), but we still had our stuff in the rooms. We noted any issues on a form at the beginning of the year to ensure we weren't charged for something that was there before we got there, and they inspected at the end of the year and charged us for any damage (actually took it out of our deposit, which we got back after we graduated, or otherwise left school, assuming you hadn't caused enough damage to use it up).

[blas]

This year, they changed inspections from fall to spring.

I think I made a thread bitching about it a few months back, but the bastards really pissed me off.

All of my neighbors got a day or two notice. I got an hour and a half. My own fault for answering the phone and saying it was ok, but my own paranoia of them just waltzing in on their own accord scared me to just let them have their way as long as I could be there.

They tried to get me to leave while they did it "Oh, if you want to go to the gym or tanning, don't let us keep you!" uhh no assholes, you aren't getting any chance to go through my stuff or nitpick while I'm not here.

I had an hour and a half notice. Of course the place looked a mess. They bitched at me for not dusting so well, they bitched that my carpet was a little messy, they even went as far as to say "If you don't keep this place clean, it depreciates the value and can lead to long term problems."

I was chewed out for not reporting a burnt out light bulb above the stove that I never ever use. Oh, and it's against the lease to change them yourself you must call us ANY TIME anything doesn't work!! Oh fuck you, I am not letting you just waltz in here any time a light bulb is out so you can come in here. I mean over a damn bulb I was bitched at for not reporting problems!

I don't have anything I shouldn't and I'm not accusing them of being panty sniffers or anything, but good lord.....could they make it anymore obvious that they just want to get in your place and your stuff?

Next time, they will be told they will come in on MY time, and I will be sure to set traps to be sure they aren't trying to get in when I am not around.

[BookstoreEscapee]

You're not allowed to change a light bulb? If I called them for a lightbulb inside my apartment I'm pretty sure they'd laugh.

The only bulbs we ever asked them to change was the one in the stairwell, which is outside the apartment so it's their responsibility, anyway, and is too high to reach without standing on something, which I would not do in the landing at the top of a flight of stairs, anyway.

As much as I am not enamored of my apartment, you all are making me appreciate just a bit more

[evilhomer]

When we lived in a condo, I had it put right in the purchase agreement that one weeks notice must be given before they could enter (exception given for emergencies). Lo and behold, I get that notice on my door saying that they're coming in the next day to inspect something. I place a little notice on my door (pets were allowed in my building): "Please note: as you have not fulfilled your contractual obligation to provide one weeks notice of your intention to enter my unit, I have not had the opportunity to remove my dog from the premises. Please note further, Sid is a trained German Sheppard. He will defend my premises, you will be attacked. Should you choose to ignore this warning, my best advice would be to curl up in a ball in a passive position. With luck, this will allow you to survive until I get home and restrain Sid."

That certainly got there attention because I got a phone call the next day. They tried to bully me with bullshit, I faxed the ammendment to the agreement and told them where to shove their attitude. They gave me a week's notice.

Funny thing was, I don't even have a dog, but they weren't chancing it.

[Sonoma]

I love your idea, Evilhomer. I'm tempted to get one of the "Attack Cat on Duty" signs, but anyone that stumbles upon Sir Fluffembuns (Casey, my avatar) would instantly see that he's just a babydork who would only be harassed for the canned food in the fridge.

[Kogarashi]

I love your idea, Evilhomer. I'm tempted to get one of the "Attack Cat on Duty" signs, but anyone that stumbles upon Sir Fluffembuns (Casey, my avatar) would instantly see that he's just a babydork who would only be harassed for the canned food in the fridge.

What I need are "Attack Children on Duty" signs.

[ApolloSZ]

I've got one

"Attention Mr Burglar. If the dog doesn't eat you alive, your ass is mine."


Although I did always like the "Trespassers will be shot. Survivors will be shot again."

I think I've mentioned the property managers who inspect the flat I live in.
Such wonderful points as "The oven warming tray is getting dirty" were brought up, while they ignored the two years of "There is a leak in the sunroom, the damp spot is spreading along the wall and floor" that we kept reminding them.


Now they've realised... theres a 5cm gap between the floor and the wall
Useless pillocks.

[BookstoreEscapee]

I think I've mentioned the property managers who inspect the flat I live in.
Such wonderful points as "The oven warming tray is getting dirty" were brought up, while they ignored the two years of "There is a leak in the sunroom, the damp spot is spreading along the wall and floor" that we kept reminding them.

Nice...

The first year we lived in our apartment, we had them up a few times to regrout our bathtub, because it kept cracking along the faucet-end and the side wall. Then one night around 9pm we get a knock on the door (which we knew had to be either the downstairs neighbors or maintenance since the outside door locks automatically). It was the night-maintenance guy (who looks really sketchy and reeks of cigarette smoke, but has been very nice) to tell us that the downstairs neighbors had reported a water spot on their ceiling, corresponding with the area just outside the bathroom. By the next week we had a new tub. (Probably didn't hurt that the neighbor's father was the head of maintenance at the time .)

[Eric the Grey]

This last inspection they told me my windows and oven needed to be cleaned better. They gave me a week and came back to inspect it again.

This entire thread has me just flabbergasted. I've rented my entire life, and never once in the time I've lived on my own have I had any kind of inspection. I don't recall it happening when I lived with Mom either, and we've lived in several states (CA, OR, NV and CO).

I cannot think of any worse thing than to have strangers traipsing through my living space for no more reason than to be nosy. Perhaps it is just that here in CO it's not legal, and thus, we don't have them, but then again, I don't recall it from anyplace else.

I do know of one couple (friends of D's) who have semi-regular inspections, but that is from the Low Income housing people, making sure they are not violating their agreements (too many pets, at the least because they have to find someone to keep them on inspection days) but it's not the complex doing it.

I'm sorry for those of you who have to go through it.

Edit: Of course, seeing pictures like this makes this entire post seem redundant...

Eric the Grey

[Kogarashi]

In my case at least, the apartments I've lived in that did inspections were university-approved or university-owned housing, so they want to make sure the tenants aren't trashing the place and aren't living in squalor (and in the uni-approved housing, it was a requirement to maintain "approved" status). I did live in an apartment for one year, the first year I was married, that didn't do inspections at all, but they also didn't need to maintain approved status with the university since they rented to couples and not singles. We just needed to not trash the place.

[Exaspera]

This entire thread has me just flabbergasted. I've rented my entire life, and never once in the time I've lived on my own have I had any kind of inspection. I don't recall it happening when I lived with Mom either, and we've lived in several states (CA, OR, NV and CO).

I cannot think of any worse thing than to have strangers traipsing through my living space for no more reason than to be nosy. Perhaps it is just that here in CO it's not legal, and thus, we don't have them, but then again, I don't recall it from anyplace else.

Same here! The inspections seem to be more focused on housekeeping! Place needs dusting?! DUSTING??!! Come back and do it yourself!!! Maybe I just like dust!

[KellyHabersham]

At my complex, inspections are usually involving someone from the mortgage company which the property owners deal with, so everyone gets a notice because the leasing office manager doesn't know advance which apartments the mortgage people will want to see. This time, however, I'm not sure what the purpose of inspections were, or if they even entered my apartment.

[Primer]

In the 5 years I was in an apartment, maintenance came in once a year, at the beginning of summer, to check the AC filter, and the exterminators came through maybe twice, in total. Maintenance did come by once to replace the 15 yo ceiling fans, but otherwise, they would not come in unless I reported something. I was always given at least 24 hours notice.

As for light bulbs, there was only one that I ever asked them to change. When the front outside light burned out, I could not reach it and I did not have a ladder. I tried a chair, but I could not get the fixture open, and it was still too high for me. I asked them to take care of it. They gave me a little bit of grief over it, but I explained that I just Could. Not. Reach. It. When I got home from work the next day, I had a whole new light fixture!

[Magpie]

I had inspections when I lived in residence, but they were specifically to make sure that the place was clean. Well, that and that we hadn't figured out a way to break the university-issued furniture. I think that the university was still assumed to stand in loco parentis for the people in residence (some of us were minors), and they needed to make sure that we weren't living in filth that would make us ill.

I've never had inspections anywhere else, and a lot of it was student housing. (i.e. the normal off-campus stuff, nothing affiliated with the university). Our property manager needs to come into the apartments every now and then, to bleed the radiators and stuff, but all we need to do is make sure there's no evidence of us breaking our lease around. I'm sure that if we hadn't mentioned the freezer they would have said something after they first showed up, but they didn't leave any notes for us, and our place was a disaster.