yet also
at the same time!
Here's the story:
Monday 12 Feb - I hand into the Real Estate Agent my lease to re-new for a further six months.
Tuesday 13 Feb - I get a 'friendly' phone call from the RE Agent to inform me that I have been given a Notice To Leave. They even pointed out that they had 'hand delivered' one of the notices on Friday 9th into the mail box. Since I don't get much mail to my home address for security reasons I don't check my home mail box often around once a fortnight. I had no idea about this "Notice To Leave". I subsequently after the phone call checked the mail box and there they were... and it stated we had to be out of this unit by 5pm Wed 21st Feb.
The hunt for a new place and the stress that goes along with it (and I was STRESSED!!!!!!) started for me the next day.
Oh yeh we had also asked for an extention of approx. 5 days on that notice so then we could have plenty of enough time to find a place and move.
Fast fwd to Friday 16th Feb.
Fri 16 Feb: In the morning I had received news I was denied two properties. So I was a bit down on myself and in a little bit of a state of panic because it was Friday and both my flatmate and myself had to be out of the current place by Wednesday. I couldn't book any removalists or anything because I hadn't secured a place. Then Friday afternoon I received a phone call that I had been approved for one of the many properties that I had applied for that week. I took it. I paid for the bond on the spot as the money was already in my account waiting for me to use it.
By the end of Friday I had not heard back in re: an extention so I naturally assumed I wasn't granted it. Just like anyone else in my situation would .. right?
Sat 17 Feb: Due to time ticking ever so closer to the deadline of Wednesday and the joy at having secured a place (it wasn't totally ideal.. it was a much smaller unit, furnished and higher rent, carpets etc... the only good things were that it was real close to the vet - one street away - and the neighbours beside and below us were all pretty kewl)... I went into the RE Agent office first thing (as soon as they opened) and signed the lease agreement so I could start moving pronto!
Sunday 18 Feb: Started moving.
Monday 19 Feb: Secured a storage shed as I thought at the time because of the smaller unit and it being partly furnished I would be needing the storage shed to store my 'excess' furniture amongst other items (all boxed). Paid for a fortnight's worth of hire. Organised the removalists for this Wednesday. Organised "tenants cleaners" (they do what is called a "bond clean" ... clean the place top to bottom including carpets ready for inspection) for Thursday as they would need a good 6-8 hours access to the unit and by that time (at the time when I made the booking) the furniture and everything was basically going to be gone. I was going to be out of the unit by Wednesday 5pm.
SAME DAY
I receive a phone call from the Real Estate Agent of my current unit (not the one I was about to move within) informing me that in the end that my lease renewal was acceptable.
I WAS ROPE-ABLE!! I WAS SO PISSED OFF I WAS SPEECHLESS!!!!!!!!!
All that was going thru my head was "NOW You tell me... almost a week after I handed the lease signed and ready for renewal a week ago... making me panic.... making me think I needed to be out of this unit by Wednesday... making me spend thousands of dollars .... NOW YOU TELL ME IT IS OKAY TO STAY?!?!"
So I took a moment and had to make a decision. Do I stay or do I not break my current lease for the new place ... do I continue moving since things had been set in motion ? I had decided to continue with the move as I had made the committment both in writing and financially plus secured a storage shed because of the smaller unit etc etc.
A few more hours pass.... I get a phone call from the owner. He has always had my number and I have always had his. He asked me what was happening as to his surprise I was being asked to leave. He plea-ed with me to stay ("stay as long as you like" his exact words). He didn't want me to go. The owner does like us and we don't have any problems with the owner. It seems the RE Agent had given us the Notice To Leave without ever informing him about it all. It was only today that he found out and not from the RE Agent (the neighbours below us who own both the bottom units saw that we were in the process of moving and were a little surprised themselves).
All this time both my flatmate and myself were under the distinct impression we were being kicked out (this was a theory) because the owner wanted to reno the unit so he could ask for a much higher rent than he could get out of us legally via a lease (as you can only increase rent by a certain amount each time the lease is renewed).
We had come to that conclusion based on the fact that I personally had seen how competative the rental market locally was that past week attending upteen amount of inspections !!!
BTW, we had boarded the cats (remember mine is ill still and my flatmate's cat is diabetic) at the vet since Saturday. I visited them both twice today.. by myself and then with my flatmate. My cat was doing alright there (she really does know the place and people well enough now) whereas my flatmate's cat (Puddy) really really didn't like being there. He doesn't like cages or anything that confines him too much. Plus he would've been missing us and his familiar environment.
So there is a cost I'm not going to re-coup! Grr. Not to mention all the wear and tear on my car!!!!!!! ARGH! The petrol I had used!!! Fuck.
So now we are going to stay. The owner now wants to deal with us directly and not have to work thru a real estate agent again thanks to this whole 'adventure' ... I'll know more tomorrow.
Yes that means I am breaking lease at the other place. Yes I am going to 'pay' for it financially because I'm breaking a contract as such .. even if I havn't spent a full week there or even moved in completely (I would say we were close to half moved in). I just hope I can still have the keys for two more days so I can remove what I had moved in ... as I will still use the removalists as I still need them to lug all my stuff I want to put into storage. I will try to move most or all the rest of everything tomorrow back home here.
The stress. The financial drain. The money I am now never ever going to see again. I am so over all this....
I'm staying even tho' I don't totally love the unit I'm within because the owner said he would be willing to go cheaper on the rent because he won't have to pay the RE Agent anymore so I will definately stay for that reason.
I'll also still get the cleaners in to clean the carpets even tho' I'm going to stress to the owner now that I'm dealing with him direct that the carpets desparately need replacing from seven years worth of wear and tear as well as the bathroom needs to be urgently looked at since the tiles etc are starting to come off the wall.



yet also
at the same time!
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