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Ridiculous Apt Management!

Just got a ridiculous $25 fee for a first time notice of leaving a trash bag out in front of my door to dispose of later. The Apt Management also says that we cant have plants on the balcony ( only furniture ) This place is ridiculous!!! I may rent but this is my home!!! ! A bad review will follow!!! Furthmore, they say we have to follow these rules or will be forced to vacate. Looks like I have a bone to pick with the management tomorrow!!
 
i would read line by line your renter agreement. im betting you can wiggle out of that fee. IE not pay it without consequences. depending on what state you live in, they cant just up and kick you out without the proper steps.

if i was you, i would use a box of trash bags to build some kind of huge monstrosity in your front yard, or wrap your windows with black plastic or aluminum foil. then go to the trash dump to obtain and stack up patio furniture on your balcony.

better yet, put your patio furniture inside black trash bags.
 
Make planters out of patio furniture.

See if an old toilet qualifies as patio furniture.

I've seen people use toilet tanks and bowls as novelty planters before.

Old wire spools as tables with the center filled with dirt and a plant coming out the center hole...

I'm sure you could find stuff to plant in that would qualify as furniture that could double as planters too.

Bean bag chair filled with soil so you can still sit on it but plant in it too.

Hanging , Topsy turvey planters made out of old underware... put a grow bag in a pair of boxers. :)
 
Sucks to hear that, I'm lucky that the lady who set us up to get the apartment let's me put plants outside even on the stair railing.

I just told her, " I want to decorate my apartment stairs so that it looks nice and green" , and she says "SURE no prob".

Like "thismembername" said. Read and know your rights before anything.

Who even reads that big stack of papers they give you when you get your apartment.

If they say anything I just tell them, " My bad I'll fix it", and I leave it as it is. They don't care or they're lazy to come and tell me again.

Anyway, good luck with the battle.

, Vegas
 
Good Call Vegas!!! I think they might be cool with letting me keep my plants outside. If I cannot due to the lame management. I can keep them at work or grow inside my apartment! Thanks for the replies!

Make planters out of patio furniture.

See if an old toilet qualifies as patio furniture.

I've seen people use toilet tanks and bowls as novelty planters before.

Old wire spools as tables with the center filled with dirt and a plant coming out the center hole...

I'm sure you could find stuff to plant in that would qualify as furniture that could double as planters too.

Bean bag chair filled with soil so you can still sit on it but plant in it too.


Haha I may have to try that!

Hanging , Topsy turvey planters made out of old underware... put a grow bag in a pair of boxers. :)
 
Good Call Vegas!!! I think they might be cool with letting me keep my plants outside. If I cannot due to the lame management. I can keep them at work or grow inside my apartment! Thanks for the replies!

The only drag is bringing them inside and take em out. What the heck!! It's all worth it in the end!

Besides what's a hobby without any dedication?

Who says it's hard too keep plants in a apartment? (depends on your renter/lease :()

I have plants in my balcony, some in my dinning area and some more on the stairs LOL!!! Its just too addicting :D.

I'll post pics later.

, Vegas
 
Get an old lounge chair,a pair of old jeans , an old nylon winbreaker and a plastic jack o lantern (for using to put candy in).
Sew the jeans to the wind breaker.
Set it on the lounge chair aqnd fill with potting soil.
put plants in pant leg bottoms,knees,fly and windbreaker sleeve ends.Use plastic jack o lantern as the head and put a plant there too.
Trim your plants Bonzi Style to forn LARGE feet,hands and an Afro for the head.
Make the plant in the fly look like a guy is laying on the chair with a plant on his lap...or give the scarecrow boobs and say she has a hairy bush...LOL
Cal it a Patio sculpure...any rules against that in the rental agreement?

Actually,in reality,poking a sleeping dog with a stick isn't a good idea, unless you don't mind being fined for breathing their air or?? or being evicted and want to have fun on your way out the door.
 
Some renters can be complete douchebags and racist.

Just figure out your rights, and go from there. If you can have plants or some limited types of things in your balcony.

Tell those SOB, I'm calling your agency or head of management (whatever I can't remember)..

Apartment communities have someone on top of them. They're not the owners, they're only there to enforce their rules and policies and of course rent to people.

If you have rights, they're powerless against you. They probably just think you don't know the book (rules and policies), and just want to take you for a fool.

Get informed, and stand up to those SOB, because it is RIDICULOUS!

, VEGAS
 
Some people want to get involved in your life. I had an apartment where maintanence was constantly in my apartment when I was at work. If I made a mess in the kitchen and left it for a day I would get a notice I needed to correct the situation. I went to a shooting match in the rain when i got back i set my rounds next to a vent to dry them off. I got a notice that I had created a dangerous situation.

Well I was leaving for Christmas. I went to Radio Shack and bought some buzzers, batteries and wire. I wired up some of my storage so that the buzzers, once triggered, would blare until you disassembled the device or the batteries ran dead.

They tripped them. I had a talk with management. They denied anyone had been in my apartment. I went over how they can't stay out of my apartment blah blah. They denied it. Then they asked me if I was going to renew. I regret not asking them to call the cops and pushing it further. I didn't have any problems for the next few months until my lease expired

Anyway, if they are busy bodies giving them more reason to get you is just going to encourage them. Just focus on somehting that is going to get you money or tang
 
It's illegal for a landlord to randomly/at a whim enter your apt. whenever they want to.

Unless there is a valid reason - gas leak - water leak , smoke pouring out under the door,dead body smells etc.
They are required to give notice in advance for repairs etc.AND give you the option of possobly setting up(not always possible) ,within reason ,a time when you can have some one present when your apt. is entered.

Renters DO have rights.
You can expect a reasonable degree of privacy and safety for you and your belongings.

I've managed several apt. buildings and at least in this state,I could literally have been arrested for illegal entry for going into any apartment for no valid reason(emergency) or without prior notice being given to the tenant beforehand.
I'm not sure if written notice is required,but any building I managed,the owners insisted on EVERYTHING being on paper in case some one complained about not knowing about entry into their apt. for any reason other than an emergency.
Might be only in this state but I doubt it.I'm sure all states have similar laws...
 
This was ~10 years ago in Missouri. There is no doubt they can't open my cabinets. I don't know if, at the time, entering my apartment without prior notification was illegal. Like I said I regret not calling the cops.

An interesting thing is they would give us maintenance notification. Yet they would enter my apartment outside the time specified.
 
smokemaster is right, that's how it was in texas too. they have to let you know.

Unfortunately in Texas law does not require them to give advance notice, only provide a written notice that they made entry unless otherwise specified in your lease.

Austin Tenants Council said:
Does the Landlord Have to Give Advance Notice?
Many tenants believe the landlord is required to give 24 hours notice before entering the rental unit but this is not true. As with many questions previously addressed in this brochure, the landlord is only obligated to give advance notice if required under the lease. If the lease does not require advance notice and it appears the landlord is taking advantage of this, the tenant may request in writing that the landlord only enter after giving advance notice, for example, 24 hours. The tenant may also request that the tenant be present when the landlord enters the unit. The TAA lease does not require advance notice, but it does require the landlord to leave a written notice of the entry afterwards only if no one is in the unit at the time of entry.


http://www.housing-r....org/entry.html

I know this because I dealt with this situation when living in Waco. I was living in apartments that were located near campus & the landlords were terrible. Entering at all times of the day without advance notice, sometimes without even knocking. One particular incident that pissed me clean off was right before Thanksgiving one year. It was the Tuesday before Thanksgiving & most people had already left during break but since my parents lived so close I wasn't going to head down til Wednesday.

Well about 9pm Tuesday night I'm sitting in my living room watching TV when the door opens & in walks apartment management. No knock, no anything. Apparently they were there to check the bathroom in my roommate's side of the apartment (these apartments had 4 rooms w/ individual leases since it was designed for student housing).

This was the last straw so when I left on Wednesday I locked the deadbolt & climbed out through the window & replaced the screen. When I got back on Saturday the window was locked, the deadbolt was unlocked, a few of my drawers were open & my sheet was halfway off my bed.

I immediately stormed into the office & it took every ounce of willpower I had to not beat the living hell out of the manager on duty. Ended up getting police involved and since they hadn't left a note saying they had made entry I was able to break my lease without penalty & had them return my deposit in full & moved out the very next day.
 
Best of luck with this megahot! Not allowed plants on the balcony is bullshit! I remember when i was renting in an apartment building and got a fine and a strata letter saying that my car was leaking oil in my parking spot i paid for in the underground parking. So i went down to the underground parking lot with my camera and took over 20 pictures of other parking stalls with the same or much more oil damage to the parking stalls.

I wrote a letter to strata asking why do i have to pay this fine and why did i get a letter in the mail when a 1/3rd of our entire underground parking looks like my parking stall or worse? I also added the 20+ parking stall numbers of other offenders and would like to know if they have been given the same treatment as me? I invited my strata to my apartment and let them know i have a big screen tv that i would love to show a slide show of these pictures i have taken of the underground parking spots and maybe you could explain this to me in more detail.

I never paid the fine and never got anymore letters about my parking spot.

Keep us updated and i hope it all blows over and you can continue growing hot peppers outside. :)
 
Places I managed didn't really hassle small plants unless they weren't secured.

They also didn't like big pots-water damage/rust spots when the pot was gone etc. tenant moved out.

Ruined carpets from house plants (FN rubber trees,mother in laws tongue,donkey tails/hanging indoor plants)that got over watered every so often was a problem,especially with renters that only stayed a year or less.

New carpet with water stains in the corners cost $ to re carpet.
Can't patch it due to fading/matching the color.
Some guys put pots on balcony rails that fell in the wind.

I didn't hassle people who kept a low profile.

If when the owner came by and said anything then I had to fix whatever the guy didn't like.

Low profile worked for the people who used their heads,idiots got hassled.
 
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