Still Floaty

Nothing happened yesterday, but we were really busy doing it or so it seemed. I have no clue why I completely spaced posting. There's a first time for everything I guess.

Went to the landlord's office today and he demanded $400 security deposit for my rats. I've had them the whole time I've lived here, they were on my lease before, and I didn't have to pay a deposit, but suddenly, I have to pay $100 a pop for privilege of pet ownership according to him. *rolls eyes*

I went in several weeks ago and talked about how we wouldn't be in this situation if we had signed the cracked lease to begin with, and was shown via the secretary's computer that the lease now made more sense, and the crack had been removed. That has to be said before I begin this.

Friday is the busy day at the office, so I intended to get in and out of there with the minimum amount of fuss, and leave with a signed lease and a key so we could finally start moving to the new place. Well the plan worked in technicality, but not in spirit.

See, I thought I was going to sign the non-cracked lease, so after negotiating booku cash layout for our furry friends, and forcing him to reword several parts of the lease for me, I signed it without reading it, took the key to the new place, and left. Little did I know, they had pulled a bait and switch on me.

They had showed me a good, reasonable lease, sure, but had given me the cracked one to sign. For the only time in my life, I didn't look over a contract in detail before I signed it, and now we may be seriously screwed.

It took me about 3 minutes once I returned home to find the problems, and I immediately returned to the office and said that the lease needed reworked. I detailed concisely, and in quick succession, what the worst problems were with the lease, much to the dismay of the woman I was so friendly with a mere 10 minutes earlier. As the landlord wasn't there and couldn't rework the lease with me, I took the next best option and removed the key from my keyring and placed it back on the desk. I told the secretary that I would not keep the key or begin moving any of my possessions over to the new residence as that would signal additional acceptance of the terms of the lease, and then I left.

If they don't let me out of this lease, or at least seriously rework it to my liking, I'll be out a good $6000 minimum. (That's the rent for a year and the pet deposit).

In addition to those costs, the lease I accidentally signed states that I am mandated to trim their trees, clean their gutters, have a yearly service contract with a heating repair company, repair or replace their appliances should they break, have renter's insurance (and prove it), and have written permission to own a truck and park it in my driveway if I choose to buy one. That's the worst of it.

There is even a spot in the lease where part of a complete sentence is missing. Nothing there, not even a period, just gone. There are smaller things, like a suggestion that I acquire a service contract with RotoRooter, have to have written permission to put in my washing machine or have electric space heaters in the house and such. The lease also states that I acknowledge things as true that are blatantly false, like 'the unit has been fumigated in the last 30 days and is insect and wildlife free', 'the unit has a fire extinguisher and carbon monoxide detectors', and 'the drains have been cleaned and serviced by Roto Rooter in the last 30 days'.

To top it all off, there is a clause that states "If any part of this lease is not legal according to local laws, the rest of the lease will be unaffected.". In several spots in the lease it states that my not abiding by any part of the lease constitutes my breaking it, and will result in the lease being broken, as well as my being asked to leave. So Mr. landlord can do whatever the hells he wants, but I am screwed three ways 'till next millennium. Funny stuff, that.

I'm going in tomorrow and requesting their copy of the lease so I may dispose of it. Last thing I need is them having any evidence of me being contractually obligated to them for anything beyond what I have already given during my lease period at this current rental unit. It might not work, but their policies are so absurd and strange, that I may indeed be able to pull it off with enough happy and friendly hidden up my sleeves.

Pray, wish me luck, light candles or bonfires, whatever suits you and your faith, I'm going to need all the help I can get.