Please help Ellie move
Please help Ellie move
Please help Ellie move
Please help Ellie move
Please help Ellie move
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Please help Ellie move
I have been a renter for 20 years and have done well with rent payments, clean depatures, and complete adherence to the law. In January and February of this year, I could not afford rent. By the end of February, which was at the end of the lease anyway, the landlords (who were new to the whole thing) decided to launch an eviction process. It was within their right to do, although the whole process took a month longer than the lease ending and we had been moved out, at their request, at the end of our lease. Even though they were not being the best about it, we did owe them two months rent, and we were going to be as cooperative as possible.
With the eviction, we were assessed the owed rent and we paid it immediately, thanks to a friend. Unfortunately, we still have an eviction on our records and this makes renting another home from a property management company, real estate company, and most savvy landlords difficult. We have to find sympathetic landlords who understand we've met our financial obligation. With the demand for rental properties in our community and our deadline to homelessness drawing close, we did not have the time to find sympathetic landlords. This is what brought our family of six (part-time seven) to rent from a less-than-ethical and less-than-law-abiding landlord in a 2/1 home under 1000sqft.
I do not mind the small size, honestly. I have been having a lot of fun making the most of my space as recommended by the Tiny House movement. We do pay an additional $300/month in storage to hold what will not fit in our home and we cannot sell.
However, it is not all a fun adventure. I do mind the busted septic system that the landlord refuses to fix.
We argued with the landlord for a month to try to get him to fix the septic system before we started exercising our right under the law to Withhold Rent until the repair is done. A complaint was filed with Code Enforcement, who has roped off the dangerous area of our yard, and they are monitoring and enforcing repair of the property. This could take months. Code Enforcement warned us about our landlord and the retaliation that he has been known to do, including shutting off utilities. We have seen some intimidation, threats, and retaliation so far but those are being handled appropriately. We are 100% within our rights under the law.
So, against all odds, we have to move. The kids really want to move. "You're the only one who likes this house, you know," my daughter said to me one day. It is not that I like this house. I actually don't. It is that I like that we have a home and I take pride in my home, even if I do not own it. I am grateful there is a roof. But we need a septic system, too, and my kids deserve much more than this.
We have a right to move due to the landlord violating the lease. We just have to give 30 days notice.
Moving is not that expensive compared to many other things, like buying a home, hiring lawyers, buying a car, getting a year's higher education, or paying off an ER visit. The challenge is really finding a place, which is something only I can do. Unfortunately, affording a move feels like someone is asking us to buy a Lexus. We do not have the means.
We just did this move on March 10th. We have not even crawled out from under the bills that ran amok while we were affording the move into this house. My husband works full time selling cars and is doing well - I am proud of him - but it is not enough to cover these inflated bills yet, let alone start a savings. I have been diligently job searching and have been working to earn what I can through the means available to me at this time, which includes internet-based gigs. We have already sold everything that we could sell, most of which was to fund the bills and move into this place.
To give you an idea of how much we are wasting right now in an attempt to get by, we are currently paying $805 for this place, plus an additional $300 for storage. Our electric bill is $100 higher than normal because the a/c unit is 45 years old, the windows and doors are not sealed, and some windows do not even close ($350). Our water bill is $50 higher than normal because all the plumbing is original to the 1970 construction and is poorly maintained ($110). We are currently being buried with mandatory expenses over $1500 (without counting internet, phone, or food) for what could very literally be described as a "shit hole".
l am asking for help to make this move possible.
I am asking for the amount necessary to pay first month rent, last month rent, and a security deposit in the amount of a rent payment for a home that is $1000 or under. $1000/month is our rent maximum (and that appears to be the minimum now for a 3/2/2). F/L/S is what most landlords want for move-in.
There is an additional $2000 for switching utilities, affording local movers, purchasing boxes if I cannot get enough free ones and other moving materials, and any additional deposit for pets or if the landlord wants security in the amount of a month and a half due to our eviction.
(Our credit is Good so that won't be an issue in renting. We have considered a mortgage and I would love to own, even a mobile or manufactured home, but we do not have money for a mortgage downpayment and I am completely sure the eviction would disqualify us.)
I am setting our Surrender Date for July 1 with the goal to prorate a home by June 15. With the help of meeting this goal, this move can be accomplished.
Thank you for reading and considering.