Pretty Damn Hard, That's What

To backtrack, we were the ones that had let them have a puppy. They had been our tenants for about three years, and were really nice guys. The puppy though, not so much. They came to us about a year ago and said they would have to move. One of their roommates was moving out, and the girlfriend of an existing tenant was thinking about moving in, but she had a puppy....

We thought about it, I was pregnant with Lucy, the rental market was already starting to look a little dodgy, so we said yes.

Ouch.

So yes. I went upstairs to take a look at the partially vacated apartment and came back to tell Lance, "We're moving to England!" "No need to know why!" "Just pack!"

More medicinal martinis later and he told me we had to be grown-ups, we had to face the destruction of Apt A. He said we couldn't just run away - mostly because there's no suitcase big enough for Anna's collection of princess dresses (true).

The renovations began the minute we got back from the UK. Carpet was installed, paint was applied, surfaces were scoured. A thin trickle of prospective tenants toured. LK was an absolute stud. I can't tell you how much money was saved by him being all manly and scurrying back and forth to the DIY shop. We faced a broken toilet. He figured out it was cheaper to replace the entire toilet than re-order the parts for an old one. So he bought it, and installed it. I know?! How many of you know how to install a toilet? He built drawers after our tenants absconded with a couple from the kitchen. Seriously, what the chuff? Who steals drawers? LK reckons it was easier for them to pack their cutlery that way. That made so much sense I am now suspecting LK to be a drawer-nicker himself.

So yes, there was plastering, and fixing and handiness of all kinds, but it wasn't all sunshine and lollipops for me either. I went to World Market to buy curtains. With a screaming baby. See, I suffered. I bought poo brown curtains to match my mood.

I think the reason I was so disappointed in discovering the state of the place, was not so much the cost (we did have a security deposit), but the time and effort it took to rectify things - you can't after all charge tenants for time wasted in trying to get a place in a decent enough condition to put on the market. Plus I now have tenant-trust issues. Welcome to the real world doe-eyed landlord. I now plan on being a landlord beotch and will scowl if I hear a gnat-fart past 9pm.

We did manage to re-rent the place fairly quickly, but to a less than perfect group of four college lads. And yes, we did get their security deposit and take pictures of the new carpet.

Can't wait to see what they do with the place!