And the saga continues...

[NightWatch]

If anyone recallsthis thread...

So I currently live in a 1 bedroom apartment and am trying to move into a 2 bedroom. I spoke to my landlord Monday, she arranged for me to get a 2bed 2 bath apartment, and I paid her the $300 to secure said apartment. She said to come back today (Friday) and she would show me what was available. So I went to see her today and get told that they rented out all the 2bed apartments YESTERDAY! WTF?? I already paid my money to get my bigger apartment and you just gave it away to someone else??

They said that there is a possibility of a 2bed coming available next week. A) I don't have a fucking week, I have til tuesday when my nephew moves in; and B) I paid for my 2bed long before the people who came in yesterday.

I hate you.... I hope you fall down a well and lassie doesn't save you. Because I'm pretty fucked right now. And I can't just move out, it will cost me almost 2 grand to break my lease.

Any advice would be appreciated right now.

[blas]

I'd see what your legal rights are regarding getting your $300 back.

When I was looking at my current apartment, I gave them half a month's rent to secure the place for myself, to ensure that I got the apartment.

[BookstoreEscapee]

I'd see what your legal rights are regarding getting your $300 back.

Exactly. If they took a deposit and didn't guarantee the place, they should give you the money back. If they don't you may have grounds for getting out of the lease if you find a place somewhere else (though if they don't give back the 300 they'd probably fight you on the lease anyway...). That's pretty crappy of them to do, though.

But if they really are going to be able to give you a bigger apartment soon (and if they say they will give you the next available one, I'd make sure to get it in writing), but not before the kiddo gets there, I'm sure he'd be fine with an airbed or couch for a few days (hopefully the folks at CPS won't have a problem with that if you can be sure you will be getting a bigger place shortly).

Good luck.

[Der Cute]

Hey. One week with nephew in a 1 bd isn't going to kill you.
But yes, get the $300 back.

Craigslist FTW for apts.

Cutenoob

[NightWatch]

I don't mind my nephew crashing my couch until I get the other place. It's just the fact that he hasn't had his own room in quite some time. He had to share his bedroom with his mom's weird-o friends. He wasn't allowed in his room when other people were in there, so he didn't even sleep in his own room. I just want him to immediately have his own space to give him some feeling of security.

The landlord works for a very large company, so she won't be able to get away with much. We're going to have a special little chit chat tomorrow. If she doesn't give me the keys to a place, I'll point out that she is now the one violating the lease agreement. *sigh* Can shit stop raining on my parade now???

[Jester]

Be polite (though firm) when dealing with the woman. Yeah, it sucks, but you have to keep in mind the priority here, which is securing a 2bd quickly and efficiently. And if it is in the same complex, the move will be that much quicker and more efficient.

I am late to this whole saga, but congrats on things working out so well, and you have my absolute respect for doing what you are doing. Not everyone would do that, family or not. I salute you!

And yeah, the kid doesn't get his own room for another week....even your living room is a better place for him than the situation he was in. And then he gets his own room--hooray! Just be patient with him, as he is going to feel a little weird, and may occasionally act out and demand his mother, etc. Even if she is an evil sea hag, she is still his mother, and it's going to be a bit transitional for a while.

Good luck!

[BookstoreEscapee]

If he does have to crash on the couch for a bit, maybe you can do a little shopping together and let him pick out a few things for his room-to-be so he can make it his own little space. I'm sure he's probably scared; it might make him a little more comfortable with everything and give him something to look forward to.

[NightWatch]

If he does have to crash on the couch for a bit, maybe you can do a little shopping together and let him pick out a few things for his room-to-be so he can make it his own little space. I'm sure he's probably scared; it might make him a little more comfortable with everything and give him something to look forward to.

We went to Ikea and he picked out all his bedroom stuff already. He has surprisingly good taste for an 8 year old. Although, he mostly likes black, so it's hard to go wrong with that color. At least in my opinion.
But then again, he likes going to punk shows and gets upset if he can't do his hair in a mohawk. Yeeeahhh.. he's definitely my nephew (NW likes the black stuff and punk rock and what nots). Although I swear I didn't give him these ideas.

Anyway, I spoke to my landlord this morning. I was somewhat polite, but it was apparent I was still seething. They had a guy move out of a 2bedroom apartment today. They said it normally wouldn't be ready until the 13th, but I made them promise it would be ready to move in by Monday.

I'm still a little irritated because I specifically asked for a 2bed 2bath but all they had left was a 2bed 1 bath. It's a small concession, I know, but when they gave my apartment to someone else after I already paid for it, it irks me just a touch.

[Der Cute]

I'm glad it's starting to iron out..even if things aren't perfect, he's going to appreciate it. Really.

Little guy's 8? And is punky already? wow. Hehe have him do a history essay on goth. :P

Have you lined up lawyer time and doctor checkup time too? I hope so. And give the Little Guy a high five from Antie Cutenoob. I like kids with their own style & opinions.

Take care,

Cutenoob

[MaggieTheCat]

I too am late to this story, but glad to hear about what you're doing. And doubly glad that you got your 2bedroom apartment secured! As far as having 1 less bath than you expected -- do the security deposits change depending on the size/room number of the apartments? If so, make sure to get whatever they owe you back. For example, if the 2bdroom 2bath is $300 but the 2bedroom 1bath is only $250, make sure to get your $50 back! Also make sure they give you the correct lease to sign as far as what your rent is going to be, and make sure it's not whatever the rent is for a 2bed 2bath!

Good luck!

[gremcint]

does the deposit count towards rent? if not I'd still fight for it because you put down a deposit on a 2bed 2bath and you didn't get it.

[BookstoreEscapee]

But then again, he likes going to punk shows and gets upset if he can't do his hair in a mohawk. Yeeeahhh.. he's definitely my nephew (NW likes the black stuff and punk rock and what nots). Although I swear I didn't give him these ideas.

Hehe, I'm no punk but I like this kid! I saw a little guy about that age with a mohawk the other day. He was cute.

do the security deposits change depending on the size/room number of the apartments?

In my apartment-hunting experience the security deposit is generally tied to the amount of rent. When we moved in the security was one and a half month's rent. When we renewed the lease, the rent went up $22, and we had to pay an extra $33 in security deposit at that time.

[MaggieTheCat]

In my apartment-hunting experience the security deposit is generally tied to the amount of rent. When we moved in the security was one and a half month's rent. When we renewed the lease, the rent went up $22, and we had to pay an extra $33 in security deposit at that time.

That's similar to the way it was at my apartment complex that I used to live in, too, except the security deposit equaled 1 month's rent. A 1 bedroom lower was something like $550/month, and the security deposit was $550 as well. The 1 bedroom uppers, however, we slightly bigger than the lowers, so they were like $575/month, so the security deposit was $575.

However, my husband's apartment's security deposit was only like $250 and our rent is significantly higher, so I think it must vary from complex to complex.

[NightWatch]

I'm just moving into a bigger apartment in the same complex. So the transfer fee is a fixed rate. From what I understand, a 2bed 2bath and 2bed 1 bath in my complex are the same rent per month because they're the same size. The only difference is if you get the 1 bath, the area where the second bath would be is a walk in closet instead.

Cutenoob, we haven't lined up any of those appointments because his mom has sort of disappeared on us. We are trying to get her to sign a document that states she is handing over custody, which we will have notarized. That's the temporary arrangement until we get an appointment with a good lawyer. She answers her phone on occasion still, but won't respond to anyone asking for the custody document. I hear she's living with her tattoo artist now, and he's not exactly a great guy (and his art sucks too!). I imagine now that she has no real tie to reality, she may just slip away. Lord knows if she'll take the effort to recover. She was supposedly going to see little K every day this week for a visit, but hasn't shown up at all.

I'm giving the munchkin a huge hug next time I see him. If DCFS finds out she isn't even trying to be involved in his life, she'll have hell to pay I'm sure.

Anyway, now that I know what's going on with living arrangments and what not, it should be mostly smooth sailing. So tonight, I pack. Le sigh. I'll let ya'll know if any serious drama happens though, and the final outcome on custody/lawyer deal stuff. Though that could be months away from definite.

[gremcint]

Get that paper signed, it may be years but if you don't it probably will come back to bite you. Also I foresee the kid acting out in the future, maybe see if there are any activitis he likes that you could get him started in (anything from painting to bowling) that way he'll have an outlet for these feelings that would be productive rather than destructive. I think the kid is probably going to be alright but almost every kid reaches a point where they want to act out (usually right after twelve years old and right before twenty) and if he has something to focus on outside of school it probably will be good for him. It will also help him to make friends hopefully. Me I bowled for over ten years and played magic the gathering rather regularly.