Of landlords and previous tenants…

When I first met my new landlord, he seemed to make a good and honest impression onto me. The apartment I visited also looked pretty great, while still furnished. He also warned me that the current tenant is a bit moody due to ostensible relationship problems. Which turned out to be very possible, since her eyes could harpoon Moby Dick while we were checking the place out.

Fast forward a month, the apartment is mine. First thing I notice, ignoring all the door frames that don’t seem to have been cleaned in years and general nitpicks all over the place, is a room whose corners are nicely stricken with mold. Hell, whatever, it’s only this room and it doesn’t look that bad. Off to renovating this place…

Another two weeks later, I run across the previous tenant. She apparently takes care of an old lady in the same house. Turns out there never where any relationship problems. Matter of fact, the couple bought a new single home across the street. Not only that, but she’s joking about the mold and telling me horror stories about the rest of the apartment and general state of the roof, and asking me why I didn’t talk much to her, with me quoting what the landlord said.

Now here I am. Pretty miffled about all this.

For one, my landlord bullshitted me. No relationship problems whatsoever. Having casually talked to some people on the road by now, it seems it was well-known that the couple bought the house. It’s a small town, the landlord should have known. Instead he bullshitted me.

Then, ostensibly the bedroom was affected in the near past, too, which she supposedly fixed by replacing the plaster, but claiming that it started coming through again. I didn’t notice  anything and may take a while to do so again, considering I’ve painted over it. I can live with a single room being affected, especially because it’s a relatively small room. The bedroom however not, fuck that.

Meanwhile, checking some things out, like the state of the roof, which doesn’t match the claims of the women, then hammering a hole into the wall down to the foundation, not feeling anything moist or wet (maybe I’m wrong), I’m not sure what to think. Maybe she’s trash talking about the landlord. After all, she kind of let me know that she and him didn’t exactly go well together (mild understatement). But there’s that one room with mold…

Again, here I am. I don’t know what to think. It appears that two people are bullshitting me here in parallel. I’m not really happy with the current situation, especially considering the work I’ve already put into the place.

Luckily, two virtually certainly available parachute options open up in spring next year. Should any mold come back through, I’m out for sure. If it shouldn’t, I think I’ll bail anyway, since both apartments are the same price, at least as large if not larger and most importantly newer and in a better general state.

Moving twice within more or less half a year, I guess. Sigh.