This house is pretty much an old dump. But at $210 per week when literally it is a bidding market to try and get a place, we took what we could get.
3rd december 2007 : first formal complaint about a whole NEST of dirty diseased flying rat pigeons living in my roof. Now they arent making their happy lil house ON my roof, but in the small crawl space between the ceiling and the roof. Their noises have actually woken my partner and myself up from a pretty good sleep.
Laying in our bed we can heard them scrabbling coo-ing endlessly. I know there has been at least 4 separate hatchings of eggs [six now], as i've found their discarded egg shells on the ground. They get in and out of the roof right near my back door, which for the majority of the time, no matter how recently we have washed it, is COVERED and literally DRIPPING with pigeon crap allllll the way down it.
I can hear them scrabbling above my stove while i am cooking dinner.
My husband has gotten numerous respiratory illnesses which i believe is directly related to our bed located beneath their filth
So!!! 3rd December 2007, first formal complaint lodged with the real estate.
Fast forward 6 weeks approximately the 17th January, and we get an inspection of the house by the real estate, to make sure we arent running a brothel out of here or something.
I again mention the pigeons and state the health risks and the whole fire hazard thing. She says that they are trying but its very hard to get someone to deal with the removal and eradication of the flying rats. ( *cough cough* bullshit).
I also mention (complain) about the leaking tap in the bathroom, the shower head actually. NOw this tap is leaking at a rate of about 1 litre per minute, give or take.
Several days later we receive a call fro the real estate that the owner is going to come around to have a look at the pigeons ( that is, to make sure we arent lying and that he'll get his money's worth for the effort).
He never shows up. I know because i waited all day for him.
5th Feb. Now the insinkerator ( a brand name for a garbage disposal unit attached to the sink) has blocked up. And its died. We flick the switch to try and unclog it, and it blows the fuses - repeatedly. Ok, fair enough, i hate that thing from the first so i dont care if it doesnt work. But i need to be able to use the kitchen sink. So i place my hand over the drain hole thing, and kinda pump it a couple times to try and dislodge whatever is causing it to block. YEA!!!!!! Its cleared. So i am very happy and immediately do all the dishes from the past few days that i didnt get a chance to do.
Then i totter off downstairs to do my clothes washing....and I noticed there is lots and lots of water and foam under the house. I race upstairs...... and discover now the insinkerator unit is leaking. Profusely. I turn the water on, and it literally runs straight thru the machine and onto the floor under the sink... which then leaks it all downstairs.
I panic because i dont want to wreck the floor or anything, so we stop using the sink and i use the bathroom sink to do the dishes in ( which sucks btw).
6th Feb. We go into the real estate and submit a repair request form, stating the sink, and how its leaking completely and flooding under the house, and label it "URGENT REPAIR" and we also make another complaint about the shower head. Keep in mind that i have also written how i CAN NOT USE THE KITCHEN SINK IN ANY FORM!!!
11th Feb. We receive a phone call stating that the owner will come around to fix the since. We said, ok cool, we'll be here except for noon wen we have a Dr appt to which they replied that the owner has his own keys so he'll let himself in.
He didnt show.
11th Feb. Late late afternoon, early evening: We've heard reports of a storm with strong winds. Not a warning yet, but just to be ready for a storm. We hear a loud crash and we go investigate. Part of the roof sheeting has lifted off. If that was all, it would be fine (except for where the piece would land) but no, it is still attached to the rest of the roofing sheets, and it is slowly peeling these off too, like an old fashioned sardine can. The trusses are exposed and parts of the ceiling. The roof is ever so slowly being exposed more and more.
We contact the real estate after hours emergency line, and the very nice and helpful young woman sounded very concerned and went to contact their guy who fixes that sort of stuff.
LEss than 15 mins later she calls back, she cant get in contact with him. She has also been inundated with calls from many other tenants who are having problems. She promises to try every number in her repairs contacts list.
Calls back again 20 mins later. She cannot get a hold of any one. She said that the best she can personally do right now is to get someone out first thing in the morning to fix it, and if it gets too bad to call the SES for help.
We totally understand and in no way think it is any of her fault. She was very helpful and concerned. We explained everything to her about it, such as the fact that there is a 2 m piece that is hanging off, still connected enough to pull the rest of the sheet with it, but the main long pointy part... is aimed at our neighbours house, who is only maybe three meters away, who have a very nice house, with a baby in the room closest to our house. I also stated that it is does completely come off, it WILL hit their house. I am positive that it was only this part that got thru to the owner at all, the threat of a lawsuit from non-tenants because of carelessness and neglect.
12th Feb. Around noon we get a call from the real estate, the owner is coming around to fix it. (now, i am some what doubtful as i recall the many other times he was supposed to come around and fix things, hence the pigeons that are still happily nesting in our roof).
But surprise, he does show up........... and takes a look......... and says he'll get someone out to fix it.
Now, whats the bet that no one will show up? I so doubt he will ever fix anything. ( oh and while he was here for the whole 2.5 seconds, he did not mention the pigeons nor the sink. I AM SO SICK OF DOING MY DISHES IN THE BATHROOM SINK!!!!!!! THERE IS NOT ENOUGH ROOM IN THERE!!!!!!!)
We just want to move tho, this house is so bad, the pigeons are making us sick, the hallway to the toilets has exposed wires (which i also think was done illegally, as in, without a building permit) and the roof in that hall way.. is just a roof!!!! A piece of corrugated iron. No ceiling or anything, which is also so rusted that you literally need an umbrella to walk thru it to the toilet if it is raining..... and you had better make DAMN sure that you dont turn the light on while you are wet and standing in 2 inchs of water.
We've taken photos of the roof, and tomorrow we are taking photos of everything we can possibly document.
I also aim to contact the council regarding what i believe are illegal extensions of the toilet, plus the sink and drain in the bathroom that just go no where, the drain ends about 15 inches above a garden under the house.... now that CAN NOT be legal can it?, and the general livability of this place. It is not fit to rent at all.
And some other minor annoyances, during the last bout of heavy rain, the ceiling paint in our bedroom started bubbling and blistering... which my husband said meant that there was raining getting inside the ceiling and we had to move all our stuff in case the ceiling started leaking. I guess we'll get photos of that too. (Again informed the real estate).
We have also been informed by our neighbours that after the last set of repairs done on this house, the contractor stated that he recommended that this place be condemned.
It is now the 20th Feb. Nothing has been fixed what so ever. Nothing at all. After contacting the rental authorities, all the forms and requests thru the real estate for URGENT repairs.... do not mean shit. They are not worth the paper they are written on nor the time to try and write neatly.
Basically, and please be patient with me, I have found out that the only way to get anything done is to file a Remedy of Breach form...... We still have 3 weeks left on our lease, i would like to be able to use the sink at some point, i would honestly HATE for the next tenants to come in here with all this crap broken and not be aware of it. however i am worried that if i do file a form, then the real estate will hamper my chances of finding another place elsewhere. And i KNOW that officially the real estate arent allowed to bias potential owners away from you, but come on now.....
That is my sole concern, i've learnt to dodge sparking light switches with water dripping off it, i've learnt how to fit a stock pot into a bathroom sink to wash.... but i dont want the real estate bad mouthing me and ruining my chances of some where nicer and having to be stuck here.
Should i bother filing any forms? I have lived with this crap with long enough and as long as the roof actually stays on, then we should be fine, SO do i bother making the owner fix anything or not?
I honestly dont know if i should look after ourselves first, or if we should watch out for others who dont know about any of this?
Help?
In short= my real estate and the owner of my house are evil. Should i make them fix stuff and thus having a properly functioning house for 3 whole weeks before my lease runs out, or should i not incase they black ball me for making them use some effort and jeopardise my chances at finding a new and much much better place?.
edited to add: i am in australia, queensland to be specific, now, i know what i can do, contact the RTA and have them issue a breach to the owner and make him fix it, but........i just dont want him or the real estate to be a prick and create problems with me getting a place elsewhere... do i let these things slide, (hey, its already over 2 weeks without a sink... i can put up with anything) just so i dont make waves. or do i fuck them up as much as possible for renting a place like this to ppl who are so desperate... and the next ppl after us will be just as desperate and they are putting the rent up to $230!!!!!! per week
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