**EDIT: I got a copy of the lease; the 49 items on the original lease doesn't even mention a policy on guests, at all, but there is a separate "Addendum To Residential Rental Agreement" that does, in fact, specify "No more than two (2) guests staying no more than seven (7) days in one month". So we were totally in the wrong for not being informed but at no point were we willfully attempting to break rules, be sneaky about my being there, or belligerent when confronted. The seven day policy is not the bad service, although it's a bad policy that I personally wouldn't have agreed to - it's the horrible attitude of the management that is disturbing.**
Try to imagine this paragraph in the voice of TV Personality, Billy Mays:
Have you ever lived in a halfway house? Ever wanted to? Curfew, incredibly strict visiting policies, and even a live-in parole officer? If you've ever been even remotely curious how those recently released early from prison are expected to live as they reintegrate into society, try Greystone Apartments in Eureka, overseen by Humboldt Property Management. The last time I spent the night at a place this depressed, I was in foster care!!!
My friend, The Tennant, lives here. She's one of my best friends and I visit often, but when I was having a rough spot in my life she let me crash on her couch until I got back on my feet... or at least, that was the plan. What actually ended up happening was that Allen, the property manager, issued her a 60 Day Notice with absolutely no warning, on the condition that if I leave he wouldn't evict her after all. When asked why, at first he tried to make it about my cat, then he said that the rental policy only allows over night guests for seven days. Now, if the policy really is 7 days (it is) we messed up in that aspect, but the common limit in this area is 14 days. I'm a night owl, so when ever I had my own place, I let friends crash rather than having to drive home late night pretty frequently, or family visiting from out of town nearly every month, and no landlord I've ever had before has taken issue, except with neighbors who had so many people in and out that he was worried about the health code, drugs, or excessive noise. Sure, he was within his rights to tell her the lease was being violated and insist it be honored, but wow, was he dour!
Also, the very first day I was here, the live-in manager asked me how long I intended to stay and I told her I was going through a divorce and would probably be there for about 2 weeks. She said nothing about the 7 day limit. Has she said, politely, right then, "you are aware that your friend can only have guests for 7 days, right?" I would have responded "Oh, no I did not know that! I'm sorry." and I could have made other plans without Allen having to be so dramatic. Not once were either of us offered this option prior to the eviction notice.
I think the real reason has more to do with my cat; she's an emotional support animal / auxiliary aid - not a pet - as protected by The Fair Housing Amendments Act, Section 504. I have papers. He had mentioned the no-pet policy, but as soon as my friend told him this, he changed his story to site the seven day guest policy. He'd had the 60 Day Notice in hand when he showed up, so obviously it was not up for discussion.
I brought this up with a worker for the housing department. Once my friend finds a place to stay where they can't retaliate, a complaint is going to be filed, not for any sort of gain, just to have it on record that there is suspected violation of the Fair Housing Act.
I'm sure there are LJers reading this that have an emotional disorder and have a companion animal, or have been through a divorce, and know how blessed a friends couch can be when your whole world is topsy-turvy. Would you really want to live in a place where the landlord is so jaded, he doesn't want to hear how someone you consider a friend needs a safe place to stay while they gather themselves up and start their lives over, or even make an effort to ask about the circumstances?
We even asked about adding me to the lease, as I really hadn't intended to stay this long, and if I was causing a problem I'd be happy to do the necessary paperwork to become a proper and functional tenant. He flat out told us that he would not approve anything I submitted. We asked to speak to the owner, and he said no; it's not something they "do".
You would honestly think I was some horrible drug addicted hobo with a long rap sheet of terrible troublemakery, rather than a quiet computer nerd, by how adamantly he wanted me gone.
And yes, she's had a roommate before. As far as I know he left on good terms.
The live in manager seems to enjoy conflict, because she absolutely insists on doing her job as impolitely as possible with no provocation. Neither I, nor any of my other friends who visit, have ever antagonized her in any way, yet just this evening she snapped at us that the front porch is "not our living room". Seriously, we're not loud. She's shockingly sensitive.
The live in manager seems to enjoy conflict, because she absolutely insists on doing her job as impolitely as possible with no provocation. Neither I, nor any of my other friends who visit, have ever antagonized her in any way, yet just this evening she snapped at us that the front porch is "not our living room". Seriously, we're not loud. She's shockingly sensitive.
As a note, The Tenant and I are 25 and 26 year old college students. We have fun, but we're not kids and we're not party animals.
One of the reasons I say this place is like a halfway house (no, I do not have a criminal record and have never actually lived in a halfway house) is because the live-in manager goes out of her way to catch people outside of their apartments causing even the slightest bit of noise, and by that merit having even the slightest bit of fun. Absolutely NO ONE makes any use of the beautiful, grassy courtyard. Everyone hides inside their apartments and after dark, you'd think the building was abandoned it's so dead.
The first night I visited, the live-in manager banged on the door like a police officer shortly after I arrived to complain that we were being too loud. At seven in the evening. When we didn't even have a TV on. The only "noise" we'd made was walking up the stairs with my suitcase and normal speaking voices.
She was so alarmingly urgent in her complaint! She even had to bring up that the police had been called on The Tenant before, as if to site that us kids are "documented trouble makers". Um, yeah, I heard about that. You know what really happened? The downstairs neighbor called the police because my friend was "walking too loudly". The police showed up, found no merit to the complaint, apologized for the bogus call, and left without issuing a citation. No citation issued = no grounds for her to bring it up again.
This same manger had the nerve to tell The Tenant, "maybe a girl your size shouldn't wear high heels indoors." That's right. An employee of Greystone Apartments called a tenant FAT. Very professional.
The professional thing to do would have been to either let it go, or speak with the woman who complained and explain what actually warrants a noise disturbance. Instead, she chose to make it a personal attack against a paying customer based on body issues that are private and not her business, make someone feel bad when they had done nothing wrong, and stir up old drama in order to back up another bogus noise complaint.
She has also told this tenant that she, as a lady, has too many male friends. As if a customers sexual promiscuity, or lack there of, could possibly be any of her business, professionally or otherwise, much less what gender her friends are.
Like I said before, this place is so like a halfway house it's a sick sort of comical.
The staff at Greystone Apartments shouldn't be allowed to treat people like this, but since the property manager is just as abrasive as the on-site manager is, she'd probably get a raise if we complained.
Instead it seems the most I can do is warn as many people as possible that Greystone Apartments is an absolutely appalling place to stay and the management (both live in and office based) treat the tenants like parolees and their guests like crazy party animals and hobo squatter trash.
PS. Oh, and she found out that the reason our internet kept going out at 9:20 and staying out until morning was a short in the apartment buildings wiring, not AT&T. The AT&T guy fixed it for free, because he says it was a super easy little thing and he didn't want us to have to wait, but if it acts up again the apartment managers should actually be responsible.