Forgot to mention that I changed my mind. I’m now staying at my current apartment with the hopes that the bug situation has been resolved (I know it hasn’t). Pest control will be in bright and early tomorrow to let me know if it’s a lost cause OR that cockroaches will no longer crawl on me at night. Looking forward to seeing what they have to say, as I am still sleeping on the couch. Luckily, however, I’ve gotten used to the couch after being here a month, and now sleep very peacefully without a problem. It’s like sleeping on a cloud.
Also, I had cleaners come in the other day. My place is absolutely spotless. However, while cleaning the apartment and while I was at work, they decided it was okay to leave my precious baby (my bike) out in the hall while they cleaned the apartment for five hours. Strike 1. Strike 2 was when she called to tell me that she inadvertently locked my baby out of my apartment when they were done. That would be fine if she had figured out some way to rectify the situation, but instead she called me 10 minutes after she had left my place to let me know that my baby was locked out (as if it wasn’t a big deal). In the words of Larry David, “no good.” Luckily my neighbor was home and immediately housed her to protect her from the wrath of DC bike thieves. I just had a nightmare the other day about my bike being stolen. It wasn’t pretty.
The place is so spotless that I would actually like to have them back, even though she almost gave me a heart attack. So I wrote a (what I thought to be) nice email explaining why putting my bike in the hallway is not acceptable to do and if she could assure me she wouldn’t leave my pride and joy up for grabs again, I’d have her back. No response. Maybe the email wasn’t so nice after all.
Lost patience with the lack of any communication from my landlord so will be paying $2000+ in CoHi starting in November. Can’t wait to get the eff out of dodge. Texted DCG to let him know the result of my reaching out to landlord attempt. As expected, he said I am welcome to stay at his place because he doesn’t have any roaches. “Open invitation.” If I start seeing more babies running around the house, I might just do that.
– Called landlord to see if she’d be willing to work with me on getting rid of the roaches via an exterminator, and to see if I could renege my notice to vacate if so. Left voicemail and she of course has yet to respond. She is going to drive me mad.
– $2000+ CoHi apartment is listed on craigslist now so will be gone within the day.
– Called exterminator yesterday who was optimistic that the problem can be addressed, despite the whole building not being treated simultaneously.
– $1800 low income housing unit was rented to someone else. Haven’t heard from the other unit in the building.
– Killed what I believe to be a baby cockroach this morning. Put evidence in plastic bag. I’m getting good at this “I’m going to eff my landlord” thing.
– Still waiting on landlord. Again, maybe this is another sign to GTFOH. That and the baby cockroach.
Just gave Drum Circle Guy the cheek when he went in for the kiss. Man I’m a bitch. He clearly would have stayed over in Roachville if I had let him. Or taken me to his place to avoid Roachville.
More updates as the night progresses…
Drum Circle Guy (DCG) recommends that I talk to my landlord to find out a plausible solution to this madness. I will not find another unit like this one for this price in this neighborhood.
DCG and I walked down the low-income housing street to see what’s going on at 9pm on a Tuesday. Burnt car still parked in front of the building, now with a ticket. Nice.
DCG tells me he would not live on that street, and he is a beefy big black guy. People are still milling outside the building next to the one I would move into. That is clearly the Section 8 housing.
As DCG was walking me home, I notice that the building management guy who has ignored my last 5 emails is outside my building. I ask him about the roach situation and what is being done to address it. He is clearly high or on something, can barely get out words. Mentions that pest control is coming on Friday and will treat the units who want to be treated. I have not seen an email about this. Conversation cut short because cops enter the building for some unknown reason.
Run into people who live below me – they have not seen roaches recently either, but their landlord is getting an exterminator in to treat their unit. They are not moving.
Friends now looking for open places for me to move to. Thanks, friends.
That’s the rundown. Stay tuned as the situation unfolds…
• Retracted deposit put down in Columbia Heights because realized the unit was too expensive at $2000+. Won’t be able to take vaca in South America as planned with that kind of rent.
• Gave notice at current apartment.
• Did research and people said the low-income housing building (mentioned in previous post) is fine to live in and they know of others who live there with no problems.
• Told owner of more expensive apartment in that complex ($1900) that I want to move in. He seemed to want me.
• Since bugs crawled on me in bed two weeks ago, I’ve been sleeping on couch with all lights on. Not the most comfortable or restful sleeping situation. Woke up this morning with incredibly painful left shoulder. Last week, lower back pain. Average amount of sleep per night – 5 hours. Barely functional. Work product suffering.
• In attempt to get sleep and because family was in town anyway, stayed with sister (Jean) all weekend. Sad that I was looking forward to sleeping on an air mattress for three nights, but amazing not having to worry about bugs crawling on me.
• Put out roach bait in kitchen and near bed prior to staycation at Jean’s.
• Lament at not having boyfriend in this critical time, in which I could stay at his place. Where is he when I need him?
• Current landlord ignored my notice to vacate (and phone calls) for five days before deciding to respond last night, saying that 11/5 move-out date is fine.
• Brought parents who were visiting to the Meridian Hill drum circle. On the way there, we walked down the low-income housing unit street to check out the neighborhood. Notice burnt out car in front of apartment. People smoking weed on the side of my building. Run into the girl renting the other unit in the same building for $1800. She probably thinks I’m stalking her. She tells me she’s still mulling over applications too. I must appear delirious to these people.
• I haven’t seen a roach in almost two weeks, since the last one decided to visit me in bed. Did I overreact too soon? Maybe I should see if they are gone for good. Will ask around and see if anyone else has seen any.
• Still no word from management about pest control cause they suck. Would my landlord let me stay now after I already gave notice to vacate?
• Called yesterday and $2000+ CoHi apartment is still available if I want it. I love having options.
• Decided to look into roommate situation to save money. Met with gay guy who lives in a CoHi townhouse. He neglected to mention that he smokes in the house, “but only downstairs.” Said he’s not willing to negotiate that. Seriously? He took me upstairs to the guest bedroom in which I noticed a black leather sex bed hanging from the ceiling. Not sure my mother would approve of that. He also has a tanning bed in the office for one of his former lovers. Decide again, as I always do upon looking for housing, that a roommate situation is not going to work for me. At least I only wasted time meeting with one person before coming to this decision again.
• Pick up boric acid and caulking agent at Ace Hardware in the event I decide to stay in Roachville.
• Low-income housing guy ($1900 apartment) says he’s still mulling over applications after it seemed as though he wanted me last week.
• Meeting with a guy I met at drum circle tonight to hopefully get advice on what to do. He’s apparently in the rental/housing business and has advice. He really just wants to get into my pants, but at this point maybe I’ll take him up on the offer. This is the same guy whose phone call I ignored about a month ago, not knowing he was watching me ignore the call. Forgot to blog about that.
• CoHi $2000+ apartment just called. Says the unit is still available. I have a good feeling about the place, maybe I should just go for it. Asked him to see if rent is negotiable at all; he will get back to me tomorrow. Even though I will be living off Ramen Noodles, at least I won’t have cockroaches crawling on me while I sleep.
• When did the DC housing market become so insane?
It has been a real pleasure living in this apartment for the past year. Let’s list off the things I’ve had to deal with to date while living here:
1) The ghost situation
2) Having no air for 2 months, and then again for a week in September (it is hot here folks)
3) My landlord sucks
4) Threw my back out last month trying to close a window. Picture me literally hanging on the window to get it to close. The window was open in the first place because I had to install an a/c unit (this shit is heavy and leaks all over the wood floors) because the HVAC was broken yet again.
5) My smoking neighbor. He used to smoke in the apartment and the smoke would drift into my unit. Smelled like roses. Thankfully, this situation has been resolved and my neighbor is awesome.
and last but not least…
6) Cockroach infestation in the building. Final straw?
I am on the 3rd floor of a three story building. Apparently there is a family on the first floor that has attracted said roaches, however, they refuse to get treated. Thus, the fun little critters have managed to make it all the way up to the 3rd floor. And you know, it’s one thing seeing a few of them in your kitchen. At first, I had no idea what they were. But then I asked other renters around me who were encountering the same problem. Did some probing – sure enough, roaches. That’s fine, I think to myself. At the time I had no idea how out of hand this whole situation could get. I figured they would go away. But if you are not treating the source of the problem and you live in an old condo building, one can deduce that this could quickly become an issue. Somehow these disgusting insects have made it to the top floor.
But it gets better.
I think to myself, hey – there may be some in the kitchen, but I am totally safe upstairs in my bed (I have a loft). Literally the same night I tried to convince myself that everything was okay, I woke up to one crawling on my hand. Was I dreaming, perhaps imagining the sensation of something crawling on my hand? Of course I was. But after returning to bed, that sucker crawled into my pillowcase. I killed that SOB. And I was not dreaming.
Again, tried to talk myself into that being a random occurrence of randomness. But no, two nights later, another piece of crap was crawling under my covers on my foot. Couldn’t catch that one so he’s back in the wall somewhere. Doesn’t that thought just make you want to cuddle in bed with me right now? This was last week and I haven’t seen one since, but I must admit that I’ve been avoiding this apartment like the plague and sleeping on the couch. Overreacting? I have to wonder. Mostly everyone I tell this to tells me not to address the problem but to get the hell out of there. Move. Once the problem starts and since the problem unit isn’t even being treated, it could be a while before this problem is rectified. They are trying to evict the family apparently, but who knows how long that might take. I tell my landlord about it, and she blames it on me. Nice.
So…looking for apartments I have been doing. And again I ask, am I overreacting? Should I at least give it a try before up and moving again, which I do not want to do in the least? I love this neighborhood and my rent is cheap (for obvious reasons as depicted in this post). I do not want to leave U Street. I put down a deposit at a unit in Columbia Heights, but it is exponentially more expensive than I am paying now. I have 24 hours to decide if this is really what I want to do before losing the money. So of course, I have continued to look at other units in my neighborhood. Found two reasonably priced units in a building a few blocks north of here and still in the U Street area. I looked at both and met the landlords, who seem great. The building is old but both the units are renovated and nice. Was ready to declare one of these my home…until I just did some online research only to realize that the building the units are located in is Section 8 housing. Seriously?
FML
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Posted by Sara 
A Day in the Life of Sara 