It’s continuing to be a rough week. The more we’ve looked into what happened, the more frustrating it is. The papers the landlord gave us were illegal – a 2 month notice to end tenancy is issued only for landlord’s use of property (or that of his immediate family), conversion into subsidized housing, or the house being sold and the new owners giving him a document saying we’re to be replaced by family members. None of these things are even remotely valid.
The tenancy branch said we’d have won arbitration in a second, but we had to fight it within 15 days of receiving it, and the time limit has run out. At this point, saying we trusted he was being honest with us (about being required to end a tenancy with the old owner before starting one with the new, and about the new tenants wanting to keep us for the same terms) won’t cut it.
The capper? The new owners came by to collect rent from us yesterday. He apparently told them that was fine, even though our lease with him ends in September and he’s required by law to give us a free month’s rent. The new fellow came in and we all had a long talk – it looks like we’re all being screwed by the old owner, who, in turns out had 3 mortgages on this place and collectors on his ass, and sold to them for $125K less than another offer because they agreed to forfeit their right to have the place inspected, and the realtor assured them they could get rid of us or charge us whatever they wanted (true NOW, but if we’d known about any of this, they’d have been stuck with us at only $30 more, so he lied to them too).
ANYHOW – the new owner is very nice. We told him about some of the problems with the place, the things we’d done to fix it up. He said they were really impressed with how clean and nice it was down here compared to all the other houses they’d seen and were really hoping we could stay. Unfortunately neither of us can afford what the other requires for that to happen (unless we want to stop saving for our own down payment or doing anything other than eating beans).
They’ve offered us at least September at our current rate, which is very fair of them, (because of that damn bogus form, we’re supposed to leave), and if we need a little more time, we could stay on at their proposed rent, which they’ve dropped a bit. The best option open to us will be to move, which between decent places being very hard to find and the actual process of packing and leaving our HOME, is a whole new ball of stress.
It’s just been so exhausting. I’m not sleeping, I’m getting sick, and we’re breaking record temperatures here every day (we broke the hottest day ever 2 days in a row, no end in sight) which doesn’t help. Whenever I find myself complaining about the killer heat/humidity, I just think about Markus out there, working in the sun. My poor honey. Hopefully this wave will break soon.
Hopefully in a few months from now, we’ll be in a better place with less stuff and less noise. If we don’t find something right away, we won’t be out on the street – if we have to bite the bullet for a month or two beyond September, we’ll do it, and the option is a relief. We’re crossing our fingers that something good will come up somewhere. We’re still very sad we missed that other place. We’d still very mad we got totally screwed.
Trying to look at the bright side: fresh start, new place, less clutter, change… I’d just like to fast forward to those things now please.
