Tuesday 31 January 2012

A Good Tenant's life

I had to stop and laugh the other day.  I was sitting at home reading How To Be A Canadian by the Ferguson brothers (Ian and Will) and they were rambling about housing in Canada.  It made me think about when I got my first apartment.

This apartment was the lower apartment of a duplex in a house that I had helped build a year earlier (I was working as a carpenter at the time).  It was a pretty sweet spot for an 18 year old who had just left home.  The add read something like "2 bed, 1 bath apt. 900sqft, $1050 all in" and I recognized the picture of the house so I thought I'd call.

The landlord, who was a grumpy old Irishman, who will now be referred to as McLandlord, was surprised when I said I didn't need a showing because I'd built most of the house  (note: don't tell your prospective landlord that you built the place, it just confuses them). I did end up viewing the place and filling out an application (which got pretty personal, my credit score? I'm 18, what kind of score do you think I have?). Passing the application back I shivered as a nervous 18 year old would. I hoped I would get accepted, I loved the place, it was new, clean, big, had a fridge and stove, coin operated laundry (McLandlord knew how to make money!) and I had my own little patio.

I guess the other applicants didn't qualify because about a week later I was informed by McLandlord that "Aye ad the apartment if aye wanted er" (translation: I had the apartment if I wanted it).

Now, before reading further, you have to know that I had never rented before.  I hadn't even bought groceries before.  So you can imagine my surprise when the landlord wanted first and last and a key deposit.  Alright, so this is why most college kids eat Mac and Cheese. Regardless, I wanted this apartment so I got out the checkbook and signed away $2,120.

The first of the month came and my new landlord called to meet me there with the keys. Awesome, it's actually mine.

"Ayre ye not moovin in taday ladd?" Asked McLandlord. (translation: Are you moving in today?)

"Of course I am, why do you ask"

"Whares ye sheet?" (translation: but I don't see a moving truck?)

"I don't have much stuff, this is my first place"

I don't think he understood what I was saying so he just handed me the key and drove off.  Good enough I figured, and I brought in my coffee maker, toaster and soap. (yes, that's all that I owned, needless to say I didn't get renters insurance).

I have to say, thinking about that day really makes me glad that my current property managers included an Move-In checklist with the lease.  But I'll never forget McLandlord.  As time goes by and I remember stories about him I'll try to post them.  Sorry if they sound unbelievable, that's just the way he was.