As the Apartment Crumbles...

[psychick]

So yesterday morning, I make my way down to the Civil Court and register with the Housing Clerk in order to get a date for the hearing for this case with the landlord. I let said Clerk (who was a very nice man sitting next to a very silly trucker hat) know that I do indeed intend to make a counterclaim based on the well-documented and gross violations of tenant rights and Housing Code requirements present in said apartment. Then I go to work and it's tax return day and INSANITY BEGINS. Dang financial institutions and their goojillian holding companies that all need to register.

Anyway, here's where it gets interesting. At around three o'clock I got a call from the landlord. This was a different fellow than the one I had (not) been dealing with before, who expressed shock and dismay at the situation, claiming that they didn't know that things were so bad. Then it became clear that he was sitting with the city inspector's report from a month ago in front of him, since he knew all about the damages without my needing to tell him...so that's some impressive doublethink there, Mr. Gee It's News To Us, sir. Regardless, we worked out a deal where they'll waive half the fees (so we effectively only owe two months' rent), we can leave this month with no fees, and they'll mail me the security deposit once we're gone. Ho ho, gentlemen. I should have this arrangement in writing soon.

I would have told you all this sooner, but naturally Blair and I celebrated this happy turn of events, and after a long day and a few glasses of wine, sleep was inevitable.

SO. I am thinking maybe there will be moving this weekend. Which means I shall spend the rest of the week putting things in boxes and bags! EXCITING! Blair's taken pictures and I keep pestering her to email them to me, which hopefully she will do when she gets home today. My plan is to get home and then go over and measure stuff, as I know Mom is on a mission and we have to have dimensions and begin formulating floorplans. The main doors are neat 'cause there's an electronic key thinger, and I am entertaining mad dreams of a hanging garden on the fire escape. This will not happen, but what MIGHT happen is the creation of a clever interior shutter contraption, as there are currently no blinds for the windows. >__>

People in NY: does anyone have a trolley or other rolling-device for putting stuff on? It's a bit of a walk through the courtyard, and such a thing would be v. helpful. Also, you know you all want to come help haul stuff. :D?

Comments

[http://users.livejournal.com/___cernunnos___/]

With all due respect, THEY are getting off cheap... talk to the right ambulance chaser, and you could sue the pants off them, considering the 3rd world conditions of that place. Have you seriously run this by a lawyer yet? You could probably get out of it w/o paying anything IMO.

[psychick.livejournal.com]

I have, actually, which is why I was content with this. Holes or not, we have still been living in that apartment for four years, so any judge would still have us pay SOME rent, and the chances of getting a 50% abatement (which is what this amounts to) would be quite low. At court, we would be more likely to pay 75%.