owner of house told us to

[Jena]

find another house to rent. i emailed her about the apparent infestation and she responded with if it's an infestation than we'll have to fumigate and you can't live there anyway, so you can go find another house to rent, sorry it didnt' work out lol.

OMG! I"m def having a drink this mother's day for myself at some point

 

[klmno]

Sorry- after a couple of threads about this place though, maybe it's for the best. At least it's easier to pack up if you haven't been living there long. My guess is that the landlord has had this issue and lost tenants over it before and that's why he/she didn't bother fighting it.

 

[Marcie Mac]

I don't know if you signed a lease or not, but I would check on if you did move, what happens to your deposit. Make sure it will be returned to you and not go for fumigation when you move out.

You can always call the Heath Department to make a complaint as well

Marcie

 

[Jena]

klmno - i know i'm sorry i'm posting all over the place i'm just so upset hey happy mom's day!

marcie - yes i will lodge a complaint. i just dont' even know how to respond to her email.

ther'es one other house in our area to rent but it's 300 more a mos and we can't afford that at this point. believe it or not im totally unpacked and moved in so yes moving would be a huge deal at this point.

i just dont' get it though, it's easier for us to move than her to handle the problem?

 

[klmno]

MM has a good suggestion- read all the fine print in anything you signed. Then, call your local dept for rental property tomorrow and see what they say. If you can't find the number, call your building dept (where building permits are issued) and they can probably give it to you.

 

[Jena]

klmno i woke up with a rash also on my eyelid looks like i got punched and my neck is breaking out. i think i forgot to wash my hands last night at some point inbetween catching the 4 of them yesterday.

boyfriend told me to get benadryl yet i'm naseous also i dont' want to put anythiing in me

 

[hearts and roses]

Make sure you save that email.

Respond to her email by repeating back to her what she wrote to you somehow so you are confirming that she told you to leave.

Save her email, go over your lease, contact the Dept of Health and request an inspection - get a receipt of said inspection.

It is very likely that she wouldn't come after you for the remaining lease money, but you want to protect yourself. Best of luck. I'm so glad you're moving out of that place.

Zyrtec has less of the drowsy effect that benadryl does and it works very well.

 

[Hound dog]

Actually, you could turn her into the health dept and NOT move out. Nothing she can do about it if you have a year's lease. Health dept will make her get rid of the mice. If you need to leave the premises....you can go to a hotel until it's safe to go back in. (wouldn't think that would be more than 24 hrs)

I spent 20 yrs renting. What she's telling you is that if you don't like it, MOVE. She's not planning to do a darn thing. She's expecting you to either back down, or move out.

If it were me, I wouldn't move. Not when I'd just gotten moved in and when there is no where available that you can afford. Instead I'd call the health dept and turn her in. She will get a hefty fine if she doesn't comply and correct the situation. If she doesn't........Do it again.

I have a strong dislike for slumlords. And I don't put up with their carp, either. With one, I contacted a lawyer for consult and found out what to do to get the fastest results. (alot of lawyers will give you a half hour with no charge) Our hot water heater had ruptured and leaked all over the carpet......By the time the landlord got around to doing something about it, the carpet was meldewed and reeked. In the end, I got new carpeting.

Sometimes you have to be both a *itch and stubborn. I'm both when I want to be.

Hugs

 

[Jena]

Lisa thanks for the advice, yet i have a mos to mos lease right now. so, i think legally balls in her court on that one to some extent. sure i could def report it to the health department. especially now since i have some sort of weird eye thing going on from handling them yesterday. half my lid is black, it's so odd. it looks like i got punched.

i'm just so tired of renting. it's been since i was a kid and dealing with s.o.b. landlords or slumlords as you put it and are soo correct makes me sick.

she is sending exterminator monday yet for hte ususal glue traps so much more has to be done. we tried that a mos ago and got obviously no where quick. now kids are freaked also and giving me a hard time today.

what a mistake this place was i guess.

 

[susiestar]

I am so sorry the mice are taking over. I know that this house held lots of promises for you. Talk to the exterminator about what else can be done and push him to DO it.

Even a month to month lease has fine print and has obligations for the landlord.

Now about your eye - do you want to see your children grow, go through all those milestones, etc...? If you do -

GO TO THE ER ABOUT THAT EYELID!!!

You have caught something from those mice and it Must be treated by a doctor. It also MUST be reported to the health Dept. This is crucial to you. All sorts of things could be going on and maybe permanently damaging the eye and your eyesight. (Just imagine what difficult child could get into if you could only keep ONE eye on her!!!!!)

These mice are clearly carrying a disease, in my opinion, and just sending the exterminator isn't going to really help.

You need medical attention. I know you are dealing with all the other medical stuff, but this is important also. Make sure the docs culture it so it can be treated most effectively!

Gentle hugs,

susie

 

[Jena]

hi and thanks. i'll call dr. tmrw and make an appointment to go after work at some point if it's still there. it's not swollen, just black now in one area on my eyelid. it is probably from touching them.

i'm waiting on boyfriend to come home to figure out how to handle email. i'm not going to be pushed by her to respond either. thing is i wish i was here tmrw when the exterminator shows up, figures it's first day back to work

 

[jannie]

I'm sorry the house is such a wreck. I know you said that the other house available to rent is 300 dollars more a month, however, it is desparate times and people may be willing to negotiate. Let's just say that they are trying to charge $1800 a month...and you want to only pay $1500. If they say no, they want $1800 and the house stays unrented....they will lose $1800 in one month....if they agree to $1,500...they will get 9000 in six months...as opposed to 90000 in five months. Maybe I'm not explaining well, but I guess I am saying see what they say....an empty house only costs a home owner more money..its better to rent it lower than not at all (at least that's my opinion).

 

[KTMom91]

Not to completely terrify you...but I think I remember reading during history class that rats/mice were carriers of the black plague. Go get that eye checked out.

 

[flutterby]

Fortunately, the black plague isn't near as horrifying as it used to be. Amoxicillin clears it up. Amazing what not having that one little pill did to millions of people.

But, having a black eyelid is bad. It needs to be seen ASAP. Especially if it is something that could be contagious.

Month to month or not, landlords have legal obligations. I would imagine there are serious code violations going on that she is responsible to take care of and she cannot (sigh...cant think of the word)...but essentially, she can't 'get back at you' for reporting her.

 

[tinamarie1]

Month to month or not, landlords have legal obligations. I would imagine there are serious code violations going on that she is responsible to take care of and she cannot (sigh...cant think of the word)...but essentially, she can't 'get back at you' for reporting her.

I agree...I would fight to get the problem fixed. She has to adhere to some kind of rules as the landlord. I hate moving and I just don't think I could do it again. Im sure that since you are renting month to month, that is why she is just so casually saying to you to move out. It doesn't sound like she's the type to fix the place up before renting it out to someone new anyway. Good luck & keep fighting. And please get your eye checked, that could be serious. Have you tried Bar Bait? My mother in law uses it on her farm to kill mice in her house.

 

[AnnieO]

You have rights too.

Since you are already unpacked here is my suggestion (worked for us with mold & mildew)...

1. Call Health Dept.
2. Write letter to landlord informing that you have called Health Dept.
3. It is landlord's responsibility to ensure that the rental is safe and not infested.
4. When you write letter, inform landlord also that you will be putting your rent $ in an escrow account unless and until the problem is resolved.
5. If you MUST move due to this issue, landlord should be responsible for moving expenses (get a moving company!!!) because of refusal to fix said problem.
6. MAKE ABSOLUTELY SURE there is no way the mice can be blamed on you.

And last on the list but the first thing you need to do: GO TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM AND GET THAT EYE CHECKED OUT. If it is something to do with the mice charge landlord. Within your rights.

 

[trinityroyal]

Jena,
Everyone else has given you really good advice about dealing with your landlord.
So I'm going to reiterate what Susie said about medical attention for your eye.

Get yourself to Emerg and have that eye checked out.
I would expect something red and pus-filled from a minor infection. If your eyelid is black and bruised looking, it could be something much worse. Get it cultured, get it treated, and get it dealt with right away. Please!

Trinity

 

[totoro]

Remember first and foremost that you are a Warrior Mom. You can handle all of this. If you had to you could be out of that house FAST.
You know what it is like when the angry adrenaline kicks in!
I like what the others have said also. Try no to back down. Your landlord is probably used to being able to push people around.
Don't let her feel like you are desperate.

I agree if you want to, need to or have to move- negotiate the price. We just talked to our landlord and flat out said we can't afford it.
It came down to us moving and him having to find another renter and all of that.
We agreed to do some yard work. He dropped our rent a lot!

I am sorry.

Take care of that eye!

 

[Star*]

mice/rats can carry fleas that caused the plague -

If you absolutely do not want to move - then I would call an exterminator OR set up traps baited with pnut butter.

Most houses do not NOT get tent fumigation for mice - roaches yes, rodents no.

I think she's jerking your chain - and I'd tell her maybe you can pay for the exterminator to come and fix the mouse problem - then deduct it from a months rent or from a few months rent. ???

I would get a handle on this problem - we had a post here about how fast mice can breed _at 2 weeks - and have up to 13 babies that can have their own babies a few weeks later....and on and on.

IF you try to do it yourself? Ugh - good luck.

 

[DammitJanet]

Hey...take it on Peoples Court!