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Gig cancelled, rent raised

#4
Gorn said:
Do you mind sharing roughly what your rent is and for what kind of apartment? It always amuses me to hear how little rent costs in non-New York parts of the country.
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Well, Idaho is basically Mars compared to NYC, so absolutely no relevance of course, but it would be laughable fore sure. Especially considering it's a 3bed 2bath on 1/4 acre with no neighbors in the back. So, really, more house than anyone NEEDS, as far as I'm concerned, but I'm married.

I'll see about perspective a year down the road.

The timing couldn't be better. We just had a baby (3rd) in March, wife is home on unpaid maternity leave, (works in the medical field herself) we're basically living on fixed income.
This increase basically means we HAVE to move.
We have nothing for a deposit on a new place, are not likely to get a fraction back from these crooks, and buying is iffy on the very best of days that won't be here for a while.

Looking like living in our camper, (no bathroom or fridge) or taking the fam back to one of the folks place. At least I have a '69 POS camper, and parents, right?

Can anyone say pity party?
 
#5
Ouch. Sorry about this turn of events, samson. It sounds like you might have a tough row to hoe for a minute, and I feel for you.

Any chance you can reach out to the landlord and get the increase deferred for a while? Say 3-6 months or so when the Mrs might be earning at least part time wages?

Make it a priority to keep your limited cash flow from becoming a bone of contention in your love life. Don't complain about doing without things out loud. This is a temporary situation and you and your wife can power through it if you both take the long view and love each other fiercely. I've had a bellyful of wonderful couples in my life splitting up over a few shekels. :(

All the best.
 
#6
charlie monroe said:
Ouch. Sorry about this turn of events, samson. It sounds like you might have a tough row to hoe for a minute, and I feel for you.

Any chance you can reach out to the landlord and get the increase deferred for a while? Say 3-6 months or so when the Mrs might be earning at least part time wages?

Make it a priority to keep your limited cash flow from becoming a bone of contention in your love life. Don't complain about doing without things out loud. This is a temporary situation and you and your wife can power through it if you both take the long view and love each other fiercely. I've had a bellyful of wonderful couples in my life splitting up over a few shekels. :(

All the best.
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Thanks.
I am going to give it a try, in person, tomorrow morning. Unfortunately this management company is somewhat faceless, they put a couple cute friendly girls at the front desk who have no real power, and have been basically impossible to actually communicate with in the past. We've fixed any issues on the property ourselves, because they'll over charge us to fix anything, if they even decide anything needs done.

I don't expect to get anywhere. In fact, it may go the opposite. We've had two kids since we moved here, and in order to get the best deal, we would need another year lease, and they'll raise based on the kids alone, + rates generally rising in the area.
 
#7
Since you aware that the property management firm uses bubble headed gatekeepers, you need to write a letter.
Make your case with the girls, but leave a letter with them to pass onto senior management.

In the letter make it clear that you understand their need to push out an increase to you, but make your case about the poor timing in your personal life.
Choose a concrete date that you can accept the increase and state it. Make it the most reasonable you can. Anything over 6 months would be dismissed out of hand I would think.

Tell them that you have been renting from them since XX/XX, have always paid on time - have no plans to change that and that the home fits into your long term plans.
If you have made significant repairs or improvements, take this opportunity to state them as well. Demonstrate that you are a good steward of their property.

I would also appeal to their need for revenue. If that home is vacant for even 1 month if you leave, that lost rental income would more than offset the increase they are looking for.
If it stands empty any longer than 30 days, then they will really be taking a bath.
I would not plead or grovel, but I would make it clear that with a little bit of give and take, the property firm and your family can continue to make this a successful long term partnership.

If you are able to do any web stalking, I would CC the letter to the actual property owners (by registered mail), and make note of that CC in the footer of the letter that you leave behind.

I hear you when you say this could backfire, but at this point, what's to lose?

All the best.
 
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#9
Thank you, sounds like a good course of action, and something I can accomplish today (Sunday) to be prepared for tomorrow instead of sitting on my hands & turning gray.

And just so happens, we have spoken with via email and met in person the actual property owners in the past. Contacting them actually was my first suggestion to my wife.
Her response, more cynical than myself, "they just want us out so they can raise it even more". Some truth to that I'm sure. It's business, I get it.
But approaching from 2-3 fronts sounds, well, like something to try at least.
 
#11
Is it possible for your wife to cut her planned maternity leave in light of this new situation? Obviously, daycare will be a huge issue but it will eventually be an issue when she goes back to work anyway. Which one of you makes more money, her or you? If she makes more you should consider staying at home with the new baby.

I don't mean any of this to sound condescending by the way and perhaps you have considered it already if it's plausible to do that. But I wouldn't get my hopes up on appealing to the management company or owner. Are there many mobile homes in your area to purchase or rent? If you rent, you always run the risk of putting down roots only to find that the landlord can take it away by kicking you out or raising the rent when the lease is up. Buying has its risks in that you assume repair costs. As a renter, you should not be making repairs or improvements without compensation unless you actually damaged the property.
 
#12
neckdive said:
Is it possible for your wife to cut her planned maternity leave in light of this new situation? Obviously, daycare will be a huge issue but it will eventually be an issue when she goes back to work anyway. Which one of you makes more money, her or you? If she makes more you should consider staying at home with the new baby.

I don't mean any of this to sound condescending by the way and perhaps you have considered it already if it's plausible to do that. But I wouldn't get my hopes up on appealing to the management company or owner. Are there many mobile homes in your area to purchase or rent? If you rent, you always run the risk of putting down roots only to find that the landlord can take it away by kicking you out or raising the rent when the lease is up. Buying has its risks in that you assume repair costs. As a renter, you should not be making repairs or improvements without compensation unless you actually damaged the property.
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Thank you, all things we are are considering.
 
#13
To be clear, I'm not knocking how relatively cheap it is to leave where you do. If I wanna complain about New York rent I can move, and some day I hope to. I was born and raised here but I'm tired of it. I'm tired of the crowds and traffic and lack of open space. And I don't even live in the city. Where I am is very suburban and residential, but still expensive and crowded. I could probably sell my apartment and buy a house with land somewhere out there.
 
#14
samson3382 said:
Got me wondering what's next?
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This is a very good question to ask all the time. A wise man once told me, "Everything you own is in the process of breaking", and another was that a lot of 'emergency' or 'unexpected' expenses don't really fall in those categories. People should plan and prepare for on rising costs, maintenance expenses, medical bills, replacement costs...

It sounds like you're looking at options to get by right now as you should. Another thing I'd recommend is to look at all of your expenditures and eliminate any that are not absolutely necessary. Cell phones (or home phone), internet, dining out, soft drinks, junk food, autos, etc., anything that you can live without. Anything of value that you don't need that could be sold to get through this time.

But in the big picture it's worth getting some financial planning education. There are a number of programs aimed at learning how to effectively budget, save and limit/eliminate debt. Dave Ramsey and the like. Sometimes churches run classes for free. When I was younger I was exposed to the writings of Larry Burkett and it was very helpful in reshaping my perspective on money. One suggestion he had was, if both spouses work, to learn to live off one income. My wife and I did this for two years before we had children and were able to use her income to pay off car and home debt and save for larger expenses. Then when she left her job when we had children it wasn't such a shocking transition.

It's never too late to start and little things make a big difference. At first it can seem binding but it's very liberating.

Lots of free tools here: Invalid Link Removed (warning--financial advice is bible based:)).
 
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#15
We will be looking into the unlikely prospect of buying, but I HATE to do it in any kind of emergency situation. We made that mistake once before, in 07 right before the housing market crashed and it hit us hard. Big reason we're in the boat we are in now. Other than being renters, we have our ducks somewhat in a row. We are very good at keeping our expenses down, except housing. Our only debt is a small auto loan, (vehicle worth double what we owe) and small remainder of student loans that are actually on hold while my wife is not working.
 
#16
Do you have any close friends in the area that you could stay with? A very close friend of mine and her husband are into the whole "communal living" thing where two or more couples (with or without kids) live together in a 2 (or 3,4, whatever) bedroom home and share living expenses. It's supposedly a great way for young couples and families to save up money for the future but I'm told that there can be some friction living it such close proximity so the ability to verbally work through problems becomes key.

Best of luck!
 
#19
charlie monroe said:
I'm sorry, but this is not something I would promote.

Make friends out of your roommates, not roommates out of your friends.
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samson3382 said:
My wife has never had to experience the joy of roommates. We'll see though right?
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Just saying that it's a possible solution, not a long-term situation. I've had pretty good luck living with friends as long as expectations were agreed upon upfront and the temporary living arrangements were a means to justify an end.
 
#20
Kevan Campbell said:
Just saying that it's a possible solution, not a long-term situation. I've had pretty good luck living with friends as long as expectations were agreed upon upfront and the temporary living arrangements were a means to justify an end.
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No I hear ya. One of my initial suggestions was move in with my wife's brother. He's in a larger two story and renting half to a single dad buddy of his. Kick him out and move us in, but that wouldn't be a nice thing to do.
 

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