Stressed Out Over Upcoming Inspection
By StacyB
@Srbageldog (7716)
United States
June 23, 2017 11:18am CST
Yesterday my boyfriend and I got a notice in the mail that the landlord will be doing an inspection of our apartment on July 6th. The letter said for us to call ahead and let them know of any issues that need to be repaired. Well, the fan in our bathroom went out (again) a few months ago and there's mold growing on the wall toward the ceiling in there (again, even though they painted it with crap that was supposed to prevent it from coming back). Anyway, I meant to call and let them know about those things months ago, but I've had two surgeries in the last three months and never got around to it. Last time I didn't tell them about the fan right away I got chewed out over it. So I'm not looking forward to making the call.
Our apartment is a mess too, since I've been unable to clean (and god forbid the boyfriend clean.) So I don't want to call and have them send the maintenance guy out before I've had a chance to clean a little, as he's a jerk and will likely make rude remarks about my housekeeping skills (or lack thereof.) But, July 6th isn't that far away, and I've got things to do next week. I don't want them trying to send the maintenance guy over when I'm not home, since we never got around to giving them a key to our deadbolt the last time we had to replace it (due to our neighbors trying to break into our home at night.) I don't want anyone in my home when I'm not here anyway.
I hate that they spring these inspections on us out of the blue without much of a heads up. We've lived here 9 years and they only did maybe two inspections in that time until the past couple years. Then we got new landlords who are always wanting to do inspections. I feel like it's really a way for them to come in and check out how you're living and whether you're a good housekeeper or not. They never inspect things that actually need inspecting, like the smoke detector or carbon monoxide alarm. I have no idea if those things work. They are supposed to check those once a year and they haven't checked them in at least seven years. So what's the point of the inspection? To see if we're slobs?
I'm having bad anxiety over this whole ordeal, as having strangers in my home judging me causes me bad stress and panic attacks. I'm always afraid they'll decide we don't meet their standards and get evicted. The downside of renting is having to put up with random inspections and rude maintenance men who make you feel uncomfortable in your own home. I have been chewed out by a maintenance guy before for my bathroom being "too dusty." He was there to fix the toilet, not criticize how many dust bunnies were floating around behind the toilet.
This is really an inconvenient time to have this sprung on me, as I'm not supposed to be doing anything strenuous like housework. And like I said, the boyfriend won't help. He's always at work when these things happen so it's like it's not his problem and I'm the one who gets stuck dealing with it. I'm going to have to try to have my sister come over sometime next week to help clean just so I can let the rental company know repairs need to be made to the bathroom and hope they're able to send the rude maintenance man out to fix things before the 6th. And hope he doesn't decide to show up at a time when I have a doctor's appointment. I hate that I'm expected to wait around all day for whenever he decides to show up.
It would be nice to one day own my own home so I won't have to deal with this crap anymore.
5 people like this
7 responses
@TiarasOceanView (70020)
• United States
23 Jun 17
Sorry they are doing this inspection when you are trying to recover. You really should not strain yourself Stacey. Is there any family at all that would come and help you tidy up? Or is that not an option too?
1 person likes this
@TiarasOceanView (70020)
• United States
24 Jun 17
@Srbageldog It is a sad state of affairs that he won't help..it is not the first time I have heard of this though..had plenty that way myself.
1 person likes this
@Srbageldog (7716)
• United States
23 Jun 17
My sister will probably come over and help clean a little. But I know she's been having health issues too so I hate to bother her. It would be nice if my boyfriend would just vacuum, sweep, and mop, since you know...he lives here. When I told him I didn't know how I was going to get everything straightened up before then he just whined "I don't know what to do about it." Um, help maybe?
1 person likes this
@Srbageldog (7716)
• United States
24 Jun 17
@TiarasOceanView But he's always going on about equality and how if he has to work, then women need to work too...I work from home now, but back when I had a conventional job I always spent my days off cleaning, while he spent his days off relaxing and playing video games. He wouldn't help with chores (or cooking) back then either. So he can shut his trap about "equality."
1 person likes this
@Srbageldog (7716)
• United States
23 Jun 17
Thank you. I'm lucky that my sister is willing to help me. :)
1 person likes this
@vsai2008 (11794)
• India
23 Jun 17
@Srbageldog glad she is helping..you look after yourself and then have a talk with your boyfriend as well :)
1 person likes this
@Srbageldog (7716)
• United States
23 Jun 17
@vsai2008 I will. He needs to start helping a bit more, even if it is just taking out the trash as soon as it's full.
1 person likes this
@Srbageldog (7716)
• United States
23 Jun 17
Yes, she is always a big help, although I feel guilty always asking her over to help me clean.
@LovingMyBabies (85923)
• Valdosta, Georgia
23 Jun 17
I would feel stressed out by that as well. We lived in an apartment many years ago and we found the same thing, the maintenance people were not nice at all!
Thank God we now live in a house, we do rent but at least no one comes inside without our knowledge or to judge us. I'm sure the landlord will eventually inspect but he hasn't yet.
1 person likes this
@Srbageldog (7716)
• United States
23 Jun 17
I hate these inspections. It always feels like they're just here to snoop. I don't like strangers poking their heads into my bedroom or scrutinizing how much clutter we have (which I know I need to do something about, but it's overwhelming trying to declutter a huge apartment by myself.) Apartment maintenance men are the worst. And half the time they don't even fix anything, at least ours doesn't.
1 person likes this
@Courtlynn (67089)
• United States
23 Jun 17
They only give us a week or two notice as well, although our house is never bad to need extra time to clean but is better to have a longer notice regardless.
Youve had surgery and couldnt do much, so they should be nice about it all not crabby. Althought bf shouldve been cleaning once in awhile since you couldny.
1 person likes this
@Srbageldog (7716)
• United States
23 Jun 17
My boyfriend never helps clean. In the past 9 years he's cleaned the bathtub maybe twice and has never cleaned the toilet. He won't vacuum, he won't mop, he rarely will do the dishes. I have to nag him to take out the trash and even then he'll take two weeks to get around to doing it. I can't lift heavy things anymore due to other health issues, so it's his job to take out the trash now but he just let's it sit and spill over everywhere. I feel like he purposely does that hoping I'll get fed up and just take it out myself. (This is one thing I will NOT budge on. He can do this one thing.) He's a bigger slob than I am but he acts like I'm the one who makes all the mess and won't help me clean it.
Since I'm home all the time he expects me to do everything. But when I worked full time he was like this too. It infuriates me that he is so sexist about housecleaning yet says he is all about equal rights. If things were equal we'd both pitch in and then things wouldn't get so bad. I get overwhelmed and have developed a bad paranoia about germs and cleanliness because of this.
1 person likes this
@Srbageldog (7716)
• United States
23 Jun 17
Plus, we have a lot of clutter, which I also get blamed for, but quite a bit of it is his. Clutter makes it harder to clean. I've been meaning to get rid of a lot of crap to make things easier, but again... For most of this year I've been dealing with health problems and recovering from surgery.
1 person likes this
@Courtlynn (67089)
• United States
23 Jun 17
@Srbageldog yeah thats not right. He shojls be doing most of the housework right now. My bf is lazy and the same. My brother will hardly help around the house to. But once inawhile will do the trash and bring down the laundry.
1 person likes this
@andriaperry (118793)
• Anniston, Alabama
23 Jun 17
I have it in the lease about my inspections, I will be there every other month. I have inspected my rentals and found the hot water leaking, that saved my floor and their water bill. I have seen things that needed repairing and they did not even think about it.
I am not that strict on people for being spotless but I cant allow a hoarder that will not toss out trash either.
And for the things needing fixed, you should always tell the landlord that you have many appointments to keep and that you will need an exact time for the guy to show up. the maintenance man is nothing but a hired hand and should not be making any comments, next time toss him a wash rag and tell him if he don`t like it, clean it himself.
I am never nor will I ever be in a tenants house without them there, I have in the past when they had to work and told me to go on in but I do not like it, I feel uncomfortable.
1 person likes this
@Srbageldog (7716)
• United States
24 Jun 17
@andriaperry Oh good grief that sounds awful. I don't know how people can let it get that bad. Well, I assume at some point they must get overwhelmed and not know how to deal with it.
@Srbageldog (7716)
• United States
23 Jun 17
We don't have anything in our lease about inspections. I reread the letter and it's the rental company doing the inspection, not the landlord. Which, it's about time, considering they haven't done one in over 7 years. I don't even know whether my smoke detector (which is wired into the wall) works or not. They are supposed to check that once a year I believe. I think they stopped doing inspections around the time our yearly lease became month-to-month. We don't have a water heater or anything like that in our apartment (the four units share one, which is located in the laundry room.) And whenever there's a major issue I notify them. I don't let leaks go untreated (although they did nothing about our leaky roof several years back until the ceiling next door caved in.)
We're not hoarders, we just have a lot of stuff piled on our coffee table and own a lot of DVDs and books, which take up space. Plus I have knick-knacks, which makes it harder to dust. Dusting is a losing battle here anyway. If I were to attempt to keep my apartment spotless, I would spend all my time cleaning. I have better things to do. The worst room in the apartment is the bathroom, because it does get dusty in there and my boyfriend never helps clean it.
The maintenance guy is a jerk. Half the time he doesn't even fix what he was sent out to fix. We lived for 8 years with only one working burner on our stove because when we called to let them know the others had shorts in them and wouldn't stay on, they kept sending him out and he just jiggled them around until he got them to come on and said they were fine. But they still had shorts in them and were unusable (and unsafe.) They finally fixed them when they were in a rush to impress the new landlords.
Anyway, all that really needs to be done is some straightening up, some sweeping, mopping, and dusting. So not too much really, but it seems overwhelming when I'm not supposed to really be doing any of it (well, maybe the dusting and sweeping, but definitely no pushing a vacuum cleaner.)
1 person likes this
@andriaperry (118793)
• Anniston, Alabama
24 Jun 17
@Srbageldog Dont worry about it, just let them know you had surgery and you will be released by the doctor on so and so date. Not all people are heartless.
I have had hoarders before with black toilets and a trail through the house filled with trash not books and dvd`s.
1 person likes this
@Mike197602 (15504)
• United Kingdom
23 Jun 17
I've lived in my first rented place (on my own) for nearly a year now and the landlord has said he wants to do an inspection this month.
No big deal for me as everything is ok and as he actually lives in the house I know him well...he even gives me free internet
I wouldn't worry too much as you've got your sister to help you out with a bit of cleaning.
I do understand the judging thing but as long as the place isn't in a terrible state I doubt they'd say anything as long as you pay the rent on time
It would be good to own a place but for me that's not going to happen anytime soon as I earn too little to get a mortgage.
Maybe talk to your boyfriend about your concerns and get him to help more around the place?
I wouldn't worry too much as you've got your sister to help you out with a bit of cleaning.
I do understand the judging thing but as long as the place isn't in a terrible state I doubt they'd say anything as long as you pay the rent on time
It would be good to own a place but for me that's not going to happen anytime soon as I earn too little to get a mortgage.
Maybe talk to your boyfriend about your concerns and get him to help more around the place?1 person likes this
@Srbageldog (7716)
• United States
23 Jun 17
I'll probably never be able to afford my own home, but I can dream anyway. Our apartment isn't too bad, just messy, cluttered, and dusty (you can't get rid of the dust; I've tried and it's a losing battle.) We haven't torn anything apart or put holes in the wall or anything like that. And we always pay our rent on time.
2 people like this
