Vox

Musings, rants, rambling, general nonsense

Problems With The Cement Pond

Posted on | May 11, 2009 | Comments Off on Problems With The Cement Pond

One of the properties I bought had tenants in place – in fact they had been there over 6 years and wanted to stay which made buying the place a no brainer. The process was slow and painful because it was a short sale, but finally got to the end and was ready to close….but my mortgage company wouldn’t sign off until the pool was blue. Don’t ask me, I didn’t understand it, either.
Tenants had a long sob story about why the pool was in such bad shape, but it didn’t change anything. I had 2 days to turn a swamp blue. I paid for a large amount of serious chemicals to get it in shape – and I told them that after that I didn’t care what the pool looked like as long as no one was issuing citations.
She then told me that it had been acid washed 4 times in 5 years and they had been told that there was not enough plaster left to do it again, it would have to be resurfaced. At the time I said, “There is no chance that I am going to have a pool resurfaced that has been so poorly maintained the last few years it needed serious intervention – several times. If it gets to that point, I will just have it filled in” I was dead serious, too
Since then I have given them some gift cards when I had extra, given them some stuff for the kids. Nothing major, but thought it might help.
Well, the tenant just called to say that she has had a rough month (every month is rough for them) and she wants me to buy her pool chemicals so they can swim. I reminded her that I hate pools and she let it get in that shape so, if it is going to keep being a problem, I would just as soon fill it in. Not sure she understood that I would REALLY just as soon fill it in.
The kicker to this story: said tenants are on 100% Section 8 housing meaning they pay $0.00 for living in a 5 bedroom house with a pool. They get a subsidy for utilities, and I have been paying the sewer/trash bill anyway, just because I could & it was easier for me. Living proof that giving people something for nothing instills an assumption that they should expect to be given more. Sigh



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Category: peeves

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