Paul's Comments

I don't know if this counts for much, but if there is someone who reads this who has a unit or a room that isn't really expensive that is in or near the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area that is accessible by someone in a wheelchair who wants a quiet tenant who pays his rent on or before it it is due, give me a call on my cell phone at 703-868-7654 and my voice mail number is 240-345-6675; messages left there are e-mailed to me. (Once I move these numbers will be removed from future copies of this message.)

What, am I just kidding myself? The only people who read this other than me are probably the spammers who try to excrement all over this blog. But I have to start somewhere; I'm probably going to have to move soon. I will have to move, the only question is how fast.

Apparently the prior landlord was in pre-foreclosure or foreclosure while he was renting the building holding the unit I'm living in. The property has since been foreclosed. What I've gotten 3rd party from some of the other tenants of the other units is the typical tricks financial organizations pull on the uneducated. The bank wants the property empty (obviously so it can sell it), is supposedly being so gracious as to give us a little time to move, and is claiming that the people here who rented their units from the prior landlord are trespassing.

Yeah, right. You can get away with that sort of crap with the uneducated and those who do not know their rights, which refers to people other than me. I used to work for a real estate office in California; I know the rules. I also know all the tricks that professional deadbeat tenants can use if I want to go to scorched earth defense, which I'm probably not going to use unless I am forced to do so. I'm not waiving anything and I'm standing on the letter of the law. I rented the property in good faith, paid rent promptly and have valid tenancy. Further, California is much less sympathetic to tenants and Maryland law grants several additional privileges to tenants above and beyond what California law does.

They don't call this place "The People's Republic of Maryland" for nothing. The law grants tenants in residential property certain rights and explicitly forbids as contrary to public policy any attempt to try to claim the tenant has waived those rights.

If they went me to move early, they're going to have to throw money at me. If they want to pay me to give up some of my rights, that's one thing and I have no problem negotiating a figure. But I will not simply waive them or give them up without compensation and without fighting. And I know enough about what the requirements are to make it a lot more expensive for them to fight me over it than to pay me off.

The biggest thing that bothers me is someone out-and-out lying about this sort of thing. I don't blame them for not telling us what our rights are, that's our job to know them. But to lie and commit fraud (a knowing lie made for the purposes of someone to rely upon it to the extent of causing them to take a financial loss constitutes fraud) is a personal insult to me and when I get insulted (especially by dishonesty from others) I expect compensation for their misconduct.

I'm normally a pleasant person, and I do not want to be a bastard but on this issue I will be. If I have to I go to state court to get an injunction to require they follow the rules and prevent an illegal eviction or self-help eviction or the equivalent thereof, or I go to Federal court to get protection under the Americans With Disabilities Act.

I'm also not handing out any prizes or making any give aways as to what they have to do or are required to do. I don't tell anything I don't need to; that's what they pay their lawyers to tell them what their requirements are. I'm not being paid to tell them how to comply with the law. They fail to follow the letter of the law and I fight, if necessary I go to court to enforce the rules.

I mean, I think I represent the "dream tenant" every landlord wishes he would get. I have always paid my rent on or before it's due. I don't smoke, don't make a lot of noise and I stay in my room except when I'm out to fix something or I've left the building on an occasional errand. I don't ask for much; all I wanted was what the law required me to be granted: quiet enjoyment of my unit for the time I have paid rent in advance, and basically to be left alone to go to hell in my own handbasket, e.g. to do my thing and live my life.

But the rules are clear; the new owner has the same rights, and is subject to the same responsibilities as the former owner. We'll see what happens. I'm not unreasonable and I'm not greedy; make me whole and adequate to cover what it will cost me to move plus a little extra for the inconvenience that I, as a person with a disability has as a result of having to arrange to move and I'm gone. Be generous and I'm gone like lightning; be reasonable and I can be gone fast; be cheap it's going to be very slow with a hard road to hoe for them and will take lots longer. They pull any stunts and I hit back, hard. Pull self-help and they get sued for damages, big time. They want to cut off the electricity, then I'll start it up under my name or a company name. Ditto the water, or I might just buy drinking water at a store in the interim. But I will not simply allow myself to be driven out in violation of the law; I don't grant free concessions. I can't afford to be Mr. Nice Guy; for me to move is going to cost me money and someone is going to have to come up with it; I already spent a chunk of change to move. I am just now financially healing from the move I made just a short time ago which followed the last move. I don't want to have to move again so soon, and if I have to move it will be because the lease on my unit is up or I've been paid off to terminate the lease on my unit.

The letter of the law is what I insist on being followed, or pay me to waive the requirements. You don't get them for free; and you're already going to be into a chunk of change to take the place back, they can spend a few thousand to cover my costs to let them have what they want. Or they can be scrimy and cheap and it will cost them more. It's their choice.

Again, we'll see what happens. I think what I'll do is find out if anyone left a business card so I can talk to them. Failing that, I'll go down to the County Recorder and see what paperwork is present. But I'm not going to worry about it. If they don't cross all the i's and dot all the t's and do something not according to the rules I'm going to fight, and sue if necessary, and it will be even more expensive to them than if they followed the rules and/or paid me off.

When the landlord at my last place informed us he was not going to renew the lease, I respected that as being what the law required. We wheedled him into giving us 60 days instead of 30 which made it easier for me. But I got out without fighting over it because I respect someone who follows the rules and acts respectfully. But treat me as if I'm garbage and I'm likely to make them pay me for taking out the trash to which they are treating me as.

Looks like I will have to bulk up the minutes on my cell phone after all. I might just see about changing my MagicJack so that the number is forwarded to my cell phone so I have an area code 240 number that rings to me. We shall see.

Oh well, start subscribing to the Washington Post again and check out Craigslist every day for possible places. Oh yeah, I'm definitely going to have to bulk up my cell minutes. Or I can take Vonage for 30 days then cancel the service at no cost. That's an idea and would be cheaper. As luck would have it, I have a Vonage adapter I bought once and never used. I could try it right away. But I'll wait until I have to. I have two choices as far as my cell phone is concerned; buy a 90-day extension and extra minutes for around $30, or buy a one-year extension and 400 minutes for around $125, which then grants me double minutes. I'll think about it, considering I know that I am cheap and scrimy I prefer lower-cost options.