Part of our job is sending letters (nasty grams) to people about rule violations. One of the most common is a noise violation. After we send a noise violation to someone, we expect them to modify their behavior to be a better neighbor and be more considerate. If they do not, and we get another complaint within a short period of time, we send them a fine. Of course, we are required to give them a chance to refute the fine and state their case. This is the comment I got this week in one such instance:
I don't know what I'm supposed to do. When I come home, I like to watch TV in the bedroom. It's not that loud. It can't be. It's just a little TV.
Really? There is no response to this one except thank you, I will forward this to the Board.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Thursday, January 5, 2012
And You're Worried About WHAT?
One of my properties is a condo association with about 200 units. It is a nice, middle class community that could go south if it were let to do so. Fortunately, they have a good board and lots of good homeowners as well as an "on the ball" management company that won't let that happen.
This is an e-mail I got today from a contractor about a work order. I sent him out to inspect and advise about a small, self contained fire in a rental unit. Easy job, make sure there is no structural damage and identify the cause of the fire, then make a report. Or so we thought.
Lori-
I Made an appointment to access the damage from fire at the property. The renter & I had a nice conversation on Wednesday. I made arrangements to be at her unit the following morning.
Upon approaching I was told to wait in the hall while the ‘DOG’ was put away. I heard something very large smaller than a grizzly bear but about the same size as a Siberian Tiger growling at me as I approached their door. One never knows what lurks behind closed doors?????
The father escorted me to where the fire was & proceeded back to the living room. While I was there, within less than 3 minutes the father & son began arguing. They broke out into a fight, the son pulled a knife on the father, and the father was hitting his son while each other were yelling at each other.
.Besides extreme verbiage #^&%^^&*,,,,,,,, U *&^&*()+_ I was in the back bedroom wondering if I was to get out of there without bodily injury or even alive ??????? . At one point the father stormed down the hall towards me, grabbed me ( as I am thinking this it) & decided to show me the sons bedroom, yelling at me DO U HAVE KIDS??????? . Finally releasing me & returning to the living room. I kept wondering if Cujo or Tony The Tiger was to come out & begin feeding on my nervous body! Now both are yelling at me ???????? What did I do??????? Then they both wanted me to be a witness as to what was transpiring.
As I took a deep breath saying an Act of Contrition (a catholic thing) heading down the longest hallway I have ever walked down. Being only 15-20 feet long felt like miles I began raising my voice telling both I will be in my van awaiting the arrival of the police. I will let them know what happened. Sorry for the skid marks on the carpet in the common hall way & the skid marks of my tires for 1/4 mile down the street.
As I was driving out of the complex squad cars with sirens blaring & lights a glowing came flying into the complex.
Lori, after going to the clinic & being given heavy doses of medication to relax my heart & high blood pressure I decided to look for a buffet. A buffet of a liquid lunch 80 proof or greater.
I will be sending you my restaurant receipt as to be reimbursed along with medical bills, pharmacy bill, therapy bill & anything else I can come up with because maybe it’s time to retire. This business after 20 years is getting dangerous even in the day time.
Shaking still,
(contractor name)
Obviously, he was OK and able to send me this e-mail, so it turned out to be rather funny, but things could have been much different. When I called him, he was laughing about it. When the property manager called him, he was at a bar. (it was after 12. just barely, but it was.)
So, while I am reading this e-mail, the property manager gets a phone call from a Board member. She has decided that she doesn't want any pickup trucks in the common area parking. "they make the property look trashy." she says. This is the same property where a Board member (not the same one) thought we should ban school busses because they could damage the streets. It is a really good board for the most part, but sometimes, they don't seem to have a clue about what is REALLY going on.
So, they are worried about parking issues and school busses and we are worried about domestic battery, drug deals in the driveway (last year's fun adventure) and a member of a local gang living a couple of buildings away (two months ago).
I just find the timing ironic. It makes me wonder what tomorrow will bring, and whether this contractor will EVER work for me again.
This is an e-mail I got today from a contractor about a work order. I sent him out to inspect and advise about a small, self contained fire in a rental unit. Easy job, make sure there is no structural damage and identify the cause of the fire, then make a report. Or so we thought.
Lori-
I Made an appointment to access the damage from fire at the property. The renter & I had a nice conversation on Wednesday. I made arrangements to be at her unit the following morning.
Upon approaching I was told to wait in the hall while the ‘DOG’ was put away. I heard something very large smaller than a grizzly bear but about the same size as a Siberian Tiger growling at me as I approached their door. One never knows what lurks behind closed doors?????
The father escorted me to where the fire was & proceeded back to the living room. While I was there, within less than 3 minutes the father & son began arguing. They broke out into a fight, the son pulled a knife on the father, and the father was hitting his son while each other were yelling at each other.
.Besides extreme verbiage #^&%^^&*,,,,,,,, U *&^&*()+_ I was in the back bedroom wondering if I was to get out of there without bodily injury or even alive ??????? . At one point the father stormed down the hall towards me, grabbed me ( as I am thinking this it) & decided to show me the sons bedroom, yelling at me DO U HAVE KIDS??????? . Finally releasing me & returning to the living room. I kept wondering if Cujo or Tony The Tiger was to come out & begin feeding on my nervous body! Now both are yelling at me ???????? What did I do??????? Then they both wanted me to be a witness as to what was transpiring.
As I took a deep breath saying an Act of Contrition (a catholic thing) heading down the longest hallway I have ever walked down. Being only 15-20 feet long felt like miles I began raising my voice telling both I will be in my van awaiting the arrival of the police. I will let them know what happened. Sorry for the skid marks on the carpet in the common hall way & the skid marks of my tires for 1/4 mile down the street.
As I was driving out of the complex squad cars with sirens blaring & lights a glowing came flying into the complex.
Lori, after going to the clinic & being given heavy doses of medication to relax my heart & high blood pressure I decided to look for a buffet. A buffet of a liquid lunch 80 proof or greater.
I will be sending you my restaurant receipt as to be reimbursed along with medical bills, pharmacy bill, therapy bill & anything else I can come up with because maybe it’s time to retire. This business after 20 years is getting dangerous even in the day time.
Shaking still,
(contractor name)
Obviously, he was OK and able to send me this e-mail, so it turned out to be rather funny, but things could have been much different. When I called him, he was laughing about it. When the property manager called him, he was at a bar. (it was after 12. just barely, but it was.)
So, while I am reading this e-mail, the property manager gets a phone call from a Board member. She has decided that she doesn't want any pickup trucks in the common area parking. "they make the property look trashy." she says. This is the same property where a Board member (not the same one) thought we should ban school busses because they could damage the streets. It is a really good board for the most part, but sometimes, they don't seem to have a clue about what is REALLY going on.
So, they are worried about parking issues and school busses and we are worried about domestic battery, drug deals in the driveway (last year's fun adventure) and a member of a local gang living a couple of buildings away (two months ago).
I just find the timing ironic. It makes me wonder what tomorrow will bring, and whether this contractor will EVER work for me again.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Dealing with a Sensitive Subject
I write "nasty grams" to homeowners all the time about various violations of rules and regulations at condominiums. Many of these are noise related. People throwing parties, dogs barking, television playing too loud, etc. More than once, however, I have been contacted by homeowners disturbed because they can hear their neighbors' lovemaking through the walls or ceiling. This was one of those situations.
I asked the homeowner for specifics of date and time(s) so I can write a letter stating there was loud noise coming from the unit at a particular time. We let them figure out what they were doing at that time so they can choose to believe that their neighbors and I don't really know what was happening. Until this week, this tactic has been successful and has avoided embarrassment on all parts.
Yesterday, I got a voice mail from the homeowner stating she doesn't understand what the letter is referring to. They don't throw loud parties and they aren't even home at 3pm. So, I called her back and got voice mail (thank heaven) and explained to her what the noises were. (yes, people in the office were rolling listening to me leave that message.) I went on to say maybe if she has a teenager in the house it could be right after they are getting home from school? As I was hanging up, I thought "wow, I may have just busted someone." But, the homeowner needed to know.
So, I get a voice mail this morning. The homeowner apologizes that I have to be in the middle of this. She reiterates that she is not home at 3pm and perhaps it is another unit causing the problem. Then she says (light bulb!) "Sometimes my boyfriend is home in the afternoons. Maybe I have an issue."
YA THINK? I have a feeling that someone's belongings will be found on the front lawn sometime soon.
I asked the homeowner for specifics of date and time(s) so I can write a letter stating there was loud noise coming from the unit at a particular time. We let them figure out what they were doing at that time so they can choose to believe that their neighbors and I don't really know what was happening. Until this week, this tactic has been successful and has avoided embarrassment on all parts.
Yesterday, I got a voice mail from the homeowner stating she doesn't understand what the letter is referring to. They don't throw loud parties and they aren't even home at 3pm. So, I called her back and got voice mail (thank heaven) and explained to her what the noises were. (yes, people in the office were rolling listening to me leave that message.) I went on to say maybe if she has a teenager in the house it could be right after they are getting home from school? As I was hanging up, I thought "wow, I may have just busted someone." But, the homeowner needed to know.
So, I get a voice mail this morning. The homeowner apologizes that I have to be in the middle of this. She reiterates that she is not home at 3pm and perhaps it is another unit causing the problem. Then she says (light bulb!) "Sometimes my boyfriend is home in the afternoons. Maybe I have an issue."
YA THINK? I have a feeling that someone's belongings will be found on the front lawn sometime soon.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Put It In Writing
I received a voice mail from a homeowner that went something like this:
"I have a couple of landscaping requests and the newsletter you sent out said I should put all requests in writing. So does that mean I need to use a piece of paper and a pencil, or can I type it out on my computer?"
And these people vote...
"I have a couple of landscaping requests and the newsletter you sent out said I should put all requests in writing. So does that mean I need to use a piece of paper and a pencil, or can I type it out on my computer?"
And these people vote...
Monday, January 10, 2011
We Get Phone Calls
Much of my job is handling phone calls from the homeowners and residents. Most are questions about services or requests for maintenance, but every once in a while, we get some unusual ones. Just in the past week or so, I've gotten a couple of odd ones, and I thought I would share.
A woman called the office today to report a bird sitting in her front yard. I know it's Chicago in the winter, but birds DO that.
I also got another report today of patio chairs that had been thrown onto the pond which is frozen, but not enough to hold the weight of a person.
Also today, a homeowner called to tell me of a neighbor plowing his own driveway with a blade on his pickup truck. There was less than one inch of snow on the ground and this was a condo complex that pays a service to plow.
Last week, I got a call from a resident who came home to find that a deer had gone through the window of his condo.
Another report came in of "white stuff" on a homeowner's driveway. Really, in Chicago in December. Wonder what it could be. Turns out, it was paint.
Wonder what Tuesday will bring...
A woman called the office today to report a bird sitting in her front yard. I know it's Chicago in the winter, but birds DO that.
I also got another report today of patio chairs that had been thrown onto the pond which is frozen, but not enough to hold the weight of a person.
Also today, a homeowner called to tell me of a neighbor plowing his own driveway with a blade on his pickup truck. There was less than one inch of snow on the ground and this was a condo complex that pays a service to plow.
Last week, I got a call from a resident who came home to find that a deer had gone through the window of his condo.
Another report came in of "white stuff" on a homeowner's driveway. Really, in Chicago in December. Wonder what it could be. Turns out, it was paint.
Wonder what Tuesday will bring...
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Only I could get into a situation like this
This isn't a property management related story, but it has been quite entertaining for my co-workers and I just had to share. It is one of those situations that could only happen to me.
Recently, I met a man on a dating website. I have met several other very nice men on this site. This one said his name is Mark. He is an engineer and lives close to me. He sent me several pictures and he was a nice looking man. Not unbelievably handsome, but nice. He said he was widowed (bonus-he's already trained and doesn't come with all the divorce baggage). We began communicating with e-mails and he told me he just got a contract job in the UK. So, before we got a chance to meet, he is out of the country for 6 weeks.
While we are communicating by e-mail, I began to notice a few odd things about him. While he is very well spoken and quite chatty for a man, he speaks Queen's English instead of American. He says things like the UK instead of England. I asked him what is favorite sports team was and he said Manchester United. For someone from Chicago? This, among other things, sounded odd. I began to get suspicious. I told my friends that I fully expected him to be stranded in England and not be able to get back without money from me. No they told me, he sounds great, but just in case, keep your guard up.
Weeks go by and he continues to e-mail. He is getting very close to me and even falling in love. Really? I haven't even met the man, and I barely told him anything personal about me. So now I'm really getting suspicious. After all, I AM lovable, but not THAT lovable. I shared some of the more interesting e-mails with my friends. My favorite was the one where I asked him to send me some pictures of the job site. (I thought if he were making it all up, he wouldn't have any pictures.) The job site pictures looked pretty realistic and I was beginning to think maybe I was wrong about him until I got to the last one. His pipeline in England has 40 foot palm trees around it! Now I can really have fun with him. I responded to every e-mail telling him I couldn't wait until he gets back here and we can finally be together. His date for this was December 10, so I knew he was going to ask me for something soon.
Finally, last Monday, he instant messages me that he is behind on his project and is having some cash overruns and doesn't have money for a part he needs. Could I wire him $5000 and he will repay it in 10 days? I said sure, got all the pertinent information and then called the FBI. They were very helpful and told me how to file a complaint online. I did this, but they say they get thousands of these complaints a month.
I told him it would take a couple of days for me to get the money together, then I e-mailed him dummy tracking numbers for the Western Union Wire I just sent him. He goes to Western Union in London, and they tell him the money is on hold. He asks me to release the money. I made him go back to Western Union 4 times over several days telling him first, there was a glitch with the bank, then everything should be OK, then I don't know why it isn't working. I even asked him if he thought the money had been stolen and should I contact the FBI or Scotland Yard (that was a suggestion from a lady in the office. They were all enjoying this).
Throughout these few days, there are numerous phone calls and e-mails from him desperately trying to reach me to release the money. I was sharing this story with a friend over lunch one day and she asked why I was even bothering with him. "Entertainment." I said. After the third phone call that I didn't answer during lunch, she giggled and said, "You're right. It is amusing."
Finally, he asked me for a copy of the receipt for the wire transfer. Of course I couldn't give him that, so I let him stew all day. Phone calls, e-mails, all unanswered. Around 10:30 that night, he sent me an e-mail asking for an update. This was my reply: "I have decided I'm bored with you. I'm moving on to someone more interesting." That prompted several more phone calls and a request for instant messaging which I ignored. Finally the next day he responded sounding hurt that I was playing games with him. I did not respond, and he has not bothered me since. I'm sure he's on to his next victim.
So, there is a lesson here. Actually, there are a couple of lessons. First, if there is no victim, it's fun to mess with people. Second, I don't want to tell people not to be trusting or not to try something new, so the real moral of the story is best summed up with a quote from Ronald Reagan: "Trust, but verify."
Recently, I met a man on a dating website. I have met several other very nice men on this site. This one said his name is Mark. He is an engineer and lives close to me. He sent me several pictures and he was a nice looking man. Not unbelievably handsome, but nice. He said he was widowed (bonus-he's already trained and doesn't come with all the divorce baggage). We began communicating with e-mails and he told me he just got a contract job in the UK. So, before we got a chance to meet, he is out of the country for 6 weeks.
While we are communicating by e-mail, I began to notice a few odd things about him. While he is very well spoken and quite chatty for a man, he speaks Queen's English instead of American. He says things like the UK instead of England. I asked him what is favorite sports team was and he said Manchester United. For someone from Chicago? This, among other things, sounded odd. I began to get suspicious. I told my friends that I fully expected him to be stranded in England and not be able to get back without money from me. No they told me, he sounds great, but just in case, keep your guard up.
Weeks go by and he continues to e-mail. He is getting very close to me and even falling in love. Really? I haven't even met the man, and I barely told him anything personal about me. So now I'm really getting suspicious. After all, I AM lovable, but not THAT lovable. I shared some of the more interesting e-mails with my friends. My favorite was the one where I asked him to send me some pictures of the job site. (I thought if he were making it all up, he wouldn't have any pictures.) The job site pictures looked pretty realistic and I was beginning to think maybe I was wrong about him until I got to the last one. His pipeline in England has 40 foot palm trees around it! Now I can really have fun with him. I responded to every e-mail telling him I couldn't wait until he gets back here and we can finally be together. His date for this was December 10, so I knew he was going to ask me for something soon.
Finally, last Monday, he instant messages me that he is behind on his project and is having some cash overruns and doesn't have money for a part he needs. Could I wire him $5000 and he will repay it in 10 days? I said sure, got all the pertinent information and then called the FBI. They were very helpful and told me how to file a complaint online. I did this, but they say they get thousands of these complaints a month.
I told him it would take a couple of days for me to get the money together, then I e-mailed him dummy tracking numbers for the Western Union Wire I just sent him. He goes to Western Union in London, and they tell him the money is on hold. He asks me to release the money. I made him go back to Western Union 4 times over several days telling him first, there was a glitch with the bank, then everything should be OK, then I don't know why it isn't working. I even asked him if he thought the money had been stolen and should I contact the FBI or Scotland Yard (that was a suggestion from a lady in the office. They were all enjoying this).
Throughout these few days, there are numerous phone calls and e-mails from him desperately trying to reach me to release the money. I was sharing this story with a friend over lunch one day and she asked why I was even bothering with him. "Entertainment." I said. After the third phone call that I didn't answer during lunch, she giggled and said, "You're right. It is amusing."
Finally, he asked me for a copy of the receipt for the wire transfer. Of course I couldn't give him that, so I let him stew all day. Phone calls, e-mails, all unanswered. Around 10:30 that night, he sent me an e-mail asking for an update. This was my reply: "I have decided I'm bored with you. I'm moving on to someone more interesting." That prompted several more phone calls and a request for instant messaging which I ignored. Finally the next day he responded sounding hurt that I was playing games with him. I did not respond, and he has not bothered me since. I'm sure he's on to his next victim.
So, there is a lesson here. Actually, there are a couple of lessons. First, if there is no victim, it's fun to mess with people. Second, I don't want to tell people not to be trusting or not to try something new, so the real moral of the story is best summed up with a quote from Ronald Reagan: "Trust, but verify."
Monday, January 4, 2010
Everyone Needs a Job
Every year around this time, I get nasty voice mails from people who are angry because the snow plows or snow blowers woke them up in the middle of the night, or in the early morning hours. This morning I got one who didn't identify himself, nor give his property address, so the woman who manages the general mailbox sent it to me with the message that "this one has got to be one of your homeowners". Since he didn't leave a call back number (we have caller id, but he obviously wanted to stay annonymous, so I left it at that) I didn't call him back, but I told my co worker that I have a new response to this, which was the first, but undoubtedly not the last call about early morning snow removal.
"Unemployment has hit everyone hard and we are doing our best to help the economy by employing the usually unemployable. In doing so, we had to make some concessions. All snow plowing operations will now be done after dark and before the sun rises so we can employ vampires. They work cheap and they bring their werewolf friends with them. The werewolves are especially good because they are strong and they have a fur coat, so they don't mind the cold." I'm guessing this would also cut down on the number of homeowners who confront the plow operators, too.
"Unemployment has hit everyone hard and we are doing our best to help the economy by employing the usually unemployable. In doing so, we had to make some concessions. All snow plowing operations will now be done after dark and before the sun rises so we can employ vampires. They work cheap and they bring their werewolf friends with them. The werewolves are especially good because they are strong and they have a fur coat, so they don't mind the cold." I'm guessing this would also cut down on the number of homeowners who confront the plow operators, too.
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