So, my landlord's Realtor thinks I'm going to help him sell the property.

[eyesroll]

I'm moving out next month.

Yesterday, I get a message: "Hi, Stacie, this is Wayne the Realtor. I was given your number by Absentee Landlord, who owns your building. As he may have informed you, he is interested in selling his properties and as a result I will need to gain entry to both your unit and the upper in your building. He indicated he does not have a key to either unit. It will just take 10 minutes of your time, but you will need to coordinate it with your neighbors. I am available between 1 and 4, Monday and Tuesday. Please call to schedule something within that time. After that, I will be working with you to bring the building into sellable condition and get showings done."

I call Wayne the Realtor (name changed) back today. First, I tell him that I work and I am not able to take time off to sell property I don't own. Then I tell him that I will be happy to bring the CLEANLINESS in my unit up to sellable condition, but I cannot do anything about the water damage (from a leaky radiator in the other unit) or the bad flooring, as I DON'T OWN THE UNIT. And then I let him know that I do not see my neighbors except when they blast music at 3 am on Thursday mornings, and I do not have a current phone number for them.

"Well, can you leave a key and a note with them, so they can let me in during your work hours?"

That got a polite "HELL NO."

I offered the following:
1. I will meet him Tuesday at or after four. I will let him into my unit, and into the shared basement, and I warned him that he will need good shoes and a flashlight and possibly an up-to-date tetanus shot.
2. I will leave a note for my neighbors, asking THEM for a key. If I get a key or their presence, I will let him in the upper. Otherwise, he will need to schedule this with them separately.
3. I will need 12 hours notice for any showing, PER MY LEASE, until I move out mid-April.
4. I will leave my apartment in the same condition I found it when I signed my lease, minus the maintenance issues (water damage, etc.) that Absentee Landlord will need to resolve. I will likewise scan the basement for any of my property/errant laundry, and pick up any trash/weeds outside the building, as is my responsibility. Any further cleaning of common area will be negotiated by me, with my landlord, at market rates for such a service.

He accepted 1 and 2, and "will discuss with your landlord." #3 and #4 (I know I'll win that one, but still.)

What a twit.

[progmom]

1. that's insane

good for you for your responses. i'm blown away that your landlord would think that was ok. :o

[eyesroll]

4. Honestly...I think it was the Realtor.

My landlord probably said: "Talk to Stacie, she's helpful" (and I do get $25/month off my rent for being helpful -- calling the plumber directly rather than calling the landlord, that sort of thing) and the Realtor just ran with it.

I'm willing to be helpful, sure, but as I don't own the property, my helpfulness ends somewhere.

[bullwinkle428]

15. Realtors can be FAR worse than most other "whipping-boy" professions -

used car salesman, politicians, lawyers, etc. I've dealt with several of them over the years, and while one was absolutely wonderful, and another was acceptable, the rest were, I must say, totally clueless douchebags if not out-and-out liars. :argh:

[RevCheesehead]

2. Aw, shit.

You don't need that aggrivation.

Did you happen to see the news segment on Milwaukee landlords this weekend? It was either on WTMJ or Fox6 (yeah, I know, but my dad watches the early news). It was a lengthy report about the responsibility of landlords, and how they're legally held responsible for multiple nusiance complaints, especially if they're absent.

I'm so glad you got a new place. Best wishes with the move.

[eyesroll]

6. Thanks!

I didn't see the report, but I'll look for an archive.

[LostinVA]

3. There's no "discussing" anything with anyone -- he legally can't do that

nor expect that. Stand your ground. Call Legal Aid, or -- if your city has one -- a tenant's rights board.

[eyesroll]

5. Like I said upthread, I think it's the Realtor, not the landlord.

If the landlord gives me crap (which, to his credit, he's never done), then I'll start complaining.

Hell, I probably don't need to call Legal Aid (which I wouldn't qualify for anyway -- although I make my place sound like a slum, it's not, and I live below my means in any case). I can click into Lawyer Mode (and there's no scarier lawyer than someone who thinks she knows everything because she's starting law school in the fall, right? :D) and talk out my ass enough to get a quick resolution.

[LostinVA]

7. Give 'em hell!

[Texasgal]

8. I had the sam eproblem years ago..

Before I bought my house.

It was a duplex and the landlord lived on one side, so whenever they wanted to "show" the house, we had to leave. The duplex was a really cool place but it had foundation issues.... ( hard to sell )

The realtors were supposed to make "appointments" with us before showing, but it got so bad that they just stopped that all together.

I remember once, being in the shower and hearing VOICES, I shut off the water and grabbed a bathrobe and went SCREAMING down the hall way for them to get the fuck out! I was so livid!!! There was a door to bedroom that led out to a courtyard, once while in bed asleep on a saturday morning a family with a perky realtor opened the door to me sleeping... I sprang out of bed! I was so damn angry!!

Finally, after 6 months of this shit, I broke lease and moved out... I just could NOT do it anymore!

Good luck to you!

[eyesroll]

11. That's creepy.

Knowing my landlord, there won't be actual showings for months, so this is probably the most I'll have to do.

(As an example: I let a furnace guy in to give an estimate for a new boiler. The old one is about 100 years old, and the landlord was not able to refinance the building because of the boiler. This was in November. There's still no new boiler. He'll need to replace it before he can sell, assuming the buyer isn't a cash buyer.)

[jane_pippin]

9. Good for you. Absentee landlords--sounds like a nice idea

in that they won't be around to bug you but that fantasy falls apart pretty quickly as soon as you need something done. Apparently the need to foist their responsibilities on their tenants is a common trait. I worked for an absentee landlord and I couldn't believe the crap he tried to pull with his renters.

You shouldn't even take the responsibility of showing your neighbor's space. (Though it's nice of you to do it). "Wayne" is perfectly capable of leaving them a note to call him when he sees your space, sending them a letter stating his need to see the space, or getting their number from your landlord to contact them. It's not your problem. It's also not your problem that the landlord doesn't have a key to his own units.

I bet April can't come fast enough. :)

[eyesroll]

10. Actually, I'm curious about the space, so I want to show it to him.

:D

I've only been in their kitchen (at 2 am, when they started blasting music and they wouldn't answer knocking, and I discovered the back door was open and I invited myself in). I've got some weird morbid curiosity about how they live. I wonder if there's a meth lab in the attic or something.

Of course, if the Realtor wants entry at any other time, he's going to have to retain a key or get a lockbox, like normal Realtors do.

I don't mind this most of the time -- $25/month to do nothing most months is fine by me -- but this is ridiculous.

And, yes, I'm counting the days...

[swag]

12. People can be such presumptuous shitheads.

[lizziegrace]

13. If there's a link to the absentee landlord program

please either post it here or send me a PM. My absentee landlord is trying to sue me because she said she never got my letter (sent 3 months ago) with the rent check folded inside. Now I'm less than 30 days from moving out and she said I WILL be responsible for the rent until she finds someone. Easy to do from FLORIDA.

I'll start another thread with this. Don't want to hijack yours!

[Gormy Cuss]

14. I see that you know that magic word.

"No." The realtor is now on notice that you're nice but not a pushover.