When we decide to rent an apartment, we pay attention primarily to the location, size, layout, parking space and the immediate vicinity. Sometimes we also ask about neighborly relations, because, as we know, they can get under your skin quite a bit. It turns out that it would also be useful to have a crystal ball or some other way to check what kind of owners we are dealing with. Because they can be a real thorn in your side. Several of our interlocutors told us about their experiences.
“The owner blamed us for not renovating the floor”
Renting an apartment with mediocre owners can be very messy. A common problem is the issue of things left inside. Some of them simply fall apart in your hands. Others… no one knows why they are there at all. Judging by the statements of our interlocutors, it seems that many owners treat their rented premises as a storage room. They leave there old, falling apart furniture or souvenirs of “sentimental value”, but they have no place for them.
I once lived in a typical Gierek apartment. The owner obviously didn’t renovate anything, she didn’t care. The floor tiles were falling off and even though we cleaned them up, it was a terrible mess because it was such an old block of flats. At the end, she blamed us for the floor because we didn’t renovate it
– Iwona told us.
Kasia also had to deal with a very old apartment. However, it didn’t fill the space there, but I remember this image to this day: – Inside, there’s a full PRL set: a Polar fridge and washing machine (“it’s leaking a bit, but I have a friend who’s a foreman…”), a Wrozamet stove and a broken AM/FM radio. The lady called me three times and was very surprised that I didn’t want to live there.
I still remember how the cabinet fell on my head. It was my first apartment, during my first year of studies. It was cheap, but overall it was stench, dirt and fungi growing between the sink and the countertop
– Paulina confessed.
– My friend once looked at an apartment in Ursynów. He comes and there is a piano in the living room. And he asks if the owners intend to take it, and they say no, because it is a “family souvenir”. My friend, on the other hand, lived in an apartment where the furniture was NOT allowed to be moved “because it was nice and functional.” As a result, we secretly dismantled the bed so that she could at least sleep on her bed – revealed Agnieszka.
– I am renting an apartment with a typical kitchen cupboard from the Polish People’s Republic. Glass doors on the sides, drawers and cabinets at the bottom. The paint is worn off in many places, the door barely opens. The owner won’t let me touch it because it’s a family heirloom. We offered to buy a nice new chest of drawers, that we didn’t want any money for it, just to get rid of the dresser and replace it with something. But no, no way, the sideboard should stay and that’s it – said Karolina and added:
I don’t know why in situations like this the owners don’t take these things home if they care about them so much.
“The owner rented the apartment illegally. She almost hit me because I opened the door to the official.”
It also happens that it is not a material issue, but a character issue that affects the relationship with the owners. They have different habits and requirements. They even seem to forget that this is an exchange of goods – money for an apartment. They don’t rent someone a flat for free. Meanwhile, sometimes they treat their tenants like children who need to be properly accommodated. Kasia and Emila know this very well:
– Ten years ago I went to see “The Bachelorette” in Warsaw. The “studio” turned out to be a two-room apartment, but the second room was closed and at the disposal of the owner of the apartment. I heard that the lady “will come over sometimes because she has her things there.” When I asked if she planned to inform me about such visits in advance, she looked at me like I was crazy.
When we decide to rent an apartment, we pay attention primarily to the location, size, layout, parking space and the immediate vicinity. Photo Marcin Onufryjuk / Agencja Wyborcza.pl
– In my first apartment I had a landlord, an elderly man who came personally to collect money every month. One day before Christmas, his roommate was supposed to give him cash, but they couldn’t arrange an appointment before leaving, Emila began.
When we came back from Christmas, the apartment was locked, we didn’t have a key, and he didn’t answer the phone for two days. I was lucky that my sister lived nearby, so I stayed with her until he contacted us, but all our stuff was locked in the apartment. He decided that since he didn’t get the money on time, he could do it.
Paulina also drew attention to legal issues related to renting an apartment. It has long been known that not everyone is completely honest with offices. However, when the tenant is to blame, the situation becomes rather unpleasant: – The owner rented the apartment illegally. Her mother-in-law died a long time ago and this apartment was communal. When it turned out that the services came to get them back, the owner was furious with me, in fact she almost hit me because I opened the door to the official.
If we were to choose an absolute winner when it comes to “crooked actions” related to owners of rented apartments, Krzysiek would receive the award with distinction and a basket of sweets. He came across a person who is a reflection of everything that every tenant fears:
One of the owners of a charming apartment in Warsaw’s Wola district could come unannounced and look into the wardrobes when, for example, I went out to the kitchen to make him a cup of tea. He once accused me of subletting my apartment to someone because there were 10 pairs of shoes in the hall, and I quote: ‘a normal person doesn’t have that many’.
– Nothing could break, because when it did, he didn’t understand that it was due to old age or exploitation, but it was always my fault. When a big water bill came, he said I should – just like him! – leave water in the bathtub and then flush the toilet with a bucket to save money. And I had no problem paying the bill at all. During his visits, he quickly raised his voice, for example when he saw that I had moved the wardrobe because, in his opinion, it looked nicer on the wall where he kept it. Once, when he discovered that I had broken a small, crappy candlestick in the shape of a frog, from a five-zloty store, he tried to extort PLN 500 from me for it, explaining that he had no receipt for it, but it had sentimental value to him. He didn’t understand that I had told him earlier when I was moving in that he should take all such things away (he didn’t want to).
On this not very optimistic note, we end today’s review of owners “from hell”. What do you think about such behavior? Maybe you’ve had the dubious pleasure of experiencing them yourself?
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
