War And Peace

Shoot. Has it really been five full days since my last post? I guess I'll have trouble making my *100+* posts this month.

I've been busy. The weather has been spectacular and I've been golfing. Today my kids had a closing ceremony with our homeschool co-op. And of course, we had Easter in between that.

Now for the *war*...

Yep, I'm in YET ANOTHER all-out battle with my landlord. Recall from my prior post that flooding (and more accurately, his deferred maintenance) knocked out my hot water late last Tuesday night. April rent was due on Thursday and he actually had the stones to DEMAND it when I was still without hot water. I told him he'd get it when a plumber came. Here we are five days later and there's still no plumber - so there's no rent.

I did grab a plumber next door and get him to re-light my pilot light on Friday (day three of no hot water) but I wasn't going to tell my landlord - he didn't deserve to know.

And get this, late Friday night, after an entire day where he made no communication to me about when a plumber was coming or anything, he had the STONES to email me and tell me that he *is going to show the house* on Saturday at 7pm and on Sunday at 11am. Can you believe his nerve?

(House showings, when allowed, require a minimum of 24 hours written notice AND, according to judicial precedent, can only take place Monday-Friday 9am-5pm. In other words, *no nights* and definitely *no weekend nights* or *holidays*!)

I waited until Saturday afternoon, when there was still no plumber here and when I was about to hit the road to my parents' house to email him:

CaptiousNut - Since you were non-responsive to our lack of hot water I took care of it myself....Under no circumstances is ANYONE permitted to enter my house this weekend, no less on Easter Sunday....You'll get your rent check on Sunday night less what I had to pay the plumber and less an additional amount that I've yet to determine.

Y'all aren't going to believe his response:

DeadbeatCriminalMoronicLandlord - I never authorized you to hire ur own plumber. I told u that the plumber was busy. Your rent is due in full. The property needs to be shown as I am working with the reactors [sic], the appraiser, and the attorneys. If tomorrow easter is not working for you. I will reschedule but you must allow the showing tonight.

I wasn't *authorized*? I guess I was supposed to just sit there taking cold showers until whenever he got a plumber to re-activate my hot water heater.

I actually had a rent check made out to him minus only $250 that I was going to give him last night. My wife and I figured that we pay April and just stiff him for the whole amount come May.

But after that email exchange and his mind-numbingly arrogant attempt to *show* our house on a holiday weekend, with short notice, WHEN he's having us sit there in cold water....I decided that he wasn't going to get April rent, period.

I just can't imagine any judge not reaming him for this past week's events - and that's on top of everything else. I'll take my chances in court.

BTW, not only did I set little *booby traps* in my house to see if scumbag defied my orders and entered my house on Saturday night, I also sent spies by at 7pm! From what I can tell, he changed his mind and didn't come in. I was actually hoping he would because that'd be a trump card in any legal proceeding.