Rental Quagmire

Last night at Chaos Manor (read: rental housing), I discussed the dire rental situation with Alan. I told him that, if he were to find a house to lease, I would be fine with renting one of the rooms. Alan was agreeable, although he seems to believe that he can negotiate a deal to remain at Chaos Manor. I am open to the idea, but not at the projected increased rent. He seems to believe that we can rent the entire first floor and be better off than moving elsewhere.

Well, the landlord's son has decided to section off the second floor as an autonomous two-bedroom unit. The first floor will be sectioned off as another autonomous two-bedroom unit. The first floor common area will be doubled in size after the wall of Alan's squalid room is torn down. Each floor will be leased as one unit. That, of course, presents a problem. There could end up being twenty people residing in any particular unit. Or, there could a lot of "guest" staying over. Or, there may be loud parties. When tenants dole out over $2,100 per month in rent, they are not going to sit around quietly and vegetate. Rather, they will attempt to derive (read: exploit) as much value out of the rental as possible. That's human nature at play.

What is most interesting is that Alan wants to remain at Chaos Manor when he knows that the landlord has desired to evict him for several years. He would be better off implementing my idea. Oh well. The crafty "chef" has indicated that is planning to move out in two weeks. Just last week, however, he said that he has only $100 in his bank account. So, I assume that he will be moving in with his "squeeze." From what I can tell, she has been financially subsidizing his way, all the while believing that the "big payoff" will come when the culinary con artist becomes a massage therapist earning over $100,000 per year. Dream on!

I have been perusing the rental listings on craigslist. Whoa! Rental rates have risen significantly. Room rentals with shared bathrooms are between $700 and $900 per month. Rooms with private bathrooms (like the first floor of Chaos Manor) are $900 per month and upward. Little wonder why there are so many homeless people. Imagine trying to pay that kind of rent with a minimum wage slave job. Anyway, if Alan decides to remain at Chaos Manor, I will have to find a studio rental unit. I will be looking for an attached or detached studio next to house, though. In any case, time is rapidly running out.