tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7150649422744296369.post5672249146441694663..comments2023-12-23T02:17:12.549-08:00Comments on Quest for Fun!: Not So Great (rant)Gary Rayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11897166491600280320noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7150649422744296369.post-42190185969552196582009-03-25T12:22:00.000-07:002009-03-25T12:22:00.000-07:00I am usually a very responsible pet owner - I pick...I am usually a very responsible pet owner - I pick up after my dog, etc.<BR/><BR/>When I lived in a complex where I was paying "pet rent" in addition to my regular rent, I let my dog crap on any of the lawns, and when a neighbor complained about her barking one day, I told the property managers "That's what she pays her rent for, so you can deal with it. I want you to evict those people downstairs whose kid cries all the time - which is what causes my dog to bark."*<BR/><BR/>Oddly, that was one of the few rental situations I've been in where they gave me back the entire security deposit (although the pet deposit was non-refundable - just another expansion of "pet rent").<BR/><BR/>*I later found out that my downstairs neighbors were among the "section 8" government subsidized renters that the facility had in some apartments. Policy was for people with dogs and section 8 renters to be placed in the buildings located at the greatest distance from the pools and tennis courts.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7150649422744296369.post-820224312024813722009-03-24T19:57:00.000-07:002009-03-24T19:57:00.000-07:00Our bill was $2500 plus another $150/month. All du...Our bill was $2500 plus another $150/month. All due immediately. I'll check out your blog. Thanks!Gary Rayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11897166491600280320noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7150649422744296369.post-18120137617809147652009-03-24T19:38:00.000-07:002009-03-24T19:38:00.000-07:00Hey Everyone,You guys need to move to Montana! I ...Hey Everyone,<BR/>You guys need to move to Montana! I am a fellow retailer (Gary's ideas about retailing help me out a lot) and I love the laid back atmosphere here. I started having employees last year but didn't know I needed to pay unemployment insurance. When I found out and told the state six months later they just said, "No, problem, just pay what you currently owe, no fees or interest charged." In addition, my business landlord refunded us $1000 last month for overpaying on our NNN last year. Anyway, if you want to check out another retailers blog (shameless plug)check out blog.rookscomicsandgames.com<BR/><BR/>Lincoln<BR/>Rook's Comics and GamesRookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11217981900163684719noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7150649422744296369.post-5733583933267577552009-03-24T19:18:00.000-07:002009-03-24T19:18:00.000-07:00Hey Everyone,You guys need to move to Montana! I ...Hey Everyone,<BR/>You guys need to move to Montana! I am a fellow retailer (Gary's ideas about retailing help me out a lot) and I love the laid back atmosphere here. I started having employees last year but didn't know I needed to pay unemployment insurance. When I found out and told the state six months later they just said, "No, problem, just pay what you currently owe, no fees or interest charged." In addition, my business landlord refunded us $1000 last month for overpaying on our NNN last year. Anyway, if you want to check out another retailers blog (shameless plug)check out blog.rookscomicsandgames.com<BR/><BR/>Lincoln<BR/>Rook's Comics and GamesRookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11217981900163684719noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7150649422744296369.post-27609444621898662072009-03-24T17:41:00.000-07:002009-03-24T17:41:00.000-07:00They know if they charged "kid rent" that the poli...They know if they charged "kid rent" that the politicians will get involved. Helping pet owners doesn't get nearly the press or votes that helping parents gets.<BR/><BR/>One of the major spurs to get us to leave California was the increasing rent, both through the indirect method of fees and expenses passed on to the renters and directly through increased rents.Fulminatahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14332824290977548527noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7150649422744296369.post-31029664843672894492009-03-24T16:02:00.000-07:002009-03-24T16:02:00.000-07:00I'd be less ticked about pet rent if they also cha...I'd be less ticked about pet rent if they also charged child rent. Any parent can confirn that children can cause serious property damage. I know I did when I was a kid. In comparison, my two cats are wonderfully safe...Silas Humphreyshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10639832677140104872noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7150649422744296369.post-47813032131689222562009-03-24T15:55:00.000-07:002009-03-24T15:55:00.000-07:00Well, fortunately, I was able to find a small prop...Well, fortunately, I was able to find a small property owner that didn't charge pet rent. Seems like the big complexes are the ones pushing the pet rent, so I avoided them. As a matter of fact, I told some complexes "you just lost a customer because of overreaching. You just killed the golden goose."<BR/><BR/>Pet rent is sick. There's no real economic reason behind it, given you've probably already paid an exhorbitant pet damage deposit anyways. It's simply: "pay me, or I'll take your cat from you." It's taking the animal hostage. It's not that pet rent costs the renter a lot of money, it's just that the companies pushing it are disingenuous, greedy and grasping. I'm kind of bleeding heart for critters, so any mindless fee that makes it less affordable to take care of an animal gets me riled.<BR/><BR/>It also ticked me off that, in a time of growing unemployment and increasing health costs, such a silly fee would be devised. Every dollar counts.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7150649422744296369.post-263426216066441742009-03-24T13:18:00.000-07:002009-03-24T13:18:00.000-07:00With me, it came down to pet rent or no pets. No w...With me, it came down to pet rent or no pets. No way could we give up the cats.Silas Humphreyshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10639832677140104872noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7150649422744296369.post-69052894829342348592009-03-24T11:15:00.000-07:002009-03-24T11:15:00.000-07:00Property managers love to hit tenants up with all ...Property managers love to hit tenants up with all sorts of fees. It's a trend I've noticed in the last 3-4 years. My old apartment complex started passing off every expense it could think of. Sewage, trash, etc. We were told it was no biggie, because it was so small. It crept from about $30 / month to $70 / month over time. I received a note on my door saying some kind of license fee went up, and the expense could be passed on to me per my rent contract. It's a back door rent increase. My contract was supposed to lock in a rate for 1 year, but the landlord had complete discretion to pass on "expnses" to me at will without notice.<BR/><BR/>A new abomination came to light in the past few years: "pet rent." That's right, extra rent if you have a kitty. That's IN ADDITION to the $500 pet damage deposition, IN ADDITION to the $500 normal damage depositt. Many complexes now have pet rent at anywhere from $20-$40 / month. Guess it's time for kitty to get a job. When I moved, I chose to rent from a small property owner so I could avoid pet rent. You could offer me a mansion at $100 / month, but I would turn it down if there was pet rent. The concept is THAT odious to me.<BR/><BR/>All this really adds up. $100 / month x 12 is $1,200 / year, which can amount to $1,500 or so in pre-tax dollars. Your whole annual raise can go down the crapper just for extra fees!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com