If It's Not Too Broken

So last week was a bit tough. I found out that Property Chi's roof problem was worse than I thought. The snow on the roof turned to ice and, when it melted, shifted the shingles and water gets through the plywood and through the ceiling. I'm still waiting for an estimate but I'm sure it will be over $500 in labor alone. Also, the family member that I lent money to buy another ticket to come home hasn't contacted me yet. I don't really care about the money anymore, but rather about whether or not she's okay and isn't being held up for money or something.

I'm beginning to adopt some new practices when it comes to taking care of fixing things in properties, especially when it comes to Chi. For example, the downstairs tenant says the heat doesn't come on in half the house. I was going to call a furnace guy until I realized that it's almost March. What's the point of spending hundreds of dollars on fixing a furnace that the tenants will use for about a month, then turn it off for 6 months? It's better to continue saving money and just tell them I'm trying to get in touch with the furnace repair guy-- stall until it doesn't matter anymore. And as far as the roof goes, why not just put tarp on the areas that need fixing on the roof until it's financially better to pay for the roof to be permanently fixed? It's cheap but it's effective. It's what landlords do and I have to start implementing this practice in my further dealings with tenants, especially Chi's.

The other reason why Chi is such a problem is that the tenants don't work. They're both on either Public Assistance or SSI. This means that they stay home all day and do nothing, making it easier to see problems that most wouldn't. For example, the upstairs tenant "texted" me that the light sparked whenever she turned it on. This was at 8pm on a Friday night. Why bother texting your landlord at 8pm on a Friday night over something so small? I will still fix things that are important but, if it can wait, fuck it.

This week should be a normal one. I decided to go on Match.com to scratch the dating itch and we'll see what comes from that. This is also rent week so I should get most of the rent by Saturday and Monday.