Oh Annie

Today I told Property Chi's upstairs tenant Annie that she "may" have to move. I gave it a business-type delivery and she got the message. I only messed up near the end when I "advised" her to be careful who she recommends apartments to. It was dumb but, overall, I did the job. It's good to see that I'm learning from my mistakes of saying too much or making it personal. Baby steps, baby steps.

Annie is Laurie's sister. Annie is just like Laurie but without the psychotic episodes and the 5 kids. She's one of those tenants that call about everything and will talk your ear off if you let her. She came in pregnant along with her boyfriend, who eventually left her when she was about to give birth. Since then she's been on Public Assistance due to "swollen feet and back issues" which prevent her from working. Total bullshit, I know, as I've seen people go to work with walking canes so she's trying to be like her sister and milk the system.

Annie really likes the apartment and keeps it relatively clean. Since she's been there, however, she complains about everything and I've had to fix a whole lot of things. For example, she found a speck of black mold on the bathroom wall, so I tore down the wall and put a new one up. That act seemed to spoil her, as was evident when she was getting bit by bedbugs due to an evicted tenants' left behind clothes. Even though she was getting bit and was pregnant, she refused to leave because she felt that she couldn't get a better landlord than myself.

Eventually I realized how I spoiled her and her calls became extremely annoying. At one point, she was the only tenant calling me for 3 or 4 straight months. She always made sure the rent was paid, so I will miss that. But I want no remnants of public assistance in my house and Laurie can easily come back and bother my new tenants while making the excuse that she's there to visit her sister. I truly hate going through public assistance for my rent money. I'll be glad to get rid of the constant nagging phone calls and complaining tone that makes me think she's complaining even when she's not. And I'm also very happy that she can't trash the place or she won't get her security deposit back, unlike Laurie.

Overall, it's much better with her leaving. She has to go through the hassle of being a single mother and finding a new place to live. But that's her job and her worries. My job is making Property Chi as profitable and as stress-free as Properties Alpha and Beta. I'm sure she'll be calling me everyday trying to weasel out of having to move (she's calling me as I write this), but she'll just be playing her position. I, as always, have to continue to play mine.