Jun 19, 2012

No, I'm Not Exaggerating

So the house wasn't finished and they did work and we moved in and it still needs work.  Lots I'm finding out, and how did I find out? When I smelled smoke.  Yep, Saturday night after being in the new house one day and unloading my entire life and all my belongings into the house that was promised to be finished but wasn't.  I sat down to turn the A/C on and something in the basement started sparking and smoking and crackling.  I called 911.  They arrived with full sirens in full gear and shut all the breakers off to the basement and fixed my smoke alarm.  No, my smoke alarm didn't go off, the batteries were installed incorrectly. No the other smoke alarms on the other floors didn't go off because there weren't any. The AC was repaired yesterday, but today no cooling again.  The freon is all leaked out already, I'm sure.  The smoke detectors are in finally this afternoon.

***

Take a nice cool relaxing bath you say? I'd love to, if I had any water pressure.  It takes an hour to fill the tub half way.  Yes, it's on the list, yes, he's promising to fix it, no the plumber has not called me yet.  I can''t use the garbage disposal either as there isn't enough water pressure to wash even an earwig down the drain  Yes, there's a list.  There are 42 things on the list. This is number three on the list.

***


Did I mention it's been in the 90s with 50% humidity for three days? It's at 50% humidity because it rained on the day I moved in for the first time in months.


***

It took my nine hours on the phone with AT&T to get the internet up and working.  I know because I was on my cell phone, which doesn't get reception in my house so I have to stand on the front porch to make a phone call.  AT&T kept transferring me to another department who would start the call with what's your home phone to which I would explain that's what I was trying to buy from them and then they would ask for my account number and I would say I didn't have it and they would say I should've received it in my e-mail confirmation and then I would have to explain to them that I didn't have a phone line or internet yet but I was trying really hard to get it.

***

While I was trying to unpack I wanted to send the kids to the back yard to play.  I couldn't until I cleaned up the yard.  I wish I was just talking about broken old branches.  There was broken glass, rusty razor blades and screws all over the yard from the contractors working on the house.  Me and a friend spent all day yesterday cleaning the yard. I'm still finding sharp and or rusty things back there.

***

The newly varnished floors are peeling up.  They varnished over oak floors that have been waxed and oiled for almost a hundred years. The stuff is bubbling up and it comes off when you pull a chair out, or walk on it or drive a matchbox car over it or breath near it.  Three times a day I sweep a pile of varnish chips off the floor.  It's exhausting keeping the children out of the broken glass and errant screws and varnish chips while simultaneously not being able to wash anything or fill a tub, in the heat.


***

The property manager of this place is Nick Savaglio at Rockford Property Solutions aka Rockford Development LLC.  He has a boss, and no, I haven't spoken to him yet. I'd like to.

8 comments:

Kirsten Oliphant said...

I'm so sorry! SUE!!!!

Sam I Am said...

Or have each and every one of us call this Nick Savaglio AND his boss twice a day for a week and see if they get over there and fix it all like it should be! Sorry you're having such a rough start Bomb. I had a difficult time with the management company for my house when I moved to Houston. But my Landlord was awesome and got another company that was waaay better.

Hope they get it together and come fix your place.

Anonymous said...

I personally know this family that your talking about. I would not trust anything they would do for you. Is Nick your property manager still?

Jenny said...

Nope, he was removed, but only after I had to call the City Home Inspector, the place should have been condemned, or repaired NOT RENTED. After that, the owner got someone out here to fix things. I still have a list with at least 12 things on it but at this point I only have 6 more months to my lease. I'll never rent from this company or any company associated with this one again AND I'll continue to tell everyone I know. What a nightmare.

I'm so glad the city is starting a database where landlords have to register.

Jenny said...

Look what I just found!!

from http://mystateline.com/fulltext-news?nxd_id=253677

House Explosion Rattles One Rockford Neighborhood

By: Marty Kasper
Updated: May 20, 2011

"A blast shakes some Rockford neighbors out of their homes and cars this morning as they watch a nearby house explode.

"I heard a big boom, two big booms, my mom was yelling, she was screaming my name, I get up run out, see what's going on, then I see that it's all debris, glass blown out," said Demarko Barker, who heard the blast.

"I thought a car or something had hit the house," said David Shephard, who lives down the block.

Those booms came from a house in the 400 block of Kishwaukee Street just after 8 this morning.

Debris flew hundreds of feet, shattering windows and puncturing walls. Fire crews say they smelled natural gas when they got there, and quickly worked to put out the flames.

"Right now were leaning towards a natural gas explosion. We have Nicor on the scene working with out fire investigators to pin point that cause, but that's what it's appearing to be at this point," said Rockford Fire District Chief Steve Bishop.

No one lives at the home right now, so no one was hurt. The owner wanted to get the house ready to rent, even working on the building yesterday.

He says he never noticed any signs of a gas leak.

"There had been very few problems if any here, the previous tenant had kept it immaculate, it was very clean, well kept," said property owner Nick Savaglio.

Nicor workers spent the morning shutting off gas lines and securing the area. They say it's important for everyone to routinely check their appliances for leaks and know what to do if you smell gas.

"Getting a qualified contractor in, just to verify all your appliances are adequate, your venting is appropriate. If you smell gas leave the house, if it's strong and really persistent, go to the neighbor's house and call," said regional community relations director Craig Whyte.

Fire officials say the company that insures that house doesn't want a full investigation. "


Dude blew a house UP before he rented this place to me. Oh Lord set this guy straight in his conscious, stop him from being dangerously ignorant. He almost burned my family too.

Jenny said...

Also http://www.wifr.com/home/headlines/122318009.html

Katt said...

Jenny,

I rent from him now and i have some of the same problems and nothings getting fixed. I have withheld rent because of it and they are trying to evict me now. I would love to have you as a witness to what kind of landlord he is. I had to call the fire dept. because of carbon monoxide in my stove and that was the summer i have the same stove! No heat in the bathroom for a year. An electrical shortage in my sons room. I have called the city as well. He was not removed from Rockford Property Solutions he is still running things. My email is kattdavidson@gmail.com if you would email me that would be great. Thank you, Kathy

Jenny said...

Katt,

Call this guy:

James Vronch
Senior Property Standards Inspector
City of Rockford
815-987-5558
james.vronch@rockfordil.gov


I called Mr. Vronch, he came out promptly and walked the property front to back, inside and out. He found things I didn't even know about and sent a letter to the property owner who decided it was easier to fix things than get fined by the city. You have to hit them here it counts in the pocket book. Nick is a menace and a bad property manager. He blew a house up. Who does that?!