I tried to post this before in Landlord-Tenant, but I think it didn't post or something. Not sure what happened.
So I had this roommate from Hell who moved in on July 1. By July 12th, she had proved herself a supreme bitch, and I said nicely & quietly that I thought we were having a really hard time and I didn't think the living arrangement was going to work out, but that if she wanted to try to make it work, I was willing. She responded bitchily that if I didn't want her here, she didn't want to be here. Which was understandable I guess.
She agreed to be out by August 1, as long as I gave her the security deposit right then (July 12th) instead of after she left. This was going against standard procedure, but to get her out I gave her the deposit, retaining $50 for when she actually handed over the keys and left on August 1.
She told me that I could have her couch, as it would be too much trouble for her to take with her. I said I didn't care either way. She said again that I could have it.
I asked her to please pack up all her stuff and put it in boxes, since I was giving her her security deposit early anyway. She said she would pack up the stuff in her bedroom. I asked her to pack her dishes too, and offered (nicely, not in a nasty way!) to move them into her room for her. She screamed at me not to touch her stuff, or she would call the police, etc., etc. This screaming thing had been going on for a while, by the way, which is why we had problems in the first place. So anyway, I didn't touch her dishes or any of her other stuff.
Up until this point (July 12th) she had hardly ever been here, as she spent most of her time at her significant other's apartment. She had been here maybe 2 nights. On July 12th she started packing her stuff up, and did not eat, sleep, or live here at all.
She ended up packing her dishes early after all, like on the 16th I think. By July 16th, almost all her stuff was not only packed but out. She was not living here at all, and her bedroom was completely empty. The only things remaining that belonged to her were her couch, a shower caddy, some placemats, a curtain, a gray storage bin, and some food in the fridge. She had packed up some of my forks & spoons (by accident I think).
On July 20th I got an email saying that the couch and the food in the fridge would be out sometime that week (this would have been last week). She may have forgotten about the other small items she has here.
I responded saying that:
1. the Con Ed bill had come (it was $156, but most of that was me and my air conditioning, as she had been here for a total of maybe 3 days & 3 nights), and it would be $5 for her.
2. she had taken some of my silverware, and would she return it, please. I mentioned that if she preferred, I could just charge her $15 for the forks & spoons, and take that out of the remaining $50 of her deposit that I owed her (in addition to $5 for the Con Ed bill).
3. if she continued to not be here for the rest of the month, except to move her couch and food, I would assume that she would owe me nothing for the next Con Ed bill (my Con Ed cycle starts in the middle of the month).
4. So, if she returned my forks & spoons, I would pay her $45 instead of the $50 that I still owed her for security (because of $5 taken out for Con Ed), and if she didn't return them, I would pay her $30 instead of $50.
She never responded, but what was strange is that she didn't show up to get her couch, food, placemats, etc. It's not yet August 1, but she did say in the email she sent me that she would be here last week, and every other time she's said she would be here to pick up her stuff, she's been here.
Sorry this post is soooo long! I have 2 questions. One is that I'm worried that she's now planning to sue me for the $20 I'm charging her for Con Ed and my silverware. It seems like something she would do, or at least threaten to do. Not that I have anything to be afraid of with court, but I've already spent too much time dealing with her.
Can you even take someone to housing court for $20? Perhaps I am being self-righteous too, making such a big deal over silverware, although I am pretty broke these days and could really use my silverware! So, perhaps it would be better just to give her the $20, even if she doesn't give back my forks & spoons.
My 2nd question is, assuming she DOESN'T show up by August 1, am I then responsible for getting her her couch, placemats, etc., & money? She is not answering emails or text messages, and I don't have a mailing address for her. If I have to wait for her to come and pick her stuff & money up, how long do I have to wait, before I can throw her stuff out?
I'm confused and afraid of her screaming in my face yet again. Just don't want to deal with her anymore.
Thank you so much for your time!
Libera
So I had this roommate from Hell who moved in on July 1. By July 12th, she had proved herself a supreme bitch, and I said nicely & quietly that I thought we were having a really hard time and I didn't think the living arrangement was going to work out, but that if she wanted to try to make it work, I was willing. She responded bitchily that if I didn't want her here, she didn't want to be here. Which was understandable I guess.
She agreed to be out by August 1, as long as I gave her the security deposit right then (July 12th) instead of after she left. This was going against standard procedure, but to get her out I gave her the deposit, retaining $50 for when she actually handed over the keys and left on August 1.
She told me that I could have her couch, as it would be too much trouble for her to take with her. I said I didn't care either way. She said again that I could have it.
I asked her to please pack up all her stuff and put it in boxes, since I was giving her her security deposit early anyway. She said she would pack up the stuff in her bedroom. I asked her to pack her dishes too, and offered (nicely, not in a nasty way!) to move them into her room for her. She screamed at me not to touch her stuff, or she would call the police, etc., etc. This screaming thing had been going on for a while, by the way, which is why we had problems in the first place. So anyway, I didn't touch her dishes or any of her other stuff.
Up until this point (July 12th) she had hardly ever been here, as she spent most of her time at her significant other's apartment. She had been here maybe 2 nights. On July 12th she started packing her stuff up, and did not eat, sleep, or live here at all.
She ended up packing her dishes early after all, like on the 16th I think. By July 16th, almost all her stuff was not only packed but out. She was not living here at all, and her bedroom was completely empty. The only things remaining that belonged to her were her couch, a shower caddy, some placemats, a curtain, a gray storage bin, and some food in the fridge. She had packed up some of my forks & spoons (by accident I think).
On July 20th I got an email saying that the couch and the food in the fridge would be out sometime that week (this would have been last week). She may have forgotten about the other small items she has here.
I responded saying that:
1. the Con Ed bill had come (it was $156, but most of that was me and my air conditioning, as she had been here for a total of maybe 3 days & 3 nights), and it would be $5 for her.
2. she had taken some of my silverware, and would she return it, please. I mentioned that if she preferred, I could just charge her $15 for the forks & spoons, and take that out of the remaining $50 of her deposit that I owed her (in addition to $5 for the Con Ed bill).
3. if she continued to not be here for the rest of the month, except to move her couch and food, I would assume that she would owe me nothing for the next Con Ed bill (my Con Ed cycle starts in the middle of the month).
4. So, if she returned my forks & spoons, I would pay her $45 instead of the $50 that I still owed her for security (because of $5 taken out for Con Ed), and if she didn't return them, I would pay her $30 instead of $50.
She never responded, but what was strange is that she didn't show up to get her couch, food, placemats, etc. It's not yet August 1, but she did say in the email she sent me that she would be here last week, and every other time she's said she would be here to pick up her stuff, she's been here.
Sorry this post is soooo long! I have 2 questions. One is that I'm worried that she's now planning to sue me for the $20 I'm charging her for Con Ed and my silverware. It seems like something she would do, or at least threaten to do. Not that I have anything to be afraid of with court, but I've already spent too much time dealing with her.
Can you even take someone to housing court for $20? Perhaps I am being self-righteous too, making such a big deal over silverware, although I am pretty broke these days and could really use my silverware! So, perhaps it would be better just to give her the $20, even if she doesn't give back my forks & spoons.
My 2nd question is, assuming she DOESN'T show up by August 1, am I then responsible for getting her her couch, placemats, etc., & money? She is not answering emails or text messages, and I don't have a mailing address for her. If I have to wait for her to come and pick her stuff & money up, how long do I have to wait, before I can throw her stuff out?
I'm confused and afraid of her screaming in my face yet again. Just don't want to deal with her anymore.
Thank you so much for your time!
Libera
