The landlord is always around. Like, always!
Pros
He is a charming older man that reminds you of that jolly grandpa figure from a childhood favorite movie. He's far from it.
Cons
Ok, here we go. It's two apartments with a commercial space below, prewar construction. The commercial space (that has always been some sort of restaurant) has a back yard. The tenants of the rear apartment will always have loud music/ noise issues. Both apartments will experience loud music/ noise issues regardless since the entire structure itself is not insulated well and you can hear the slightest music from below. The landlord simply doesn't care even though he will sound oh so concerned every time. He'll do nothing about it. You take out your own trash. The landlord will be there every trash day to make sure you have separated them accordingly. He goes through it (yup!) and if you haven't, he will let you know exactly which items should've been in which bag (creepy). When you move in to either apartment, you will find a series of notes around the apartment with instructions. You will keep finding notes for a while. Like someone's watching. He has keys and will access the apartments at any given day/ time. He'll make sure to knock first, and then let himself in. When my girlfriend and I were moving out, he came in the apartment one morning with potential renters, while she and I were still in bed sleeping (you read that right!). He will go through your belongings. He will tell you where the furniture is touching the walls so they don't leave marks. He will show you the thermostat on the wall where you can control your heat. He won't tell you that you'll have to pay for it and trust me, it's very expensive! The apartments are poorly insulated even though he has installed "precious" storm windows. He will keep increasing your rent with the excuse "look what other apartments go for". This is hilarious, he hand writes on a piece of paper all the listings he found on craigslist, instead of printing the page. The man has way too much free time on his hands. You will find small roaches and he will tell you, you brought them in when you moved in with your boxes. He won't allow for an exterminator because they use harsh chemicals that will ruin his apartments. he will offer to sprinkle a mixture of sugar/ baking powder around the apartment, free of charge. It's something he wants to do himself (all about being in your space). He doesn't really fix anything, it's all patch work until something breaks again. The apartments are his "daily routine". He treats his tenants like (his) children. And will "correct" you so you can "learn". Like a good child. He only does month to month leases so he can kick you out if he wants to. It feels good to share all this after so long. I lived there 6 years.
Advice to the owners
If your apartments are so precious to you, don't rent them out. Put the whole building in a bubble and preserve it "perfect, forever".
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