Notice to Vacate

September 6, 2013

     Notice to Vacate, Condemnation Notification, 72 Hour Warning to Shut-Off the Water, a Foreclosure Sign, plastered to windows, doors, and gates around the neighborhood. Everything being equal, I realize just how close I have come to be in the same position to any one of these people, in the last six months. One false move, a few late payments, high interest loans, errors in judgment at a bar let alone a fancy restaurant a night or two in the month. Wham. Warnings appear in the mailbox, stuck at eye-level on the front door to accompany those pangs of gargantuan fear. Curious about the landlords who continue to rent to tenants that cannot pay their bills. It is a vicious circle. My landlord lost tenants in three units because he didn’t prepare the lease in a responsible manner. He also ignored the warning signs and complaints from the surrounding homes, neighbors and police reports. Is he naive or simply unaware of the pitfalls of renting to friends, family and word of mouth referrals that are seemingly stable, responsible and long-term philosophy folks.

     A package was nabbed from a neighbor’s front porch the other day. It was a Federal Express box, obviously too tempting for the robber to leave alone. Happened to be an expensive electronics item and the I-can’t-wait-to-get-my-hands-on-the-thief owner is devastatingly disturbed. If someone comes to my door, peeks in the windows, there is no evidence of anyone remotely interested in high tech appliances or electronics. No television in sight, no stereo, keyboard, desktop or even surge protectors. Ho hum, they can skip over my home. Or so I thought. On Tuesday, I noticed the back door wasn’t deadbolted, the lock on the knob itself was turned, something I never do. Took a look at the other back door and the latch was slid to the left, leaving it unlocked. A basement window was ajar-strange since there are bars along each small window, impossible for anyone to come or go. I tattled on whomever entered the house, to the neighbors on both sides as well as the guys across the street, so they could keep an eye on my house and theirs. Beware, thieves, we all have our eyes peeled.