Re: inspections

[Guest guest]

Rainy Sue,

HI I wanted to let you know I too have the inspection thing here too. Last

spring 2 x while I was very ill with drain bags hanging off me and

stitches.......I had my section 8 HUD recert which they come in and check

everything and the apt maint guy comes with the inspector........then , they

refinanced the complex and came around door to door to check on apts.

What I did was put a note on the door and said I was recuperating from

surgeries and I was in here ...so please , ring the bell, and I would answer

door as quickly as possible...and if , on off chance it took me longer

....please be kind and dont just walk in.....and if finally they had to, to

yell they were here if I was in shower or going to bathroom.......and then

closed my bdrm door if that was case till I was ready to come out. They dont

want to see our naked asses any more thanwe want to show them....and it is

usually just a quick visual inspection to assess painting, appliances ,

fixtures , etc.

Me , my biggest worry was I have 2 cats (mine is skittish and stays under my

bed most of the time) and my son's is the black fixed male cat who is still a

rambunctious kitty from hell some days......and I only paid deposits for

one.....so I have to hope the other doesnt pop out while someone is here .

Anyway, dont feel cos you are on food stamps, rent assistance or anything

else that you are less of a person with rights and the right to be respected

like that is your home....it is as long as you are on the lease ....paying on

time , and not doing anything illegal....

Anyway, have a nice day..........Judy in AZ

[Guest guest]

Hi Sweetie Judy,

I remember the horrible time you've been through. I even talked to my

boyfriend about you because I was so concerned. Are you doing OK now? Or are

you still recovering a bit? I've been on hiatus, like no one noticed or

anything that Rainy was quiet! hehe.. So, I missed some of what has been

going on. I really hope that you are able to get on with things now. And

shower whenever you want!

Anyhow, I don't feel less of a person, I just don't like my space being

invaded. I've always been a very private person. I've been getting food

stamps for 11 years now, next month. And I've been on sect 8 for 9 years.

Thank goodness for that! It doesn't bother me that I am on those, I am quite

content about it, it's just that so much of my privacy has been taken away.

I mentioned the things I did about them walking in and such because I've had

a few " experiences " that shouldn't have occurred. One, I was asleep and the

maintenance guy knocked at my door, and I yelled just a minute and was in

the middle of putting my clothes on (I sleep with nothing on), and he just

walked right in and I had to yell at him, again. Then there was the time

(back in 1995) where my new apartment manager thought it would be fun to

" snoop " around my apartment while I was gone! Oh, yes, I knew it was her.

After talking to some of my other neighbors I found out I wasn't the first

one she had done that to. She was a horror story! What she did to me,

snooping, was nothing compared to what she did to some others. But that's a

whole other story. So, I had been staying at my boyfriend's grandparents

with Ryder while they were on vacation and a friend of ours called Ryder and

asked him " who was that old lady answering Sue's phone. " He went on to tell

Ryder that he asked for me and she told him she wasn't sure when she'd be

home! Well, only Ryder and I have keys to my apartment. When I got home, my

file drawer on my desk was open and all the messages that our friend left on

my answering machine for a week were gone. So, she not only answered my

phone TWICE (bcs our friend called back a second time to be sure he had the

right number, she answered again, and he hung up on her), she listened to

all my messages and obviously didn't know how to save them. I called her

supervisor and told him about it. He told me to put a piece of tape on my

door to be sure someone was coming into my apartment! Uh, HELLO! I told him

" she answered my phone, TWICE! " There is no better proof than that that

someone was in my apartment and only me and Ryder had keys, I reminded him

again. So he asks if it had been Ryder! Uh, yeah, with a woman's voice?? Not

that I needed to defend him, but we were at his grandparent's, together. Why

would I have been complaining if it had been Ryder? You know what he said

about the whole thing?? If you don't like it, you can move. I moved. The

third incident, happening here about 2 years or so ago, the maintenance man

entered my apartment without permission when a neighbor reported hearing

loud noises coming from my place. In which case you pick up the phone and

call me! Idiot. I was asleep, it was very early in the morning, so I had no

idea what was heard! It was probably one of my nightmares. I yell in my

sleep. Needless to say, he came into my apartment without permission and

woke me up, I was not happy about that. I do appreciate that someone cared

enough to check and be sure I was OK, but the guy didn't even give me a

chance to get to the door, he just walked right in. He was also the same

maintenance man that walked in on me at my other apartment. Long story, but

when we got that new manager over there, and after several " incidents " with

her, several people followed our old manager to the place where I am now.

That is how awesome my current manager is. I've actually known her since

1992 from a self publishing class. Then, when I had to move I called around

to several apartments to find places to go check out. When I got to the one

place and we saw each other she goes: " You? " and I responded, " You? " and we

hugged each other and I've followed her around since. Grin.

So, ANYWAY, I've had a few bad XP's and won't allow anyone in here unless I

am in here. Oh, I have and did put a note on my door. Since I know they will

be here any time, I told them to please feel free to come in, that way I

don't have to get up. And since my manager knows me so well, and I her, she

feels comfortable doing that, and so do I.

Since I've been on sect 8 for so many years, I know all about inspections, I

get them once a year as well. Plus, the place I live in is for low income

and they have random inspections from time to time. What I complain about,

really, is the fact they set a date to come in and don't list a time (8 AM

to 5 or 6 PM), so I sit here wondering all day when they will be here and is

it safe to shower yet. It would be like me telling them, I am coming into

your home on Friday at some random time, and there is nothing you can do or

say that will change that, and if you don't answer the door when I think it

should have been answered, I will just walk in and not take into

consideration that you may be naked somewhere.

And, like you, I have a kitty to worry about. She's paid for and all that,

but I worry about her getting scared and darting out the door. She is

strictly an indoor kitty, and would have no idea what to do outside to

survive, and living on a very busy road, a road that leads to our biggest

mall in Vancouver, a car could get her. I've lost too many of my babies on

roads and I swore I'd never go through that pain again.

I think that be it!

{Hugs} ~ Rainy

Re: [ ] inspections

> Rainy Sue,

> HI I wanted to let you know I too have the inspection thing here too. Last

> spring 2 x while I was very ill with drain bags hanging off me and

> stitches.......I had my section 8 HUD recert which they come in and check

> everything and the apt maint guy comes with the inspector........then ,

they

> refinanced the complex and came around door to door to check on apts.

>

> What I did was put a note on the door and said I was recuperating from

> surgeries and I was in here ...so please , ring the bell, and I would

answer

> door as quickly as possible...and if , on off chance it took me longer

> ...please be kind and dont just walk in.....and if finally they had to, to

> yell they were here if I was in shower or going to bathroom.......and then

> closed my bdrm door if that was case till I was ready to come out. They

dont

> want to see our naked asses any more thanwe want to show them....and it is

> usually just a quick visual inspection to assess painting, appliances ,

> fixtures , etc.

>

> Me , my biggest worry was I have 2 cats (mine is skittish and stays under

my

> bed most of the time) and my son's is the black fixed male cat who is

still a

> rambunctious kitty from hell some days......and I only paid deposits for

> one.....so I have to hope the other doesnt pop out while someone is here .

>

> Anyway, dont feel cos you are on food stamps, rent assistance or anything

> else that you are less of a person with rights and the right to be

respected

> like that is your home....it is as long as you are on the lease ....paying

on

> time , and not doing anything illegal....

>

> Anyway, have a nice day..........Judy in AZ

[Guest guest]

HI Rainy, Thanks for the nice long note. I hate living in an apt as compared

to always having a house or condo before. This is a big complex here (270

apts) and because they are all 2 bedrooms they tend to rent to most anyone

and some of these people have oodles of kids. They do not only do Sct8 and

low income....always people coming and going.

I too dont let my cats outside ....but the male will try to go out all the

time ...he just is so curious....he did get out right after my last surgery

in Oct and I still had staples all down my abd...fun trying to catch him...he

just kept going and all I could think of was ...I'm going to rip my abd

open...some kids were outside and they made noise and he got scared

....finally 2 kids about 10 cornered him on a porch and I got there and

retreived him....had to carry him home with his head buried in the crook of

my arm and holding his clawed paws tightly talking so nice to him to get him

to let me carry him.....what a pain......

Yes I am all healed since just before THanksgiving.....no drain last time and

he removed the original screen put in..it was contaminated ...and I had made

enough scar tissue in 9 months that hole was only big as 2 quarters so he

stitched it up in there and they stitched all my layers up to top and stapled

that and kept staples in 3-4 weeks...and I healed........I have lead a

fairly normal life since....just have to remember to not lift or move things

over 10 lbs.....and I do take it easy....

My RA got bad a few weeks ago ......so my RD put me on a Medrol pack and it

helped so much...now taking a 4mg tablet daily and planning on going to every

other day soon(our day weather has gonr back to 75 or so.....and that helps)

but I will say I had forgotten what it was like to get out of bed and

actually walk with no pain...and my hands havent been stiff when I get up

.......damn those steroids .love what they do for pain and stiffness and have

given me so much more energy in the day...yet harder to go to sleep at night

and harder to stay asleep.......so like I said I am going to start every

other day and then talk to Rd about off them.....it's first time I have taken

them in 5yrs I think.....

Anyway, I am glad you are back on line ....hope your inspections are over ,

and write some more some time.Take care of yourself

.........peace.........Judy in AZ