[22-Dec-2012] This 5 month experience started out on the wrong foot and continued to be bad since. The carpet had been cleaned the day before I moved in, and she told me that it was safe to unpack, although a weary roommate told me I should wait. I double-checked with the landlord, and she told me that she knew more about that house than the roommate (which made sense to me) so I unpacked. 2 days after moving in, the room began to smell like mold. It got worse overnight, so I had to pack my stuff back into the boxes. She hired a professional to clean it (looking back, I should have listened to my instinct and moved out at that point). I then went on a 7 day trip and came back, but the room never really smelled right after that (I stayed 5 months because I was too busy to find a new place and move again). I gave my 30 days, but then changed my mind because it seemed like she was trying to rectify the errors. After I asked her, she reimbursed me for the days that the room was uninhabitable.
About 1-2 weeks after I moved in, the landlord informed me that there was 1 page of "rules" that I was yet to know about. She did not show me these rules before I signed the lease, but she must have realized this, because she never brought the sheet of rules to me.
The landlord tacked on a $15 monthly "cleaning fee" that wasn't in the lease and she did not warm me about prior to signing the lease. I would have rather cleaned myself, or at least had the option, but she added the fee to the rent receipt without telling me first, increasing the rent from what she had previously quoted. She also told me the utilities would be "$40-$50/month," but they ended up being $55+. When I brought this up to her, she denied ever telling me that. The money is not a big deal, but the lack of forwardness and honesty is really what drove me out of the house.
After I left, I gave her my 30 day warning. I ended up moving out with over 2 weeks remaining on my contract because I had to leave for business. I told her that I did not mind if she terminated my contract early, but she could not.
I told you most of the bad things that happened. The good things are that there are plenty of fridge space, she is a good communicator, and the living room is comfortable and well-lit. This was not the right house for me, and I wrote this review so that the next renter knows the type of person that they will be living with. If you do live here, make sure that you get in writing all possible rules and fees, otherwise you might not find out until later.
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