[12-Sep-2013] Where to begin...Let's start with the most minor offense: The landlord verbally agreed to maintain the lawn. Reality: He & his wife would let the grass get up to 12" before coming out to mow. When we approached him about this, he told us he would mow as he deemed sufficient. Now, straight to the WORST part of it all: We were told that the 2 heating/cooling units in the house (bolted to "custom" platforms on the floor) were "energy efficient" & very effective" "French" units (like this was supposed to be impressive). Reality: We FROZE in the winter and MELTED in the summer. The units were to be drained seasonally according to the manuals. We drained them 4 x's daily in the winter, including in the middle of the night, & it was still icy! At one point, we asked Bridgman to come take a look at the living room unit; his idea of "fixing" it was hitting it a couple of times and say, "Come on!" until it finally started up...Ed Bridgman's Repair at your service! This summer, the indoor temperature hovered around 88 degrees constantly (sometimes going into the 90's!). The landlord had requested that we not put a window unit in because he & Colleen thought it looked unsightly (stating that this was why they installed the 2 crappy French units). So, we bought a $300+ portable a/c for our daughter's room which was not visible from the outside AT OUR OWN EXPENSE. He refused to provide livable air conditioning. He told us to get an energy audit - We did (via Gulf Power) and the units were found to be completely INeffecient AND the house has NO insulation! (We have all of this on record, documented by GP.) For a very small, 2-bedroom duplex, the electric bill over the summer was $300 a month! Repeat: $300 a month!!! When we expressed our concerns, the Bridgmans told us we were "overtaxing" the a/c with laptops, LED lights, a child, and indoor pets -- I KID YOU NOT! But wait, there's more....The landlord dug up a sewer line in the backyard & left some sewage & debris lying about; what he didn't leave, he DUMPED in our personal (NOT the city!) trashcan and neglected to tell us about it. We have photo proof of all of this AND the Gulf Power energy audit. The lease said the landlord would pay trash & water "usage." Reality: They didn't pay anything. Ed tried to tell us that clause was crossed out in the lease. - Uh, no, it might be crossed out on his copy (because he did it after the fact!), but not on ours. (It should be noted here that any & all changes to the lease were made on the spot when we rented the place. Colleen would mark things out or make notes, and all 3 of us - Colleen, my husband, & I - would initial the changes.) The lease also said that the landlords would "maintain" the ac/heat units (2 in the household). Reality: In 10 months, they never did a thing. When we went to the Bridgmans about the insufferable heat in the house, Ed Bridgman (get this: He teaches an "Art of Negotiation" workshop! You'll see why this is ironic in a minute; just read on....) told us that the 2 units in there were fine, & that we should just open some windows (This is in stifling July/August humid Florida temps with virtually no summer breeze!). He also said that he would "not be responsible" for any break-ins due to a window unit being installed.....Ok, so opening windows is not a security risk, but a window unit is....He also said that his "compromise" (refer back to "The Art of Negotiation" comment......a workshop that he TEACHES!) would be that we could break our lease with a 30-day written notice, which we just did. We bought a new house & got out of that hell-hole! (Btw, although we can't speak for our neighbors in the other half the duplex, they had the EXACT same complaints we did! They just bought a window unit for the kitchen anyway, ...guess it's better to beg forgiveness than ask permission...& at one point they hired somebody to mow their half the lawn.) NOTE: We have been model tenants down the line. --> We've always paid rent EARLY (we have not been late even ONCE...In fact, we ALWAYS paid BEFORE the due date, the 1st of the month); we respected their wishes NOT to have a window a/c unit installed, & we gave a 30-day written notice (via Fed Ex AND email) as required; we've also paid that last 30 days. We never once withheld rent, even in the midst of this misery....In short, there is an "implied inhabitability" with rental properties, & nothing but our bedroom was inhabitable (the a/c unit DID work in there, but the heat didn't - they had to loan us a space heater!); we had to eat & watch tv in our bedroom - The rest of the house was too hot. The bathroom was a steamy misery with one very small window. We were sweating as soon as we stepped out of the shower. Colleen Bridgman claims to be an avid animal lover, but she didn't seem to mind that OUR pets, all indoor, would PANT from the heat! We had to ice their water bowls. He is also refusing to do a walkthrough. - He just wants us to leave the keys on the kitchen counter. While it is not mandatory by Florida law, it would be the right thing to do, especially since there is so much friction between us. As it is, my husband & I will document, video, & photograph EVERYTHING on our way out. One last thing: The same month we leased the duplex, the landlords put it up for sale & had agents showing it (TWO of these groups opened doors which would let our cats out!) immediately. Now, while this is legal, it is NOT ethical. Full disclosure should have meant that they told us this because if we had known, there is a very real chance that we would not have rented it. It's highly inconvenient, especially with indoor pets. As an aside, in the 10 months we lived there (out of a 1 year lease), they never once had an exterminator come out, either...In summary, we have photo evidence of the temperatures, the sewage dump in our personal trash can, the overgrown lawn, & a copy of the energy audit. ...An additional warning: We just found out the Bridgmans have started an "RV community" in Mobile, AL, called Homestead RV community. They have the nerve to post this on their site: "It is our name on the line, our reputation to protect and we will do everything in our power to make certain you are completely satisfied." My husband & I didn't know whether to laugh or to cry when we read that yesterday. -- I think we mostly just got angry. They've taken the duplex off the market, but we think it's just until the temperatures cool down again so they won't have to show it in extreme temperatures & explain why those units don't work. They're not interested in being landlords in the traditional sense; they now want to focus on running this RV park. So, bottom line, if you want to live in a comfortable home with reasonable landlords and affordable electric bills, DON'T RENT FROM ED & COLLEEN BRIDGMAN!!!!
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