RATEMYLANDLORD.COM	LANDLORD DETAILS
Alfred Botham
LANDLORD'S ADDRESSES (1)
12820 NW Springville Rd
Portland, OR 97229
UNITED STATES
Home: 503-297-6250
LANDLORD'S PROPERTIES (1)
12800 NW Springville Rd
Apt. #1
Portland, OR 97229
UNITED STATES
RATINGS
	OVERALL
(1)	The landlord was easy to work with.
(1)	The landlord was forthcoming and accomodating.
(1)	The landlord communicated in a timely manner.
(1)	The landlord addressed my concerns.
(1)	The landlord's expectations of me were reasonable.
(1)	The landlord conducted a proper move-in inspection.
(1)	The landlord respected my privacy.
(1)	The landlord promptly completed repairs.
(1)	The landlord accurately completed repairs.
(1)	The landlord conducted a proper move-out inspection.
(1)	The landlord promptly refunded my deposit.
(1)	I would rent from this landlord again.
COMMENTS (1)
[15-Aug-2012] I thought I was getting a deal by moving in, because this landlord did not check references, credit check, employment, or anything. Upon signing the lease and handing over two months of rent, he told me he did not have the keys back from the prior tenant yet, and that I would have to "eat 1 week's worth of rent." I was extremely upset and told him that he couldn't rent the place to two people at the same time. He then "found" a set of keys for me. When filling out the lease I noticed he expected me to take care of the yard, but had not said so when going over the details of the house, etc. I also learned just prior to moving in that the electricity and gas was on a shared line with the tenant who rents out the basement apartment. It took him nearly two months to provide a detailed copy of the past year's worth of electric/gas bills so I could see how much was used by the downstairs person while the place upstairs was not occupied, which was still going on word of mouth. The utility bills had to be put into my name, and the tenant below paid the landlord, which was then deducted by me from rent. VERY MESSY ARRANGEMENT, and one I never felt entirely good about. Upon moving in, there was no hot water in kitchen and the shower did not work at all. He "repaired" it by using vaseline to unlock the shower knob, but the pressure was so low, I only took about three showers, and from there, I used my local athletic club, because it never worked properly, and was never repaired to my satisfaction. He tried to tell me that it was just the way it was living on a well/septic system, but I have lived in many rural situations, and never had those kind of problems, and felt he was not entirely addressing the issue. AND AGAIN...the hot water tank was shared by the tenant below, so if he was taking a shower, or doing laundry (he had the washer dryer), then we could not get hot water...another fault I was not fully informed of prior to moving in. After a few months living there, I learned that the animals he boarded (in particular a hog that lived on the land) were being kept warm by my electricity line which ran the heat lamp in their pen, and the electric fence that surrounded it. This, too, was not gold to me, and I raised hell when I found out. Let's not forget, too, the ant invasion which lasted for months. It was the worst I've ever encountered. We could not leave a crumb on the counter or floor that or there were armies of ants. In our beds, on the desk. He tried to blame the presence of my cats, particularly the cat box, which I keep very clean, and which is not the cause at all, but far be it from me to convince him of that, even after speaking to a professional. He finally hired a pest control company which completely handled it, but by then I was beside myself because there had been so many issues...torn screens that sat in disrepair, old applicances, easily from the 60's, which he claimed were "new." He said he would fix things, but he could not "be bothered with providing notices of his intent to enter the house, and I insisted very intensely that it was the law, and that he could not just enter to make repairs when it was convenient for him. Since he lives on the land, right next door, he feels it is his right to go in when you are away, and when it is convenient, but without necessarily telling the tenant. I decided to break the lease and get the hell out of there, and informed him I would be speaking to my lawyer, at which point he agreed to let me go since I was such a "difficult tenant." At first I thought he was just old and perhaps forgetful or uninformed, except that I realized after I gave him notice, and moved most of my things out, he said things to me to indicate he had been in the house without telling me. I also got to know the neighbors across the street, and learned that I was one of many tenants who had fought with him to make repairs and to enter only when given notice. Prior tenants had threatened to sue him, and HUD had come out to give him a copy of the landlord/tenant laws which the prior tenants had issues with. Finally, I came home to find the lights on, and while I was gathering my things from the car, he had snuck out and around the side and pretended to not have been in the house. Once I entered to a dark house, I realized he had been in there when I pulled up. I was so freaked out, I went to bed with a weapon next to my bed. I have NEVER had a landlord enter the premises while I was away from my rental in my entire adult life. He told me that he had found another tenant (apparently had taken them into the house during that same day) and he said she would take it "as is" and that I didn't need to clean it. I told him I wanted to leave it nice and get my deposit back, and he told me that he couldn't do that since I was breaking the lease. I argued with him over breaking his word to me regarding the cleaning deposit, and he told me he was too old and sick to remember everything he said to people, and I told him if he was too old and sick to remember his agreements, he was too old and sick to do business and be a landlord. I was shaking with anger and fear my last night there. This man is 82 years old, and has no business being a landlord. He either does not understand, or does not care to follow the laws, and will NOT take care of the place, invest any real money or upgrades, and will lie to you. Please reconsider renting from him. He is NOT a decent landlord.
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