People, I love you.
I knew you all were hot, but had no idea regarding your collective smarts. Within an hour of posting the house drama, I received numerous emails from lawyers, real estate agents (Mere, you rock), concerned readers, spouses of concerned readers with phone numbers of lawyers offering free help…it was overwhelming. Overwhelming. I might have even become a little choked up. Or it could have been my allergies.
You all were right on the money – California is a pro-tenant and pro-environmental green state. With your help, I constructed a letter fueled by my new knowledge of the California codes you mentioned (the quiet enjoyment clause? Hello? Not kidding about The Collective Smart.), ready to bust out phrases such as, “As set forth in X, the tenant is entitled to Y days notice prior to blahdeblah.” (Thanks, Danielle.) I stated our demands- which were payment for moving and storing all of our belongings, as well as 5 days of comparable housing OR holding money in escrow for the fumigation and giving us 30 days to find a new place to live.
We didn’t know what to expect, but regardless of the outcome, it was going to be a royal pain in the ass. Moving all of our stuff in and out of the house? Finding a new, equally-great place to live in just 30 days? Ugh. We stood our ground though, and it felt really good.
The Realtor called us yesterday evening, but we were too afraid to pick up the phone. She left a message mentioning a “positive outcome for all”, so we crossed our fingers and called back. She took our concerns and demands to the new owner, who replied that she was “adamant” about keeping us as renters and would NOT fumigate until we moved out, whether it be in 30 days, 1 year or however long we choose to stay. In the meantime, she would spot-treat the property. YES! Plus, she is not raising our rent. YES YES! We can stay in our beach bungalow sans toxic bombs! YES YES YES! (Not in writing yet. No jinxes, please.)
I really couldn’t have constructed that letter without your help. Your confidence that we could, in fact, prevent the tenting was all I needed to hear. I owe you a HUGE thank you.
So, THANK YOU. We are so grateful. The internet saved our home! Let’s start drinking immediately!
Now I can focus on the important stuff, such as Wito’s 1st birthday post, complete with slideshows and general merriment. Coming soon!
Danielle
August 12, 2007 at 5:29 pmYAY!
That is all.
Annie
August 12, 2007 at 5:39 pmI am so, so happy for you. I am constantly amazed by the power of the internet and the goodness of people. I’m so glad this worked out the way it did. Enjoy your non-fumigated home and rest easy knowing you don’t have to move until you are good and ready!
becky
August 12, 2007 at 6:21 pmwow, that is fabulous for you all. so glad it is working out for your family. yay for no toxic chemicals!
bethanyactually
August 12, 2007 at 6:24 pmYAY! So glad it’s working out after all, with no toxic side effects. Looking forward to hearing about Wito’s 1st bday party!
rebecca
August 12, 2007 at 7:21 pmWhat great news! I was in your neighborhood just this afternoon and wondering what was going on with the enviro-drama while driving through. I am SO GLAD it is working out in your favor. Yaaaaaaay!!
OMSH
August 12, 2007 at 8:32 pmSeriously good bull.
Emily
August 13, 2007 at 4:43 amYou make me laugh – I wouldn’t have picked the phone up either. So much easier to hear it on a message.
I’m glad it sounds like it’s going to work out!!
SAJ
August 13, 2007 at 11:32 pmYAY!
BeachMama
August 14, 2007 at 7:58 amWow, how awesome, glad to hear that everything worked out to your advantage. So do you guys think you will stay, termites and all or do you think you might move on to another gorgeous beach bungalow?
whoorl
August 14, 2007 at 8:06 amWe are planning to stay for another year. As I type this, the termite people are here, replacing the infested wood with new wood. It’s definitely a win-win situation because the termites are still be taken care of, but no toxic fumigation will be performed. :)
Isabel
August 14, 2007 at 10:35 amI’m a little behind on my blog reading. So I was upset to read about the fumigations, but happy to read (2 minutes later) that it’s all worked out. Hooray for the interweb. And double hooray for sticking to your guns.
And now off to read the birthday post!
Joining WW Again
August 15, 2007 at 4:50 pmSo glad to hear you triumphed over the threat of toxic fumigation — woo-hoo! Your new landlord sounds like a dream, but you also sound like perfect tenants, so there you go.
Anyway, I was intrigued by the fact that you use no toxic chemicals for cleaning, etc., and have been trying to find some environmentally friendly products that do a good job…
Can you share your the non-toxic cleaning products you use? That would make a fabulous list — and we know how much you enjoy lists!
Absolutely! I’ll plan on posting it this week (orrrrrr possibly the next week).