Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Cheap, spiteful, and arrogant. John Adams of Scott’s House Apartments is a terrible landlord.

I live in Michigan, where it obviously gets very cold in the winter. John Adams, my landlord, rents out houses that are old and drafty, and has done nothing to winterize or improve them. Normally, this would account for a higher than average heating bill, however mine became ridiculous, so I sought out other potential sources of this dramatic heating bill.  On the budget plan heating bill, the bill for my 2 bedroom apartment was approximately 200 dollars a month. I keep the heat low, unplug appliances when not in use and try to conserve energy everywhere.

As it turns out, the community washer and dryer in the basement are hooked up to my power meter. These machines are coin-operated, and are used by four other apartments. Approximately 20 loads a week are washed in them, including my wash, which I was blindly paying for, completely unaware of the situation. Needless to say, what this means is that not only was I paying coins for a service that I’m ultimately paying for through electricity and gas anyway, but my landlord was reaping the profits.

When I tried to tell him that legally, nowhere in my lease did it say that I was responsible for paying the cost of these community machines and that furthermore I wanted reimbursement, he told me that if I pursued this then he’d raise my rent to cover unforeseen ‘maintenance’ costs i.e. running the machines.

As I am in college, struggling with a part-time job and student loans, I can’t take him to small claims court. I can however spread the word. John Adams of Scott’s House Apartments in Ypsilanti Michigan is a terrible landlord. Do not rent from him.