The joys of renting...

...Where The Ghetto Meets The Sea.

Windex kills flies very efficiently. This is something I have learned while waiting for the promised new window screens to arrive. I absolutely cannot close the windows; for that, I pay with various kinds of insect life dropping by. One neighbor was bitten by a mosquito last night. Her screen situation is worse than mine as I still have one functional screen out of five.

To add insult to injury, we received notice of our annual rent increases last night. As of November First, my rent goes up by $87.00, a not inconsiderable sum.

It may well be that the owner is trying to pull a fast one, as there are limits to how much more he can charge in this rent-controlled area. We're checking to see if a rollback may be required, as he has included "fees" he may not be legally entitled to pass on.

I have nothing against making a profit. I'd like to do the same, in fact. But one should give value for money, and in a place where the amount spent annually on maintenance and repairs seems to run in the high single digits, we aren't getting much.

That 87 scoots will probably reduce my purchases of Windex. So I'd better get my screens, and damn soon.