Lily’s Diary

by Lily

May 7
I spent all morning removing paint spatters from pine baseboards in #2, the legacy of a tenant who took it upon herself to “do a little painting.” I’ve decided that you can do more damage with a can of paint than you can with a crowbar. I took a multimedia approach to repairing the damage by using paint remover, sandpaper, steel wool, putty knife and finally, my beloved Howard’s Restor-A-Finish. During the six or so hours of stoop labor, my thoughts returned to the first time I refurbished that apartment. I was a new landlord and each vacancy meant a chance to use my keen decorating know-how to upgrade. I matched paint with wallpaper, installed louvered doors, made fabric-covered lambrequins and, well, you get the picture. Soon, I was to learn that my taste was anathema to others as, one by one, tenants asked for permission to replace or redo my decorating. Now, with the bitterness of an artist unappreciated in her time, I paint all walls beige, install beige carpet and hang beige mini blinds.

May 12
The only trouble with Builders Exchange is that you simply can’t get there. I usually drive around and around the block until, somehow, a driveway appears out of nowhere. I cross my fingers and head in. Sometimes it turns into the Builders Exchange parking lot. Sometimes not. Once there, I really like it. The guys who help you are old enough to know what they’re talking about and, well, there’s a kind of camaraderie among the shoppers that you just don’t see at Home Depot. They all have that beaten-down look of property owners who make their own repairs. But my newest find is Tuggey’s. (I thought they said “Toughies” and as a result didn’t see it at first.) It’s on 24th Street near Sanchez, a block away from Bell Market. There I found three oddball faucet parts no one else had. The proprietor was elderly and his assistant not much younger, but the latter was ordered to the attic to find my hot and cold buttons and a replacement handle for an old Delta fixture. Make sure to get there before they go out of business.

May 23
Got a notice from the Department of Public Works (DPW) by registered mail no less. They are considering the placement of a JCDecaux toilet across from my building. I’ve decided not to oppose it. Although I do not believe, as many in this city do, that housing is a “right,” I do tend to think public toilets are. Every great city has public toilets, and even if there is a small user charge, the responsibility of city government should be to provide them. The burden should not fall exclusively on small neighborhood businesses. If having a toilet across the street reduces the value of my property, so be it. And if drugs are consumed inside, that is the users’ problem and the problem of the police. My responsibility as a citizen is to support those amenities that are part of a civilized environment. At least that’s how I feel now.

June 1
I still haven’t found a tenant for Apt. #2, so that means another month’s rent down the tubes. The last prospect wanted to know if there was any “move-in bonus.” What the hell is that? Another wanted an in-depth description of all the other tenants in the building. (And I don’t think she liked the looks of me, either.) Another kept bringing different friends to see the apartment who then proceeded to grill me on minutia. Oh boy, has the rental climate ever changed.

June 6
I’m still obsessing at the injustice of it. Maggie and I went down to city hall a few weeks ago to the hearing on the latest amendments to the Rent Ordinance. This was the “wish list” the Tenants Union provided Supervisor Gonzalez last year. Several hundred property owners showed up, definitely the biggest turnout I’ve ever witnessed. Gonzalez, who was not a member of the committee, was sitting in and explained that he simply wanted to get the public’s suggestions regarding how the amendments might be “improved.” Gonzalez doesn’t get it. We don’t want to be compromising on this gaggle of nit-picking amendments. There simply should be no additional restrictions on rental property. One of the amendments takes away our right to withdraw (even with 30 days’ notice and a decrease in rent) an amenity such as a garage or storeroom. As we age and our lives change, we who live in our buildings need to have flexibility in the use of the spaces that are not actually part of a rental unit. Children move back home, a parent dies and furniture must be stored, a second car is needed. It is our home after all. A pox on all these amendments.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the viewpoint of the SFAA or the San Francisco Apartment Magazine. A longtime rental property owner who reserves the right to remain anonymous on the grounds that her tenants might gang up on her writes “Lily’s Diary.” Comments, corrections or ideas are welcome at lilysdiary@aol.com. Copyright © 2003 San Francisco Apartment Magazine