Lily’s Diary
by Lily
December 21
The power returned to the Haight tonight after being
off for nearly 24 hours. By that time, I had grown so
despondent I dragged myself down to the local bar. They
had a bucket of ice cubes and were making change from
an open cash drawer. With a large candelabra on the
counter, the whole place looked, frankly, a lot better
than usual. All day I had had a portable radio tuned
to KCBS for news of restored electricity. Little by
little the number of effected houses diminished, but
still we were in the dark. Clearly, District 5 would
be the last to be reconnected—Matt Gonzalez’
district. Was there any connection between the priority
of power restoration and the bitter run-off earlier
in the month? There you go again, girl.
December 24
Jeremy and Chloe in Apt. #4 left a very respectable
food basket outside my door this morning. I know it
was respectable, because I’d seen it at Trader
Joe’s for around thirty bucks. I feel at once
grateful and beholden but, most of all, wary. Why, I
ask myself, should I feel “one down” by
this warm gesture? It’s not like I’m even
considering a rent increase this year. However, one
of my New Year’s resolutions was to send around
a generic letter explaining the concept of banking so
that it wouldn’t come as a shock when the tenants
get a raise in better times. Now I worry that, in light
of the gift, my letter will somehow be misunderstood.
Will J and C think that I had intended to give a raise
but, because of the gift, changed my mind? Was I sending
a message that the gift will in no way eliminate an
eventual rent raise? Will they think that I thought
they were trying to forestall a raise? See where I’m
coming from? I just wish tenants would not give gifts.
January 2
A new year, a new mayor. I choose to be optimistic.
I’m willing to let Newsom’s experts worry
about public power, Hetch Hetchy and the homeless. I’m
going to see if I can do something about getting the
sidewalks cleaned more frequently, the graffiti removed
(particularly on parking control signs) and flyers and
handbills outlawed from public property. I also want
to be more professional in dealing with tenants, to
be able to say “no” to someone who wants
an unreasonable favor and to finally read the PPMA contract
from top to bottom and bring my questions to SFAA’s
“ask the lawyer” session before each meeting.
Of course, for that I will have to start getting to
the meetings on time—another New Year’s
resolution.
January 9
Blake and his partner were tenants in Apt. #3 for only
a year—Epiphany to Epiphany. I won’t say
they were careless, but there were small chips in the
bathroom sink, the blinds were all bent (as if regularly
prodded by an unusually curious cat) and there was some
damage to their front door as though someone had lost
a key and tried to force it open. Anyhow, let’s
just say there were damages. I returned the
security deposit minus the $275 I estimated to make
the repairs. Shouldn’t have. They refused my check.
Seems I had forgotten to provide the receipts for the
work required by a new law that came into effect on
January 1. I had intended to take my time making the
repairs and doing all the labor myself but, since you
only have 21 days to return a deposit, I didn’t
have these receipts. Of course, I quickly scurried around
and got them, estimating my time at twelve bucks an
hour. This wouldn’t have been a big problem if
I had just remembered and planned for it.
January 25
I replaced the old toilet in Apt. #2 last October. But
Michelle waited two months before reporting that there
was a flaw in the bottom of the bowl which made it appear,
well, as though a toilet brush was unavailable. A check
on the Internet assured me that the Toto toilet was
guaranteed for five years. I got the plumber to come
back and pull the toilet and heft it into the trunk
of my car, and I took it back. Without unreasonable
prompting, the supplier admitted that although Toto
is considered one of the most reliable toilets on the
market, the quality control in China (where this Japanese
brand is actually fabricated) is not all it should be.
So consider this a word to the wise if you’re
buying a Toto. And, fergodsakes, save your receipts.
February 6
In my early days of landlording, when I thought tenants
would pay more for a touch of my decorating expertise,
I spent big bucks on a set of scalloped, fringed window
shades at Art Shade on Market Street. When the unit
was vacant last month, I noticed they were showing their
age—the fringe was dirty and straggly. I tried
to pull it off but, mangy as it was, it was nevertheless
firmly attached. Then I thought, what if I just cut
it off, following the line of the scallop? I checked
and saw that that the flap would still be long enough
to cover the hole for the shade pull. I bought white
polyester fringe at Discount Fabrics and, guided by
the Martha Stewart fairy, purchased my first hot glue
gun. Voilà—smart new fringe a piranha couldn’t
remove.
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. Copyright © 2004.