Punk Ass Landlords

Hey, anyone ever had this kind of problem? Water started leaking through the ceiling more than a month ago, so I put out a bowl to catch it and told my landlord about the situation. He said he would have someone over in a few days. A few days later some workmen showed up and started frigging with the pipes on the roof (I live on the fifth floor). By this time I was getting nervous because the water was now dripping in three different places. The water stopped for a few days, but then started up again. Then the workmen returned a second time and the water started coming in everywhere. I didn’t know where to put the goddamn bowls. I came home and found the water had destroyed a stack of papers on my shelf. So I called the landlord and the bastard came over to see “if it was really a significant enough problem to warrant the workers coming over the following day.” He assessed the damage and nodded and left. Today, I came home to find all my desk drawers completely flooded and all my documents, including some floppy discs that were not backed up anywhere else waterlogged. And no goddamn workmen showed up! “They were busy.” I’m moving out in 12 days anyway, but is there any possible way I can get compensation for this crap? My roommates hold the lease - someone suggested I just demand one month rent back, but I doubt that will happen. Goddamn, I’m ripped to the tits right now. :fume:

Invite the landlords over for an apertif. Half way thru, have the Deported and friends crash it with a case of Taiwan gold and a fat sack of the nut. We’ll get your rent back.

It’s always good to know the Deported Youth Crew (DYC) has got my back. Cheers gentlemen!

Oh yeah, I bitched until he had someone over today. I still want my damn rent back tho. The flooding destroyed my favorite R Crumb comic book.

Have you seen The River?

My experiences haven’t left me an optimist on landlords. Ultimately he has the money and if he really wants to keep it, he’s going to. That said:

  1. Ask him for compensation. Who knows, it might impress him if you take a few pictures of your destroyed stuff.

  2. There is an office on the 8th floor of the Da-an district administrative building at Hsin Sheng and He Ping whose sole function, as far as I can tell, is to mediate landlord-tenant disputes. You give them your landlord’s address, they summon them to the office, and the two of you and a government mediator talk it over. You’ll need your contract and any other documents (pictures?) that support your claim. Their number is 2341 9674 extension 8500.
    If the apartment in question isn’t in Da-an district they can’t help you but maybe every district has people doing this. Check at your district’s administrative building.

Ah, wouldn’t life in Taiwan be easier if you could just make people do the right thing?

Is Tony still in Taiwan? Last time I saw him he’d gotten engaged…
Jonathan

jplowman,

Still here. Married now.

Take a police officer with you to go talk to the landlord. I’ve had good experiences doing this. The police can’t make him do anything, but he can help to mediate and offer some solutions. This is much more efficient than having to go through any legal process or “formal” mediation.

Thanks for the advice - fortunately the computer discs still work which is what I was really worried about. The rest of the stuff was mostly things like books and papers which I think would be hard to use of evidence…

I still have to bail out my room every day tho. I feel like I live in a goddamn boat.

Have you tried leaving your landlord a post-it?
I hear those are pretty effective.

haha. Brilliant!

I’ve yet to find a “good” landlord/landlady in Taiwan. I miss the US where the apartments in an apartment complex are all rented out by the same company, they adhere to the lease, and you aren’t dealing with some uneducated, crazy old man or woman who doesn’t give a crap about anything.