Advice Please: Conversation With A Landlady.

I sent this email to my landlord Wednesday, June 29:

 Hi Catherine:

 
I hope this message doesn’t come off on the wrong tone as that is not my intention.  You know I never complain to you about anything but this has been bothering me for the past few weeks. 
 
We are missing a lot of garden and lawn stuff over at the house. Mostly hoses and tools.  We’ve been having a pigeon issue at the house which Carol and I have been dealing with.  But we cannot even hose off our porches and cars of pigeon poop because someone keeps taking all our materials and not returning them.  I went out yesterday and purchased a new hose so when the last pigeon is caught Carol and I can spray off our stairs and porches.  Also so Ted can water his garden.  Please instruct the lawn maintenance man that this is not to be removed from the house.   
 
Another thing that is really bothering me about this is that we keep having strange people coming into the yard and removing things and no one here knows anything about it. This is highly upsetting to me because I don’t know who these people are.  I like to enjoy the yard during the summer and I like letting the dogs out with me and I truly don’t appreciate being on display when I am out there.  When strange people come barreling into the yard it creates an issue because of the dogs.  I’ve discussed this with the residents here and everyone knows not to just come flying in the yard when they come home.  It’s not just mine, but Tibor plays outside too.  Just yesterday mine were almost hit by the kid who mows our lawn and his friend.  He came over to park in our yard while he went to other homes in the area to cut their lawns.  This is okay during the day but after 5 PM we have just enough spaces in the yard for the people who live here. 
 
I was truly upset a couple weeks ago when I was in my shower during the afternoon and some strange man was on the roof right near my shower and skylight!  Catherine, he could have easily walked a little closer and there I would have been in all my glory.  To say the least I was highly annoyed and a little worried about who was on the roof and why.  It was only when I heard your voice that I figured out what was going on.
 
Is there something that can be done about this?  Perhaps let someone know when strangers are coming over to the house or let us know when repairs are being made? 
 
I’m sorry to bother you with this, but…you know…I’m sure you’d be unsettled with strangers coming and going at your residence too.  We try our best to take care of where we live and I wasn’t sure you knew that things are now missing and not being returned. 
 
Oh, one final thing.  The fencing won’t be going in as discussed.  It’s too expensive.  I can’t really afford over $500.00.  🙁  I will begin painting the apartment again once the weather cools off.  It’s WAY TOO HOT and humid upstairs now to paint.  🙁  Probably start again in the Fall once the weather cools and the humidity is gone.
 
Thanks for your time.

Sincerely,
Tamara

This morning I get this reply:

Dear Tamara,

 
In response to your email, first I think it is important that you have my cell phone number so you can contact me as problems or questions arise. This way we can resolve issues quickly and keep our communication open instead of letting things build up. Again, my number is 123-456-7890.  I will address each of your concerns individually.
 
1. I did not know there was a "pigeon issue". I think it is important that I be notified of pigeons nesting, and if you could give me more details about where the pigeons are, I would be happy to take care of them or have them removed in the proper manner. I once saw a white pigeon in the driveway several weeks ago. I went to investigate further after your email and found feathers in the storage area under the porch. Do you have any specific knowledge of a nest or other information that would be helpful? I would prefer you let me deal with such problems and not bother you or Carole or anybody else with it. I cannot fix a problem if I do not know of its existence.
 
2. With regards to the garden hose issue, I take the hose away during the winter when I shut off the outside water and either put it in the basement of 55 or in the back of the van. There is no reason for anyone to remove the hose from the property and I do not know of anyone doing so. I had an extra hose at my house which I have brought to 55, but there was a hose there, so now there is an additional hose. I will tell everyone know where I store it at the end of hose season, so that we won’t have this problem again.  I asked Mario and he said he never removed the hose.
 
3.  The garden tools are something Ted and I usually work out every season.I also put them away for the winter and Ted and I have spoken and we are all set with the tools. 
 
4    Most of the "garden and lawn stuff" that you claim is missing actually belongs to me and I am aware of what is there and who is using my equipment. I purchased a new lawnmower and weed whacker and I have hired Mario Lopez ( towhom you were introduced) to do the lawn. He now has a partner, Angel, who is working with him. I have given him permission to use the mower for some other lawns as well as my properties.  I  loaned my lawnmower to my friends a couple of times, who just purchased a home down the street. It is reasonable for you to assume however,  that when you are outside with the dogs that you may be "on display" and encounter somebody you may not expect since there are many parties living in the house, and maintanence people need to keep the house up, so you may want to dress accordingly. 
  
5.As far as the dogs and the parking goes, I have asked Angel to be aware of your dogs when he parks there to do work. Mario and Angel have another day job and will be doing the lawn work in the late afternoon. They have permission to park there, but I asked them to park in the street if there is no room. There is plenty of space for six cars in the back, and if Ted gets a car there will be six cars, so I will mark the spaces if there is a problem with parking.  Just be aware that having four dogs in that apartment was not something that I had originally agreed to, but I have allowed reluctantly, after you acquired the additional two dogs. Four dogs is a privilege that most landlords would never agree to. They are your responsibility and even though you have talked to the other tenants, you must keep an eye on them when you are out there. You must be responsible for their safety in an unfenced yard, not others who come into the parking area. 
 
6. As to the roof,  I had an estimator come in the middle of the day who was only concerned with the lower roofs. I try to be a very conscientious and reasonable landlord. Of course I will advise you of any work that will be done or anything that might affect your privacy in your home. I am sorry if you were startled, and I will be sure to warn everyone who goes on the roof that you have a skylight in your shower.  The back roof over Erica and Scott’s bedroom will be done next week and possibly the front overhang roofs too, but I will advise everyone in the households when the work is scheduled.
 
   I have been very busy teaching at the high school this last year, but I always try to take good care of the property and keep everyone satisfied with their living environment.  I hope I have clarified the issues that you addressed. I must emphasize the importance of communicating problems to me as soon as possible and the best way to do that is to call me on my cell phone if I am not home.  
 
Sincerely,
 
Catherine        

I wrote this reply:

Dear Catherine:

Thank you for your reply.  I’m sorry I haven’t returned your call, I have been busy myself lately and by the time I remember to call you back, it’s too late and I don’t want to disrupt anyone.  Frankly, I also prefer to do these types of things in writing.  In any case, I have written your cell phone number down in case I ever need to use it.
 
The pigeon situation has been rectified.  Carol and I worked on the situation while I assume you were on vacation.  (?)  Long story short: They were homing pigeons that got lost during a race and didn’t know how to fend for themselves.  As you now know I am a huge animal proponent and felt it was my responsibility to see these birds got a chance somewhere.  They have been successfully rehomed with a man in Beverly who raises pigeons.  I had a backup home for them at an animal sanctuary in Mendon that I had planned to drive them to this past weekend if needed. 
 
Carol and I spent last Friday cleaning up the pigeon mess.  We scrubbed both porches with bleach and we scrubbed out under the porches too.  It wasn’t a problem.  The new hose you mentioned finding was the one I had purchased for the house when we couldn’t find the other one.  Catherine, it’s not the purchasing of the hose that upset me.  Carol mentioned you said you would reimburse us.  I’m not looking for reimbursement for that or for the new rake I bought for the house this past weekend.  I simply wanted to let you know what was going on over here in case you came by and saw the mess the pigeons were leaving all over the place or in case you were unaware that things are being removed from the yard. 
 
We cleaned out underneath the porches and got all of the poop and most of the feathers out.  On Saturday I further did a thorough fumigation of the area, the trash bin area, as well as the backyard as we were experiencing some bad fly issues as well.  I’m happy to say that the yard is now flying insect and pigeon free. Again, I am not asking for reimbursement for this either.  I just want you to know in case you came over and smelled anything chemical.
 
As you may know, I am not the kind of tenant who calls their landlord every time something ticks me off or needs to be done at the place I live.  I’d rather just do it and let it go at that.  I think this has or should be evidenced throughout our time so far living here.  I don’t expect my landlord to do everything.  Unless it’s something I cannot repair without significant cost or it is something that is causing damage to the house.  I hope you know I’d call you right away with any such issues. 
 
As for you allowing me the privilege of having 4 dogs in the apartment.  You are right Catherine.  I know I am extremely lucky you have been accommodating to me in this regard.  This is one of the reasons I try to do as much as I can over at Atlantic without bothering you with everything.  Just to set the record straight, I never intended to have 4 dogs, nor did I ever want 4 dogs.  When I took these dogs in for fostering, I expected to be able to successfully rehome both of them once their health issues were taken care of, as I have done successfully in the past with lots of other dogs.  Unfortunately for me this did not work out and I found myself with 2 dogs that can never be successfully rehomed.  One is a biter if she feels threatened and the other one, well, you’ve seen him.  He’s afraid of his own shadow and no one will put up with either of them and they’d be euthanized if turned over to a shelter.  I can’t do that.  It’s just not part of my makeup and I decided I’d rather run the risk of eviction over killing them.  I’ve long since stopped fostering any dogs and now only work on the fundraising, education and transport of puppy mill dogs.  I know my dogs are my responsibility and I take very good care of them.  I’m not asking or expecting anyone to take responsibility for them.  Because I cannot have children these dogs fill that void and I care for them accordingly.  Which is why I get upset when cars come barreling into the yard.  I have NO CHANCE of even getting to the driveway to put a hand up in warning or to even move the dogs if I don’t see the car coming.  I know the routine of the other occupants of the house and therefore can have the dogs either inside or next to me when I know others are due to come home. 
 
 My only other response is that there is no way 6 cars can fit in our driveway.  We have just enough room for the 5 cars that park there now, especially in light of the fact that Scott drives large trucks and vans on most days.  I’ve been talking to Ted about this when he said he might be getting a car.  I said that someone with 2 cars is going to have to park one on the street.  I just don’t see a 6th car being able to park there and us being able to get out.  In fact I know it’s not going to happen because this past weekend Brian downstairs had his sister visiting over night which brought a 6th car in the yard.  Because of this I couldn’t get out of the yard on Sunday for church because there wasn’t enough room to maneuver my car to back out without hitting someone else or the fence.  If you think marking spots is going to help…well, okay, but I just don’t see it.
 

My main issue was and is with strangers coming and going over at the house and no one knows who they are or what they are doing or when they are coming.  A simple call to let us know when maintenance/repair workers will be at the house is all I asked.  That way I can act and react accordingly.  It’s not the residents who live here.  I don’t feel it’s out of the question to expect to have some privacy at the place where I live, or to know if people will be coming and going.  It’s not my manner of dress or undress that’s a point.  I don’t run around without clothes on outside.  However having a man on the roof right near my shower…well yes, that was extremely upsetting to me as I know it would probably be for anyone in the same situation.  Most people are nekkid in the shower.  *LOL* 

 
Again, I thank you for your time and ear.  I sincerely hope that this return message comes across as it was intended.  I know only too well that the lack of voice and tone can turn something that was never intended to be ugly, ugly. 
 
Have a great time teaching and remember to take time to smell the roses.
 
Sincerely,
Tamara

Okay, opinions.  Do I come across as sarcastic or nasty in my return message to her?