Happy Tuesday! See, I do know what day it is! Yesterday was insanely busy, starting at 6am, and also a bit depressing. You will see why in the following photos. Sigh.
So my tenants, who I allowed to stay 2 extra days because they didn’t have anywhere to go, told me they would be out “very early” on Monday morning. So I made a point to be up at 6am, walk the dog, feed the dog, and then my Dad got up early so he could drive me from where I am crashing at their place over to the building. No signs of movement. Okay, we drive around a little, get coffee, still no movement. Park, go into the garage (since I can’t go into the building I OWN), Dad and I work on fixing up the lawnmower and the garage door and stuff like that. At 8:30, I decide “to heck with it, they must have left when we weren’t watching, I’ll just go in”. Go into the unit, immediately hear a cat yowling, and a sleepy voice saying “hello?” Leave, go back to the garage, text “hey, are you out yet? Because I’m waiting outside”. Response is “we are just packing up the air mattress”. So, they just woke up. I’m up at SIX AM because it is a moving day and life is complicated and there is a lot today, they (after telling me they would leave very early) are sleeping until I wake them up. At that point, I let myself back into the unit and say “I’m gonna start bringing in boxes because this is my only day off work and I need to get stuff done”. No awareness on their part that I lost a day of moving BECAUSE I LET THEM STAY!!!!
They sloooooooooooowly start taking the cat and the vacuum and stuff out the door to their car, making pitiful noises about “I hope we have some where to sleep tonight”. I mention “you know, I’m gonna be knocking a few hundred off your security deposit”. They say they understand, but please send the deposit just to them, because the other roommate didn’t help with any of the cleaning of the unit.
Now, let me show you the “cleaning” I discovered after they left!
Fridge
Bathroom
Stove
Cat poop
Luckily, I was distracted because right after they left, the junk guys came (thank goodness) to clear out a thousand years of junk from our basement, plus of course the massive sofa the tenants left in the alley (response when I asked if it was theirs, “yeah, the city picks those up, right?” NO! The city does NOT pick those up! The city fines us hundreds and hundreds of dollars for them! You IDIOTS!!!). The junk guys had to do two trips and in the middle of all of this, locksmith also showed up, yaaaaaaaaaaaaaay! Lock smith fixed our locks, we now have 2 keys for EVERYTHING and they all work. And then as soon as the locksmith left, painter arrived. I adored her, she helped me pick colors and is going to make all my walls look not-dingy and help the apartment smell like not-cat.
At the same time, my Dad had arrived with his Big Tool Box and was happily removing every tacky ugly shelf the tenants had put up and ripping out thousand year old telephone cables and just generally having his best day. Once the painter left, Dad and I went off for Italian Ice and then to the hardware store, and then I went back to Mom and Dad’s for one more night because I honestly cannot use that bathroom. Thank goodness, industrial cleaners come today.
So I guess my question is, considering the $300 bill to haul away their couch, the 2 extra days I let them stay, and the cat poop, how much of their $1250 security deposit should they get back?
dontcallitbollywood 
Ha, I had a feeling you’d need to get tough with those tenants. I don’t know how much two days rent would be, but £300 for sofa removal, £250 cleaning, £200 for extra days leaves £500? Am I being too harsh? They left the place in a disgusting state when they should have been long ready to move out – someone needs to larn em that everyone they inconvenience is not their mummy. Sounds like you are majorly turning the space round though, cleansing, painting, by the power of the Dad’s Tool Box, this flat is clear!
LikeLike
I would give nothing back. NOTHING! You have photos for proof of the mess…and you let them stay two extra days and they still couldn’t be decent to you…they deserve nothing.
LikeLike
And if they complain, I can say “the people of the internet said you deserved NOTHING!” This is a perfect argument.
On Tue, Aug 3, 2021 at 10:59 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
>
LikeLike
Exactly…if they complain send them the link to this page
LikeLike
You can said you made an international survey and everybody, no matter from what country, said they are gross
LikeLike
Who are those people? You and we all here knew months ago they must vacate the house before August 1st, and still they not only asked you to stay more but even after those 2 days complained they have nowhere to go. And also they didn’t have time to clean the poop? It looks very dry so it’s not the last minute surprise the cat did because he was stressed. They have no shame. But the good news is – they are finally gone and their mess soon will be gone too!
LikeLike
EWWW!!! That is disgusting! I don’t know anyone who has ever left a place in that condition. I would not return any of their money given the inconvenience they have caused you. And if they push back, I would send them the pictures. But you are nicer than I am so you should do what you think is best. Also, again, EW! I cannot imagine seeing your brand new house in that condition. I am traumatized for you!
LikeLike
THANK YOU! Cleaners are here now, thank goodness, and I look forward to getting myself all tucked in tonight.
On Tue, Aug 3, 2021 at 2:13 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
>
LikeLike
Oh that’s rough! You should absolutely charge them for couch removal. How about deducting whatever the cleaners charge from their deposit? Maybe that’s not fair since you would have the cleaners come anyway? I’m bad at these things but I hope things look better now.
LikeLike
Just got the bill, the cleaners charged……$1375!!!! So, a solid 125 over their whole deposit. And I have photos. And a receipt. And a comment about “mold growing in the bathroom sink that we couldn’t quite get rid of”.
On Tue, Aug 3, 2021 at 6:08 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
>
LikeLike
Ick. I was about ready to let them have $500 but nope.
What you told yourself for the past couple of months is still try, though. Once you’re all settled in and this is your home, you’ll barely remember this part. You’ll have to come back here and read about it.
LikeLike
Yes! It’s already fading away. And boy, those cleaners were cheap at the price. Especially the glass cleaning, the windows are STUNNING.
Oh, and I have a sink ordered and a plumber scheduled for Friday, that thing (and it’s mold) is GOING.
On Tue, Aug 3, 2021 at 11:06 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
>
LikeLike
Nice to hear, and I think you should keep the deposit!
LikeLike
Don’t you DARE give them back a penny!
LikeLike
New plan: I send them $50 with a note saying “after cleaning and couch removal, plus the 2 extra days, this is all that was left. I can provide photos and receipts on request”.
On Wed, Aug 4, 2021 at 3:06 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
>
LikeLike
Good for you! I underestimated cleaning costs by a LOT!!
Photos of sparkly new flat please when exorcism is complete 🙂
LikeLike
I’ll wait until painting and everything else is done!
On Thu, Aug 5, 2021 at 5:09 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
>
LikeLike
I just read this article about some of the southern hits that Hindi industry wants to remake and idk but I have my expectations very low. E.g Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo wasn’t a good movie even with Allu Arjun who is fun to watch, so how it will become with Kartik Aaryan as the hero and Rohit Dhawan as the director?
Hit, was boring, but maybe with Rajkummar it will be better?
I like Aditya Roy Kapoor but I’m not sure he can play the role Arun Vijay played in my beloved Thadam, the same with Janhvi Kapoor and Helen.
https://www.filmcompanion.in/fc-lists/hindi-movies-15-hindi-remakes-of-south-films-announced-in-2021-thadam-helen-vikram-vedha-naandhi/
LikeLike
I don’t get the whole southern remake thing AT ALL. If it’s a really great script, like Drishyam, sure. Rohit Shetty does it perfectly, I think. He takes a very loose general concept, radically changes it to make it work for a new star and a new industry, and goes from there. But I don’t see how remaking something faithfully could ever work.
On Thu, Aug 5, 2021 at 10:21 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
>
LikeLike
I think Hindi industry desperately needs script ideas. There have always been remakes, but now it looks like they are ready to remake any script. Every day we hear a new announcement E.g here not mentioned Forensic. I still haven’t seen this movie, but I heard it’s mediocre. Hit was just another crime movie about the policeman with sad trauma solving the case. I have seen this movie on Christmas I hardly remember a thing from it now in August. And why they only remake sad movies? This list depressed me: movies about cops, about people framed for the murders etc. And scripts for women are even worse: a woman who gets involved in a drug ring , a girl locked in a refrigerator and a raped girl with AIDS 😦
LikeLike
Well, American movies are mostly remakes too, it makes sense.
LikeLike
What do you think about the old Scorsese-on-Marvel controversy which has surfaced again? The man expressed his honest opinion once years ago and keeps getting attacked for it. This whole thing seems so funny to me!
LikeLike
If oneself is a considerate person, it is really hard to deal with self-centered people…thank God for your parents and your still repair-enthusiastic dad!
I think, 5 $ would have done (with your letter and photos attached) but 50 is a subtle move, too.
Another experience in a world where trusting others is always adventurous…
Warm hug and good feelings in the new appartment!
LikeLike
Thank you! I spent last night holding my nose and emptying the kitchen cupboards. Broken bread machine, broken coffee machine, a lot of old chopsticks, and half a blender. HOW HARD IS IT TO TAKE THAT OUT TO THE TRASH YOURSELF????
On Fri, Aug 6, 2021 at 12:59 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
>
LikeLike
UGHHHHH!!! How do you manage to not clean up (potentially days old) cat poop? How do you not even NOTICE something like that is there???? I would be so traumatized to sleep there, even after the cleaners scrubbed the whole thing down professionally. Good for you for getting a new sink. I’d gag every time I looked at it if there was mold. Now I am extra committed to making sure my apartment is deep cleaned whenever I eventually move out. Cannot help you with the whole security deposit thing. My brain is still too small and young. But definitely take out the $300. That’s not fair that you had to pay that for their stupidity.
LikeLike
Just sent the security deposit back! $50, with a note saying I am happy to provide receipts and photos.
And yes, UGH!!!! I didn’t go into the apartment while it was being cleaned, because I thought I would feel more like a new-new place if I just saw it post cleaning. And it did! Plus the painting helps a lot.
On Wed, Aug 11, 2021 at 10:31 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
>
LikeLike
Also, a question for you or anyone on the blog! I am making a list of Indian movies to watch with my dad. I am mostly basing it off of people who he is already a fan of, or just simply knows by name, that have worked together. The list includes SRK, Hrithik, Ranveer, Varun, Alia, Deepika, and Priyanka. Possibly Tiger and Katrina as well. He loved Gully Boy, and we just watched ZNMD yesterday and he loved that even more, says it’s his new favorite. He got a real kick out War and Chennai Express. He loves things like Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones, Star Trek, alien movies, A Few Good Men, Dances with Wolves, and Back to the Future. Says he’s not a huge romcom person, but liked Clueless and is interested in watching things like Mean Girls and Easy A.
Here’s what I have so far:
– K3G
– SOTY (because I show that movie to everyone)
– Dil Dhadakne Do
– Dilwale
– Bang Bang
– YJHD
And I have a lot of maybe’s like Dil Chata Hai, Ram Leela, and DDLJ. Based on all this, anyone think I should add anything else?
LikeLike
Hmm. Fun question! Definitely Luck By Chance. Maybe also Gold and Bajrangi Bhaijaan. Kahani, FOR SURE. All Dads love Kahaani. And Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! is one of my favorites, and a favorite of my Dad.
On Wed, Aug 11, 2021 at 10:41 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
>
LikeLike
I would add Mimi, because it’s new and not long. It’s also funny and moving but not in a exaggerated way like K3G (I love it but it’s long and heavy).
LikeLike