Thanks, Ladies! As far as the last place, I did take photos but I sent them to difficult child then apparently lost them all from my camera- or maybe I downloaded them to the computer that went out on me- all I know is that I can't locate them now and can't remember when my last computer went out on me. I think what is happening is that the owner's agent, who is a realtor that had tried to sell the property but couldn't so she talked the owner into renting it out, and the owner, who had lived at this place and apparently that was the first house she'd ever bought so she was quite attached to it, are spurring each other on and blaming me for everything that has gone wrong with their arrangement. When the water leaked into the utility room, the owner wouldn't hire a professional but brought her boyfriend and father over instead to find the cause. It came out during that visit that there had previously been major water leakage problems throughout the house that resulted in the need for extensive renovation. Apparently, the father and boyfriend did the majority of that renovation. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but without the involvement of any professional when water is leaking and causing tthat much damage to a nearly 100 yr old house, you don't always get the problem remedied in a way that prevents further leakage. And when you plan on selling the place shortly afterwards, the tendency is to put in stuff that looks good for a short period of time but isn't high quality or the most feasible for long term use.
The water did stop coming into the utility room for months after my initial experience with it, then it started back again. To the best of my knowledge, no one has been in the crawl space to see if there is water in there. If there is, the moisture could be coming into the house and speeding up deterioration of the floor finish. All I know is that the finish was coming off in some areas and it did appear to be prematurely deteriorating. However, I don't think it was a result of anything I did or didn't do. The owner's agent tried to accuse me of scrubbing the floor with something abrasive that caused this. I never did any such thing.
I had noted on my 'move-in' report that the floors showed signs of wear and tear, which they did and the owner's rep never disputed that. I'm sure her photos that she took to list the property and advertise it don't show those areas though. There is a rug the owner had left that the dogs peed on and it left a very dark spot on the floor below once I rolled it up. I acknowledged that and said I'd take responsibility for the rug (which was used when it was left) and that area of wood floor beneath it, but that by no means that the owner is going to get wood flooring replaced throughout the entire 2-story house on my ticket. The rep said we'd be headed to court. Well, ok, I guess we'll see how it turns out. But the past couple of months, every time it has rained water has ended up in the utility room with no sign of it coming from the exterior walls. If it's running thru the interior walls or from above around a window or something, I'd bet money it has gotten in the flooring and that's the problem. Still, the floors don't look all that bad right now, the finish is just starting to deteriorate. And I don't see how that could be a tenant's responsibility to pay for anyway. It's kind of like paint on the wall- it needs repainting periodically so don't blame the tenant.
As far as this place, I did take photos all over the day I got the keys and was waiting for utility people. Also, I made sure that within 24 hours of moving in, I had emailed the owner about the appliances. Before I signed the lease, and I had asked to review it, one of the things I asked him to add was that he would repair or replace any malfunctioning appliance (either current or in the future) within a reasonable amount of time at no cost to me, unless it was a result of my own action. He hasn't said the first word to indicate that he's blaming this on me. He did bring the addendum to me that clearly stated the things I'd ask him to include. So, so far, if he's a sleazy landlord, it's because he didn't check out a single appliance before renting this place out and is trying to make 20 yr old appliances last 25 years when they are beyond hope. But I'm not completely convinced just yet that he's a slum lord or trying to rip me off- although I'm reserving the right to stay on the fence with that until I see if he really just gets this stuff fixed once and for all within the next week.
I sincerely hope it works out- I now have purchased and plan to have delivered to me on Sat....drum roll..... a sofa, recliner, and dinette set!!! YIPPEE!!! Going over a year without 'real' furniture to sit on or a 'real' table was about all that I could stand. It might not be the most stable time and therefore feasible time to buy furniture, but I simply couldn't take it anymore. And I put that lawn chair out on the patio- where it belongs!
