Exodus From The Small Space Life

  Exodus From Condo Life

 

An event awaited for nearly five years, 

one that normally should have taken months to line up,

only took 31 days.

 

Our fourth child and only daughter was born on June 6.

It had been established before her birth that 

we would most likely still take our time searching for

the right living situation, even though we were now

and the state of Tennessee had a law 

a family of six living in a two bedroom apartment.

This is why I put in the work to create a tiny nursery 

in a bedroom closet when I was still only 22 weeks pregnant.

 

Shortly after her birth, I was scrolling through a 

Stay-at-home-moms Facebook group and saw a post

where a mother was ranting about being denied

on an apartment application because it was a two bedroom

and she had three children. 

It would have meant a family of five living in that unit,

that denied more than four people

living in a two bedroom rented space.

I google this law. 

It had to do with fire safety.

Two people per room was the limit. 

A baby could live with the parents in their room for less than a year,

Only six months in some cases.

It could not be a permanent setup.

I find out that Florida has a similar one.

 

June 26 

I reach out to our rental company, 

who hasn’t yet reached out to us about our plans when 

the lease comes up in November,

to ask if they are required to abide by such a law.

They are.

Though they would have to discuss matters with the unit owner,

They would more than likely have informed us, 

come September,

that we would not be able to renew.

 

Why wasn’t this brought up with us last year?

The rental company always did the lease renewal

two months ahead of the end of the prior lease.

If our lease was over after Thanksgiving,

That meant they sent us the paperwork by the first of October.

At the beginning of October last year,

We appeared to them to be a family of four.

We only had ourselves and our first and second child living in the unit.

Our NICU baby was not home yet.

We had only just found out we would be having a fourth baby.

This is how we slid under the radar.

 

June 28

The rental company confirms that they would not be able to renew

unless the owner wanted to sell it to us,

But we had no interest in buying it.

 

That day we had arranged for a babysitter 

So we could have a lunch date.

It was spent going over what we should do

and where we should go.

 

Last October, when we renewed the lease for the last time,

It was with reluctance.

We had tried to apply for a three bedroom townhome

But the rental company,

Which had once approved applicants with a co-signer,

now went with a third party 

to make all of its background check decisions.

They said that with our credit issues

we could only have a lease if it was paid upfront in full.

We had no way to obtain more than $20,000.

Irritated at the waste of time

and lack of the company’s consideration

of our eleven years 

with no major violations or late or missed rent,

we were determined that when the time came,

we would find a home through a private owner.

 

Now we were in June and had a new baby.

The employee at the rental company knew

that we didn’t qualify to upgrade through them.

We didn’t know where to begin.

She said to start with Zillow rentals and branch out from there.

 

June 29

Within 24 hours,

I reached out to several old leads from past years 

who had a property for rent around the time 

we would have needed to move if we didn’t renew.

None of them were available anymore. 

One that I was particularly upset about missing out on last year

was revealed to me to actually be owned 

by a slumlord type of landlord,

according to the now EX tenants of her other property.

I crossed out at least six leads in one day.

 

I also went to Zillow and created a map of all rentals

that met our criteria in this city,

and even some further north in the county.

I had to rule out all that were being offered through 

a large corporate company,

because all of these companies use the same 

type of credit check to approve or decline applicants.

From the remaining properties, 

I sent a message to the individual owners.

I messaged people with three bedroom condos,

Town homes and a few houses.

Very, very few houses were within our budget.

The ones that were, were no larger than condos.

At least they would give us the luxury of an attached garage

and a small yard.

 

As I worked my way across the city

with this website’s map, emailing owners,

I noticed a pattern.

Properties for rent in the areas my husband had talked about,

areas in the northern part of the county,

were more expensive.

The best prices were in the south,

Particularly a region called the Shores.

My husband always said he didn’t want to move 

to the Shores or the area by it

because it would make his commute to work too long.

But it became clear that the best bet 

was to watch that area.

 

All in that same 24 hours, 

I stumbled upon a familiar name.

A three bedroom, two-bathroom, ground level condo

was for rent for a reasonable rate for the area

and the owner was no other than the man

who leased us our garage at the current condo neighborhood.

Garages in that community were a separate lease and location

from the condos themselves. 

We had leased it in 2018 to move some of our possessions out

So we could get ready for our first baby,

And in 2020 or maybe 2021, the owner sold it 

to the man who was leasing it to us now.

He already knew who we were and that we paid on time.

I reached out to him.

 

June 30

First thing in the morning, 

I received a text from the garage owner

to call him.

So I did, I explained our situation, 

and I asked about his condo.

In the pictures, though it looked well taken care of,

It also looked like it was trapped in the year 2000

with odd choices of paint colors and curtain panels.

He told me it was being updated to look more modern,

And some remodeling was being done,

But it would make the rent a few hundred more.

We were OK with that.

Then he asked 

“Wouldn’t you want to live in a house, though?”

We would, but I told him we couldn’t afford most of the houses.

Rents for one larger than a condo 

were close to $3000 in many areas.

He told me he had a house not far from the Shores,

And the tenant was getting ready to leave.

The rent was $2250,

Which was a little higher than what my husband 

said was our limit… but it was only a little bit higher.

It included a fourth room that was actually 

Meant to be a dining room

But that could double as a bedroom or office.

It had a large front yard and fenced back yard.

It also had a much larger garage space than we had 

and it had an attic.

In total, it was nearly 1800 feet squared, 

Which was nearly twice the size of our condo.

All of the other houses that were $2200 or less 

were only 1200 feet squared, sometimes less.

He gave me the address and told me to drive past and see it.

IF we liked it, 

He could arrange a tour with the tenant who was 

Packing up to leave.

 

July 2

I went out for a drive and saw the house,

Took a few pictures for my husband,

And we asked for the tour.

The tenant and his family were set to leave

On July 19 or 20.

The landlord arranged a tour for the afternoon of July 4.

It would definitely be the most unique way

We spent July 4 as a family.

 

July 4

We toured the house and went over 

A long list of rules and details with the landlord.

It seemed like drawing up the lease would be

a sure thing.

 

It would leave just one problem:

Our current lease.

It was set to end after Thanksgiving.

Leaving by August 1 left nearly four months

of unpaid rent at the condo,

plus charges for deep cleaning since we were there

nearly 12 years.

How would we wiggle out of this one?

 

July 5

The landlord called to let us know

There was something going on with the 

HVAC at the house and he wanted to investigate

before drawing up a lease.

It felt like we were on a roller coaster,

And it just dropped us 100 feet straight down.

We had told our rental company

We were probably leaving by the end of the month

But not for sure.

Now it suddenly sounded like something last minute

Was going to wreck our plans.

 

July 8

The HVAC issue was resolved,

And the landlord was ready to go forward.

He started working on a lease to send us.

I reached out to my father for help with the deposit.

 

We still needed something to soften the blow

Of leaving our current lease four months early.

I like to think I am the queen of finding loopholes,

Although if I’m the queen,

My husband is the king.

We find them together.

But this one was on me.

 

In March this year, 

before our daughter was born and all of this transpired,

our micro preemie son was diagnosed

with Cerebral Palsy. 

The severity, however, will not be determined 

Until next year when he turns two. 

Still, it will most likely mean mobility issues

For him in the coming years.

I reached out to his doctor and got an official letter.

This letter told the rental company 

That we needed to move as soon as possible

In favor of finding a place that would better accommodate

A special needs child.

Our condo had three flights of stairs one must climb

To reach it.

There was no elevator.

The rental company took the letter and forwarded it 

To the parties who would need to see it.

 

July 10

We receive our draft of the lease

And agree to it.

 

July 12

jOur new landlord comes to our condo

And we do a proper lease signing.

He sees that we do, indeed, need more space.

 

July 20

The tenant of our future house finishes and leaves

With his family

To move to a house 20 minutes south.

We are given the green light to start our move.

The landlord has granted us extra days

without prorating the rent.

 

July 21

We have been packing boxes all week,

And my husband begins moving things

From the garage downstairs

To the house

And then putting boxes down in the garage

As I pack.

 

This continues for more than a week.

 

July 29

A team of movers comes to get our furniture.

I take my children over to the mostly empty house

Where a sitter meets me to help with the kids

While the movers are in and out.

 

This will be our first night in the house.

I make setting up the bedrooms the priority.

 

July 30

My husband goes back and forth

With our minivan 

Bringing bins and loose items

The movers didn’t pick up.

We didn’t pack as well as we should have,

But this was all short notice.

I work from 7am to 10pm 

Unpacking 20 large bins and some boxes.

I assemble the kitchen, the baby room,

The bathrooms 

And part of the dining area.

The living room doesn’t get assembled 

For nearly another week because 

My husband’s boxes of office items and collector items

Are stored there.

 

July 31

My husband goes back to the condo and cleans

as best as he can.

I never return with him.

I stay in the house with our children.

 

August 1

The property manager from the condo rental company

Comes to get our old keys.

My kids see her walking up the driveway

and think she’s grandma.

 

This is our official home now.

 

__

 

Our new neighborhood is one mile from my church.

On the road leading to the house

We pass the former house of the leaders of 

A small group we once attended.

Acquaintances of ours rent it now.

The neighborhood is quiet and

Neighbors seem to keep to themselves.

There are other little boys on the street,

But they are older than my five year old son.

We see wild turkeys, ibis, ducks, hawks and deer.

Most of my plants get to live outside.

There is a Publix on either end of the road 

That this neighborhood is directly off of.

The main road, where the church is, is also where 

all of the good Christmas lights displays are found in December.

We no longer have a community pool,

But we are one mile from three good parks.

It is peaceful and quiet. 

 

It was definitely a God thing.