MegA-ClassB
Advanced Member
This doesn't have anything to do with RVing but it seemed worth sharing.
My apartment building was sold yesterday. The previous owners were two sisters, I believe; the new owner is a company that has 2200 properties. We all got a letter informing us of the sale and saying nothing would be changing. *Except* -
- No more on-site manager, so the current (actually, previous) one and her husband are moving out at the end of the month because they can't afford both rent here and the mortgage of the place they own in a neighboring state. So they're going back there. (Which means they have to close their office-cleaning business here; the manager job was part time.)
- Starting February 1 the rent needs to be paid exclusively online. There will be no charge for this as long as it's a straight transfer of funds from the tenant's bank account.
This is an old building and a lot of the tenants are seniors; the (previous) manager is guessing about half have computers. It also occurred to me that they might not have an account with a bank that has online services. Or have a bank account at all. (My next-door neighbor told me he has only a savings account, and he's not giving his account information to anyone.)
The manager seems OK with the move, even with how sudden it is; her husband is over 70 so I think they may be retiring. And the rent payment requirement doesn't apply to me because I'll be gone by then (although it wouldn't be a problem anyway). I do feel sorry for my neighbors, though. We've not been contacted by the new "community manager" and I have a feeling things here will be getting much more impersonal. And the new rent payment system - I wonder if it's a sign of the times.
Meg
My apartment building was sold yesterday. The previous owners were two sisters, I believe; the new owner is a company that has 2200 properties. We all got a letter informing us of the sale and saying nothing would be changing. *Except* -
- No more on-site manager, so the current (actually, previous) one and her husband are moving out at the end of the month because they can't afford both rent here and the mortgage of the place they own in a neighboring state. So they're going back there. (Which means they have to close their office-cleaning business here; the manager job was part time.)
- Starting February 1 the rent needs to be paid exclusively online. There will be no charge for this as long as it's a straight transfer of funds from the tenant's bank account.
This is an old building and a lot of the tenants are seniors; the (previous) manager is guessing about half have computers. It also occurred to me that they might not have an account with a bank that has online services. Or have a bank account at all. (My next-door neighbor told me he has only a savings account, and he's not giving his account information to anyone.)
The manager seems OK with the move, even with how sudden it is; her husband is over 70 so I think they may be retiring. And the rent payment requirement doesn't apply to me because I'll be gone by then (although it wouldn't be a problem anyway). I do feel sorry for my neighbors, though. We've not been contacted by the new "community manager" and I have a feeling things here will be getting much more impersonal. And the new rent payment system - I wonder if it's a sign of the times.
Meg