"Craziest Resident of My Career" Award Goes To...

Okay, it’s time to get back on track to my original topic of crazy stories while working in apartment complexes. By far, the worst experience that I had with a resident happened a few years ago. There was this resident that moved in right before I became one of the managers. He moved into the building across from mine. He seemed pretty friendly at first, even though I knew he ran an escort service. He always made small talk when he saw me around the property and in the office, very pleasant guy. At least I thought he was.

One day, he requested a new front door. Since I was unable to just order a door for him, I had to rely on my property manager to do so. Well, since the front door was still usable and lockable, my manager basically took her time looking for a new door to match the other doors on the property. After repeatedly explaining to this resident that I was not the one to speak to about this and that all I could do was forward his concerns to my manager, he still decided to take his anger out on me.

I had already moved to another apartment on the other side of the property by this time so I was no longer living across from him. However, I did have to walk by his apartment on a daily basis to give tours to prospective residents. Well, on a daily basis I had to put up with the crazy resident shouting crude comments to me. At first, it was just embarrassing since I was trying to lease apartments while this guy was saying disrespectful things. Soon, he started coming into the office and yelling at me on a daily basis. Then, he started threatening me. One day, my friend was working in the office and I was not there since it was a weekend. He told her that he was going to come back in and kill me. She got scared and called me so I told her to close the office and go home. Enough was enough. Not only was he making me feel uncomfortable at work, he now was making my employees feel uncomfortable. I wish my boss would have thought the same way I did and just ordered that front door!

After addressing my concerns with my boss, she told him that he is no longer allowed to come into the office. This was not enough. For days I had to deal with him calling the office and screaming at me since we did not have Caller ID. Finally, my boss called the police and the officer went over to his apartment to tell him that he is not allowed to call my office or come into my office. He would have to go to our other office across the street if he has any concerns. I thought this would solve the problem! Well, this only angered him more.

I went to my friend’s apartment one night because he was having a small party. My friend lived in the building next to mine and I was having a good time… until the crazy resident showed up! He saw that I was there and he freaked out! He had threatened to do horrible things to me and kill me in the past, but this time he described it in such detail in front of everyone, so I was mortified. I tried to walk away from him and leave, but I was afraid to go home because I didn’t want him to see which apartment was mine. It’s still kind of a blur how it got to this point, but he ended up pushing me down the stairs. One of my friends quickly came to pick me up since I was afraid to go home. I don’t remember even saying anything to the crazy resident and standing up for myself. I really wish I did.

By this point, I was done. I went to the courthouse and filed for a no-contact order, which is a restraining order. I left town for a few days for a family vacation so it was perfect timing. My boss also sent him a 24 hour notice to move out. What I didn’t know about filing for a restraining order is that I had to face him in court. I had to get on the stand and testify in front of everyone and admit that I was scared of him. I had to tell everyone about how he threatened to rape me and that he described where he would and how long it would take. I had to tell everyone the type of gun he told me he would kill me with. I had to tell everyone, while looking at him, and he just smiled at me the whole time. No one told me that his lawyer was going to ask me questions either. Well, it worked out for me and the judge decided to issue the restraining order for one year. But that wasn’t the end. Charges were also filed for communicating threats.

After he moved out, we had to do the normal move out inspection. Like a lot of people do, he left some things in the apartment, normal things like a lamp, some trash, the usual… until I found a box in his closet. There was a box of pictures of me: pictures of me standing on my balcony, pictures of me at El Cerro with my friends, pictures of me at the pool, pictures of me taking residents on tours. I didn’t know any of these pictures were taken. I was disgusted.

A few months later, the next court date came. I did not want to get up on the stand again. His lawyer requested for a mediation to be done. I didn’t care. I just wanted it to be over with. I had to sit at a table in a small room with him, his lawyer, and the mediator. I reached an agreement as quickly as possible so I could get out of that room. I was able to get the restraining order extended for an extra year in exchange that the charges were dropped. If he violates that, then we would have to go back to court for the original charges.

Well, as I’m glad that is over with, I sometimes still can’t believe how quickly things can escalate. I did not know this person besides him being just another resident. He is a creep and I know he will become a dangerous person to someone some day. During this process, I had found out he had multiple charges of communicating threats and assault on females that he was never convicted of. The reason I’m telling this story is because I want everyone to be careful with people you meet, whether you meet them in your personal life or in a work setting. I can laugh about this experience now, but the truth is some people are CRAZY!!! haha

Overworked and Stressed to the Max

Warning: This blog is going to be a big rant about how over it I am. I have been in and out of school since January 2005. Why am I not close to graduating yet, you may be wondering. I feel as though I am not really a student. I sometimes even forget that I am enrolled in school. Yes, I do my assignments and attend my classes, most of the time. I just can’t say no to work that pays me. While I quit one of my jobs recently so that I can have one day off per week, another job is starting soon in a few weeks. Instead of working the 50 hours per week that I do now, I will soon be working 60 – 70 hours per week, on top of a full course load of classes. I wish I could turn back time and just have decided to be a “normal” college student years ago. Instead, I quit school and decided to work full time. Once you do that, there is no turning back. I have accumulated so many bills that I am now forced to work full time and go to school full time, which of course I don’t get any benefits since my full time hours are a result of working multiple part time jobs.

Honestly, I am jealous of most people’s spring breaks. My bosses found out that last week was spring break so they just decided that I would like more hours at work without even asking me. To make it worse, I mentioned to one of my jobs today that I would need a day off in May to attend my sister’s graduation and they got so aggravated with me. To top it off, my boss was having a bad day so she decided to take the rest of the week off and told me she needed me to work extra hours to cover the office while she wasn’t there. The past month has just been so rough and they wouldn’t even let me take a day off to attend a friend’s funeral. They told me that too many people I know die, since two people died within two weeks of each other and two people died last summer. I think it’s ridiculous. I have been in my boss’s shoes since I used to be a manager of an apartment complex. I was much more flexible with student’s schedules. They even get annoyed when I say I can’t stay late at work because I need to go to class.

Enough about work, roommates are another issue that I just can’t stand right now. Neither of my roommates work and neither of them clean up after themselves. When I get home from work and want to start on schoolwork, the last thing I want to do is clean their dishes and take out the trash. Talking to them doesn’t work either because when I tell them what’s bugging me they just promise that they will clean more often but it doesn’t ever change. I even asked them for a simple favor to pick me up from the car dealership while I get my car fixed and they said that they can’t. Are they forgetting that they haven’t paid any utilities in the past two months because their check is “in the mail” from their parents and I have had to cover their portions of it all?

I know that complaining about it isn’t going to get me anywhere. Last week, I finally decided to make a change in my life. I applied to UNC Charlotte to hopefully transfer there this upcoming fall. I know that by transferring I may have to stay in school a little longer, but I feel that at the moment, this is what I need. I think a change in location may excite me enough to feel reenergized about school. It may help me become a little more motivated to finish school. Also, since tuition is less expensive and rent is cheaper there too, I may only have to work one or two jobs while I am there! Anyway, I am so excited and hope that I get accepted! I now feel like I have something to look forward to in the near future and hopefully all my hard work will help me later on in life! I just can't wait to have a fresh start!