Please go to Michael George's original post to support him. Michael is a long time member of AR and has given generously of his time to help many of us with his SEO knowledge. It is a shame that any landlord would force their tenants to live like this. I had to cut and paste this post to prevent it from going onto my outside blog. Let's help a member of our AR family...
http://activerain.com/blogsview/3412818/my-phoenix-slumlord-not-for-those-with-weak-stomachs
For the past 7.5 months, I have lived at Roanoke Terrace apartments, in Phoenix. I chose this apartment because it's only about 3 blocks away from the law firm that I do most of my consulting for. However, it is my opinion that my apartment is a health hazard, and my landlord (George Matter of Seattle, Washington)-- does not want to resolve it like a gentleman. Instead, he is attempting to have me evicted.
Roanoke Terrace Apartments
My landlord, the genius that he is, would rather evict me than fix my plumbing. He thinks he is making the less expensive choice. But Mr. George Matter, you are making a far more costly choice. You never know who you are getting into a fight with, which is why I try to generally avoid fights.
In the age of the internet, what business owner is foolish enough to blatantly swindle somebody?
Well my Phoenix landlord is. And George Matter just opened a whole can of worms. I'm a viral marketer by trade, and my landlord just caught a virus.
Warning, this get's a little gross:
Human feces and condoms have bubbled up from my tub many times. In the first two weeks I lived there, it happened every single day. I had to move in with a friend for a over two weeks for fear of hepatitis.
I did not have air conditioning in my apartment for the past three months. They made one half-assed attempt to fix it and then declared it was as cold as it was going to get. The landlord-tenant act in Arizona strongly favors the landlord and many of them like to push around tenants. If you are poor, you can't hire a lawyer, and you don't get one appointed in court.
If your landlord does terrible disgusting things, there is very little relief that you can get. However, I am not poor and I am going to fight this guy. He's going to think twice the next time he disregards the health and safety of his tenants. Most tenants never show up and the landlord just gets a judgment and calls the constable three days later.
Not me.
When I showed up for court the other day, his attorney was probably shocked. About 99 out of 100 people don't show up and the judge enters a default judgment.
So why am I being evicted? It is in retaliation for me daring to ask for working plumbing. What is this? The slums of Mexico? I just want plumbing that works.
Rather than settle with me, bearing in mind that I paid rent for weeks of non-occupancy, he would rather evict me and find another sucker.
George Matter just messed with the wrong guy. I will make sure any searches for "Roanoke Terrace apartments" in Phoenix are dominated by me. I'm also going to find other complexes he may own and make sure all of his tenants are aware of the way he conducts business. I will knock on doors if I have to.
On August 21st, I will go to court to fight my eviction.
We'll see if George Matter grows a brain between now and then.
Four days is a lot of time for me to do some internet work. Next, I am going to set up a Google maps location for him, so other tenants can leave honest reviews of his property.
Please "like" and "share" this post if you don't believe I should have to find human excrement in my bathtub all of the time.
Please go to Michael's blog post (URL above).
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