What a bugger. Does he actually need you to be there while he works or do you just prefer to be? Try not to worry. I hope the repairs go without a hitch and I’m sure they will.

Hope he doesn't need me. I don't see why he would. I'd rather go off to work and be distracted by the job, to be honest, and put it out of my mind until I get home at the end of the day again. Here's to what you say about repairs without a hitch--that's the approach I'm wanting to take, Loo, so thanks!

I hope it gets sorted out quickly. What a pain.

Truly a mess Muji. Hope you didn't plan on cooking. Go to work and see what's what when you return. Awful situation to walk in to at end of work day. Hugs.

Oh that sucks Muji! I hope he got it fixed for you today or at least started on it.

He never called me back or came by. Methinks fixing my ceiling may be a complicated matter with this fellow.... Ruh roh.

Keep on him Muji….. This would drive me nuts ….haha..... I can't stand a mess..... I hope that it's fixed really soon......xo

Thanks, I sent him a letter via US mail, SC, to document the request that he come by Friday between 3 & 4pm. Being that specific might get him moving, though I'm not betting any money on it. We'll see.

What an ass! You may need to get a lawyer involved to light a fire under him.

Well said, soulsearcher, that he is. He's a gravelly-voiced gruff big guy who works construction by day. He has this part time property manager gig to bully tenants who don't pay their rent on time. He just evicted my next door neighbor for that.

That's not me; to the contrary, I pay my rent early. But he and his wife are still rude to me. So it's no surprise that he's dragging his feet on getting this ceiling fixed.

I took the bull by the horns this morning, though,I called and told him I sent him a note via US mail telling him I'd be home at 3pm tomorrow from work to let the pest control guy in. It would be convenient for me if he fixed the ceiling at that time, too.

He tried to do it some other time, but I told him I teach and have a schedule to keep. Coming when I was already home from work for the pest control guy was best, then. He relented, but still told me to call him at 3pm to remind him. There's no need for that, but it's just his way of making me go out of my way one last time even when he has to give in.

Things like this get me started sweating the small stuff with my PTSD, ya know? With PTSD I can blow things like this out of proportion. I don't like having strangers in my house to begin with. But it's still just small stuff and no need to sweat it, right? I think I handled it well, didn't I?

You handled it very well. I wish I had your conflict resolution skills. I have had several surprising issues with my new place and dealing with the estate agents has not been good for me. I hope your ceiling is fixed quickly and with no more hassles. Good luck.

Well, I came home from work today to find that the couple upstairs had ignored the warning the property manager says he gave them not to use their washing machine until the plumbing leak in the ceiling coming down to my place was fixed. They used their washing machine anyway, so after a hard day's work I came home to a fresh lake all over my dining room table and the floor of my kitchen again.

I was too tired for coming home to another cleanup today Thursday like I did last Sunday, but it had to be done. I can't keep on like this forever, though. When I called the property manager today about yet another flooding episode from the above apartment he didn't care much, so I think I may have to move for the first time in 8 years.

It'll be a shame, but my next door neighbors told me about another apartment opening up a few blocks away in my neighborhood. It costs a little more in rent every month, but the peace of mind will be worth it. It doesn't look like there's bound to be an outbreak of respect for my needs on the part of the property manager or the upstairs neighbors where I currently live. Support welcome, because I don't do well with PTSD and moving house.

To go in to my kitchen to make coffee in the morning I have to wear waterproof footwear. What a way to live. Sigh. It's been from Sunday to today, Friday. All week. Called property manager again. He hasn't come by all week, nor has he called me back. Wow.

Oh I’m so angry on your behalf. You don’t need this and is it even legal for them to drag their feet on fixing it? I put up with a blocked toilet for three weeks when I first moved in here and the sewage coming back up through the bath tub. It’s only when I said I was abandoning the property they sent a plumber. At least they can’t insinuate you caused it like my agent did. It was actually a long standing problem caused by the previous tenant according to the plumber but I didn’t get an apology of any sort.
Your health and peace of mind matters Muji so if you have to move do so. Start packing anything you don’t use much now to make it easier when the time comes. I make sure I do with the bare minimum these days so I never have too much to move.
Good luck with this and try not to worry too much.

I'm really sorry that happened to you, Loo, having sewage back up in the tub for 3 weeks is way more disgusting than what I'm going through for 1 week. Ugh! Still, thanks for sharing it because I don't feel like it's my fault--which I knew it wasn't, but when it gets your PTSD going you can imagine "these things only happen to me" and stuff.

Small victory: I called the landlord with a short phone message all week every time more leaking came through from above into my kitchen. Just short messages, no emotion, twice a day. Finally, on Friday he said he'd come by after his day job (why have a day job when you manage 100 properties already?) IF I "reminded him." It was insulting to have an "IF" involved, but I called him to remind him at end of business anyway. If I had to sue this guy, I wanted a clean record on my end.

He came by! Holy cow! And he found the leak, too--it's from the upstairs neighbor's bathtub. He got the upstairs neighbor to turn their tub's faucet off and on to prove it.

He called a professional plumber on the spot, but then rescinded the call to have his handyman fix it Monday. That means two things: I have to live with it another weekend, and on Monday an amateur plumber still may not fix it right.

But thank goodness for small victories. And thanks for sharing your way worse story to validate that this doesn't just happen to me after all, even though my PTSD likes to tell me so.