The Adventure Continues

Daughter signed her new lease on her apartment, today.  Due to a whole series of misadventures, it is not the lease on the apartment we would have preferred (lower cost) but, at least, she has an apartment.  Her current lease doesn't end until mid-August.  However, her apartment building is under new ownership/management and they are doing renovations (and increasing the rents, of course).

The apartment daughter is currently leasing is scheduled for renovations this summer.  They can wait until her lease is over, but by then, there might not be another apartment for her to lease for the next academic year.  Daughter had already let the management know that she will be renewing her lease for next year - those discussions took place sometime in March, because there's a high demand for rental housing where she is (due to the university).  Daughter had already looked into other apartments for rent in the area, when she was informed of the rent increase that will take effect, but all other studio apartments in proximity to the campus were more expensive, so we had decided she will continue to rent at her present building.

On Thursday of last week, during the last week of final exams, she received a notice that she needed to vacate her apartment in the 3rd week of July.  She spoke with the apartment manager and was told that there were two other units she could move into, both studio apartments like her current unit, but she needed to pay a holding fee by cashier's check or money order.  She couldn't go to the bank on Friday since her last final exam was held that evening and the bank closed before she finished her exam.  Her plan was to go to the bank on Saturday.

Unfortunately, she overslept on Saturday.  She didn't remember that the bank closed early on Saturdays and she neglected to set an alarm.  I tried to call her to remind her, but she had turned off the ringer on her phone, so she didn't hear the phone.  As a result, by the time she woke up, it was too late to go to the bank.  In hind sight (always 20/20), I should have urged her to talk to management or find a place to buy a money order; but it didn't occur to me to do so.

On Monday, she was told that both studio apartment units had been leased to others and the only unit they still had available was a 2-bedroom unit.  She negotiated with the management, however, and was able to get a verbal agreement (with email confirmation) that she will be notified when her current apartment is renovated, so she could re-lease that apartment.  We have decided that, under the circumstances, she will sign the lease for the 2-bedroom apartment, with the understanding that, once her current studio unit is renovated and becomes available, she will have the option of leasing it and giving up the 2-bedroom unit, without penalty.
  
Of course, daughter and I are both upset that her inability to go to the bank on Saturday resulted in all these complications as well as a higher (much higher) rent.  There is the option of staying in the 2 bedroom apartment and getting a roommate, but that has its own pros and cons.

We think that daughter was able to negotiate the best compromise.  If all goes well (and management honors the agreement), then, we will have to pay the much higher rent on the 2 bedroom for 2-3 months, at the most.  If not, if we have to go the full 12 months of the lease, well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.  Daughter has offered to pay all what she will be earning from her summer internship towards the difference in rent.  I can work some overtime to earn some extra income, too.  I am proud of her to have managed the negotiations on her own.  She says that being an adult is stressful, but I think this was a test for both of us and we did OK.  It is definitely a learning experience, and, as she says, she'll never forget now that banks close early on a Saturday!  LOL.

On a happier note, daughter received her grades for this semester.  She took 21 units of graduate courses.  And she received 1 A-, 5 A's and 1 A+, as well as a "pass" on the one course that didn't carry a letter grade.  Her 4.0 GPA from last semester dropped a little because of the A- (too bad the A+ doesn't carry extra weight), but we are very pleased with her results.  She worked hard to earn those grades.

Today I am grateful for:

- daughter's good grades, of course
- the housing issue is settled
- daughter's negotiating skills
- a learning experience
- being able to rise to the occasion and meet the challenge

Hope your day was a little less of a roller coaster!