Rainbow Dragon's Lair

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

Thank you @CODawn , @PetiteSheWolf , @Anek , @Maegaranthelas , @NancyTree , @Fremen

My application for the place in Wortley is still under review.
(This is the place: https://www.kijiji.ca/v-apartments-...-village-avail-sept-1st-1800-hydro/1697183866 )

Getting the credit check to the landlord was a huge hassle. When it absolutely did not need to be. But he insisted on using a particular online service (that he made sound like was a regular part of his process that they use all the time, but his property manager told me no, I was the first person he has forced to use it) that required me to fill out an entire rental application (even though the landlord already had all of this information). Of course the form was not set up to allow for people like me. But with the assistance of the landlord's property manager and a technical support person at the company the landlord insisted on using, the form was modified such that it allowed me to submit it. Then I paid my money for the credit check. The company sent me a receipt. Then they sent me another email saying "hooray! your credit report is ready, click here to view it." I clicked on the link. And...

Nothing. No credit report.

These things should generate within seconds. But the next day my credit report was still not there. So I called technical support back again. They were able to help me by a.) emailing me my report and then b.) fixing my account so it actually shows up there now too. (The support staff at this company are actually very helpful. Which is a good thing since the service they're trying to support doesn't work properly at all!)

I then forwarded the credit report to the landlord. This was yesterday. No word back yet. There are zero red flags in my credit report. Nothing there to warrant rejecting my application, and everything to suggest that I would in fact be a great and reliable tenant. But a landlord can reject a rental application for any reason or no reason at all. So I wait some more and hope for good news soon.

 

[MadamMeow]

Really hoping for good news for you and you get in. Especially after all of that effort.

 

[Syrius]

 

[TopNotch]

Good luck.

 

[JohnStrong]

Best wishes Laura!

 

[NancyTree]

More

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

Thank you @MadamMeow , @Syrius , @TopNotch , @JohnStrong , @NancyTree and all for the support and well wishes.

Unfortunately I am still nowhere with this rental application.

After everything that the landlord's property manager did to try to help me and to advocate to her boss on my behalf...
After all the hoops I jumped through and the money I spent to get the landlord what he asked for...
After providing him with a credit report that says my credit is EXCELLENT and there are no red flags in my history anywhere that would mark me as a high risk tenant...

..he is now asking me to find someone to co-sign the lease.

He knows I am single and my father is dead and my mother is non compos mentis. Where am I supposed to find a co-signer?
I shouldn't need one in any case because everything, everything, EVERYTHING about me screams that I am good for the money.

 

[Maegaranthelas]

That's just not F-ing fair!
I am so sorry he's making everything more difficult for you

 

[TopNotch]

What would you need a co-signer for? Sounds like he's just a [fill in bad word here].

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

What would you need a co-signer for?

Because landlords have all the power, and tenants have none.
Because there are multiple applications for every vacancy, so landlords can choose whomever they like to rent to.
At the end of the day, someone (many someones, in fact) will end up homeless. Because we flat out have not got enough housing in Canada.

Here is the ugly truth (well, another ugly truth--the whole "Canada has homeless encampments in every city because we haven't got enough housing" truth is also petty frakking ugly):

The landlord is assuming I will default on my rent.
Even though there is absolutely nothing whatsoever in my history to suggest that I would ever do such a thing.
Even though he has evidence (my credit report) demonstrating that I have not behaved in such a way historically.
He is entering into contracts with his tenants assuming that the tenants will be bad actors.

If a tenant does fail to pay their rent, Canadian law permits the landlord to evict the tenant from the premises. But this process takes months. In the meantime, the landlord is out the income they are due for the rent on that unit. If the non-paying tenant has income, Canadian law then permits the landlord to apply to have the tenant's income garnished such that the landlord will eventually be paid back the past-due rent. If, however, the tenant does not have current income (i.e.: me) there is nothing for the landlord to garnish.

I have never reneged on a financial commitment ever in my life.
I have never been in trouble with the law ever in my life.
I have no income right now because I gave 15 years of my life to assisting my disabled father and helping both of my parents to grow old in their own home.
I cannot simply go out and "get a job" now because I have been out of the workforce for so long (and because most starting salaries here don't pay enough to satisfy a landlord that I'd be able to afford rent in any case, and without stable housing I won't even know where I could apply for work because I don't know where I'll be living from one month to the next).
And I can afford to pay rent!

I can afford to pay rent because I have lived frugally and responsibly all these years. When I had a mortgage I worked two jobs and paid down my mortgage at twice the rate the bank required of me. So when I lost my full-time job five years later (on account of this situation) and was forced to sell my home, I pocketed 50% of the sale price. I then invested most of this money, continuing to live frugally, and to build my savings. Because I knew this day would come, when my tenure living in my parents' home and helping them would end, and I would need to be able to find a new place to live without income.

And so here I am: with plenty of money with which to pay rent, but no home to pay the rent for. Because landlords are assuming--with exactly zero evidence whatsoever to support their assumption, and all kinds of evidence that their assumption is wrong--that I would all of a sudden become a bad actor and refuse to pay them the money (that I already have!) for rent.

 

[Fremen]

Isn't there any friend of yours who can vouch for you?
Your situation is atypical, and it's a paperwork nightmare.
I am a landlord and co-signing is a common practice to protect yourself.
I'm really sorry about your situation, it's like hitting a brick wall

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

I am a landlord and co-signing is a common practice to protect yourself.

Asking for a co-signer is a common practice if the tenant has no or poor credit or potentially insufficient funds to cover the entire rent themselves.
It is completely uncalled for when the prospective tenant's credit score, credit history, and ability to pay rent are all as strong as mine are.

Yes, some tenants are bad actors.
Some landlords are bad actors too.
At some point, there needs to be trust in the relationship.

This landlord has already asked me to pay last month's rent ($1800) up front--even before I had viewed the unit or met him--just to get my rental application considered. I was required to pay this money via e-transfer, completely on trust. (If the landlord chose to take off with my money, it is extremely unlikely I would ever be able to get it back.)

He asked me to agree to pay multiple months' rent up front on the first day of tenancy. (I have agreed to pay six months' rent up front--again, requiring me to trust this landlord to actually maintain the unit in a livable condition for that length of time.)

He then asked me to pay a further $28.24 to a third party company I had never heard of before, that does not have glowing reviews. (In fact I found multiple reports from people who tried to use the service and had problems with it, including people who paid their money and did not receive the report the service promises.) But the landlord insisted on using that particular company to procure a credit report. So once again, I was forced to trust that a.) the company would actually provide the service it promises (it did--but only after I contacted their support department for action--the service took my money and failed to deliver a report initially) and b.) the landlord would use the information provided in the report in good faith to assess my suitability to rent his unit.

Well the information in my credit report says: YOU SHOULD RENT TO LAURA! You will never find a tenant who is more reliable for paying the rent than Laura. Thank your lucky stars you received an application from somebody so awesome. Jump on it RIGHT NOW and beg Laura to be your tenant for life!

Instead, the landlord is asking me for further reassurance that is completely uncalled for and that he knows will be difficult for me to procure.

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

Isn't there any friend of yours who can vouch for you?

I have many friends who can vouch for my character. But that's not what this landlord is asking for.

A co-signer for a lease isn't just a name on a piece of paper. The co-signer would be a legal tenant in the unit, with the legal right to occupy the unit at any and all times during the duration of our joint tenancy. My London friends are rich and own their own homes, so their attempting to exert this right would not be an issue. But there could be tax implications for them, if for instance they wanted to sell their home, and the CRA said, "Hey! Wait a minute now! Was that property on which you just realized massive capital gains truly your primary residence? Because I see here that you're a tenant of this other property, and your roommate there isn't your child or any other family member we might reasonably expect you to co-sign a lease with just to help them out."

A co-signer would also need to satisfy the landlord that they were good for the money, likely meaning they'd need to deal with the same third party company I've already had to deal with (which would cost me even more money to pay for their credit check, and which is now spamming me daily with unsolicited emails which would no doubt also be sent to any friend who also used the service to help me).

And they'd need to be able to show up in London to sign the lease. Which limits my options. I currently have 4 friends left who still live in London, all of whom are retired/semi-retired (so goodness knows if the landlord would even accept their income as sufficient, although in terms of current assets all four are significantly even better off than I am.) On account of being rich and retired, these friends also all travel a lot. So goodness knows if any of them will even be in town when the landlord is ready to sign a lease to do that with me.

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

I'm really sorry about your situation, it's like hitting a brick wall

Thank you.

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

Your situation is atypical, and it's a paperwork nightmare.

It's atypical, yes.
There is no reason for it to be a paperwork nightmare.
My credit is good.
I have the ability to pay rent.
I just need the same old lease the landlord would sign with any other tenant.

 

[TopNotch]

Could your brother not sign? Or is this touchy ground...
Australia has followed Canada's lead with lots of immigration and insufficient infrastructure. I'm just glad I never sold my little house.

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

Could your brother not sign? Or is this touchy ground...

No way in Hell would I give an individual who has treated me so callously and cruelly, and who has repeatedly behaved in an aggressive and bullying fashion towards me, the legal right to enter and occupy my home whenever he felt like it!

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

Australia has followed Canada's lead with lots of immigration and insufficient infrastructure.

This is so stupid. Both of our countries have land. And the resources to build housing on that land.

In Canada, unfortunately, municipalities have the power to control the type of housing that is built. In Ontario we are seeing a lot of arable land and green belt land being converted to privately owned estates with giant mansions for the uber wealthy. Meanwhile, municipalities are blocking the construction of higher-density, modest-sized homes that people actually need. Also: our federal government has finally woken up to the fact that Canada has a housing crisis, and is trying to do something about it, and now the provinces are saying, "Back off Trudeau! Housing is our jurisdiction."

Fun times we are all living in.

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

Finally some good news on the housing front:

I spoke with the potential landlord this morning, and he has backed off from the request for a co-signer. It's not a done deal yet. (I have not yet seen the lease.) But for the moment at least, things are progressing.

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

I am doing an exercise this week on a writing forum in which I participate. The exercise is to list five things each day that bring me joy. I think this is a good exercise to share. So I've decided to copy my lists here.

Monday's Five Things that Bring Me Joy:

1. Shelby. I am sorry to all of you out there who believe your dog is the best dog. The best, the absolute very best, is definitely Shelby! Yes, she has made searching for a new home more difficult. (Although it's looking right now very much as if we're going to end up with a new home so perfect I will be thrilled none of my earlier efforts worked out.) She's expensive. (I adopted Shelby jointly with my mother with the agreement that I would be physically responsible for Shelby's care and my mother would be financially responsible for her care. But now that my brother has control of our mother's finances--which have a lot more wriggle room in them than mine do--he is forcing her to renege on her side of the agreement.) And being a single dog-parent can be very socially limiting at times. But honestly: I don't know how I would have survived the past couple of years without her. Shelby is my rock.

2. Spending time in nature. Likely I will break this one down more specifically later in the week. But for this point I mean simply the general experience of being immersed in the natural world, with all the sights, sounds, smells, (sometimes tastes), and tactile experiences that entails. Feeling that connection to life in all of its wild and wonderful abundance and knowing in my core that I am a part of that.

3. Dancing. I don't do it enough these days. (The stress can make it hard to get started.) But I do feel joy in my soul when I am dancing.

4. Breaking bread with friends. (I have not been doing this nearly enough in recent years, for geographical and health-of-housemates reasons. The ability to do this more is one of the things that will improve significantly in my life after my move, if the housing situation I am working towards works out.)

5. Stories (written, certainly, but also films, theatre, songs, oral storytelling, etc.) that stick the landing.

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

Tuesday's Five Things that Bring Me Joy:

1. Reversing entropy. I've always been drawn to work centred around fighting chaos and building well-oiled machines. Whether that's choreographing and executing a smooth and fast set change on stage or coordinating a group of people to work together efficiently and frictionlessly in an office, I'm in my element when I'm moulding the messiness of disorder into beautiful, functional, intricate patterns. I have some very messy novel drafts on my hard drive--stories I love but have not yet gotten it together to untangle into something I'd be willing to publish. I'm seeing now how silly that resistance is. Revising my novels (making something beautiful out of chaos) is going to be work I will love and find immensely satisfying!

2. Pesto parties. Back when I lived in London before, a friend and I used to get together for pesto-making parties. She would buy the pine nuts from a big club store where she had a membership, and I would purchase huge shopping bags full of fresh basil from a stall in the market next door to my office (the vendor there used to call me "the basil lady") and we would hang out in my friend's kitchen all afternoon enjoying one another's company and the pungeant scents of basil, garlic, and Parmesan cheese as we prepped batch after batch of pesto. I am very much looking forward to doing this again one day soon!

3. Dancing in the rain. I know I listed dancing already. And I do love dancing in all sorts of locations and environments. But there is something special about going outside in that first huge downpour that finally clears the air after days of cloyingly hot and humid weather and letting loose with a wild and free barefoot dance. This is one of the experiences during which I feel the most connected to my source of joy.

4. Board games with friends. I am trying to cut back on the solo gaming that is more a distraction from the work I want to get done than anything else. But I do love gathering around a table with friends to either compete in or play cooperatively a nice, complex, Euro-style boardgame. Living where I am now, I have mostly only been able to play with far-distant friends via TableTop Simulator (an experience which I do love and which has been a lifeline to community for me during these years of living in geographical isolation from my friends). Once I complete my move, and I am back in a city with my own space, I hope to be able to put together a regular in-person gaming group.

5. Trees growing on the side of sheer rock faces. I grew up beside a long dolomite and shale escarpment that bisects southern Ontario. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niagara_Escarpment - I have many times hiked along this escarpment, and paddled in waters that look upon it. (I have run up it too--in areas where the grade is mild enough to allow for such an activity.) I am always in awe of the tenacity of life I see clinging to the side of these vertical rock faces, finding purchase and digging down roots in such a challenging environment. Even trees grow here, somehow finding a way to grow and thrive on vertical slopes that support precious little soil. These trees give me hope that I too can find purchase and keep reaching for the sun, even during challenging times.

 

[Sólveig]

It sounds like the Gratitude challenge, but extra!



And yes, board games with friends and spending time in nature is amazing!

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

It sounds like the Gratitude challenge, but extra!

Yes. That is a great one too! I am only doing the 5 Things that Bring Me Joy exercise for 7 days, because it is time-consuming to come up with the list and commentary every day. But these types of exercises are good ones to do, at least periodically, I think.

And yes, board games with friends and spending time in nature is amazing!

 

[NancyTree]

I am also amazed by how trees can find a place to root on what seems impossible places, and stand strong with it

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

Wednesday's Five Things that Bring Me Joy:

1. One of my students nailing for the first time a skill or technique which I taught them. Whether it's fresh meat I have trained catching my signal and jumping through the hole I made for them in the pack to grab a quick lead jammer, or the huge smile on a yoga student's face when she achieves full, hands-free boat pose for the first time, there's nothing quite like witnessing another's success which I helped to facilitate.
   
   
2. My team's hard work culminating in a big win. I count sports victories here, sure. But winning can take many forms, from my cast receiving an opening night standing ovation for a big musical production I stage-managed to simply hearing the announcer introduce the teams for the first-ever roller derby bout in Chatham-Kent, which I was instrumental in helping my league to prepare for and pull off. My first sport, and the one in which I ultimately went the farthest, was running. Running initially appealed to me, yes, because I was good at it, but also because it was a sport I could excel at on my own. I did not need a team to run. In high school, however, running became very much a team sport for me. I miss having that team now. (Especially all of these years living in the Booming Metropolis, which have for the most part been extremely isolating.)
   
   
3. Crossing the finish line in spite of seemingly insurmountable odds. I know what it's like to run nationals with 8" of snow covering the course, drifts higher than my knees in places, with my eyelashes glued together with ice and a throbbing headache + exhaustion courtesy of dehydration after gastroenteritis had me worshipping the porcelain god all night the night before the race. Not exactly fun times. But I remain proud of teenaged me for finishing the race. Also: the ending of Cool Runnings gets me every time.
   
   
4. Seeing my friends do things that bring them joy. (Yes, even the time Trudy found a dead fish to roll in on the beach.)
   
   (How could I not feel joy at the sight of such bliss?!)
   
   
5. Floating on my boat (an iSUP) on my own private pond in the middle of the Rondeau Marsh, chillin' with my good friend Jeremiah (and often turtles too!) listening to the "polka-ree!" calls of the Red-winged Backbirds, the "witcheta, witcheta" song of the Common Yellowthroats, the raspy trills of the Marsh Wrens, and the strange mating calls of American Bitterns, while the wind ruffles the cattails, and the dragonflies play. Pure bliss!

Team Canada and the Palestinian girls' team in Belgium, prior to the ISF race in Luxembourg, 1988. I've been thinking about those girls (the Palestinians) a lot lately.



Luxembourg was another snowy race day--although not nearly as bad as Nationals in Newfoundland in 1985. (Plus: none of us got sick in Luxembourg.)


My high school teammates and me (hiding from the rain, in this photo). I miss these gals!

 

[MadamMeow]

Thank you for Trudy being cute and the cool throw back pics!

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

Thursday's Five Things that Bring Me Joy:

1. Birds. They're pretty and colourful. (Even the brown birds have beautiful patterning in their feathers when seen up close.) Many of them sing. (The ones we don't think of as "songbirds" nevertheless make some fascinating sounds. Avian methods of vocalization are cool!) And of course (most of them) can fly. (The superpower I most wanted as a kid was to be able to fly.) Small birds fascinate me for how much function they are able to achieve in such a tiny package. But some of my favourites are the really big birds, like Great Blue Herons and my beloved Sandhill Cranes: impressive for their grace in flight, and the strength & technique that enables them to take off at their size, but also really fun to watch as their longer limbs reveal fascinating body language. For a speculative fiction writer, birds are wonderful examples of the wide variety of evolutionary paths life can take.
   
   
2. Deer. I know they're not always peaceful. Even does will mix it up on occasion. But there is something inherently soothing about spotting white-tailed deer on a hike. They are the largest wildlife in my area, and they're impressive runners and jumpers. But even when they're just standing still, munching on leaves, I love to watch them. I always feel that my hike was blessed when I've seen a deer. Like nature just hugged me.
   
   
3. Seeing an Eastern Foxsnake alive and well. Foxsnakes are special to me because they are globally rare, existing only near the shorelines of the Great Lakes, yet these beautiful snakes sometimes show up in my own backyard! There are two distinct populations of Eastern Foxsnakes in Ontario, both of which are now considered endangered. The species is under threat primarily due to habitat loss and road mortality. (Snakes love to bask on hot tarmac, and we have a lot of roads with heavy traffic in southwestern Ontario.) Sadly this species is also sometimes deliberately killed by humans who fear it. (Foxsnakes can grow up to 6' in length, but they are non-venomous and harmless to humans.) Because there is a population of foxsnakes in my own neighbourhood--which like others of its kin is under threat due to human activities--I feel a special obligation to the species to try to protect it. Some years back, one got into our garage and got itself hopelessly entangled in a roll of netting I had purchased to try to protect food crops from birds. My mother--then in her 70s--sat in a lawn chair on our driveway for over an hour, holding the snake, while I painstakingly snipped the threads of the netting away from the snake's head and neck one by one.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. Butterflies. What can I say? They're beautiful! Their behaviour is also quite fascinating to watch. And some of them accomplish impressive feats. The last generation of Monarch Butterflies to emerge in my area each year flies over 3000 km from southern Ontario to winter roosting sites in Mexico!
   
   
5. Lifers. (In the birding sense of the word--although I am always excited to see a new-to-me species of any type of flora or fauna, not just birds.) I have recorded over a thousand different species on iNaturalist to date--and that's barely even scratching the surface of what's out there, even in my own neighbourhood! Reporting the first ever sighting of a Great Kiskadee in all of Canada remains a highlight of my naturalist adventures as that led to a new bird species for hundreds of other birders from Ontario and Quebec as well. But more mundane finds bring me joy too. I love to increase my experience with the great variety of life that's out there.

 

[PetiteSheWolf]

Fully agreeing on this ode to nature! It's impressive and varied, and so suprising sometimes to us humans. A big heart for all these!

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

Will be up late tonight writing, because Shelby and I spent most of the day hiking. Will just leave you with this little taste of our day, for now:

 

[PetiteSheWolf]

Oooooh, so cute! little bandit

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

little bandit

Another masked friend from yesterday's hike:

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

Wee baby lizard!

 

[NancyTree]

Cool! The colors are amazing!

 

[TopNotch]

Cute lizard.

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

Finally saw the lease today for the place I've been hoping to rent. Everything in it is reasonable. (Which I had been hoping for with this landlord. He does seem to be an above board kind of guy. But one can never be certain these days.)

In Ontario we have a standard lease which all rental agreements which fall under our Residential Tenancies Act must use. It is straightforward and fair. But landlords are allowed to add "additional terms" to the standard lease. And this is where problems can arise. For example: one place I looked at was a unit in a townhouse complex. ("Townhouse" is what we call them in Canada. I think some places may use the term "row house". Basically it is an apartment where you have your own doors front and back to the outside, and no one above or below you, but the side walls of your unit are shared with the neighbouring units.) This was a unit in a huge complex, owned by a corporation that has been in the rental housing business in this area for a century. The complex has no communal laundry facility because each unit is supplied with a dryer and hook up for the tenant to install their own washing machine. But then the lease agreement says the tenant is not allowed to bring any of their own appliances into the unit, and explicitly lists washing machine as an appliance that is forbidden.

Anyhow... the additional terms from the landlord I'm moving forward with renting from are all perfectly reasonable. Several of them actually redound exclusively to the tenant's benefit! I asked for a receipt for the deposit I have already paid. And received one within an hour!

Everyone knock on wood, but I think Shelby and I are actually going to land in a really nice apartment in a really nice neighbourhood with a great landlord!

 

[Lallafa]

Knocking on wood! Good luck! I hope you get it!

 

[NancyTree]

Still keeping my

 

[Maegaranthelas]

Ooh, fingers crossed here as well, and sending good vibes

 

[MadamMeow]

Sending positive vibes and that cute little lizard is also lucky for sure.

 

[Syrius]

Did a whole drumroll of knocking.

 

[Fremen]

Knock on wood

 

[PetiteSheWolf]

Adding to the vibes there, "break a leg"

 

[Anek]

Fingers crossed!

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

We have a signed lease!

 

[Maegaranthelas]

OH MY GOSH
That is such good news!!!!!
I am so happy to hear this.

You know what, this calls for
Happy Lease Day

I am so glad you and Shelby have a place

 

[MadamMeow]

So glad this as worked out for you and it sounded like a better place then some of the alternatives.

Glad you can finally have some peace of mind on this!

 

[Sólveig]

YES!

 

[Syrius]

 

[NancyTree]

yay! Congratulations! I'm so happy for you both! When can you move in?

 

[neilarey]

Congratulations!!!!!