I know, you're probably saying to yourself: "How can he be trying to get into an apartment again after 2 recent rejections?" Well, it would be a lease takeover instead of a brand new 12 month lease and, what's more, it's at a complex run by a management company that seems to target the "disenfranchised" consumer. Plus it's only another $20 application fee. If it turns out that they too reject me, at least it isn't gonna cost me that much.
The rent would be sickeningly low and from the photos the guy posted on Craigslist (What!? Another Craigslist ad? Yeah, I know.) it looks fairly decent. Another small place though, 440 sq. ft. studio. But it has a patio and a full kitchen. Worse comes to worse, my takeover means the lease would be up in just 6 months so if it sucks there, I'll be moving again in August.
It all hinges, yet again, on the background check the complex will do. For this place, I'm betting they'd work with me on that 7 year old debt. Maybe I'll do what I did when I wanted to get into Park Central back in 2000. I basically went to the apartment complex that was on my record back then (Lakeside South) and wrote up an agreement to pay them back $50 a month. After the folks at Park Central received that letter, they were satisfied, approved me, and I promptly neglected to pay a dime on that agreement to Lakeside South. They never pursued it (probably figuring the effort would be futile...and they would have been right) and after a couple more years they eventually dropped off my record.
I keep saying "my record" like my "permanent record" we're all warned about in school. But of course I'm referring to my credit report. As I said before though, I think the apartment management companies go a step beyond the credit reports of prospective tenants, they likely have that all knowing "Black List". I bet you dollars to donuts. (Why do people say that? "Dollars to donuts? What does that mean?)
No biggie if I'm declined this time round, yet again. I'll be okay staying in Lake Mary. But I would save a lot by moving to this new place. Plus, I am in desperate need of change. This new place would be in the Conway neighborhood of Orlando. Not too far from work but not as close as the other prospects I was targeting either. Like Reflections, it's on 436, but a few miles more south. It's quite far (about 25 miles) from Lake Mary so if I move there, It would be very odd indeed if I ran into people I know in Lake Mary. Like Ric, of course.
I know I haven't talked about him much lately. Frankly, it's because I'm not really talking much to him. He's on retainer during this potential move time to stand in as my fictional landlord that I've lived with for the past six years. Or so I'm telling these companies. I can't have them speaking to my real landlord since I'm over 3 months late with rent. That might be, er, awkward.
If I do end up staying, it's one of the big bills I'm looking at getting caught up on, but I will pay him back eventually. It'll just take a few more months.
BTW, I'm on the laptop and I'm at work right now. I spend about as much time just playing computer games or leisurely browsing the Internet as I did at Symantec, except here it's allowed and I don't have to use any deceptive means like I did back there.
Oh yes, I love my job! It's practically a dream come true!
So it's no wonder why I feel confident about a move right now. And why I want to be closer to work. I plan on sticking around here for a while. Last time I had a job like this, I cleaned up my act, stopped drinking, lost weight, got fit, maintained a nice apartment and felt at ease and more centered. And I stayed with the job for 5 years...the longest ever in one job!
Hope springs eternal...it could happen again.