THURSDAY WORK

It's a bit of a crappy day today (Wellington Summer) so I'm staying indoors.

Actually, I'm not going out even if it isn't raining because I have a sore foot. I broke one of my toes on my left foot on Tuesday when I stubbed it, heavily, on a leg of the bed in the spare bedroom. Bastard! It hurt like Robert's Hell but I didn't realise how bad it was until yesterday after I got home from taking that old guy Richard out for an outing. He doesn't get out much so I thought it would do him good. I 'sucked up' the pain and didn't mention it on the walk as I didn't want to spoil his day. 

I did some research on broken toes and the general recommendation is nothing. That is, to do nothing and let it heal itself which can take several weeks. The Old Girl taped it together with an unbroken toe using black masking tape. She thought it was funny. It's amazing that people don't take broken toes seriously.

I had planned to go to Kapiti Island on Monday but will cancel that now as there's no point in hobbling about on the island walks. I managed Matiu/Somes OK yesterday but now the toe is severely swollen. We will come back to Wellington next year to do the Kapiti trip.

We are leaving the apartment next Wednesday after The Old Girl's 'year' in Wellington. She will work from home next year. She sent most of her things - paintings, clothing, shoes, kitchen gear and many personal items away by house-movers last week. The apartment, while furnished, is now a bit sparse.

She has a cleaning plan well in place and I've been seconded into helping in this. Today for example, even though I have a broken toe I've had to clean the skirting boards! With warm soapy water. WTF?

I've never done this before in my life and I once was a commercial cleaner.*

The Old Girl always leaves a place cleaner than when she arrives. This applies to houses or apartments we have rented or bought and sold. Hotel and motel rooms. B&Bs and Air B&Bs. It drives me nuts.

What also drives me nuts is the peremptory tone of the property management company in their instructions for vacating the property. We've been paying $700 a week for an ordinary 2 bedroom apartment (even through the lockdown period earlier in the year when it remained empty) and with things that don't work properly (stereo system, overhead lights) and for a very noisy location (rubbish trucks outside the windows at 4AM, residents upstairs clomping around in shoes on wooden flooring, yahoos yelling half the night on Fridays and Saturdays).

Here's an excerpt from the two page document they sent The Old Girl:

Please find below a Check List which will guide you in relation to how the property should be left at the end of your tenancy and prior to Quinovic completing a Final inspection. Please also refer to original chattel list and photos, showing the condition of the property at the start of your tenancy as this should also assist you. 

• All chattels to be returned to its position shown in the photographs on the CD-ROM provided at the commencement of the tenancy.

• Carpets to be vacuumed and to be professionally cleaned, if required, to remove marks, stains and general soiling.

• All linen, towels etc to be cleaned, dried and folded (if supplied).

• Hard floor surfaces to be washed.

• Stove, oven, hobs, range hood, roasting dishes and racks to be clean and free of grease. Stove and fridge to be moved and the area behind cleaned. Freezers to be defrosted and dishwashers to be cleaned.

• Oven elements, oven light and hobs to be in working order.

• Kitchen cupboards, drawers, shelves and pantry to be cleaned inside and out.

• Bathroom cupboards, drawers and shelves to be cleaned inside and out.

• Shower cubicles, baths and sinks to be cleaned free of soap residue and grime.

• Shower curtain to be washed/soaked and replaced if necessary.

• Toilet(s) to be cleaned inside and out.

• Mildew to be cleaned off ceiling and other surfaces.

• Wall surfaces, where necessary, and woodwork to be wiped down.

• Broken curtain hooks to be replaced, where necessary, and drapes and nets to be properly hung.

• Cobwebs to be removed from around ceilings, walls and floors.

• Light fittings, ledges, tops of doors and windowsills to be free of dust.

• Windows to be cleaned.

• Missing light bulbs to be replaced.

• Lawns to be cut, edges trimmed and flower beds and borders to be weeded.

• All accumulated rubbish to be removed from the property.


To speed up the bond refund process we would appreciate your attention to the items listed. Should you need help with any of the above, please do not hesitate to contact us.


Now I'm OK with a lot of this as it is only good manners and responsibility to leave a place nice for others but there a couple of things that get up my nose.

All chattels to be returned to its position shown in the photographs on the CD-ROM provided at the commencement of the tenancy. 

Really? This seems a bit excessive. If it was up to me and not The Old Girl I'd move them all around and deliberately put them back in odd locations. 

 Stove, oven, hobs, range hood, roasting dishes and racks to be clean and free of grease. Stove and fridge to be moved and the area behind cleaned. Freezers to be defrosted and dishwashers to be cleaned.

Within reason I would have thought. On arrival we (not me) had to clean the oven, fridge and microwave to meet The Old Girl's expectations.

 Mildew to be cleaned off ceiling and other surfaces.

Well we don't have mildew but if we did then the bloody landlord would have been asked to come along and clean it herself.

Generally I feel that these people are milking the fact that rental property in Wellington is scarce and at a premium. They get away with charging very high rents, are slow to action faults and are very demanding in how they want the property left - with the threat of not returning the bond ($2800).

Oh well. Rant over. I'd better get back to those bloody skirting boards. No doubt my next job will be the toilet - "to be cleaned inside and out".

It's thirsty work and I'm looking forward to a glass of wine later.

* Not a very good one.