Wednesday 24 March 2010

Oi Vey

So without going into a rant... just simply because I'm exhausted at ranting anyway and can no longer type... the reason why I haven't posted for so very long are:

Our tenent in the UK handed her notice in and we were left to fnd a tenent, as you can imagine this caused much stress. We found one and were happy again. then a guy was going to buy my Skyline, so we were really happy.
Everything looked Millhouse.
Then a week before the new tenent was to move in, the agent found out that the gits had got a council house and never informed anyone. We got a measly deposit from them of just 200 quid and were left with 1 week to find a tenent.

Kath probably had the most stress trying to sort out all the agents in the UK to find somebody, but we were at a low again.
Our mortgage of 1K due on the 1st and nobody to pay it.
With no money in the UK bank accounts left we started really panicking - and of course there ensues lots of arguments and more stress.
Then the guy never turned up to buy the car, so we couldn't even count that money as help.
Then we got another tenent, and the mortgage company moved our payments back a bit so we could wait for her payment to come in on like the 8th March.
At least the mortgage was safe.
Then on the 6th we were told that this new bird could no longer move in for personal reasons and because she'd only just paid her deposit the day before, she can get it back so we get nothing.
Of course each time we got someone confirmed, we'd 'stupidly' taken it off the market with the other agents.
To make matters worse our agent Kings Letting was not allowing the other agents the keys to the house, so we were missing out on potential tenents.
Ensure further rage e-mail and phone calls, added stress.
Up and down, up and down emotionally.
Then I get ill, first time since being here. I've been put on the arse end of a project due to a guy leaving to go back to the UK - taking over a project in this state and at this stage is NOT nice, it's complete bug fixing, bugs you have no idea about. Not only is it hard to fix a bug in someone elses code it's worse when you don't even know the game or the systems. It's worse still when you have to send the builds every week and have a couple of weeks to sort it out.
Stress for me then, as I felt very stuck at points.
Low.
Thankfully I got one of the original coders of the game back on, probably the best guy for the job, due to him coming off of another project.
High again. Then he gets pulled off to fix bugs on a completely different project. Low.
Then he comes back on again - high.
Then we hear that our house here that we rent is going to go up for sale in September, and so we'll be kicked out in November.
We have gotten used to this place, it's perfect for us, perfect size, had a guest room, great location, great rental price.
Come November we'll be out on the street, we'll not be able to find a place as good or as big for the price - no chance. So we'll end up with something small like Spring Street, unable to have guests stay and unable to feel comfortable.
Big time low.
It's horrible that you cannot have security for your family and that we cannot yet settle down and know that this is where we're staying forever more.
We can't buy the place, still can't get a mortgage, and besides, buying it without perminant residency is dumb, as I could be booted from the country in 2 years when my work permit runs out.
So the money we had for a deposit has had to go to pay the bills and the mortgage in the UK, and will have to go towards perminant residancy.
Which means we'll never be able to save 5% deposit on a house, which means renting forever, or for the next few years until we can sell in the UK, which means insecurity and gipsy type activities.
We've moved 3 times in the past 18 months - it's stressful, horrible and painful.
Then we hear a glimmer of hope that we might actually be able to buy this place by September and so, whilst trying not to be too excited, start thinking of the possibilities and the security. So get happy again.
Then realise that may not even happen anyway and waste more time and emotion.
So all in all, it's been up and down emotionally, with finances and security taking a major hit and our heads spinning and wondering what the hell we can do!!!
Finally we get a new tenent, and all is good, but then we find things wrong with the house from the previous tenent, Dishwasher is broken, freezer door broken, as well as general maintenance in the house needing done to things working loose or breaking - Ian the idiot that built our extension did some poor workmanship on a window sill, and so it broke easily. No fault of the tenent - we have to pay.
So far my Dad's paid and has been sorting it, but this has been stressful, our agents and tenent have been dealing directly with him, and then we hear about it 3rd hand, some decisions already made and things happening without our specific say so. Not Dad's fault either, he's just tyring to sort things out - which is stressing him out, causing stress and tension between us. So rant e-mails to the agents ensue - more stress.
Then the former tenant disputes it - but she has not been given the full info - she's thinking we're holding her 950 quid back and going to charge her a ton and actually we just want 50 pounds to pay for the Dishwasher repair and a missing item.
Lack of communication and we pay these agents over a grand!!!
No time for blogging then. No one really to rant at, as it's not anyone's fault and nobody's done anything 'wrong' it's just all happend at once.

Finally it seems this month that things have settled back down. We have the new tenent signed and in for the next 12 months and paying the full amount which covers our mortgage allowing us to forget about it for a year at least.
We've decided to go for perminant residancy and so now have to sort out a Tax Return and finish up this project by 2nd April.
Hasn't been a very good end to February or beginning to March. So we hope that April to September will be a great summer, in our house before we have to move to a smaller 3 bed somewhere else and cram 5 beds worth of stuff into it :(
We are trying to ignore that - but I hate not having the security in place for my family, especially as the place we're in is so perfect for us - most 3 beds cost just as much in rental sometimes more.
Who knows, maybe we'll find something even better but how gutting will it be for us to move, find something due to the 'need' to and then discover that the landlady can't sell this place and rents it again!!
Likewise what if we stay past November in the hope she can't sell and then she does and we have to get out in December and can't find anything to rent???
The hard thing about rentals here is having a pet also, let alone the space and number of rooms - a lot of places refuse pets. The thought of being out the street is too much, so we'll have to leave quickly, and then if it turns out that if was not necessary it'll just be gutting to have lost this place.
In a couple of years we might be able to get the deposit and buy it - and of course if we have perminant residancy it will be safe. I can then work in MacDonolds if need be should the company downsize or move or some junk happens, at least we won't have to ship off back to England with no future in sight!

So... that's why I haven't blogged, nothing has happened except stress, phones calls and work. No activities to report.

2 comments:

Jo said...

blimey. What a head fuck of a few months. Big love to you all up there in the far north xxx

Doucha said...

Cheers :)
Enjoying the summer?