Thanks guys! I may have been too brief and not given enough info here. There is the possibility I am being a ungrateful and crappy tenant and I need to humbly tuck my tail. However, let me give a little more history. I really appreciate you calling me out or giving any thoughts.
I found this unit 9 years ago when I was looking at another rental through a Property Management company. The owner is absentee and sadly I think if she knew about how her property was handled she would want to do things differently but I have no way of contacting her. The PM company was not listing the rental in any way and it had been sitting empty for a year and a half in what was at the time a run down and undesirable neighborhood. The unit was a mess, with mold, peeling floors and paint, and the yard was over grown. I had to really do a lot of legwork and fighting a denial of my application that made no sense (perfect credit, good job history/ income) to get in. For whatever reason they were not keen to rent it (possibly because it is an illegal basement unit). I painted, replaced appliances, helped with cost of flooring, re-landscaped the overgrown yard with flagstone, repaired the fence, and have always reported issues I couldn't fix right away. As a general rule I never ask for more than one repair a year, and I do everything else myself and only ask for electrical or plumbing type work. I've lived here for almost 10 years, and always paid rent on time and the property is in much better shape then when I moved in. Several times the property management company has forgotten to charge my account for rent and I have called to remind them. I paid double the security deposit as well as the largest pet deposit (I had my own dog when I move in).
During the time I've been here the rent in the Bay Area has skyrocketed- we are currently one of the most expensive rental markets in the US. Because my unit is rent controlled they have raised the rent every year but I am now far behind what this unit would rent for in it's current condition. I have a month to month lease but from what I understand from the Oakland tenant law cannot be evicted unless the owner plans to move in family, or sell.
I started my business 4 years ago (we do dog walking, pet sitting, and training) and only recently (in the last year) began offering Board and Trains (where the dogs come stay with me for a few weeks). Not all these dogs are aggressive but was trying to state this in simplest terms- they are here for various behavioral issues. I crate these dogs unless they are actively handled by me and I muzzle any dog with history of aggression. I build a second gate to double gate my yard, and reinforced the current fence and *Knock on wood* Ive never had an issue. While the other tenants in this triplex are all aware and okay with this activity my PM is not (*hangs head in admitted tenant shame). I did not expect the B&T service to grow at the speed with which it has in the past few months and I am trying to decide if I should just let the Board and Trains part of the business go or possibly I need to move to make it work.
Yes I was the one who reported the water damage back when it started 6 months ago. The PM does an assessment every year but they missed it. Since that time the PM has sent out a plumber to fix the small part of the job (an adjacent leaking pipe under a sink). They charged my checking account as they have the routine/ account number on file for auto withdrawing my rent. It took them 4 months to get a contractor to look at the bathroom (I emailed weekly to remind them). After the contractor gave an estimate for the water damage ($5200) the PM sent me the bill and said I was responsible for the entirety. Their claim was that I didn't have a shower curtain. When I pointed out I do, and that their contractor had photographed it while he was here they said it was the wrong type (I have a sustainable launder-able curtain and they wanted me to have a plastic curtain- this is not stated in the lease) I had my own contractor out to look at the damage and he pointed out the shower/ tub was never installed correctly to begin with, and slowly allowed moisture to seep into the wall. Additionally the PM had the caulking of the shower redone several time since I've been here and each time I expressed concern the cracking had allowed water into the wall they simply sealed it back up again. My contractor also pointed out if water had been cascading and caused the damage it would have puddled and caused buckling of the floor, but the lino is spotless. I presented them with this information and then several of their contractors returned without notice causing me to be late for work a few times. These guys came in and took a bunch of photos but didn't say why they were here.
The PM reminded me the lease gave the option of mediation so I arranged this through a local non profit tenant group so we could discuss. A few days before they backed out stating the $75 mediation cost was too high and they would take me to court if I didn't pay.
The PM wasn't returning my emails for up to a month at a time at this point so I contacted a few lawyers to see what my rights were. I heard consistently this company is known for being sort of shady characters and they have been sued quite a number of times.
The PM asked if I would pay $2500. I countered with $1500 on the condition I could have a 2 years lease and they would not charge me rent for the days I was without a bathroom (which is CA law). They came back with the same original $2500 offer and said they would split the rent with me on the days the unit was uninhabitable. During the course of all this progressing (6 months) the mold in the unit has gotten way out of control again causing me to have a variety of health issues. The PM is now sending me the same email everyday repeatedly. They insist I pay $2500 and that they will take me to court if I refuse.
I am not counting on the court case winning, and if it did I know that would take 16 months minimum. The lawyers I have spoken to are salivating and seem to think it's a sure deal. I am hesitant to move since I have put a lot into this rental but wonder if as repairs come up now every one will be escalating bullying and I will keep sinking money into a property I don't own. I also realize running my business out of this rental is not sustainable despite having paid a $900 pet deposit/ keeping the place spotless and dogs quiet.
I have 50K saved for a downpayment on a property. Properties in this area rarely sell for under 400K (even 1/1 fixers) and I am trying to build my 'stache and don't really care about living in a home unless the number make sense. I could move out of the city but then I would not be able to offer the Bard and Trains as my clientele and staff are in this area. The property I have found is 300K and a 100 years old. Its a total fixer and I would live in pretty shotty conditions (much worse than my rental) for at least a year in order to do the work if that makes sense monetarily. I would finish the bigger unit, rent it, and live in the smaller unit until that was done as well. At that point I could maybe stay or see what my business looked like then. Property has a large fenced lot and would work well for dogs.
Whew thanks if you've taken the time to read this, feedback or verbal spankings encouraged. Possibly I should just appreciate my cheap rent and deal with a little shady behavior? Or maybe this is a time to fight back against the type of activity that has caused rents to rise so rapidly in the first place?