Blogging!

This isn't my first blog, for the record. My first blog was called the Minneapolis Bucket List. It was intended to serve as a source of tracking my progress in completing a few important things I wanted to do before I moved out of the midwest. It was pretty successful, I missed a couple things, but that's all the more reason to go back sometime.

This is my first blog not to serve any purpose. Since I've moved to Alabama, I've caught myself thinking some good thoughts, and since I haven't had a chance to develop a group of close friends here like I have in Minneapolis or Grand Forks, there is no one to hear them.

I'm currently in the process of fighting the man. I'm having a bit of a tiff with my apartment complex. I'll share the letter I sent to the company who own's my complex here:

Hello Laura,

My name is Mark Liepold. I live in apartment 609 one of your company's properties in Mobile, AL: The Estates at Lafayette Square. I was referred to you by a property manager there, John.

I was hoping you could help me out with a situation I've found myself in. Last weekend I went travelling for the Labor day weekend. I left at about 6:00 AM on Thursday the 2nd, and didn't get back until Tuesday the 7th at about 2 AM.

Unfortunately, in the excitement of leaving town, I neglected to drop off my rent check before I left, resulting in a late payment. When I returned home from work at about 4:00 PM on Tuesday the 7th, I promptly dropped a check off at my property office for the amount due plus fifty dollars late fee per my lease.

The issue developed on Wednesday afternoon when I returned from work again to find my check returned with a message stating that after the 5th of the month only cashier's checks and money orders will be an acceptable form of payment. As I have only just moved to Alabama from Minnesota, I have not yet transferred banks, making it difficult for me to obtain cashiers checks or money orders.

I'll make a note at this point that upon moving into this property, management there and I signed a lease. Here are two key points I'd like to make from that agreement:

1) The lease stated clearly that check was an acceptable payment for rent dues.

2) No reference was made to a policy percluding checks as a method of payment after a given date.

After a discussion with management at Lafayette Square, I came to understand that my check was rejected due to a company policy set in place roughly 5 years ago to prevent delays associated with checks, as a bounced check would not be returned until after laws would prohibit eviction. As stated before, this policy was not mentioned in the lease I agreed to. After my discussion with management, I spent some time browsing the websites of both Lafayette Square and Morgaurd Properties. I could find no reference to this policy.

At this time, I would like to kindly ask for your help with two issues.

1) I would like to request an exception to the policy in question, and I would like to pay my rent and late fee with a check.

2) I would like to request a list of any other existing company policies which may affect me in the future.

If it would be helpful, I'd love to speak to you over the phone. My phone number is (701) 610-3337. Please call any time.

Thank you for any help or advice you can provide me

-Mark Liepold

I haven't heard back yet, but since this went out on Friday afternoon, I may not know until Monday. This worries me some, because I am scheduled to be evicted on Tuesday. Worst case scenario, If I haven't heard anything by the time I leave work on Monday, I'll set up a money order that night, but the main thing I'm not giving in on is the list of other "company policies" they may be holding me to. As my friend Pat put it, they could just walk up to my door one day and evict me, citing "Company Policy". Yeah, I think not.

That's what I have right now. More to follow