The Lease Up

6. Hey, Baby

Song for the chapter: Runaway Baby ~ Bruno Mars

VANESSA

"Vanessa, you have certainly outdone yourself," Jacqueline says through the phone. We're on our monthly financial call, and thankfully, the property performance is exceeding everyone's expectations so soon into the lease-up, including mine, considering the delay we had with an entire floor of units not finished.

"I can't take all the credit; my staff is going above and beyond working together as a team. Maintenance has been doing everything necessary to keep our current residents happy with work orders. Jenny and Lily are application-processing machines, staying on top of all the paperwork, and leasing non-stop, giving me the time to deal with the few fires we had recently."

"Yes, well, bumps are to be expected," Jacqueline replies. "How is the flood unit restoration coming?"

Fire number one.

"Good; on track to be ready by the end of next week." Luckily, we had another unit to move the resident set to move in that same day after a fire sprinkler decided it wanted to self-combust.

"And the broken windshield tenant?"

Fire number two.

Construction crews were transporting several scaffolding pieces from the garage's top floor when a guardrail section slid out the side of a truck, dropping down two levels and landing right on top of a resident's vehicle. Of course, it could have been worse. But regardless, that didn't mean the tenant wasn't livid about their smashed windshield.

"He didn't accept the gift card," I inform her, recalling the uncomfortable encounter. I explained that we and the management company were not liable for what had occurred, but we were sorry and offered him a fifty-dollar visa card.

The tenant laughed in my face humorlessly and chucked the card back at me before storming out of my office, shouting what a joke we are.

I shook it off. I've been through and handled worse, but confrontation can sometimes be jarring.

"I can't blame him, but it is what it is." Jacqueline's voice filters in my wandering mind. "Let's see, what else did I want to follow up on..."

Fire number three and the worst one, in my opinion.

Part of our Landlord Use Agreement, when offering reduced rent, means we have units set aside for eligible low-income households, including low-wage workers, people with disabilities, and even those experiencing homelessness.

Teddy was living in a shelter when he applied. He was so excited and came in nearly every day to check the status of his application because he didn't have a phone.

This job has taught me never to judge a book by its cover, but it never ceases to surprise me when the reality of someone's personal life comes to light.

Concerns about a man wandering in the garage, muttering to himself, started coming in a few days after Teddy. Everyone assumed he was a homeless man who got in while the garage doors were open. Others described him as 'clearly on something' or drunk. But the strange thing is, they always said how nice he smelled, like mint or cinnamon.

One day after work I waited, hoping to catch Teddy, and then I saw him staggering into the building. I caught a whiff of the mint scent residents mentioned, and his grocery bags from the nearby CVS were full of mouthwash bottles.

I learned something new that day and had now idea getting drunk off mouthwash was possible. My conversation with Teddy was short; considering his state, I knew he likely wasn't coherent; so I sent a follow-up letter to his door as a backup.