My latest visit back to the States was somewhat bittersweet. It was lucky that I even could go back considering that COVID-19 was already bringing the world to a screeching halt. Still, it wasn't long after I got back that I discovered a very unpleasant situation - my renter had destroyed my property.
On the 7th of February, I arrived in Seattle. The jet lag hadn't quite hit, so I visited all my work friends back at Pierce College and tested my motorcycle, which actually ran much better than when I had last visited. Over the next couple days I also got in a hockey game with my old buddies Josh and Mike, visited the neighbors and then went to see my dad... which is when we saw the destruction.
We went to visit my property where it turns out my renter had not only abandoned my property, but had left it in a state of absolute chaos. He had packed garbage into every corner of the place... over a couple of years! Actually, he had gotten garbage service but only used it for a couple of months. After that he proceeded to fill up my shed with garbage and, when that was full, started stacking it behind. Then, after he managed to scam a neighbor out of a new trailer, he filled his old one with garbage.
We were going to need some heavy equipment. Fortunately, as always, my dad knew a guy. In exchange for helping him out with a nighmare situation of his own (a cement pour on a collapsing hillside under a public road...), we would then be able to borrow his truck, dump trailer and backhoe. We worked hard for a few days before finally getting the tools we needed in order to get back to work on my situation. We also had a bit of roofing to do on my other property.
Over the next few days we dumped 4.3 TONS of garbage at a cost of about $350 or so. We also burned loads of old rotten furniture, scrubbed off two years of neglect in the bathroom, ripped apart the old trailer, and sanitized everything by spraying it down with vinegar. It was stinky, backbreaking work (I actually hurt my back lifting and twisting...) but, in the end, it would pay off. The new renter wants to buy the place eventually and has made some great improvements already. So, that, along with a couple other nights visiting friends as well as my sister and nephews, resulted in the "nasty surprise" being thankfully a little less devastating.
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