The Random Questions thread

Thanks for the replies. Any of them could be correct! To be safe I am going to just use it with a vase inside a vase scenario - the vase I’m using now fits inside but also does not go to the bottom of the original vase which I think is good - no contact with water!

It was my bad for not noticing the sticker before I bought it but this is a good solution. The vase makes a nice statement on my dining room table and maybe during the holidays I will use some fake greenery and get a wintery non-water needed arrangement going!

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That is a pretty vase. The color is good for all seasons.
I wasn’t sure where to put this. I considered the grandparents thread but didn’t feel like the right spot. Same with the wedding thread.
Did anyone see the 60 minutes episode last night regarding egg freezing? I think my kids are done having babies but I know several mid 30’s women who are considering it. I know a 36 year old who felt she still has time to consider freezing. My take away is that freezing is best done much earlier.

One is much more “fruitful” if one does it when one is young.

The daughter of a good friend has something called Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome. (Look it up. She has no uterus but has everything else.) She froze her eggs when she was like 22 or so, and apparently there were gazillion. She has three sisters so the plan is that one day one of her sisters will be a surrogate for her.

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How about using a flexible/foldable vase instead of a solid one? It should adjust to the dimensions of your vase. There are a zillion on Amazon for about $10.

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Yes, earlier is better but later still may work. This technology is so much better than when the only option was freezing embryos (necessitating a human and/or sperm bank participation.

The juxtaposition of these two topics (vases and ziploc bags and embryo freezing) is making for interesting reading!

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Our kitchen sink had a clog and backed up. Big yucky mess. The plumber came and snaked out the clog; it was apparently grease. Plumber says it happens all the time.

Of course I don’t put down the drain bacon grease or other grease from meats, but does anyone know if it’s OK to put canola oil or olive oil, etc., down the drain? They are liquid so it seems to me it should be OK, but – maybe not. I asked the plumber but he didn’t really commit either way.

I just pour it into my regular kitchen trash container.

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Oh no! Oils that are liquid at room temperature can solidify at lower temperatures and create clogging issues. This explains how this happens (no endorsement for the company implied):

Huh. So, the answer is No.

Thanks.

So my kiddo moved out of her apartment and they are charging a “repainting fee”. (Leasing agent said was well cleaned and no excessive damage). Our state law does not allow for a charge for normal wear and tear (only excessive damage), but it was in the lease that a repainting fee would be charged.

Does the lease override state law? Or does state law take precedence?

How hard should I fight this?

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If they are trying to take it out of her security deposit, this would almost certainly not be legal unless she excessively damaged the paint.

Does the lease say anything about a repainting fee? This might or might not be allowed depending on your state law.

A letter threatening legal action (especially if you have a lawyer friend who can write it) is usually enough to shake loose anything related to a security deposit in my state - they are rigidly governed, most landlords handle them wrong, and screwing it up is considered a consumer rights violation and subjects the landlord to triple damages plus lawyer fees unless they immediately refund the entire deposit.

If it’s more than a few hundred dollars I’d make them work for it.

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They ARE trying to take it out of a security deposit - as standard practice.

I guess where I screwed up is that it is written in the lease as a standard charge (with no $$ amounts attached to it). I should have crossed that out.

I have in writing there was no excessive damage and this is just a normal move-out procedure. It is $475. Enough that I’m going “huh”?!! I think if they drop it to $200, I won’t fight it, but for almost $500, that seems a lot.

Our state law is clear that no repaint fee for normal wear and tear can be charged. What I’m not clear on is if it is in the lease, does that override what tenant law says?

We have a call scheduled tomorrow to discuss the security deposit - they also have a phantom $200+ charge for “rent” that I don’t know what it is. And they debited an extra month of rent that they agree is owed me that they “forgot” to include. So there are many issues to discuss.

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To think of it, if one could contract around what’s clearly spelled out in a law, the laws would be useless. But I’m not a real estate lawyer licensed in your state… just a random person on the internet. The sticking point here could be what would be considered “normal.” That can be open to interpretation. Some things in the apartment could be pristine, but others can show excessive wear at the same time. Good luck! Hope that fee is dropped.

There’s a difference between “getting charged a fee to repaint after the fact when it may not be legal to charge that” and “agreeing to pay to repaint at the end of the tenancy, regardless of condition”.

It’s entirely possible the landlord knows they can’t charge this, but most people will just pay it because they didn’t know, and if you push back they’ll drop it.

Plus, what constitutes “normal wear and tear” can be highly subjective,

There might be some wiggle room since they didn’t specify an amount in the lease. At the very least you can ask for proof that they actually spent that money.

The laws on kind of stuff vary wildly from state to state, so it’s difficult to provide any helpful advice other than “talk to a lawyer”.

Good luck!

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@notrichenough @BunsenBurner Thanks for the thoughts and replies.

The exact wording in the lease is “Tenants are responsible to repaint the apartment if occupied less than one year. If tenant vacates the apartment prior to
two full years of occupancy, tenant will be charged ½ re-paint fee.”

Our state law states “The landlord should not charge the tenant for ordinary wear and tear. For example, if a landlord decided the apartment needed to be repainted at the end of a lease, a tenant should not be charged for the repainting unless the tenant caused more than normal wear.”

I have in writing that there was no excessive wear and tear and this is “normal” repainting. She sent an invoice from “The Painter” listed that says “1 bedroom w/ den repaint = $950”. No hourly rate. No # of hours. That’s all.

We have a call in a few minutes. I’ll let you know how it goes!

Talked to the leasing agent.

Standard practice to repaint. The invoice she sent was generic and just listed that total amount. No hours, no hourly fee. Just a flat fee with no name of a painter.

They are corporately owned so I may call their in house attorney and at the least ask for more detail.

My husband thinks it’s not worth the aggravation.

Re: generic invoice. They probably employ a few handymen or have a standing contract with someone who does it on a short notice, and that is their typical flat fee for repainting.

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Or… they are going to look at it, decide it doesn’t need repainting, but bill you for it anyway. I’ve seen more egregious practices than this.

If you want to be a thorn in their side, insist they provide proof it was actually painted.

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@notrichenough that’s what I think happened. the invoice doesn’t even list her apartment. In fact, it says “326 1 bedroom w/ den”. Ironically, I think apartment 326 was also available the same date. (not her apartment number).

I am going to push with the attorney for these details and tell her they violate state law if not provided. (I need to find a local lawyer friend I can buy dinner for to look at this. or not and just give in).

#feelsfishy.

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