Renter's Remorse

The problem starts with the moving truck. It's backed up in traffic, 500 miles down the road. Then torrential rain falls, the cat runs away, and police issue a round of parking tickets for all.

In the midst of the confusion, muddy footprints are tracked across freshly shampooed rugs, the toilet clogs, the refrigerator breaks down, a shelf crashes from the wall, and alien insects (where did they come from?) emerge from a bedroom closet.

It's no wonder when a new tenant comes to me in tears: "Our sofa won't fit through the door!"

My co-owner Pat used to say that every sale involves two transactions: One in the store when the customer first decides to buy, and the second at home when she unwraps her purchases.

In the same way, renting an apartment doesn't stop with the signing of the lease. It's an ongoing process of pleasing--and then appeasing.