Post by katieanna on Aug 31, 2015 15:23:45 GMT
About 3 or 4 years ago, my friend, M, who is 75 and her husband, J, who is 80, moved from their modular home into a retired/elderly persons' apartment complex. The apartment complex has strict guidelines as to who is eligible to live in the apartments. Only those living under a certain fixed income are allowed to live there. I thought M had told me that the complex was owned and/or run by a Protestant organization but I don't remember the name of the organization.
The apartment is small but it's a decent size for M & J. It has a small kitchen that is separated via the counter from the living area. They have a bedroom, a bathroom and an extra room in the back of their apartment that they use as a craft/activity room.
What surprised me about the situation is how closely regulated they are. I don't know what the maximum income level is (it's low) but whatever it is, they cannot make a penny above that amount. They have regular apartment inspections where reps come into their apartment and check to see if they had done any sort of alterations to the apartment and, I'm assuming, to make sure that no damage has been done. Their finances are also inspected. M & J must show them their bank accounts and each entry is scrutinized; the residents are not allowed to have loose money in the apartment like jars of coins and that sort of thing. Any sort of monetary gifts must be reported and proven to be gifts as opposed to earned cash. This also means that they are not allowed to sell items on Etsy, ebay or anything like that.
Also: The apartment, including carpeting, must be in the exact same condition when the residents leave as it was when they moved in...no matter how long the residents have lived there. So, the residents are liable for carpet wear, etc. In fact, M told me that a lady in one of the apartments had fallen and had bled on the carpet. The complex promptly presented her with a bill to replace the carpet.
To top it all off, over the past 3 or 4 years since M & J moved into their apartment, the complex has raised the rent $150/month. How can they possibly be allowed to raise rent and not raise the income limit of its residents? But they don't.
This sounds almost gestapo-like to me. M told me that their daughter and her husband are putting an addition on their home and when it's complete, M & J will be able to move in there. That's wonderful because it's getting to the point where they can no longer afford to live in the apartment.
Before this, I had never heard of such a setup and wonder if any of the RefuPeas are familiar with this sort of thing?
The apartment is small but it's a decent size for M & J. It has a small kitchen that is separated via the counter from the living area. They have a bedroom, a bathroom and an extra room in the back of their apartment that they use as a craft/activity room.
What surprised me about the situation is how closely regulated they are. I don't know what the maximum income level is (it's low) but whatever it is, they cannot make a penny above that amount. They have regular apartment inspections where reps come into their apartment and check to see if they had done any sort of alterations to the apartment and, I'm assuming, to make sure that no damage has been done. Their finances are also inspected. M & J must show them their bank accounts and each entry is scrutinized; the residents are not allowed to have loose money in the apartment like jars of coins and that sort of thing. Any sort of monetary gifts must be reported and proven to be gifts as opposed to earned cash. This also means that they are not allowed to sell items on Etsy, ebay or anything like that.
Also: The apartment, including carpeting, must be in the exact same condition when the residents leave as it was when they moved in...no matter how long the residents have lived there. So, the residents are liable for carpet wear, etc. In fact, M told me that a lady in one of the apartments had fallen and had bled on the carpet. The complex promptly presented her with a bill to replace the carpet.
To top it all off, over the past 3 or 4 years since M & J moved into their apartment, the complex has raised the rent $150/month. How can they possibly be allowed to raise rent and not raise the income limit of its residents? But they don't.
This sounds almost gestapo-like to me. M told me that their daughter and her husband are putting an addition on their home and when it's complete, M & J will be able to move in there. That's wonderful because it's getting to the point where they can no longer afford to live in the apartment.
Before this, I had never heard of such a setup and wonder if any of the RefuPeas are familiar with this sort of thing?
My original pea date was November 1999 and my number was 1803
