Landlords misbehave in other countries too!
Hello
Germany.
Ask The Relic is
suffering through some obnoxious repair work being done to the kitchen of the place he/she (“Relic� doesn’t exactly hint at gender) is currently dwelling with roommates in Germany.
No Tenant will respond favorably to having a kitchen renovation crew hammering and sawing about before 9am. That’s just unnecessary. Well, it might be necessary in Germany, and I’ve heard horror stories about dealing with craftspeople in Manhattan, but in the places where I collect rent it isn’t that far a stretch to schedule in-house work on a currently inhabited unit for mid-day.
Large-scale renovations are another story altogether, but
Relic appears to be describing your basic “handy man� type of work. Perhaps some aesthetic touches here and there. Nothing too involved.
At least I know what I’d be called in Germany now.
Hausmeister is pretty sweet sounding if you ask me. “Landlord� is cool and all, but it has some slightly negative connotations. Perhaps a nod toward a more cruel and medieval relationship between a Landlord and their Tenants. Like I have them tilling fields all day or something.
Now
Hausmeister on the other hand, makes it sound like I am an actual
professional of some sort! A
MASTER if you will!
Yes, I realize that the normal translation of
Hausemeister is the comparably less sexy “janitor�, but whatever. I’m talking PERCEPTION here. Namely, my own.
Besides, being a master of the broad and necessary janitorial crafts industry can’t be all bad, even if it is a bit bad
sounding.
[my sincere apologies to any potentially offended practicers of the janitorial arts out there, much respect due]
