My room mate is a fucking moron. I can't believe how his mind works. So here's the situation. He comes home the other night unexpectedly after being away for a number of days and announces that he's upping my rent by $50. Fair enough, I really cannot complain because even then I'm getting the deal of a lifetime. I go into my room and find an addition to the contract that we signed at the beginning of September. I then get to looking at the contract and realize that it boldly states that the rent cannot be increased before a year has passed. I then go out and put a note on the front door (he had already gone to bed and was leaving early in the morning) that asks him to "please review the rental agreement that we signed and we can talk to him about this when he returns". I left the agreement with the pertinent part underlined on the kitchen table. I go to bed thinking we can talk about this next time.

So this morning I wake up to the following letter:

"Keith

With regard to our monthly rental agreement you have some things to consider (ok, I wonder what those are?):

1. If we had a signed lease for a fixed period the situation could be different. However, on a month-to-month arragnement, which you asked for and I conceeded, consession need to be made. (sorry I'm confused, are concessions usually made on contracts? I thought that once a contract was signed that was it. It seems that he is under the impression that because we are on a month-to-month tenancy arrangement that means he is exempt from the regular rental laws that apply such as, you can't raise the rent in a period that is less than a year!)

2. (My personal favorite) I was doing you a favour by only charging you $350 while you were at school because someone did that for me in the past. (So sorry I'm confused again. I don't see how the way that you set the original rental price has anything to do with me. If he would have asked for $500 a month when I first moved in he likely would have gotten it. Don't try to sound like a fucking angel, I believe that he was the one who was unemployed for about 9 months when I moved in. I'm quite sure that my rent money helped to save his ass a number of times. SO ANGRY!)

3. The cheapest place in town to rent is $425 + half of the utilities and you can bet it is not as nice and not downtown. (Granted this place is awesome but is that figure for $425 with the room-mate factored into it?

4. You now have the place almost to yourself which I know is something that you appreciate. (So because he finally got a job in Vernon and is happy living with his Grandma there that means that I should be appreciative to him for not being around? How does that work. Whether he's here or not I don't give a rats ass, it's his place. His choices are what caused him to end up in this situation nothing that I am responsible for)

5. I am making an effort to find out exactly when you are leaving and basing my sell of this condo & moving around your moving out as a favour to you. (Again sever anger. Don't tell me that I have anything to do with your decision to list the condo. Under the tenancy act he would still have to give me notice etc. Not to mention the fact that he could have just asked me when I was planning on ending my tenancy and I would have told him that it would be exactly as was originally agreed upon September! The fact that he has never mentioned to me that he was looking into selling this place anytime soon really plays into the situation as well. Hell I'd even make all the arrangement for him, for a commission, if he asked)

Please sign the addendum OR leave me a message at ... and we will discuss living arrangements."

Of all the manipulative bastards! All he had to do was say to me Keith because of the changes in our living situation I would like to raise the rent. I was already thinking about paying him more anyway so really all he had to do was ask. He can't just come running in and tell me that I have to do what he says. I have rights damn-it!

I'm going to start looking into finding other living arrangements for the next four months because I know how much it would screw him to lose my rent. The fact that he's not living here means that he won't be able to get another 'room-mate' because of Strata regs. Right now I'm just so mad about this I'm not really thinking rationally. What I want is an apology from him for that ludicrous letter and I will happily pay him the $50 more a month. I don't want to strain the relationship that we do have though because if I do stay I don't want anytime that he's around to be uncomfortable.

Mood: Angry
Music: None