Robert let him know there might be termites in the deck and called a local exterminator for info on a free inspection. Somehow that makes us ballsy jerks...
Robert,
Thank you for letting me know about the termites in the Redwood Deck. I will come over and take a loot at the damage.
Under no circumstances are you to call an exterminator. We went through this once already, when you were infested with cockroaches. As I explained to you at the time, even if an exterminator was able to kill all the roaches in the house, their eggs would still hatch, producing a new generation, and other roaches would come into the house from the yard. I gave you some guidance on hygiene, such as not leaving food out overnight, tying up the garbage bag full of kitchen waste at night, and setting out roach baits. I never heard back from you if you adopted these methods, and, if so, if they were successful. Of course, roaches multiply during the warm weather, and diminish in number during the cold weather.
In the case of the Redwood Deck, I don't know if fumigation is even done in such a case. Houses certainly are fumigated to get rid of termites, but a Redwood Deck is a different matter. For one thing, it is outside, and at the moment is soaking wet from this rain. What I am concerned about is the safety of the deck, in terms of people walking on it.
If it becomes necessary, I will call Keith K to repair the Redwood Deck. He has already done so twice. It is always easier to do repairs when the house is vacant, so if the Redwood Deck can hold out for a while, I may want to wait until after you folks move out, to make the repair.
As far as you taking matters into your own hands, let me quote a section of the lease:
"Clause 12. Repairs and Alterations by Tenant
a. Except as provided by law, or as authorized by the prior written consent of the Landlord, Tenant will not make any repairs or alterations to the premises, …"
If you were to be so bold as to hire a contractor without my consent, that would be a breach of our contract, and I would be forced to evict you.
I will be over soon to inspect the termite damage.
Steve
Death to the proactive!!!
