snorkmaiden

I’m just in the middle of a house move. Last month my landlady asked us if we wanted to sign another years lease, and as the house is overpriced, we asked her if she would consider a rent reduction, and she asked us to let her think about it, and then a week later, when my husband asked her had she come to a decision she told him she was selling the house and she wanted the realtor to come around that day to list it.

She has been the worst landlady we have ever had for a variety of reasons too long to go into, but I disliked her the minute I met her, my husband had only had one day with the relocation agent and it was the best house of the bunch so he’d taken it and so we were stuck with it even though we didn’t like the landlady.

She gave all the neighbours a good slagging off before we moved in, said they were odd, wouldn’t let their children play at her house etc.

We managed to find a new rental house right away, which seemed to make her really mad as we think she was hoping we would be staying in the house to pay her mortgage while it sold, but with kids and cats we had to move quickly to secure a property, so now we are almost totally moved out.

We were supposed to hand over the keys on Monday, the last day of our lease and get our deposit back. Technically she is allowed 7-10 days in Alberta to return the deposit, but I had asked her, in front of the realtor, if we could have the deposit back on the 30th as we could use the cash for the new place and the moving costs etc and she agreed.

Last Saturday however she called us to tell us she was going on holiday and wouldn’t be back until the 2nd and that it was a surprise holiday, and she wouldn’t be flying in until late on the 1st. I told her it was going to make things very difficult for us, and she just said we have to live with what we’ve got, she’s just a piece of work, but you’d have to meet her to understand, too many things to type about.

Anyway, yesterday our neighbours came over to say goodbye, during the conversation we mentioned the landlady hadn’t exactly been the best we had had, and he said that she had not been the best neighbour either, and then went on to tell us how she is out on bail for second degree murder.

Not only that but the murder was of a three year old child, in the house we rented, just months prior to us moving in.

I am so completely sickened. I saw the news story just a few weeks ago about Alberta foster care being overhauled because of a death of a child in foster care, and now I know that it was in our house.

I looked up the news stories last night and found pictures of our house. My hubby and I just feel ill, we can’t believe a poor child was killed in the house and that we have been paying rent to the alleged killer all year. I am so, so, very glad that she was not prepared to lower the rent slightly because there is no way our children would have been able to sleep in that house once they saw it on the news when the case goes to court.

I am really, really annoyed with the landlady, aside from the fact that I am totally sickened by what happened, when we first moved in someone was watching the house.

We speculated that it might be to do with her ex husband/partner or something but were so concerned that we emailed the landlady and asked her did she know why someone might be watching the house and she claimed ignorance. I feel like she put my children at risk as who was to know it wasn’t us on second degree murder charges?

I feel incredibly guilty and couldn’t sleep all night because I feel like I have aided the alleged murderer of a child. I feel sick for the poor child, I lived in the house on the anniversary of his death and no-one laid flowers, I remember the day distinctly because it was my mother’s birthday.

The thing is, I’ve been dealing with this woman for a year and she is as hard faced as they come, it’s all about the money with her, and she is rude and shows no consideration for others at all.

I have seen nothing in her behaviour or attitude that would suggest that she is someone feeling guilt or remorse or anything even approaching that. Even if for example, and obviously I don’t know all the facts, but even if she had nothing to do with the death, but simply didn’t prevent it from happening, would she not appear guilty, would she still be slagging off all the neighbours etc?

She can’t have gone on holiday like she said last week as under her bail terms she is not allowed to leave Alberta or to ask for permission to travel, so her talking about flights was nonsense. I am assuming that she just doesn’t have our deposit money at this point and that is why she has put the date back.

I feel really bad because when we gave her notice that we were moving out, we said in the letter that she had been a good or great landlady, because she is so hard faced, we figured she was going to try and mess us around with the deposit, so we wanted to be nice to her so there was more chance we would get our money back, and so now she has a letter from us saying she is a great landlady, but in reality we don’t think that at all.

There are so many things popping in to my head that she has said and done this last year and now in context, it’s just so shocking.

I feel like I should be apologizing to the poor baby, I am so sorry I didn’t know, I would never have lived there if I had known, and I can’t believe no-one laid flowers for you

This is a summary of the story I found on the internet last night - http://www.lastlinkontheleft.com/e2007doe.html#latest

nikki dreaming

sorry, don't know what to say awful situation, hope you will be happy in your new home

God bless the child

The_Bax

That is some story....

There is nothing which can be said about the sickening behavior of some especially with regard to children.

So to keep it brief....if she is guilty may she rot in hell and never see the light of day again. May the image of what she did torture her every waking moment and every sleeping moment and that the rest of her neighbors in cells....give her the hardest time possible.

As for you - you were mislead, and misinformed. You had no idea and she took advantage.

You have posted a moving apology and this should be sufficient to unburden your soul for something you had no control over. All you can do now, is remember that little boy and the tormented life he must have had with this woman and be relieved that he is no longer with her and suffering at her hands. Leave whatever tribute you feel is fitting when you depart on Monday and if you still feel it is appropriate leave another tribute on the second and subsequent anniversaries.

Now you know what happened you will never forget, but it should not torture you for a moment longer. You look after your own flesh and blood and do not worry now for what happened in the past.

Surrey Expat

Was this the case?
http://www.lastlinkontheleft.com/e2007doe.html

snorkmaiden

Yep, that's it.

Tanah

God what an awful story - I like you would be devastated to think I had lived 'unknowingly' in a house where that happened, and also like you i would be experiencing guilt and disgust.
It will be interesting to see how easy she finds it to sell the house!!!

Good luck in your new home, try not to feel bad after all your really had no idea what had happened in there.

I would look a little harder into getting your money back from here asap - after all its unlikely she is going to want any further NEW press relating to her and im sure if the papers over there are like they are here they will jump atthe chance of printing a story about how you lived there unknowingly and what an evil hard faced cow she was during that time - I know you probably wouldnt go down that road but she doesnt know that does she !!!!!!

montreal mike

Yes a gawd awful story for sure.

But you say 'I feel incredibly guilty and couldn’t sleep all night because I feel like I have aided the alleged murderer of a child. I feel sick for the poor child, I lived in the house on the anniversary of his death and no-one laid flowers, I remember the day distinctly because it was my mother’s birthday.'

No need for remorse or guilt. It was none of your doing.

Also figure that your deposit may be lost. It may be history just like the little dead child is history.

The4BellsLondon

bloke on left of attached - adrian K - was / is ,my neighbour - really nice chape - pic does him no justice -but he was a bit silly behinfd the wheel of his car!!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...ensioners.html

daft batty

A BIT SILLY?? What a stupid thing to write.

Whats the point of your post anyway?? Are you saying this alleged murderer was also just a bit silly?? Or are you trading on these womens' deaths just so you can post??

montreal mike

DB ... one of the rare moments where I agree with you 100%.

dthomas

That house needs to have an "accidental fire." That woman is a complete demon - nobody can heap enough scorn upon her.

snorkmaiden

Thanks guys, I know that logically I couldn't have known about it so it's a bit overly dramatic of me to feel so crappy about it, but I wish I'd at least asked the neighbours more about my landlady earlier.

Both of us knew something was off, and we'd speculated a lot about why in the photo's the relocation agent sent us, there had been so many beds in the house when we knew she only had two kids, and she'd also mentioned that her daughter lived with her mother. Honestly we were thinking maybe messy divorce and crappy motherhood.

I've been over there clearing out the last of our stuff today and I am not looking forward to doing the walk through inspection with her on Wednesday at all.

The4BellsLondon

whoa there db - was just showing how any one can appear quite normal in every day life and then bam you find out a completely different side to them that you never knew existed.

A bit silly was what is called an "understatement" and referred to my neighour not the landlady.

why would I want to trade on some ones death so that I could post. - what a totally ridiculous thing to say! I actually knew two of the women - it wasnt until the the trial started that I realised it was my neighbour that was involved - he had onyl told us previously that he had totllaed his car.

The4BellsLondon

ps -also the "bit silly" was because I dont like to negate any ones method of driving, or any thing else really .

TBH I thought he drove like a complete fruit loop[ and wasnt suprised when he totalled his car - but one persons view of mad driving can just be "normal" to soe one else.

any way shall go now.

Snork - good luck with the clear out etc/ x

The Smiths

Errrmmm......Three people were killed and another was left disabled.

Think your description is at best an understatement and at worst highly insulting to the memory of those involved.