Court

As usual, you get into the court room and the lawyers get to go first. They're there with stacks of forcible detainers in reprensenting a single apartment community.
Of the 5, only 1 single tenant showed up to dispute the rents owed. It was the same thing as my situation: a person had done work for the apartment community and were told they were going to get a free month's rent in exchange.

Let me tell you right here: I will never be offering "work for reduced rent" ever again. I mean, I pulled that ad the day after I posted it because I knew there was too much left open for problems. I would have made it a part of the rental agreement - but again - Mary said at the get-go that she would just pay the full rent.

The judge set that case for hearing on Thursday. I figured right there that because of the dispute between us, the judge would also set ours for hearing as well.

Our names are called, we get up before the judge, Mary makes her claims, I make mine. The judge says hearing will also be on Thursday, does that work for you? For me - sure, my boss will give me the time off I need. For Mary? Nope. She has a "lot of clients" she has to deal with on Thursday, so the Judge says that Tuesday of next week is the only other day available. Mary asks for an extension to Tuesday.

The Judge looks at me. Now, Mary at least said that she believed all of January should be free, according to her. I said that Tuesday is in next month. The Judge spoke to Mary - another month's worth of rent. Mary says yes, she intends on paying me next month. I have that, sworn in oath, in front of a judge. I said at least concerning January because she isn't trying to take this into eternity in terms of free rent.

Now - the judge wants all applicable documents to back our case. Okay. I'm going to get pics of her door made up into nice sized photos because Mary is claiming that the reason she doesn't have to pay for the month of January. So - if the judge finds for her - I am also going to add an extra defense: We agreed long before that work was ever done that the door she put up there would have to match the rest of the interior doors of the house, and that she or her worker doing the work would have to contact Cavco Homes in order to get another door. Obvious saying that means, no, she did not put up a matching door and it's rather ridiculous, to say the least.

I'm camping on this until the weekend. I have no need to go all crazy about getting my own pics made up, I'll do it, but I'm taking a breather from this stuff. We'll see whether Mary actually pays anything before next month. If she doesn't, this will be brought up to the judge - the whole conversation was recorded.

So that's that. Set for Tuesday at 2:00 pm. I actually liked Tuesday better after the judge stated the time, because the Thursday hearing would have been at 9:45 am, meaning missing an entire day of work. Tuesday at 2:00 pm means missing a couple of hours of work.

As for the "rest" of this day? Nothing I want to do. I just made a huge plate of the ham I cooked the other day and wolfed down a can of lima beans and some mashed potatoes with gravy alongside. That ham is so delicious. I put a pineapple chunk/pineapple juice/brown sugar glaze on it that just tastes marvelous.

Anyway, done for now.

ben

Court/Mary

Wish me luck. Or pray if you do that - whatever you do.
I found a written statement from Mary that I had not even seen that she sent to me this month: she fully admits that she owes me rent and was going to pay me on the 15th. In that, she said she didn't pay me because I announced doubled rent - she was occupy 2 rooms without my permission. I don't really need much more than that, frankly. I'm going to be very interested to see how the judge deals with all of this.
She was just here with the same friend that showed up with her when she first moved in. Guessing that woman is going to court with her. Nice - but - I clearly remember what I said at that first meeting. My seal on this thing, however, are Mary's written statements, I need not go further than that.

Now, I'm going to take about 15 minutes to review AZ landlord/tenant law, get dressed up, and take off.
C'ya later.
ben