By Barbara Bishop
My husband and I sold our house in December. In the interim, until we decide where we will live long-term, we opted to rent a really cute, updated townhouse in the Marina. Or so we thought.
The first week, my husband was taking a shower, located on the second floor. I’m in the kitchen, having coffee. I notice that a spot in the ceiling looked like there was a leak. Turns out it was the shower. This was just the beginning.
My husband stopped taking a shower and took one on the first floor, in the guestroom. Guess what? It leaked into the garage below. The doorbell didn’t work. The door lock did not work. The steps to leading to the garage smelled like pee. The dimmer switch did not dim.
A week later, my husband tried to lift up the blinds in the bedroom. They detached from the wall and fell on his head. Then came the big one – my husband was working in his office on the first floor and the hot water heater burst, water seeping into the ceiling and on to the wet bar on the first floor. It was lucky that he was home; he ran to shut the central waterline off, saving us from major damage.
Turns out the owner “got the place fixed up” with a guy that was cheap and he trusted him. This guy is an unlicensed contractor and used unlicensed sub-contractors. We did not know any reputable repair people in our new neighborhood, and the owner was not helping.
I remembered a referral site that I was, well, referred to, to get a handyman and a cleaning crew. I contacted them. 20 minutes later, I had a plumber, a handyman, and a cleaning crew booked to come to the place that day. The plumber accurately assessed the issue with the showers, the handyman repaired and put together furniture we ordered, and the cleaning crew cleaned a very dirty condo from all the activity that had been going on in the place. All within a week.
The name of the service is Thumbtack.com. Check it out! They have great taste in selecting any time of service you may need, even in a hurry. Thumbtack you rock!
