The sun., 1903-10-04

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ment against them. as there is small pros
pect that they can ever be made to satisfy
| it. II, however, happen to find out that
the tenant Is earning big enough salary
to bs amply able to meet all obligations. I
get Judgment. and then begin supple
mentary proceedings
In this State, though, the courts ore
very acknowledgement too liberal, l think
in deciding what u persons income must
F., be before he may be held responsible for tho
rent represented by lease: and as bring
ing supplementary proceedings Is rather
al expensive way OF making collections,
landlords fight shy Of trying it unless the
SUM involved Ia pretty big. In most cases
| they content themselves with getting out .
! judgment, which may be turned to account
| The moment the debtor acquires any real
| estate.
Those people know as well a. we do
| that We can't attach furniture or pere onal
property OF any kind. Take 1t all In all,
though, comparatively few Of the f1at dwell
ers break leases; at least not many Of them
come under my notice"
Another agent, who has been in business
| in New YORK for over forty years, holds
| more radical views on the fiat lease Ques-
ton
In ninet y-nine cases out Of hundred"
SAID he, "a lease Is not worth the paper II Ia
written on, the hundredth case being that OF
man or woman who owns business or
some real estate. Even apparently respon-
| s1be business men crawl out OF the obliga-
tions of lease sometimes In highly sue
cessful fashion. Let me illustrates:
Mrs. Blank comes to me for an apartment
-one Of the high priced kind, renting up
n hn in fsyof nd ind
that she owns a house. perhaps several
houses, that brings her in good income,
and that her references are good. At
once make out q lease, and that lease is
binding.
If Mrs. Blank tries to evade it she will
soon find herself in court and compelled
to pay, for can prove that she owns prop
erty and is financially able to meet her obi
cations.
"On the other hand, Mr.. Brown comes
in and wants to rent a good sized fiat for
himself and his family. He is In the cloth
ing business he tells me, and has a shop
down in an East Side thoroughfare. I
make sure of that fact, and then hand him
lease to sign.
three months later he wants to give
up the fiat, and does move out. I get a
Judgment and go TO his store, which may
be furnished with first, second or fourth
GLASS clothing, only to be told, with
deprecating wave Of the hand. But this all
belongs to my wife. have nothing
Of beating lease. In renting fats a lease
is first rate for binding the landlord, but
it Ia not good for much else, find
There would be little need for leases
and less for breaking them il women would
find ont just what they want and would let
the agent know exactly what they expect
to get before paying down the first months
rent"
"What are the especial points one should
consider in hiring a fiat?" the agert was
asked
"Well, first of ALL find out whether the
neighborhood ia satisfactory II the rent
is no more than one can afford. if the other
tenants in the house are desirable. Then,
if prospective tenant has an especial OBJ
lection to children or TO musical ;nstr1I-
nents, let her ascertain from the janitor
OF the agent whether her nearest neighbors
indulge In either.
TT Is seldom janitor will equivocate on
these points. He k'ows 90 we'll what awaits
him later II he does.
aTo be sure he may fail TO disclose that a
man in the next building whose window is
exactly opposite her Bedroom window
industriously practisas Home Sweet Home
and Killarney on fute, every evening
and all evening lorg: but then, as he truly
says he has nothing whatever 10 do with
tne mouse neXt GOOT. Anu ne may IOTRey
to mention that for hyeionic reasons The
people In the fat above use no carpets nor
rugs, ard wear uncomnorlv stout, heavy
shoes and boots-indced he may not know it.
Janitors really can't be expected TO know
everything about the habita Of the people in
every fiat.
Besides these main points, there are
points almost as important--as finding out
what services may be expected Of the
ianitor II there are door attendants Zone
woman after taking a fiat once insisted
TO me that she would never have signed
the lease had she known there was no hall
boy), IL the bedrooms get enough light and
fresh air for individual preference. If the
icebox is big enough, how the place ia
heated, II there Is 9 hot water supply and
where and when the laundry may be dried.
an some Of the downtown fats, originally
floors of private houses, heat and hot water
are not included-each tenant supplies them
for himself and at his own expense-.and
yet have had tenants who never realized
that fact until after they moved in.
IF women in general would pay attention
to tho points have mentioned--90 per cent.
OF the fiat hunters are women-the agents
life would be better worth living and fewer
leases would be broken"
How do women in general set about |
renting fat the agent was asked.
-Oh, they have dozen different ways, |
each as foolish as the others For instance, |
there is a type that comes in, drops into a |
chair and asks In q mournful tone:
-'Have you any fiats?'
Plenty OF them, | say.
Where are they" is her next question.
"'All over the city she is told; and then |
I ask, Where do you want to live, In Harlem |
or below Fifty-ninth street"
perhaps the woman hasn't made up her
mind at all on that point.
az should like to look at some, she mur-
mtirs vaguely.
by dint OF questioning try to find out
rent she IL willing to pay, and after that
I give her some permits. As likely as not
she comes back In wrath.
"'Why, the bedrooms are all dark she
exclams Indignantly.
did you expect an outside fiat, madame,
for 30 small rentY ask, and then | 20 on
to explain that the bedrooms are just about
the same az those in many high priced
apartments.
"Ths ia only the beginning Women
of that sort never know what they want
until they have tried living in half dozen
different fats in as many different neighbor-
hoods.
Another type OF woman will go breezily
through fiat, paying little or no attention
to anything but the paror and dining room.
One tenant remember, went into ecstasies
over parlor mantel and the arrangement
OF the dining room windows, and not until
she moved In and Bridget was installed
did she discover that the kitchen was the
dar ktst room In the fiat and that the door
of the ser wants bedroom was exactly oDpO. |