Not getting rental keys on first day of lease- WWYD?

amother

Gold

Thu, Jun 09 2016, 4:48 am

We're in a dati area. We're supposed to move soon- the lease starts July 1, which is a Friday, so we weren't planning on moving that day. I figured we'd probably have the movers come on Monday and that would be our first night in the new apartment. Ideally I'd be able to do a few things at the new place on Sunday (this is Israel, for reference, so not because it's a weekend)- make sure it's actually clean to reasonable standards, if we can have our new fridge delivered. We would never plan for less than a week overlap between leases, given that we know we need a day or two to move plus a day to repaint and make sure we leave everything clean.

I made the mistake of thinking out loud when I talked to the people who are there now (who are dati) when they asked when we'd actually move. When we said we certainly weren't moving on Friday, they asked if they could paint on Friday and maybe need to close up a couple of things on Sunday. That sounded ok, so we said yes.

I ran into the husband near the grocery yesterday and he asked me again when we were going to move, because now they're planning to move Friday and he wants to paint Sunday. He said the people now in the apartment they're moving to are moving Thursday. I felt put on the spot and said I guess that was ok if he's finished by 2 or 3 so I have a few hours at least to do things.

I realized now that if they only finish painting on Sunday, we can't move in before Monday afternoon, and from what I looked up we really ought to give it 48 hours after painting before taking our baby to the new place. If they paint on Friday (as they'd originally asked) that wouldn't be a problem, and I don't care if there's a little overlap time on Sunday that they're finishing cleanup but I can move some things by hand. They can't not paint- their kids have colored all over the walls and I really don't see how that should be my job to clean up.

I asked dh to call them tonight and say that if they're going to need beyond Friday, this really needs to be brought up with the landlord (who, for reference, lives over an hour away and isn't dati). We're essentially handing them over 100 shekels a day that they still have the keys and we don't, and I think it's very nice of us to give them Friday as it is. Plus, what if there's some kind of serous damage to the apartment before we have the keys but while our names are on the lease? Wouldn't we be liable, or at least be put upon to prove that we're not?

I don't want to be a freier but neither do I want to be nasty- they've been in the neighborhood longer than we, plus now that I've met them I seem to run into one of the parents at least twice a week- we frequent the same grocery and playground.

This is mostly a vent, so thank you if you read it. Advice appreciated if you have any.