Stay Out of Wisconsin
Dishonesty: March - November
Communication with Five Skies began 3/24 and ended on 9/20 (181 days)
1. Flying Squirrels2. Nick is unaware of "many of the problems" - really???3. Nick lies about my availability4. Hired plumber "off the books" for a no permit job5. New lines "should" fix water according to Nick & when they dont: "get out"6. Nick is dishonest with Wood Co Health Dep't
7. Washer/Dryer? Sure....but, no
8. Garden? Sure....but, no
9. July 16th appointment - why are Joey & Delbert here?
10. Aug 5th request: no response
11. Windows don't open/close
12. 90° in unit & windows can't be opened; 16 days later, they show up
13. Screens were replaced 4/20. No, they weren't.
14. Door to be replaced. Not done.
15. My letter of 9/03 received 9/06: no response.
16. Coerced sham app't of 9/20 - no show- no cancel- no reschedule
17. Nick's email of 7/01 - so many falsehoods
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1. Endangered Flying Squirrels in Wisconsin? Nick claims yes, Wisconsin DNR says no
03/27/16
– My first viewing of #6: Both trees were banded (barely visible in photo) & I was told that both trees had to be cut down. When I moved in on 4/27, the tree on the right had been removed. On 5/11, Nick told me that the tree on the left was not cut down because it had been designated a habitat for endangered flying squirrels in WI.
As I’m very fond of most all animals and didn’t plan to live here more than a year, so I was okay with that. However, it is NOT true as there were NO flying squirrels or any other kind of squirrel on Wisconsin's DNR
Endangered and Threatened list.
I spoke with Kallie(?) at DNR and learned that it might be possible but extremely unlikely that a single tree would make it thru their process or do so in less than one month to be classified as a habitat and assuming that flying squirrels were, in fact, endangered but they're not.
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2. Nick wrote that he was unaware of "many of the problems" on 5/10
That was in response to my email
describing the unit's miserable condition on move-in.
How is that possible when he filed a claim for the previous tenant's eviction on 2/01?
How is that possible when he submitted a claim for damages by that tenant on 3/16?
10 days before he met with me to see the unit?
How is that possible when he received the judgement against the previous tenant on 4/06?
21 days before I moved in? It isn't.
To file the claim for the alleged damages, they had to know the condition of the water based on the toilet bowls
and water from every tap, door, windows, and screens. The fact that Nick wrote on 4/20 that they "had screens in" supports that conclusion. Neither the stove nor the refrigerator were new - their assessment of damages in the amount of $2,461.95 is baffling as there was no evidence of any repairs.
3. Nick wrote that I haven't been there when they happen to be
on site, but no, Nick is lying again
Maybe Joey & Delbert are lying to Nick.
Maybe lying is a family tradition?
07/01/16:
email from Nick:
“I will assume that you prefer email contact since it has been difficult to get in touch with you with phone calls, texts and are you have not been available at the home when we have been over there.”
2 excerpts from
my letter of 9/03:
1. “That is not true. Joseph called yesterday and 6/9. No voicemails were left. When no voicemail message is left, I generally conclude that it was a misdial. His text of yesterday is the first I have received from him. I've found that email is preferable when the conversation is a bit more complex.”
2. “In the two weeks prior to your 7/1 email: Delbert was whacking weeds on the area behind the gray building; Joey was here mowing the weeds behind the gray building; and, a few days prior to your email – I was standing on the lowest back step when Joey drove by me (about 3’ away) in the silver pick-up truck. Neither Joey nor Delbert attempted to speak with me on any of those three occasions.”
4. Kurt Wilkinson - a licensed plumber hired for a cash job to install plumbing pipes without permit
More about Kurt's delays, all of our texts, no shows over 39 days, felony stalking charge, burglary & misappropriation of ID to obtain money, domestic abuse at
Cash Job Plumber
Nick hired him for cash – an off the books job. Kurt told me he was trying to fit this cash job in between his on-the-books "regular" appointments. He was to install new pipes allegedly to improve the water pressure (didn’t happen much if at all) and without the required building permit from Saratoga Building Inspector by mid-May (didn’t happen - still texting re finishing on 6/17 which also was the last day of any contact with him). Day after day he texted
that he would be there, and no show after no show with no text and no call to advise he was not coming as “promised.”
Over the 39 days (texts here)
that Kurt kept me waiting for another no-show appointment, my 60-day Insurance producer license expired 6/18 so I lost my ability to work in Minnesota AND Wisconsin. I moved to Wisconsin to expand my business, not have it shut down. I found his behavior to be "off" and didn't trust him to be alone in or near my unit. Intuition is a valuable tool: he was arrested 6/05 & in court from jail 6/13/16 for felony stalking a woman in Stevens Point; arrested again 9/2017 for burglary, misappropriation of ID to obtain money, and theft; and later charged with domestic abuse. See Issues: Five Skies/Cash-Job Plumber
Similarly, he demonstrated a lack of concern re permits/codes about the sewage left on my lawn for 18 days (more here) and finally installing the proper pipe cap on 10/7 only after I contacted the Wood County Department of Health on 10/04.
8/22 broken pipe; correct capping 10/7 = 47 days. He did not clean the lawn in accordance with DSPS regulations.
This is the same careless plumber who left plumbing wall panel disconnected from wall allowing my 16 yr old cat to be lost for over 3 days. The second time Kurt showed up without notice refusing me the time to lock the two 100% indoor cats down. That resulted in Chutney’s panicked escape for another day. Clearly my presence was necessary to ensure the well-being of the cats in addition to the fact that his behavior & attitude were unprofessional & very peculiar to say the least.
5.
Nick's 5/10 email reply re my concern with rust particles: “The water from our well....does not have any problems with color, odor, chemical
or minerals.” And “…the new lines should remedy that.”
Also see: Water, Quality Tests, & 9/20 Sham Repair App't
Can a reasonably normal person look at these two toilet bowls and conclude there are no “mineral” problems despite Nick’s assertions to the contrary? Yes, technically, iron is not a mineral...it is a metal. Would you like a yummy glass of water & metal? Does he think calling it a mineral gets him off the hook somehow for concealing the water quality in the unit before I signed the lease?
These are the two toilet bowls I first saw
when I moved in 4/27/16. The bowl on the left is about 1 yr old. Repeated scrubbings of the toilet bowl (on right) have had little to no impact on removing these stains as I told Nick in my email of 6/30.
The water in the well is not the same water that flows out of a unit's taps. There are pipes from the well to the pump and from the pump to the unit(s). That'd be like saying: the water from the river or reservoir is exactly the same as the water that flows out of your house taps. There are a lot of pipes in between the river & your kitchen tap. Wood County Health Department does not test water IN housing units as confirmed in an email from Kate Carlson @ Wood County Health Department.)
Nick defined 2 possibilities for correction: the pipes in the unit or the pipes from the well to the pumphouse & pumphouse to unit.
On 5/10 he wrote:
"The water issues must be related to the pipes in the trailer itself and the new lines should remedy that."
And on 7/01 he wrote:
"If the water remains unimproved, it may be necessary to replace lines below ground. We will determine how best to approach that situation if the need arises but if that is the case, we may have to terminate your lease because we would not continue to rent the unit until that issue is remedied and it may take a considerable amount of time to remedy." 63 days after I moved in, they will not correct the water for their new tenant, but will, instead, terminate my lease.Their off-the-books, no permit cash-job plumber's replacement of the unit's pipes failed to correct the problem. Next step: I should pack up & get out because they would terminate my lease as they "would not continue to rent the unit until that issue is remedied..." He knew the problem in March, advertised the unit as available "now" - with no intention of correcting this (or any other) problem.
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6. Nick's wholly dishonest communication with the Wood County Health Department
NOTE: Wood County Health Department concerns itself ONLY with coliform bacteria as a water contaminant
10/17 email to Nancy:
After reiterating that Nick had been informed & was well aware of the water situation (5/10, 5/19, 5/20, 5/31, 6/17, mid-June in person, 6/30, 7/16, 8/5, 9/6, 9/11), I inquired: let me know whether you think there is any valid reason to think that the Landlord has ANY interest in correcting the situation.
(She did not respond to that query.)
Nancy Eggleston's email of October 20 (on left, click to enlarge) says "the workers were not given access..." Wood County Health Department did not, at any point, schedule an appointment with me. If
she is referring to the bogus 9/20 appointment, the details are found here.
Summary: the plumber - the only authorized "worker" - didn't show up, no request for reschedule, no apology for no-show.
As of Oct 20th, I had been there for 6 MONTHS. I replied: "That is not true.....They do NOT need access to this unit; the pumphouse is 35 steps away." Think about that:
Where IN your house would you put "a filter" to ("hopefully, hopefully" per Joey) correct all the water taps: sinks, toilets, bath/shower, laundry?
Does Nick actually think the 10am appt on 9/20 was actually attempted by Kurt, Delbert (vehicle mechanic), & Joey (20 yr old who asked his Uncle Delbert to check his work when he replaced a pin on a door hinge)? It was not (click here). On 9/20:
■ They were either talking with Arendt and & would be over when they were done talking as of 10:34am OR
■ Kurt was in Madison per Arendt's response to DATCP OR
■ Joey's email of 10:34am was a lie OR
■ Joey's email (arrived on 10/4 at 4:21pm) about Kurt in Madison was a lie or ???? (gmail timestamped 11:40am on 9/20).■ I received NO further communication of ANY kind from Five Skies personnel.
Impossible to know what's what when dealing with folks who have little, if any, regard for honesty.
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7. Washer & Dryer, Nick? Sure - hook-ups, side by side
3/24 In my initial email (left, click to enlarge) re the info on craigslist, I inquired whether there was a washer/dryer or hook-ups; whether they were side by side or stacked. Washer/Dryer in the unit was one of my few requirements (3 bedrooms, stove/refrigeraor, cats ok). Given my physical limitations since chemo, surgery, & radiation complications/scar tissue resulting from invasive breast cancer treatment, hauling laundry to a laundromat was a painful, exhausting issue over the next six (6) months I endured at #6.
I was never
informed
whether the plumber had or had not connected the laundry although I couldn't have used a washer unless I wanted an all-orange wardrobe and it's unlikely the water pressure would have been adequate for a washer.
8. Inquired 4/18 in email whether I could plant a few flowers, tomatoes....Nick said ok 4/19
How'd that go?
Well, the soil
was non existent - it was dirt the color of...rust, not surprisingly I suppose. See exterior of "park" here.
I removed a lot of that dirt and replaced it with 12 very large bags of garden soil.
I planted tomatoes, hot peppers, zucchini, and on the short south side of the unit a few rosemary, oregano, basil plants.
With no outdoor water tap connected until Sept 8,
I had to haul bucket after bucket of "water" outside. I gave up on June 19th after drawing the bucket of water shown on the left. I had already filled three buckets with what appeared to be clear water - & then the 4th was bright orange brown.
Imagine every morning shower - water starts iron filled, becomes clear after it runs for a few minutes but.....better keep an eye on it.
Happened to me 3 times: start in what appears to be clear water and then find you're showering in granules of iron (metal) water.
See the drain catcher
after two
showers in all "clear" water. "Clear" looking water tested at 2.0 ppm
instead of 0.3 ppm per EPA GRAS standard, i.e. 667% over GRAS. Skin has pores - how much iron metal did my body absorb?
9. What was that July 16 appointment supposed to be about?
I was assured by Nick that: they were aware, water is priority, & other repairs were “moot” unless water corrected per Nick's email of 7/03.
Delbert & Joey were 20-25 minutes late for their 10:30 appt. Joey said he “overslept.” They brought no tools; I loaned Delbert a screwdriver.
They showed up not knowing what to do although Nick had informed them via the forwarded pdfs of 5/10
& 6/30;
and Nick allegedly had worked w/Delbert to establish a schedule for all repairs (5/10, 7/01, and 7/03 emails).
Wisconsin Statutes would not concur, but IF other repairs are "moot" then:
Why are they here now as obviously not about the water?
This is the water (on left) they both looked at.They said nothing, walked away.
I thought - hmmm, ok: 20 yr old boy & a vehicle mechanic don't have a clue & will talk to Nick & get back to me.
That didn't happen.
7/17-9/10: 56 days
elapsed with NO contact from Five Skies re any repairs or anything else. No email, no text, no call, no in-person.
On 9/11,
I happened to be standing on the back stairs when Joey appeared around the corner of the unit. He told me they were
"having money problems." He declined the mug of water
I offered to him.
Good enough for the tenant; not good enough for the landlord.
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10. Hearing nothing re water & threatened with termination of my lease on 7/01:
On 8/05 I dropped a written request
for the expected date of completion of repairs into the same mail slot of the maintenance building where rent checks are deposited.
I found the recommendation re written request on the Tenant Resource Center/Madison website.
I received NO response of any kind: No email, no text, no call, no voicemail, no in-person visit - nothing.
I could not work due to the skeevy cash-job plumber's 39 days of no-shows & show ups w/o appointment. I was pretty busy trying to find another place to live and trying to figure out from whom I could borrow money to accomplish another move two months after I had moved. I also accepted Five Skies offer to pay rent on the 15th of the month in accordance with receipt of my social security benefit. (left)
11. "This is the first that I had heard that windows do not open"...Nick's email of 7/01
My initial email of 5/10
describes & provides 9 pages of photos of the filthy screens, missing & bent frames
and says
"nonfunctional" windows....:
"functioning doors, windows & screens, clear water, etc., are rather reasonable expectations."
Nick said he forwarded the May 10th pdf/email to Delbert. Delbert is, allegedly, the maintenance guy. He never got back to me about anything including the windows. When he & Joey arrived on 7/16, they both stood in the kitchen (no pdf, no list, no tools) and looked around like they'd never seen the place & had no clue as to what needed repair.
My email of 5/20
provided a simple list of the window issues.
Did Nick look at the pictures? Did he read the the 5/10 email? Did he read the 5/20 email? Is he lying? You decide.
12. Notified of non-functioning windows (again) on 6/30: temperature in unit is 90°
No A/C in unit.
They show up 16 days later on July 16.
The screwdriver I loaned Delbert was inadequate to the task. Joey fetched a drill to use to open one of the windows (west-living room)
Drilling it open left it in a condition that it could not then be closed.
13. Screens replaced by 4/20 - so says Nick in email of 4/20
Nick's email: "We have screens in......."
No - they didn't. My email of 5/10: "The window situation with bent frames, holes in screens, missing screens..."
On 5/21, Nick & Joey tacked screen fabric over the old, filthy, torn screens (9 pages of photos in 5/10 email
pgs 12-20)
I thought maintenance/repairs might be a significant problem when they left dead bugs on the sills - easy enough & 2 seconds to brush them out, but.....no.
14. On 5/11, Nick stood in the kitchen holding the plate that fell off the bottom of the door...
and said the door had to be replaced.
Since 5/11, the gap twixt door & floor allows the rain to flow in 17 feet to the end of kitchen counter; bugs & vermin crawling in.
Can't open the door from outside or without slamming my shoulder into it from the inside & cranking the knob again & aain & again
resulting in a (6/30) swollen wrist
& (9/03) bruised hand & sore shoulder.
By August, the deterioration continued until the key could not be inserted into the lock.
Excerpt from my 9/3 letter to Nick:
■ (My cat) does find it interesting to watch various insect life appear through the 1/2” space between floor and door.To date, only insect life. Gophers decided to burrow on the east side of the trailer and may have other plans.
■ When rain falls, it puddles under the door spreading as far as the end of the kitchen counter. This is due to themissing screen door and the ½ inch gap. Delbert told me that "all the screen doors in the park had been stolen."■ My shoulder aches as a result of having to slam it into the door in order to open the door; my hand has been bruised
repeatedly due to the multiple knob cranks it requires to function; my wrist has swollen from the cranking required;the key cannot be inserted into the lock. In the event of an emergency, this door would be useless.
Four months since 5/11:
Joey was looking at doors 5/26, 8/22 or 23, & 9/11. On 9/12, Joey wrote
they had back-ordered the door.
Wait a couple weeks more.....really.
Just wait for the door to arrive.....then wait for them to hang it.....before the snow falls?
4 1/2 -5 or so months later & that's assuming they really did
back-order a door and they plan to hang it "soon."
15. My letter of 9/03 received no response via email, text or call prior to the deadline.
I happened to see Joey when I was outside on Sunday afternoon 9/11 (a little less than 24 hrs before deadline expired at 2:13 on 9/12).
All repairs were to be completed
by 2:15 Monday. I was damn sure these folks would not actually DO the repairs even though it was now 4 1/2 months since they'd been made aware of the various issues eleven times and having accomplished 2 repairs: putting a pin in a door hinge and drilling one window permanently open since 5/10. Nick's statement of 7/01
served as the basis for my conclusion:
"If the water remains unimproved, it may be necessary to replace lines below ground. We will determine how best to approach that situation if the need arises but if that is the case we may have to terminate your lease because we would not continue to rent the unit until that issue is remedied and it may take a considerable amount of time to remedy."
Nick, Joey, and Delbert had been provided with written notice & photos of the repairs necessary for health and safety eleven (11) times. I was assured by Nick's emails of 5/10, 7/01, and 7/03 that repairs were: priority, back on schedule, as soon as possible......
While they actually did nothing & absolutely nothing from 7/17 - 9/10 while demanding full rent in August.....really, they did.
16. The coerced, fake appointment of 9/20 (details on this site: here)
09 20 Appointment 10:00 am
10:30 I sent text
to Joey re the email I had just sent to him and told him to advise Delbert and Kurt.
He emailed
back that they were talking to attorney and “will be over when we are done talking with him.”
Appointment is at 10:00 a.m. unless he’d rather do something else and he doesn’t need to let me know and the old lady should just wait
for him and the other guys to be done talking.
Odd, isn't it, that according to Arendt's response to DATCP, Kurt the cash-job plumber was unable to be there due to family issue?
They're there & will be over at the same time the plumber, who is the only one able to "do" anything w/plumbing), is NOT there.
I received an email from Joey on 10/04 saying the plumber was in Madison because his daughter was in a car accident.
Synching stories?
Bottom line:
■ plumber in Madison per Arendt AND on site per Joey but wait....not according to Joey's email that arrived 10/04 at 4:20pm
■ no one showed up
■ no one cancelled
■ no one rescheduled
■ The documentation sent to DATCP
on 10/11 indicates that I had received no contact from anyone at Five Skies from 9/20-10/10 barring the
bizarre email from Joey on 10/04 & which Arendt apparently tried to confirm(?) on 10/21.
17. Nick's email of 7/01
Far too many falsehoods to describe individually on this page.
Click here for annotated pdf in new tab
Nick invests much more time & virtual ink calculating rent, late charges, etc, than ensuring, as General Agent of Five Skies, LLC, that what
needs doing actually gets done in accordance with the responsibilities of law, building codes, DSPS regulations, etc.
Lucky for him that he found a scofflaw attorney who was able to aid & abet him in his fraudulent & scofflaw ways.