sure, those luxury condos going up all over downtown austin might look pretty, but if you’re like, “dude, enough of this corporate bullshit!” our anonymous austin submitter says her building offers plenty of exciting local color you won’t find in those glass-and-steel towers. perks include: 1) the building’s property manager, a character known for his impassioned screeds about everything from trash cans to expired vehicle registrations, and 2) a recurring sewage back-up that flows into the downstairs bathrooms of all the units. rock ‘n’ roll, man!
“the roto-rooter has said repeatedly that the backup is caused by roots growing into the sewer system,” our submitter says, but that explanation didn’t seem to satisfy her tireless PM. now he’s offering tenants flexible lease arrangements, too!
related: the chav’s guide to sxsw;
tourists: doing their part to keep austin…retarded [fannypackantics.com]
135 responses so far ↓
#1
Canthz_B
Illegal tampons?
Now that is a strict community!
Apr 8, 2008 at 1:46 pm rating: +13
#2
Mishee
I find that flushing illegal objects down the toilet is the best way to be rid them when the cops are busting down the door!
Well worth the $150!!
Apr 8, 2008 at 1:48 pm rating: +13
#3
unholyghost2003
I find that lawsuits regarding harassment and unsanitary living conditions are the best way to afford that new neighborhood.
Apr 8, 2008 at 1:57 pm rating: +7
#4
Nathaniel
Somehow I think the Austin tenant’s Council might have something to say about him trying to charge residents extra for normal maintenance expenses.
Apr 8, 2008 at 2:01 pm rating: +3
#5
Canthz_B
Is “…find a way to cancel your lease…” the same as “…make you an offer you can’t refuse.”?
Apr 8, 2008 at 2:01 pm rating: +5
#6
amazon
At my previous building, we used to get notices that whenever they were cleaning the pipes, people on the first floor should stuff rags in their drains to prevent back flow.
Team live on the top floor!
Apr 8, 2008 at 2:02 pm rating: +3
#7
GhostWriter
Blame it on the baby wipes and tampons. Single mothers have had it too good for too long.
Apr 8, 2008 at 2:17 pm rating: +6
#8
Suhayla
Tampons and baby wipes are clogging the drains? Perhaps the tenants will have to start doing like they do in other countries (with poor plumbing) and put ALL waste in the garbage, including their used TP. Maybe they should start shitting in the garbage too.
Apr 8, 2008 at 2:19 pm rating: +3
#9
amy d
The PM is the king of awkwardly worded sentences.
Apr 8, 2008 at 2:23 pm rating: +2
#10
claw71
I grew up with crap like this. My parents would mete out mass punishments if they couldn’t identify the culprit. The difference is that this is the real world and a lease is a legal contract that makes it impossible to enforce the provisions included in this letter.
The use of bold face, caps and multiple exclamation marks is a dead give away that this note has no legal value. You could flush automotive parts down the toilet and this clown couldn’t do a thing about it.
Apr 8, 2008 at 2:29 pm rating: +4
#11
secondsout
I like the bit about how one can’t help oneself but to flush illegal objects.
It’s my disability. I suffer from chronic compulsive-baby-wipe-flushing-syndrome. I hoped the landlord would make a reasonable accommodation for my disability, but no. I’m filing a lawsuit.
Apr 8, 2008 at 2:30 pm rating: +3
#12
RunBarbara
What? No one is going to remark at how fucking delicious those illegal tampons were?
Apr 8, 2008 at 2:36 pm rating: +1
#13
honeyedhemlock
Prove those tampons belonged to me, ya bastich.
Apr 8, 2008 at 2:50 pm rating: 0
#14
Mishee
At least he doesn’t have issues with tenants regurgitating to no extent all over the place!
Apr 8, 2008 at 2:52 pm rating: +1
#15
GhostWriter
Hold up- it that Satan’s signature? I’ve heard he uses batwings instead of a heart at the end.
‘least that’s how he did it on my contract.
Apr 8, 2008 at 3:04 pm rating: 0
#16
Wade
While not flushing the proscribed items will help, if they have roots in the pipes it will continue to overflow, not matter what.
Team Spend A Few Bucks For Maintenance And Replace The Pipe, Scrooge
Apr 8, 2008 at 3:11 pm rating: +2
#17
Heidi
Big brother can track your toliets!! He knows whos flushing the illegal tampons!
Apr 8, 2008 at 3:50 pm rating: 0
#18
aaa
Illegal objects? Like condoms of coke?
Apr 8, 2008 at 4:32 pm rating: +1
#19
KittyKat
Just exactly where can you NOT flush tampons down the toilet? Perhaps not the applicators, but tampons??? I’ve been to China and India and flushed tampons, but I can’t flush tampons in freaking Texas? I’ll open the floodgates . . . . When did Texas become a psuedonym for Hell?
Apr 8, 2008 at 4:50 pm rating: 0
#20
Garcy
Actually, um, flushing tampons down the toilet is a very bad idea many places. It’s one of the most common reasons for toilet backup and major plumbing problems.
More common when you’re on a septic system, but nonetheless, how can other women not know about this? I knew this when I was 12 and had no plumber in the family, just a mom who had brains.
Since then the amount of dorms, apartments, and houses I’ve stayed in where clueless women have flushed their tampons down the system and “broken” the plumbing can be counted on more than one hand.
Ladies, this is your chance to become educated. Do as women who use sanitary napkins do and learn to frickin’ wrap your tampon in some toilet tissue or Kleenex and gently place in the trash. I assure you that if you do this it’s not yucky, it’s actually doing a public service – others will be able to enjoy the benefits of plumbing that works.
Garcy
Apr 8, 2008 at 5:59 pm rating: +4
#21
bah
Perhaps a few tampons through the post would change his mind.
Apr 8, 2008 at 6:03 pm rating: 0
#22
mamason
Oh, you better watch out, you better not try
Flushin’ tampons, I’m tellin’ you why
Rotoman is coming to town.
He’s making a list and checking it twice.
He’s gonna find out who’s flushin’ those wipes.
Rotoman is coming to town.
He sees you when you’re peeing
He knows just when you “make”
He knows when you are men’strating
So don’t make him bring his snake. Oh!
You better watch out, you better not try
Flushin’ tampons, I’m tellin’ you why
Rotoman is coming to town.
Apr 8, 2008 at 7:31 pm rating: +8
#23
mamason
…
Apr 8, 2008 at 7:34 pm rating: 0
#24
claw71
Funny thing about poop, fiber and sewage treatment. Many municipal treatment plants are lamenting the sudden surge in undigested bits like flax seeds. Apparently these things are clogging the filters at a rapid pace forcing unscheduled maintenance.
Apr 8, 2008 at 7:43 pm rating: +2
#25
Barbara
you know, I got a similar note and it was NOT my tampon because I know better than to flush those. I was pissed and told my landlord there was no way they could charge me and they’d have to prove it was MY tampon that clogged it, but even if there were a tampon the DNA would be all mixed up in the main sewer line. Dammit.
Apr 8, 2008 at 8:31 pm rating: +2
#26
clownsnack
this has to be 2020 so. congress — right???
i use to live there on the ground floor and i moved out when sewage backed up through the drain in the tub
Apr 8, 2008 at 10:06 pm rating: +1
#27
Sarah
Just in case you haven’t paid attention to the letters I have posted, here’s yet another letter with slightly larger typeface. That’ll show ‘em!
Apr 8, 2008 at 10:57 pm rating: +3
#28
ian in hamburg
What is PA about this? It’s from an identifiable source, it addresses a particular problem, it issues a clear warning and offers an alternative to those who don’t want to toe the line. A scribbled message on a telephone pole would be passive-aggressive, not this.
Apr 9, 2008 at 4:20 am rating: 0
#29
park rose
Hope this helps!!!
Wade
♥ ♥ 
I know it was a man to man chat, but it ain’t P.A. without the hearts and smilies
Apr 9, 2008 at 6:11 am rating: +1
#30
leegyrl
Around here the sewer workers call flushed tampons “sewer rats,” and it is apparently quite a nasty problem.
Apr 9, 2008 at 6:26 am rating: 0
#31
JudgeJudi
Isn’t raw sewage flooding your apartment a legal reason for breaking your lease? In fact, I would think you could sue for moving costs. What does he think the rent is to go for? The rent money is supposed to go first for upkeep on the property, anything left over is profit. Down with scumlords!
Time to pull out your lease.
Apr 9, 2008 at 6:51 am rating: +1
#32
claw71
Is it just me or does this pretty much reaffrim the sentiment that we’d all be better off if we’d have just let Santa Anna take Texas? Do you suppose Mexico would want it now?
Apr 9, 2008 at 7:13 am rating: 0
#33
Anonymous
This is actually in North Austin, not on Congress.
The Austin sewers are AWESOME citywide.
Apr 9, 2008 at 8:59 am rating: 0
#34
mmm
TEAM Diva cup and posting about menstrual flow. Ladies, who gives a shit..heh heh that tampons clog drains, the real problem is that they dry you out and create little cuts in your vag. Use a safe hypo-allergenic silicone Diva cup and collect your menstrual blood in a little cup to splatter like paint in the toilet or pour down the sink if you share a bathroom with a guy! yeay. No more clogged drains and how many of you have actually seen your menstrual blood unabsorbed, undiluted? It’s enlightening.
Apr 9, 2008 at 11:22 am rating: 0
#35
Mishee
I went to the testimonials too, this little excerpt got me giggling..
Thanks to y’all I was able to comfortably tour the Macchu Piccu exhibit in Tulsa without worrying about having to leave the exhibit or having leaks, in fact I didn’t have to think of anything but enjoying the tour. I also drove my Mom and Grandmother around their birthplace looking at the old places for hours with no worries.
and
The DivaCup is like going from dial-up internet to broadband.
and
My sister is in the Peace Corps, located in a remote village in Nicaragua. She asked me to keep her supplied with tampons for the next two years but I’ve ordered her a DivaCup too. It’s much easier to boil a pot of water than to dispose of tampons in a village without running water or waste management. I’ve told my mom about it, she loves it. My brother’s fiancé loves it. My best friends love it. (I’d tell my grandmother, but she’s post-menopausal) I can’t find enough women to tell.
I might sound like a cheesy infomercial, but thank you for giving me the freedom of a convenient and safe alternative. Every girl has to know about the Diva Cup.
HAHAHA!
Apr 9, 2008 at 12:22 pm rating: +1
#36
Bellabeastie
Blech. Reminds me of when I had to use a diaphragm.
Team I’m Sticking With the ‘Pon
Apr 9, 2008 at 12:42 pm rating: 0
#37
pistola
“Oh that’s just great! You hear that, Ed? BEARS! Now you are putting the whole station in jeopardy.!”
Apr 9, 2008 at 12:44 pm rating: +1
#38
KittyKat
Menstruation may be natural and all, but once blood exits the body, it IS gross.
Or perhaps they should start making Macho Cups for boxing matches and the like. . . “Catch that nose blood, it’s NATURAL!”
Ewwwww.
Apr 9, 2008 at 1:20 pm rating: +2
#39
Just flush it!
OK, I have never heard of/experienced an issue with a tampon clogging a toilet/sewer drain. it says right on the box “flushable AND biodegradable”. me thinks if a tampon is causing a cloggage issue, there is something wrong with the big picture, not the act of flushing it. So, I’ll be continuing to flush it , thx.
Apr 9, 2008 at 1:47 pm rating: +1
#40
mmm
Hahaha i love this thread. I had no idea I sounded like such an ad until I reread it. Diva should seriously put me on the payroll. Then again, there are thousands of women who do much more than write a creepy post– they go the distance and write poems and shit. I’m going to try and secure my niche in Austin before they find out.
Apr 9, 2008 at 2:37 pm rating: +1
#41
MacLeod
Tell your submitter that, yes, tree roots are the problem, but the reason they’re a problem is that, as they grow into the pipes, they snag all those items you’re not supposed to flush, creating the clogs that result in the sewage backups.
This tends to be more of a problem in older, urban areas where the lines from the houses to the street are smaller, but it can happen anywhere. If you don’t flush such items, you can get away with having the main line cleared of roots every few years–maybe once a decade. But if you do flush them, you will be dealing with this nasty, expensive problem often.
This is one of the first lessons many female first-time home owners learn.
Apr 9, 2008 at 3:18 pm rating: +2
#42
Summer
Anybody else get a visual of bobbing tampons and diapers?
Apr 9, 2008 at 4:28 pm rating: 0
#43
nestchick
I think the tampon thread turned into more of a string.
Apr 10, 2008 at 3:41 am rating: +2
#44
Anonymous
I’ll continue to flush my ‘pons and I’ll shit on the street instead.
Apr 10, 2008 at 2:41 pm rating: +2
#45
tom
I would never be able to stop stabbing a building manager like that. My arm aches at the very thought.
Texas sucks! Goodnight everybody!
Apr 12, 2008 at 12:49 am rating: 0
#46
Smelly
Texas is AWESOME but Austin is filled with weirdos. Just watch that movie Slacker for a little taste of Austin.
Apr 13, 2008 at 9:16 pm rating: 0
#47
Missing Lunch
LOL – we got the same announcement at our building a year ago.
Jun 29, 2009 at 11:02 am rating: 0
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