Since I moved to a house with three other roommates from Detroit three months ago, I have done very well for myself. I figured out the laws in California with help from the city's website, I identified grocery stores, pharmacies, and entertainment close to home and I have worked with my neighbors and roommates to make friends and build a network. Unfortunately, some things out of my control have been difficult to deal with.

My house's water bill is supposed to be included in my rent. In other words, my landlord is supposed to pay for my house's water bill. However, as reliable as clock work, every two months, my roommates and I have woken up to notices taped to our front door indicating that our water will be shut off unless someone forks up the money. Not the kind of thing that is fun to wake up to!

To make matters worse, my landlord is extremely difficult to get ahold of. My roommates and I drop our monthly rent check in our mailbox on time and apart from that, we have zero contact with the landlord. This proved extremely difficult to deal with yesterday, when a man from the city water works arrived to shut off my house's water line!

Although I was able to pay the water bill and avoid having my house's water cut off, my roommates were very upset. How would I get reimbursed for the money? What if we didn't have the ability to take care of the situation — like, what if our toilet exploded, would we be able to find the landlord and get it paid for?

I advised my roommates to try and relax. Getting caught up in hypothetical situations like exploded toilets is quite often an unnecessary source of worry. I will deduct the money I paid for the water bill from my monthly rent, and include a copy of the bill with that rent. After that, I will continue to try and get ahold of my landlord, and if this antisocial behavior continues, I will not hesitate to find a new house to live in this summer. You can't let people walk all over you, after all.