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Jan 8, 2009 4:05 pm US/Central
Garland Man Finds Work As 'Rent-A-Gent'
Arezow Doost
GARLAND (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
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Rene van Uum, the Rent-A-Gent.
KTVT / KTXA
Go ahead and just rent me! That's what a former Homeland Security agent told his wife, after getting laid off and her telling him to 'get a job'.
She wanted him to work, so now Rene van Uum is swamped making odd-job house calls around North Texas.
Thursday Rene was getting ready for work. You could now describe the former security agent as a sort of handyman. "Rotating your tires... take down your Christmas tree," were some of the things Rene described doing.
Rene is the face behind the 'Rent-A-Gent' business. To put it simply Rene said, "I'm a gentleman and I'm for rent."
After being laid off from his job the Garland man said he had to find some kind of work… and his wife agreed. "He's been unemployed for a while and I just was getting tired of him being around the house," Rene's wife Becky explained. "So I said 'go and make some money'."
With that urging, Rene started marketing himself on Craigslist.com. The 50-year-old said he can do just about anything, but has some preferences. "Wash your dog. No cats please!" Rene commented about possible jobs. "How about be a date for that upcoming party? I can do that!" he said laughing.
Keep in mind, Rene is married, but his wife Becky said he's such a great husband she doesn't mind sharing. "He has my permission to go but he has perimeters of when he has to be home and things like that and I get to meet the women first."
So far, Rene said business is pretty good and that he's gotten a variety of requests. "I've gotten some calls from a woman in Rockwall who need someone to transport her once a month down to the Huntsville jail, to visit a relative of hers."
Most of his other work requests are for things that need to be done around the house or office. Douglas Bentley said he needed some work done. "I found his ad and it was one of the most intriguing ads that I have ever seen. [It was] so intriguing, I had to call the guy up."
In case you're wondering Rene is available for work at a rate between $20-$25 an hour.
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