Building Manager Laughed When His Tenant Threatened Him With Building Inspector – But He Was Begging And Crying When They Showed Up
“Just do it, I dare you!” can have unwanted results.
Statistics show that 35% of American households rent their homes. Renting implies that you have to deal with landlords and property managers.
They are an odd breed. They're either the loveliest, heartwarming people you'll ever meet, or they're evil tyrants with a dragon's thirst for your gold.
There appear to be few landlords between these two extremes. Unfortunately, they can afford to be like that.
There are not enough rental properties on the market, and every good property has numerous applicants. There are numerous tenant screening services, but not one for screening landlords.
This gives them a sense of power. They believe they can do whatever they want because they can always find another tenant.
But sometimes, tenants win a battle or two. The very fact that we have to call it a battle shows how bad the situation is.
u/movingtocincinnati on Reddit shared their story about dealing with a terrible landlord, a corporation. On the r/MaliciousCompliance subreddit, the post quickly went viral.
The landlord didn't believe the Redditor would ever dare to call the city inspector after failing (i.e., not wanting) to repair persistent issues. However, that is exactly what they did.
And the result was impressive.
In order to save money, some landlords refuse to do any repairs.
Beatrice Murch (not the actual photo)One stubborn tenant, on the other hand, received justice after calling their landlord's bluff.
RedditOP was renting a large apartment from a corporation
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But there were some problems in the basement.
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The property manager didn't want to do anything about it.
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And the inspectors came...
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The company that owned the building wasn't happy.
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The situation was bad for the company and the property manager.
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The company was forced to break the leases for all tenants and fix structural issues.
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OP had some conditions:
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The company agreed.
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OP posted an update:
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They found a new place and bought a home soon after.
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The company and its property manager have learned their lesson.
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Redditors loved the story:
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People who lived in houses like that are familiar with the problems they might have.
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Unfortunately, some landlords decide it's cheaper for them to simply pay the fines.
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Some people will never learn...
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Other Redditors also had success in fighting for their rights:
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There are a lot of landlords who don't understand that there are some standards. The renting business is not just about collecting rent.
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Building codes are there for a reason.
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Next time, he will know better...
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Did the property manager lose his job?
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Yes, stories like these are awesome...
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One landlord commented:
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When Redditor u/movingtocincinnati contacted the city inspector, it started an unstoppable series of events that benefited the tenants. The landlord was put in his place by the inspector.
In the end, the landlord had to pay far more money than it would have cost to fix the building's problems. They had to pay not just for all of the repairs, but also for the tenants' relocation.
So, why do landlords keep choosing to ignore tenants' complaints and pay tons of money afterward? Who knows...