Work Around It
Last November I got a knock on the door of my “newly renovated” basement apartment. It was the fire department telling me that I’m living in an unauthorized unit and will be evicted in three months if the landlord doesn’t get the place up to code. The landlord kicked me and my girlfriend out in February, saying it would take “just two weeks, but we’ll say three to be safe.”
I asked if I had to move out my furniture, and he said, “No, they’ll just work around it.” I then spent SEVEN weeks living in my buddy’s basement 30 minutes away, paying rent there, and commuting to work. Finally, in April, the landlord said the place looks great and gave me the OK to move back in. I was in for a major shock.
The entire apartment was filthy. Thick drywall dust covered every surface. There were paint cans, tools, and garbage in every corner, and paint was splattered on the floor, windows, and all of my furniture, including the mattress. My wooden furniture had been scratched up and my shoe rack and shower curtain were destroyed.
I argued with the landlord for days. He finally gave me $150 for cleaning and damages, but then he upped the rent by $100/month because the “apartment is so much better now.”
Story credit: Reddit / AntiparticleCollider