Owning your own home is a huge responsibility. Not only is the house itself expensive, but you also become the sole person in charge of keeping everything in tip-top shape. Having a landlord isn’t so bad when you can simply call them if an issue with your plumbing or heating arises. But being a tenant can be a pain when your landlord tries to illegally raise your rent or evict you…
One man recently posted on Reddit detailing how the company that owns his building sends him threatening letters every year to try to squeeze more money out of him. Below, you’ll find the full story, as well as some of the replies amused readers shared.
After living in his apartment for a year, this man received a threatening letter from his landlord
Image credits: Image by Freepik (not the actual photo)
But instead of accepting defeat, he decided to consult a lawyer
Image credits: rawpixel.com / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Image credits: karer3is
Later, the tenant responded to several readers and provided more information about the situation
Over half of the population in Germany lives in rented accommodation
Image credits: Image by Freepik (not the actual photo)
For a lot of people, especially young adults, renting is the only way they’re able to find affordable housing. We can’t all buy a house right after college, and a lot of us don’t even want to. Renting allows you the freedom to move whenever you want, and if your apartment comes fully furnished, tenants can save a substantial amount of money by not purchasing essentials.
In Germany, where this story takes place, renting is incredibly popular. In fact, Destatis reports that over half the population, 52.4% of people, live in accommodation that they don't own. That’s a higher percentage of renters than any other country in Europe.
And for many people, the German rental system works, as tenants stay in their rented homes for about 11 years on average, The Guardian reports. Meanwhile, renters in the UK only stay for 2.5 years on average, and in the United States, the majority move out within 4 years.
So what makes renting in Germany so special? As the author in this post noted, tenants are provided many protections. Expatrio explains on their site that many areas in Germany are rent controlled to prevent landlords from gouging prices.
Tenants also cannot be evicted unless they have breached their contract or their landlord needs the property for personal use. But renters must be alerted of their eviction long before they have to move, typically three months or more in advance.
It's important for tenants to understand their rights when renting
Image credits: pressfoto / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Landlords are also not allowed to enter a property that they’ve rented out without informing the tenant ahead of time and receiving permission. They cannot make changes to their buildings without the renter giving consent either. Plus, “German rental laws provide tenants with the right to privacy and quiet enjoyment of their homes,” Expatrio notes.
When it comes to attempts to increase rent or kick out a tenant, like the letter in this story threatened, Housing Anywhere says that landlords are legally not allowed to increase the price of rent during the first 12 months that a tenant lives in one of their homes.
It’s also important to know that the longer a tenant lives in one particular place, the more notice their landlord has to give them before forcing them to move out. For example, if a tenant has lived in one apartment for 5-8 years, they are entitled to a 6-month notice period before they have to move out. And if they’ve lived in the same place for more than 8 years, they must be given 9-months notice.
Now, if a landlord is being suspicious and sending intimidating letters, the best thing to do is exactly what the OP in this story did: find your local Mieterverein. According to All About Berlin, these tenant associations can help renters understand their lease agreements, help them deal with bad landlords, lower their rent, help them sublet an apartment and help tenants get their deposits back after moving out.
We would love to hear your thoughts on this situation in the comments below, pandas. What do you think of this tenant’s petty revenge? Have you ever been in a similar situation with a toxic landlord? Feel free to weigh in, and then if you’d like to read another Bored Panda article discussing landlord issues, we recommend this piece!
Amused readers shared their reactions, and the author joined in on the conversation
Some even had similar stories of their own to share
