Finding clean housing to rent in a good neighborhood where preferably everything works and price matches with quality is extremely hard. Especially in recent times since rent prices increased incredibly, you are one of the luckiest people alive if you manage to find a decent place for a decent price with a decent landlord.
Speaking about landlords, one Reddit user shared their story online after their rent price was increased drastically. They found out that it’s actually illegal to raise the price that much and long story short - this cost the landlord over $20K.
More info: Reddit
Most of the time, being an understanding landlord instead of a greedy one may benefit you as well
Image credits: Andrea Piacquadio (not the actual photo)
A person shares that their landlord increased the rent price when renewing their contract, despite begging him not to
Image credits: Kinga Howard (not the actual photo)
Well, the tenant found out that it’s actually illegal to raise the price that much, presented him with lawyers and termination notices
Image credits: u/livelifeup
The landlord begged the person to settle out of court, and they did, but it cost him over $20K
Recently a Reddit user took their story online to share with community members their victory against an oppressive landlord. After he drastically increased the rent price, OP found out that it’s actually against the law and gave a lawyer's notice about it. The post received a lot of attention and in just one day collected almost 4K upvotes and 145 comments.
To start from the beginning, OP shares that before that, their landlord was charging rent above market price, but when it was time, he heavily increased it. The author adds that their family had medical issues and couldn’t move, so despite asking the landlord not to increase the price, he didn’t budge. Well, as you will find out - it was not the smartest move.
As it turns out, it’s actually illegal to increase rent that much. With that being said, OP gave an early termination letter to the landlord alongside a lawyer’s notice on illegal rent increase. The landlord begged the tenant to settle out of court, and that they did, for two months' rent price, return of deposit in full that resulted in $15K and having to re-rent the property at $1K lower, actually matching market value.
Community members congratulated OP on this victory and discussed it. “They know the law. They will try to play on the fact that you won’t play the lawyer card. He lost. Well done. You should get a medal!” one user wrote. Another added: “That's awesome. I'm a landlord (one property, not some big corporate thing) and I love hearing about bad landlords getting their due. Well done, OP.”
Image credits: Erik Mclean (not the actual photo)
Additionally, Bored Panda got in touch with the author of this story and they kindly agreed to share how this situation impacted their perception of tenants' rights and legal protection, if they believe there should be stricter regulations for landlords who violate rental laws, and shared advice for others who may be facing similar situations.
To begin with, OP shares that they were not even aware of most of their rights. “I had to look into State, County, then city laws, because each of them had different renter protections. I think there are strong protections for tenants, but most tenants are unaware.”
Now, speaking about consequences or regulations for landlords who violate laws, the author thinks that either the fear of eviction or a protracted legal battle scares a lot of good tenants into ‘letting it go’. They also add that they were told to let it go by most of their inner circle, but were determined to protect their rights.
“I highly recommend that folks pay the money and hire an attorney, because that helps you to understand if you're on the right side of the law. Landlords do not even consider negotiating till there is a legal process started, sometimes. Knowing your position is important,” OP emphasizes. “In my case, the law was crystal clear, it was an open-and-shut situation as multiple laws were broken.”
And finally, the author notes to not have any agreements in verbal form. Everything should be written down - whether in messages, emails or paper, it doesn’t matter. If you make a verbal agreement, follow it up with a written form of documentation of the agreement that you can prove the other side received.
“Without proof and backup, you have no case. You are unlikely to get anywhere even with an attorney if your case does not have merit. In my case, I had documentation of all conversations and agreements from day 1. I did not use it till the time came,” OP shares.
Image credits: Yaopey Yong (not the actual photo)
Now, unfortunately, dealing with rude landlords is quite a common issue. However, if you are unsure if some actions that your landlord does may be considered harassment that the law recognizes and they can be punished for this kind of activity, Rentprep shared some examples.
First of all, it is unacceptable if they neglect to carry out maintenance duties in a timely and responsible manner, refuse to accept or otherwise acknowledge the correct payment of rent, or withhold amenities that were previously permitted. Also, I think one of the common ones is that they enter premises without cause or notice and this behavior is often repeated.
Looking from another side - as it’s clear that sometimes we have to deal with not the nicest landlords, when we sign a contract dealing with them, it's unavoidable. Military.com lists a few ways we can be good tenants and hopefully smooth things over when dealing with a difficult landlord.
First and foremost, pay your rent on time. As a tenant, it’s the single most important thing that you can do and hopefully will build trust in this relationship. Understanding your rights is another thing. Learn about the state laws that are intended to protect tenants. For instance, the amount of money your landlord may demand as a security deposit is governed by rules.
Another important thing that tenants forget to do is document everything. Keep the copy of your lease agreement, and if maintenance requests are being ignored, put them in writing and keep copies of them. And finally, communicate clearly. It’s understandable that some things that we say may be forgotten, so put everything in writing and if it is needed - you will have proof.
So, guys, what do you think about this story? Have you ever been in a situation where you had a hard time dealing with a landlord? How did you deal with them? Share it in the comments below!
Redditors discussed the situation with OP and shared their personal stories
