A Reddit post shared to r/MaliciousCompliance detailed the experience of a tenant who moved into a new apartment with a few minor repairs that needed to be addressed. After waiting patiently for the repairs to be completed, the tenant said she confronted her landlord about the lack of action. According to the tenant, the landlord told her to file a complaint with the city because the issue was “not relevant” to her.
The tenant said it all began when she noticed that the paint on the ceiling of her bathroom started to peel. She said the problem became worse because of the moisture, causing the new paint to peel off in large chunks.
Having dealt with bad landlords in the past, the tenant said she knew what she believed her new property owner was supposed to do in the situation. However, she said the homeowner lived out of state and did not like being bothered. The tenant also claimed that, under the applicable local rules, landlords had 21 days to address a tenant’s issue.
The Landlord’s Response Led to a Much Bigger Inspection
After informing the landlord about the peeling paint, the tenant said she gave her 63 days, or roughly three months, to address the problem. During that time, contractors were scheduled to come to the apartment six times, but the tenant said they failed to show up on every occasion.
The next time the tenant spoke with the homeowner, she asked whether the issues were ever going to be fixed. She also mentioned the city’s code enforcement office to make clear that she was considering reporting the problem.
Instead of asking her to wait, the tenant said the landlord responded, “That is not relevant to me. File your claim with the city.”
So, the tenant said she did exactly that and immediately scheduled an inspector to come to the property.
When the inspector arrived, the tenant said he found more than just the peeling paint in the bathroom. He discovered two boarded-up windows in the basement that needed to be replaced with proper windows. He also found a major issue with the electrical breaker.
After the inspector advised her to contact the utility company about the electrical problem, someone from the electric company came to assess the situation.
According to the tenant, the utility company discovered that the wiring was crossed. She said she had been paying for the entire top floor of her neighbor’s apartment, while her neighbor had been paying for the kitchen and bathroom in her unit, as well as the basement.
Initially, the tenant said all she wanted was for her landlord to fix the peeling paint in her bathroom. Instead, she said the city inspection uncovered several additional issues with the property.
In the end, the tenant said she was left with an apartment that was brought into compliance with city code. She also suggested that correcting the electrical billing issue could potentially save her money.
The Daily Dot was unable to independently verify the events described in the Reddit post or the tenant’s claims about local landlord-tenant requirements. The details in this article are based on the account shared by the original poster on r/MaliciousCompliance.
