Read some crazy landlord stories that really happened and find out what you can do as a renter if you find yourself in a similar tough situation.
What you will find out:
The camera was put in my bathroom by my landlord.
2. Because I did not want to go to church, my owner tried to hold a Bible study in my flat.
3. My owner broke into my flat to check that the shelves in the fridge were clean.
4. There was no heat in my flat, but my owner would not fix it and still wanted the full rent.
5. I was accused of lowering the value of the property, even though it had gotten a lot better, and I did not get my deposit back. I won the court case!
Every day, things like this happen. We recently asked more than 100 renters from all over the US what their craziest rental story was, and what they said surprised us. We have put together the top five stories, which range from bad living conditions to huge privacy invasions. We have also included the tenant’s legal rights and options.
When you have a bad landlord, the first thing you should do is learn what your rights are as a renter. And if you do not know what to do next, it is best to talk to a lawyer before things get worse.
1.The camera was put in my bathroom by my landlord.
The most obvious mistake on our list of law mistakes is a clear invasion of privacy. In thirteen states, it is against the law to use secret cams to spy on people. In general, you can not use a camera in a bathroom or other private place. But even states that do not have rules about secret cameras still respect a tenant’s right to privacy and think that this kind of spying is wrong.
If someone is right to privacy is invaded to this extent, it could be seen as a crime, so if this happens to you, you should talk to an expert.
2. Because I did not want to go to church, my owner tried to hold a Bible study in my flat.
Tenants have the right to “quiet enjoyment,” which means they can use and enjoy the place they are renting without any problems. Whether or not this is in your rental or lease deal, this is a right that most states recognize by common law.
This right is broken when the owner does something wrong to the renter or their property, is careless, or when the property can not be lived in anymore. In the case of the Bible study in the flat, this could be an abuse of the tenant’s right to enjoy peace and quiet. If this is the case, you might want to talk to an expert.
3. My owner broke into my flat to check that the shelves in the fridge were clean.
There are many reasons why a landlord might want to go into the room of a tenant. Most of the time, the owner will have to give the renter a written notice to enter to let them know they are coming. This is allowed as long as they give enough notice (usually 24 hours). A owner can only go into a tenant’s room without permission in an emergency, like if there is a gas leak, or if it is not possible to give reasonable notice ahead of time.
Unless there was an emergency with the fridge shelves (unbearable smells? ), it looks like this owner did not follow the law.
4. There was no heat in my flat, but my owner would not fix it and still wanted the full rent.
When you sign a rental or lease deal, you need to know what your and your landlord’s responsibilities are for keeping the apartment in good shape. Most of the time, it is your landlord’s job to make sure you have heat, air conditioning, water, trash removal, fixes, and to let you know about health problems like mold or take care of them.
Landlords are required by local housing rules to keep residential properties in a condition where people can live there. Most state laws include a “implied warranty of habitability,” which says that the owner must not only give the property to the tenant in a condition that makes it safe to live in, but also keep it in that condition for the length of the tenant’s lease. By giving your owner a renter maintenance request, you can make an official request for repairs. If they still do not help, try writing your owner an official complaint letter or telling your local housing authority.
5. I was accused of lowering the value of the property, even though it had gotten a lot better, and I did not get my deposit back. I won the court case!
As I said in the last point, you will want to remember what you are supposed to do to keep the house in good shape. On the renter side, this can mean anything from paying rent on time and following specific rules (like not having pets or smoking) to keeping the property in good shape or paying for utilities. Most states require that when you move out, your owner give you back the full amount of your security deposit or give you a list of reductions and why they were made. The best way to keep your deposit safe is to take pictures of the rental unit is state before you move in and have your owner sign off on your renter’s inspection form.
If the place is well taken care of, you should get your whole deposit back. If your landlord takes money out of your security deposit for damage you did not do or keeps it for longer than is “reasonable,” they could be fined in many states. In some states, the owner is also required to keep your deposit in a different account to make sure it does not get spent, and they may even have to pay you interest on those funds. If a landlord has to go to small claims court and the court rules in favor of the tenant, as it did with this tenant, the landlord will not only have to return the full security deposit but will also have to pay a fine. You can look at the rules in your city or state to see if your landlord could be fined.
