When their landlord raised their rent, this user and his family were already paying well over market value for an apartment. So, he decided to teach him a lesson!
A Tale Worth Telling
OP (Original Poster) didn’t imagine anyone would be interested in his story, but he wanted to tell it anyway. He wanted to share his victory against an “oppressive” landlord so others could enjoy it.
He wasn’t sure if it was revenge or just enforcing his rights, but it felt like revenge after what his landlord did to him.
A Bit Unfair
The apartment OP and his family shared was already “way above” market value. They were paying $5,000 a month in rent.
Asking for a Helping Hand
When it was time to renew their lease, OP and his family couldn’t move because they were dealing with some medical issues. They begged their landlord not to increase their rent, but he massively increased it anyway.
Biding Time
With their rent up, OP couldn’t do anything but wait until they resolved the medical issues. Once they dealt with the health problems, OP issued his early termination notice.
Not the Best Time
His landlord freaked out when he gave him his early termination. In OP’s area, it is hard to rent during the winter, which would leave him without a hefty monthly rent income.
Now That You Mention It
OP had been waiting for this because he knew their city had laws against massive rent increases, as his landlord had done to him. When his landlord freaked out, he replied with a lawyer’s notice on illegal rent increases.
Your Turn
When he got the notice, his landlord began to beg him to settle the suit out of court. OP’s landlord didn’t want to have to deal with going to court and paying fees.
More Troubles
On top of a pending court case against him, OP’s landlord had other issues. He couldn’t get his asking price out of the property, so he had to rent it for $1,000 less than he had to OP.
The Real Damage
OP decided to take his landlord’s offer and settle out of court. The settlement was for two months’ rent and his security deposit when they finished negotiating.
A Heavy Blow
OP calculated that the entire ordeal would cost his landlord about $20,000. He could have avoided all the extra expenses if he had not increased OP’s rent.
Hard to Calculate
There was also the fact that OP didn’t calculate how much his landlord would lose for having lowered the rent. Considering that, the actual cost of the entire episode was probably higher than $20,000.
A Continuous Gift
On top of the settlement, OP’s landlord can’t do anything about the rent until after winter. There would be months when he couldn’t collect what he wanted.
OP said they live in a high-rent area, and he believed that his landlord would also try to “fleece” his next tenant.
What the Community Thinks
Redditors were delighted to hear that OP had stuck it to a landlord like that.
One said it best by keeping things short and straightforward: “Landlord should’ve known the law and shouldn’t have been a d***.”
Another Redditor pointed out that good landlords like to hear about this happening to the bad ones, saying, “That’s awesome. I’m a landlord with one property, not some big corporate thing, and I love hearing about bad landlords getting their due. Well done, OP.”
A Hard Lesson
Losing $20,000 because you aren’t reasonable sounds like a stiff penalty.
One Redditor said, “A landlord who takes advantage of the tenants’ medical problems to increase the rent illegally, knowing they can’t move in their condition, deserves a lot worse than being forced in court to give back the loot.”
Was OP right in what he did? Should he have done something different, or was this just a case of a terrible landlord?
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This post first appeared as His Landlord Illegally Increased His Rent Even Though He Begged Him Not To, so as Payback, He Contacted a Lawyer and Won $20,000 After Settling Out of Court on Quote Ambition.
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