This Redditor shared how his friend taught his shady landlord a lesson that he would never forget after he ignored people’s reports of having bed bug-infested apartments. We think he did the right thing!
A Story Worth Sharing
OP (Original Poster) was a first-hand witness to how his friend, Paul, taught his landlord an expensive lesson!
Paul’s story was too good not to share, so he turned to Reddit to show people what could happen to sketchy and scummy landlords.
Paul’s Predicament
Paul needed a place to stay while he got himself set up with a job and a new apartment, so OP let him stay with him for a few months.
However, almost immediately after moving into his new place, Paul discovered he was renting an apartment infested with bed bugs!
Bed Bug-Infested Apartment
He shared that Paul wasn’t even there a week before he started seeing bed bugs and bites. So, Paul did what anyone would do and contacted the landlord’s office.
He reported the problem and asked for possible solutions. However, the office feigned ignorance.
There Aren’t Any Bed Bugs Here!
The landlord claimed that there were no other reports of bed bugs, and he had no idea what Paul was talking about. The landlord even went as far as to accuse Paul of having bed bugs before he moved in.
However, Paul knew the landlord was lying.
Reaching Out to His Neighbors
Paul started contacting his neighbors and asking them if they knew anything about the bed bugs. He found out that the others were also dealing with it and that the landlord had given them the same “bulls*** response.”
What Do I Do?
After his conversation with his neighbors, Paul decided to do some research to see what options they had as tenants, and Paul found something very interesting.
OP wrote, “Turns out they could easily report the problem to the city inspectors, and the more reports they got from the same address, the more likely they were to prioritize sending someone to inspect the building.”
Making a Move
Given what he had found out, Paul started putting together information on what he should include in the report. He also asked his neighbors to do the same.
Some of his neighbors seemed to follow Paul’s suggestions because it wasn’t long before he was contacted about the issue.
Things Were Moving Along
During this whole fiasco, Paul temporarily moved back in with OP, but he still had keys to the place. So, he met up with the assigned inspector at the building and showed her his apartment.
OP noted, “It was clearly infested, and there were signs in the hallway.”
Trying to Fix the Issue
The inspector assigned to the case was a woman who was very dedicated to her job. She told Paul’s landlord that it was his responsibility to cure the infestation.
The landlord then asked his usual exterminator to treat the apartment and the hallway, but it didn’t work. So, the inspector insisted they tear out the carpet and sections of flooring where the infestation seemed to have sprouted from.
Uncovering More Problems
At this point, the inspector discovered that multiple units were affected. This meant that the cost of repairs was piling, one on top of the other.
The inspector also discovered that the building had not been inspected properly in years. OP shared, “The landlord was dodging her and didn’t want to set up a time for her to do a full inspection, of course.”
Full Access Granted
Given the circumstances, Paul could get out of his lease.
He gave the inspector the punch code to the front door and pointed out several things he thought the landlord was hiding—bed bugs on other floors, malfunctioning elevator, old fire extinguishers, illegal basement-level units, improperly stored building supplies, tripping hazard floor in the laundry room, damaged walls, and more!
Uncovering His Secret
The inspector let Paul know that she’d been by the building several times, and one day, she came in a little early before her planned meeting time with the building manager. She overheard him trash-talking her and saying that “he didn’t want to be bothered.”
There’s More!
The family-owned firm that owned the building had several large apartment buildings in the area. The inspector intended to visit them all!
OP wrote, “She had already found tens of thousands in repairs for Paul’s building that she was insisting the owner make ASAP.”
Big Mistake
OP believed that, with how they were operating, all the other buildings were in a similar state.
He ended by saying, “They made an expensive mistake when they tried to ignore Paul!”
Redditors’ Reactions
The people in the community were disgusted and appalled by the thought that Paul and his neighbors had to live in a bed bug-infested place.
One said, “Bed bugs are terrifying. They are one of the few things we know of that like eating humans.” Another replied, “Super hard to kill, too; you practically have to burn down the building to get rid of them.”
He Got What He Deserved
People also commended OP for teaching his scummy landlord a lesson.
“Making scummy landlords pay is a Reddit fave! Scummy landlords provide no value to society, and it’s good to hear stories about them being penalized. They literally have no incentive to change until they are forced to do so,” wrote one user.
What do you think of what Paul did? Do you also believe his landlord deserved it?
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This post first appeared as His Scummy Landlord Leased Him an Apartment With Bed Bugs. So, He Reported Him to City Inspectors and Taught Him a Very Expensive Lesson! on Quote Ambition.
