Apartment Complex Tried To Nickel And Dime A Tenant, So They Found A Better Place For Cheaper And Left The Company With A Loss

Jayne Elliott

4 months ago

Source: Reddit/Petty Revenge/Pexels/RDNE Stock project

Being told you have to pay more money per month for rent due to a problem that you are not responsible for sounds like a nightmare rental situation.

Today’s story is told by a renter who found a way to get revenge on a property management company and landlord who asked for too much.

Let’s see how the story plays out…

I left a landlord and property management company with a loss because they tried to nickel and dime me.

I know the title is bad, but hear me out.

This happened a while ago after I relocated to a new city.

I signed a new 1-year lease for a townhouse in the downtown core and really enjoyed where I lived.

The townhouse was OK, but a little less nice that I anticipated during my showing. Caveat emptor I suppose. The only other relevant background is the Lease said the security deposit would be used for the last month’s rent and would not be held as a damage deposit.

OP decided to renew the lease.

The year passed with very few problems.

The water heater went out in the dead of winter, but I stayed in a hotel for 3 nights and offset that cost against the rent after verbally agreeing with the landlord to do so.

At the end of the year, the landlord asked if I wanted to renew.

I said yes. I was presented with a 1-year extension for the same rent, I signed it and sent it back.

The management company requested more money.

I waited about 2 weeks and hadn’t received the landlord-signed version back, so I inquired with the management company.

They said the landlord was mad because they didn’t get rent on the first of the month most of the time.

I asked what they were talking about because I always paid on or ahead of time, and they said that while I paid the management company on time (as required by the Lease), the management company hadn’t gotten it into landlord’s hands in time.

I said that wasn’t my problem per the Lease, but the management company requested $100 more per month on the extension to make up for the inconvenience.

They said they would send me a new lease reflecting the $100 increase, which they did.

OP decided to move.

I immediately went out and found a condo in a similarly ideal location which was much nicer that rented for $75 a month less than my existing rent.

I went through the background check with them and they sent me a lease to sign.

Before signing the new lease, I sent a certified letter to landlord and the management company of the old location saying my previous signature on the new lease, which had not yet been counter-signed, was revoked and ineffective because of their counter-offer and no longer capable of acceptance.

I then signed the new Lease.

The management company was upset that OP was moving out.

At that point, i had about 10 days left on the existing lease.

The management company and landlord called me freaking out because they wouldn’t be able to find a new tenant in time and would lose revenue.

I said not my problem, hired a moving company, cleaned up the old place and returned it to them in the same condition I received it.

I was thinking the story was going to end with OP not getting the security deposit back, but it sounds like everything worked out okay.

Let’s see how Reddit responded…

This reader thinks property management companies act “entitled.”