Imagine renting an apartment where basic utilities like gas and electricity are included in your rent. What would you do if the landlord didn’t pay the utility bills, and you didn’t have heat in the middle of winter?

In this story, an apartment building full of renters are in this exact situation, and it’s particularly awful for one renter. In the end, he decides to get revenge on the landlord but is smart enough to record what the landlord says so he’ll have proof in court.

Yes, this drama goes to court.

Let’s read all about it.

Cozy up to the fire.

So I lived in apartment in Maine that was fully furnished, heat water and electricity included in rent, a fireplace that worked but the heating that was included in the rent was a gas-powered heater in the basement.

I lived alone so I felt the need for some companionship but instead of getting a normal pet like a dog or cat for some reason I decided to go up bamboo shark. The setup for the shark was nearly two grand. And I felt like it was a good choice because that shark acted like a dog and a cat all at the same time it was playful and lazy and had a wonderful personality especially for just some fish.

I will admit I got a little more attached to a fish than normal people would care to admit I love him. I named him Orion because three of his spots were actually kind of shaped like stars, if you used a lot of imagination.

The name orion slowly turned into Ojo little brother who would visit wouldn’t be able to pronounce Orion so that’s what it became.

Things changed when he got a new landlord.

Anyway for the first part of the year the apartment was great and a godsend because it was relatively cheap and it was hard to find an apartment that would pay your electricity and Heating and the landlord was quite nice.

Before my lease was up however the apartment was sold to a different owner, the new owner was not as pleasant as the previous and we would often have issues that would pop up that in my mind we’re not big deals.

Such as he would walk by my window he would say just passing by; which I don’t think is true because you’d have to get onto the porch and actually peer into my window and see that I have dishes to do so in his mind the apartment was a complete wreck and he has the right to kick me out.

I double checked my leased with a realtor friend of mine and in no spot in the least with any mention of keeping the apartment clean until move out day they could charge me $400 if the apartment was messy. I would always clean up though because I’m not an animal and like to have things relatively clean.

Uh-oh!

What one big issue that I had along with other tenants is that we would pay rent and he would not pay for the gas company to keep our heat on.

After a couple times of this in a Maine winter things were getting rather cold and other tenants were starting to complain oh, luckily he turned the heat back on after I sent him an email stating that all the tenants have the same problem being that we are in the same building as each other and we need cheat to stay alive and we are not afraid to press charges.

I admit the letter I sent was Overkill and he called me out on it that we could just buy our own gas but we had already bought our gas through the rent!

This is awful!

Unfortunately however, the following months he did not pay the gas bill again and I had awoken to my apartment freezing and instantly thought about Orion being cold so I ran over to make sure the heating on his tank was still working.

It was not or the landlord also cut electricity. So Orion sadly passed away.

This made me Furious and somewhat depressed and I demanded to be reimbursed for Orion.

This conversation was on the phone and my landlord chuckled on that sure I can deduct it from my next rent payment. He was thinking that Orion was a goldfish so he owed me 5 cents.

The bill was much, much more than five cents.

I explained to him know he is not $0.05 and I also want to be reimbursed for all of his supplies being that I no longer need them because he killed my fish.

He said fine just write a check for the remainder of the rent so I sent him a bill for $1,000.

The bill made him mad and he said that she would not pay for gas without my rent check.

I told him that we were all caught up and other tenants need their heating so you need to pay the gas for what they pay for as well being that the heater Heats all the apartments.

The landlord is heartless!

He hung up and I didn’t hear from him for two weeks, until we started the new month without heat again and I called him up and said that we need our Heat.

He said I don’t care what you guys do you are the third tenant to call me today I’m on vacation down in Florida so there’s nothing I can do.

I made a comment on that what do you expect us to do burn all of our furniture trying to stay warm?

He laughed at me again and said if that’s what you want to do I’m completely fine with it. It will just help you not leave so much crap in the apartment when I kick you out next month when I get back.

Recording the landlord was a smart move.

Something clicked she didn’t realize when he bought the apartment he was buying all my furniture to that was furnished by the previous owner! So I pulled out a recorder and told him I’m recording of it what you say next, can you please repeat but you told me that it was fine to burn my furniture to keep warm?

The landlord said yeah but I’m not reimbursing you up for any of the furniture if that’s what you want to do that’s what you can do.

So I started burning my furniture and in my apartment the fireplace also heats up the rest of the apartments so I went to one other tenant and asked him if he was moving next month and he was and I told him my evil plan and how we were heating ourselves this month, she was happy with the plan and donated all of his furniture as well which was the landlord’s.

It was finally time to move out.

The landlord had come back and I asked for him to come over so we may talk and settle things before I leave.

He came in and saw that my apartment was completely emptied. He laughed and made a comment about must have been a cold one last month.

I said yeah luckily I had all your stuff here to keep me warm at night.

He paused and looked at me and questioned what do you mean my stuff?

Now, the landlord realizes the problem.

Then I ask didn’t you realize that all of the apartments come fully furnished?

He seemed to be taken by surprise, and was stammering and said that I would have to replace all the furniture for the next tenants.

Don’t you remember you told me to burn all the furniture?

Not my furniture he exclaimed

The landlord sent OP a bill.

Yours was the only one in the apartment, but I also got some donations from other tenants. I laughed

Both he and I went out of the apartment me and to my car him into his and the last thing he said to me is that I’m going to have to pay him back for this!

I had gotten a bill in the mail later on and read it oh, he was charging me for all the furniture even the other apartments furnitures. Heres the total, $800 table × 2, $80 chair × 8, $200 end table ×4, $40 barstool ×10, $700 couch ×1, $20,000 for fire damages, $400 cleaning, and heres my favorite bill: reimbursement for fraudulent death of pet claims, $4,000. Quick math $27580.

See you in court!

Obviously we went to court over this, when I was asked if I felt that these charges were Fair I said no or he told me to do it.

Landlord chuckled

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I have a recording your honor.

Lets hear it.

The judge’s reaction had OP worried.

I played it, the judge didn’t seem too impressed….. DARN

judge stays silent for a minute while rereading the bill. Whats this fraudulent death of pet claim?

My landlord answered, says that I owed him money because his dumb fish died because it’s too cold.

Was there a fish? -judge

Landlord: ya, but there was no way it was that expensive of a fish.

Let’s see what the judge had to say.

Judge: it’s not the price of the fish that concerns me what concerns me is that your tenants are paying for services that they are not receiving and thus their way of life is suffering to a point that this man lost a pet and felt the need to burn all of the furniture to stay warm. It’s very concerning to me that there was a fish that died and there is a recording of you laughing at off that they should burn their furniture I am sure you are suing them for following your advice. The recording alone wouldn’t have helped the tenant but the fact that you put the fish’s death on your own bill to be reimbursed for it chose me that you are in the wrong. What’s the fire damage?

Landlord: before the tenant had use the fireplace the fireplace was clean and now it needs to be cleaned out of the soot.

Landlord was also planning on replacing the fireplace completely but didnt say it.

Judge: so that’s a part of the cleaning. Tenant owes landlord $400 for cleaning and that’s it. Case closed.

I don’t think the tenant should’ve owed anything. His fish died. He didn’t have heat. It was awful.

Let’s see how Reddit responded to this story.

This person thinks OP missed a step.

Another person thinks he needed a lawyer.

This is the craziest part.

Another person doesn’t like the way the story ended either.

A lawyer might’ve been able to help. I don’t think the judge should’ve made the tenant pay for anything. The landlord needs to be fined by laughing when tenants are living without heat in the middle of winter. This is not okay!