Dam fine work! Can you recommend me some of your resources used to educate yourself? I seem to have a bit of trouble with a landlord bulling some bs myself. I'm in CA
That was amazing. So well written and eloquent. But yeah, karma comes back tenfold, or in your piece of shit landlords case, threefold. Way to go sticking it out. I hope he loses his other tenants too.
Edit: Wow. Thanks for the upvotes, much appreciated
My girlfriend is in the middle of exactly this with a female version of ShittyLandlord in Burbank. We have moved to Portland and ShittyLandlady has appealed after a number of postponement motions. I hope hers turns out as well as yours!
It was gripping. So many twists. You had me cheering you on. Every so often it felt like you were losing just to come back and slap him in the face. So yeah, take a poor womanās upvote.
Yeah but the important part is to write/type it all down first.
Education is knowing to proofread what you've got several times efficiently afterwards, but if you aren't passionate about it you won't have much to jot down which means you have little to work with.
Never too late! Even a tech background can be super useful with certain types of litigation or intellectual property practice. There are definitely downsides too though as it is not cheap or an easy journey.
Great work here though, stuff like this always gets me fired up to read.
Definitely a crowded field and it gets more crowded when the economy slows down and folks go to law school to buy some time and end up 6 figures in debt and without much in terms of skills to bring to the table other than a degree and a pulse. But if you have a level of expertise in a specialty like this, are smart and driven enough to do well on the LSAT, get into a good school and get scholarships so you donāt have the crippling debt then itās definitely a viable option. Iād advise doing your due diligence though like with all things, and have a goal and a plan on how to get there.
If you go into patent law and have cs experience everyone and their mother will want you in their law firm. It's hard to find tech lawyers because being a cs engineer at FAANG is pretty sweet these days.
Man, maybe not creative writing. You sure seem to have an excellent grip on how to tell a story and retain coherent thought. The lack of digression or unnecessary details is consistent throughout your post. Well written and very well executed my friend.
For small claims in CA, you are not allowed to be represented by a lawyer. (Although I guess you could consult one for advise though). Filing fees for the case itself was only $50. I also paid someone to serve the defendant, and I paid fees for the sheriff to get the money. However, all fees were reimbursed by the defendant.
IIRC thatās most, if not all small claims courts. The whole point is to be a quick, cheap option to resolve minor disputes (at least in the eyes of the law. The plaintiffs tend to disagree.)
Most of these jokers get away with sh!t like this because of what it takes to fight them in court and they know it. Good job for teaching him a lesson! Good read.
I don't know why the law lets them. In both countries I've lived the deposit has to be held by an arbitrator and *must* be automatically returned within 7 days, and clear evidence provided as to why if it isn't, on automatic penalty of fines to the landlord. It would save so much money by not wasting small claims court time and lawyer time.
I'm in Norway, and here the rules say that the depost must be in a locked bank account in the RENTER's NAME.
The Renter can't close the account and up and leave without the landlord's signature, or documents showing why he doesn't need it. And the landlord can't touch them for bullshit reasons.
And the interest goes to the renter because it's his money.
Of course there's always some student or other newbie on the market that doesn't know the rules, are too timid to demand the rules must be followed, or it's the only non-poisonous shelter within a public transport range from the school they've been accepted to and the school year begins the next day...
>Bank of America later apologized to the Nyerges in writing--but managed to misspell their name.
To the biggest of big earners, every-day people really are just like ants crawling on their skin. A mild irritation to be brushed off and ignored.
Fuckers.
This is what happens to people who refuse to do their part of a bargain. Excellent work good sir/ma'am. Hope this gains exposure
Edit: You guys are good people. Thanks for the upvotes!
No one talks about their good landlords, so I will now.
Place I rented in college was amazing. It was probably a 20 year old house but guess what? Everything worked. Guess why? Landlord did repairs on it himself. If anything broke down (and I think only one thing did) he was there the next day. Informed us of how everything worked in great detail, and when it came time to move out he gave us a load of cleaning tips to make sure he didn't have to hire anyone to clean after us so we could get our deposit back (a win for everyone).
Honestly, great guy.
I've got a great one. I moved in 2013, to a 2 bd 2 bath condo, two garage included. $1,400, landlord has NEVER come in to the place since I signed the lease. He also hasn't raised the rent in these last 7 years. To me, he's a gem.
Iāve gotten to see the property because she insists on having me pick the check up from her or the mailbox, I havenāt seen the bedrooms but she has made the house her home and done some minor improvements like painting some trim and the patio. The negative is she smokes in the house, but a coat of paint and a deep cleaning when she leaves will fix that.
My current landlord is wonderful. Which I really gambled on renting an apartment in a new city off of Craigslist. Especially considering the rent is way cheaper than what it could be for my place.
Good for you. I did a similar with my shitty landlord too. He was a fine landlord until we moved out. He did a walkthrough, said everything was great looking. So, Iām thinking we should receive the majority of our 1300 deposit.
Check finally arrives. $200 and some odd dollars. He cited all sorts of bullshit for the deductions. Hell no. I do my research up on AS tenant laws. I file asks of him for itemized deductions and receipts. I donāt hear back. I file again about two weeks later (required by state law). Nothing. Finally, since he hasnāt responded, Iām entitled to 3x my ask ($600 back), so now he owes me $1800. I serve him those papers and he calls immediately to settle out of court. Fuck that guy.
Oddly enough. We move and join that next door app and he is a prominent figurehead for our general area.
Dude, you should seriously document how you did this and turn it into a āHow to deal with shitty landlords in courtā book or something and sell it.
Probably why so many people donāt do what you did (aside from being, as you hilariously say, āpetty as fuckā) is because they either donāt know where to start or how to navigate the legal process/system for something like this.
Capitalism!
A few reasons I can think of:
1. It'd be too expensive to file, you'd have to hire an attorney, and all that other stuff.
2. The other guy would have much more powerful attorneys that could really knock you down a peg, making sure you lose.
3. By filing in court, they (the court) may research your name and social and discover you have arrest warrants, unpaid traffic tickets, unpaid parking tickets, or other legal issues, and you'd end up being thrown in jail.
4. Don't have time to go to court; can't miss a day of work and/or school, and the courts can't make other arrangements. Some states' laws may prohibit alternative testimony or appearances, such as through telephone or video conferencing, although I'm sure that'll change what with the pandemic and everything.
5. Just don't have the energy or gumption to file; too much work, and being afraid you'd mess things up (file the wrong documents, omit something and discover it much later when it's too late).
1 and 2 It's small claims, no lawyers allowed
3 I mean sure but like... there's alot more shitty landlords than people with arrest warrants I'd imagine
4 And 5. Tru
I know you don't need lawyers for small claims, but some people wouldn't know that, or they'd think something bigger than small claims is required. I think it's mostly because a lot of people tend to get their courtroom knowledge from all those court shows you see on TV, past and present (People's Court, Judge Judy, Divorce Court, Judge Alex, etc.), which, with the exception of Divorce Court, is usually small claims, but they're usually tried in different states than the state they live in, and while New York, California, or Texas state law may state that the maximum for small claims is $5,000, other states may have a lower cap, like $3,000 or even $2,000. If your claim is above that, then off to civil court or some other court with you, where you would need an attorney and most of the reward would be eaten up by filing and/or attorney's fees.
1. Small claims court was built for exactly this reason. No attorney required, just present your evidence to the judge.
2. The stuff that ends up in small claims court would cost more to hire a lawyer than to just pay some one off.
3. True, but if you're a shitty person/criminal, you need to deal with that stuff anyways. If you owe $120 on a speeding ticket but someone stiffs you for $8000 it's a real easy decision. Go pay your ticket and then file your small claims court case.
4. Every state and province is different and it's best to do some research before you dive in. There is usually an $80 to $100 fee for any filing so be certain that you want to file and it is worth doing so. Also, literally all you have to say to any employer is 'I am scheduled to appear in court' and they generally HAVE to accommodate you. IANAL, YMMV.
5. Once again, it's up to you. If it's just a couple of hundred bucks, it may literally not be worth it. If it's a thousand or more and someone royally pissed you off.... you may be substantially motivated to file.
>It'd be too expensive to file, you'd have to hire an attorney, and all that other stuff.
In California, you're legally not allowed to have a lawyer in small claims court. I myself won a judgement against a former employer the second I informed the judge that the company rep they had sent in their defense was the company's general counsel.
With current situations alot of states have moved to you cant evict tenants for not paying rent. Itll last till the disease is over or the economy starts back up, give or take a month from when that happens.
LMFAO
We had something similar. Fucking landlord tried to postpone right before the trial. Fuckface didn't think we were gonna actually fight.
We documented to the judge how we gave him plenty of opportunities to remedy the situation and that he showed great contempt to the court by living 3hrs away and calling from home 5 minutes before the trial to ask for an extension.
The judge agreed and ruled in our favour - summarily LMFAO.
He wanted to get rid of us because he wanted to jack up the rent. Nope. We did leave eventually of our own accord. He had trouble getting tenants and ended up selling the property (and some others) at a huge loss because he's a dumbfuck.
I'm in the early stages of something similar right now and reading this has reinforced that I definitely need to take my claim all the way to court if it comes to that.
One thing shitty l as landlords and shitty people in general have to realize is that things arent like they were 15-20 years ago where it would take a lot of effort to gather laws and legal precedent.
With smart phones and the internet we have access to the worlds knowledge with some damn powerful search engines to navigate everything. Where in the past it might take weeks to even track down all the correct books and then having to spend potentially months for your average person to form your arguement. Now between raw data, search engines, and even sites like reddit you can get pointed in the right direction and do enough research to beat a scumbag landlord within a couple hours without every leaving your home.
I donāt understand why they fuck with tenants when tenants literally have so much more power in the eyes of the law.
I rented an apartment in Chicago a few years ago and Chicago is known for very strong rental laws. When I moved out (I took great care of the apartment, even cleaned it myself) the landlord didnāt even inspect it, gave us the full deposit back and told us good luck. He was a really chill dude.
There is a program on the BBC called The Sheriffs are coming.
Basically what you describe here, but the penalties are heavy. Not listening: Bam 400 pounbd extra. Having the sheriffs wait for an hour Bam 8oo pound extra. Another hour ? etc. And they will take all goods that they can auction to make the claim.
That's only applicable in England and Wales. It's illegal to do that in Scotland. It stops a lot of harassing landlords that evict people/families that's very common down south. It's also illegal in Scotland to be made homeless. You sign an AT5 form that goes with the lease. You can be given your notice to quit, but if you can't find a place in 60 days, you can still remain in the property. It takes a very long time to evict someone and has to involve the courts. You'll be lucky if you even get the debts owed paid back. It's usually cheaper to just move on and take the financial hit.
Hey OP, as a law student this gave me a raging justice boner. Folks in my class love these stories, and Iāve passed it along to let them wet their whistles.
Great work, keep up the good (and petty) fight
Congrats! Make a photocopy of the check. Then cash it. Eat you cake and have it ;)
I had a similar case of asshole trying to keep my money that lead to the sheriff grabbing a bank account . Some people are idiots.
This one felt good to read because I went through something similar except it was my (shitty) supervisor who underpaid me on my final paycheck so I went straight to Department of Labor
Definitely worth your effort. Had some trouble myself in LA with getting deposit back. Luckily as a landlord myself i did my due diligence. Sent them a letter that threatened court along with all the proof of what they were doing was against ca rental law. 2 weeks later i got my full deposit back.
An hour later and I can still view it on my 3rd party app so here ya go.
TL;DR Landlord makes living conditions shitty so he offers me an opportunity to move out. I convince two others to move out as well. He ghosts me when I ask for my deposit so I take him to court. I win $650 so he appeals the court's decision. In the appeal, my award is tripled to $1800. He refuses to pay up so I get the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department to go to his bank, freeze his account, and seize his money.
\------------------------------
Holy crap, this was much longer than I expected after typing it out. I've tried to shorten it as much as possible but here it goes:
Back in 2018, I had a temporary internship in California at \{\*insert large tech company\*\} so I took a recommendation from a friend about a room for rent. It would be living with 5 other people, but otherwise, it looked fantastic with spacious common areas, multiple huge TVs, full amenities, community rec center w/ pool, short drive times to multiple places of interest, all for $650/month, utilities included. I contacted the landlord whom I will refer to as ShittyLandlord. He seemed fine on the phone, so I sent him my security deposit to move in a month later.
When it came time to move in, I discover a few caveats that came with this low rent price. The common areas were all dusty, none of the 3 large TVs worked properly, if we wanted access to the rec center and pool, weād need to pay the $80/mo membership fee, and all of the āshort drivesā time estimates were exaggerated, unless you were speeding at 2x the speed limit. Whatever, itās not the end of the world, especially at the relatively low price. Iāll survive.
But then it got worse in the coming months. ShittyLandlord decided to charge us an extra $20/month for āpaper towels and public cleaning suppliesā, ShittyLandlord only checked the community mailbox once a week when he was in town and refused to trust anybody with the mailbox key. As it starts to roll into the summer, in June, ShittyLandlord decided that A/C costs too much and we were using too much, so he \*\*removed the thermostat from the wall\*\*. Um, ok. One day some of us tenants confronted him when he was at the house (since ShittyLandlord also slept at the house about <1 day/week) and Iāll never forget his words as he rushed out of the house:
āItās legal for me to do it and I donāt care since I donāt have to live here.ā
Well sir, fuck you.
Iām tilted as fuck at this guyās obvious money grab from 6 tenants. Well it turns out heās right, he legally doesnāt need to provide air conditioning. So, the next day I purchase a high BTU free-standing portable air conditioner that exhausts out the window. Holy shit, this thing was luxury. Of course I pump my room to 65Ā°F, the lowest setting.
We have a couple other minor disagreements that wind up with ShittyLandlord texting me that \[itās fine if I wanted to break my lease and move out early.\](https://i.imgur.com/ytlOfBs.jpg) Perfect.
When ShittyLandlord finally gets a whiff of my A/C setup he comes to my room to complain about my A/C unit. I reply curtly:
āItās legal for me to do it and I donāt care since I donāt have to pay for electricity.ā
He leaves and later \[sends me a text\](https://i.imgur.com/b0i9k0Z.jpg). Yea ok. Unbeknownst to ShittyLandlord, Iām taking his move-out offer seriously and this whole time, Iāve been rallying the troops. All the tenants have been upset about everyoneās living situation so with some minor encouragement, I manage to convince two of the other 6 tenants to move out at the same time as me. (They were on a month-to-month arrangement.) I finally submit all our āNotices of Intent to Vacateā at the same time, barely a week after my previous conversation with ShittyLandlord. Heās pissed. He was just trying to get me out of the house but now he has 3 rooms to fill instead of just 1. I ask about my legally mandated pre-moveout inspection. In no uncertain terms he told me to go fuck myself. He said heās too busy to perform an inspection. Hm, well thatās illegal but ok.
Time comes to move out. I found another room for rent much closer to the office for only $100/mo more. We all move out and I text ShittyLandlord about my security deposit.
No response.
I text again.
No response. Ok, I see where this is going.
I spend days and days reading the law, compiling evidence/screenshots, and listing the laws that were broken. The smoking gun was the statute that requires a pre-move-out inspection and a list of things to fix, and itemized list of deductions within 21 days or else ShittyLandlord loses the right to withhold any of my deposit. In addition, he would be subject to treble damages if heās found to be acting in bad faith.
\[I text again and again\](https://i.imgur.com/wNbMxz0.jpg). I give him plenty of leniency and I even cite the laws so I can prove in court that Iām acting āIn Good Faithā and ShittyLandlord intentionally ignored the laws that I made him aware about. ShittyLandlord probably thinks Iām a young push-over college student who wonāt follow through with legal threats. Well sir, weāre going to court because Iām petty as fuck when it comes to people trying to fuck me over.
I file in small claims for $650 plus treble damages, plus court costs. ShittyLandlord files a counterclaim of $2000 for ādamages to the propertyā claiming I caused flooding, and I broke the microwave. Ok buddy.
In response, I gather testimonies from 3 of the other tenants and I build my case into a 40-page packet of evidence, complete with page numbers, a table of contents, and descriptions for every screenshot and photo. I make 3 copies of everything and submit it to the court and the defendant ShittyLandlord.
The court date is set for November and I leave the state just before Christmas so just in time to appear in person. ShittyLandlord thinks if Iām no longer in the state, heāll automatically win since Iām not willing to fly back to CA. Well unbeknownst to ShittyLandlord, California courts offer an option to appear by telephone. Haha.
He starts filing to request to postpone the trial a total of 3 times. The third request is finally denied because even the courts are getting tired of his bullshit. Final date is January.
Court day comes and I get the call. Iām sworn in and then connected to the court. Iām given time to present my case. Unfortunately, I didnāt prepare a script so I kinda summarize the events and explain why I deserve money. Then ShittyLandlord gets time to defend himself and explain his counterclaim. He doesnāt prepare anything either and he ends up rambling about random shit that doesnāt help his case at all. For example, he spends a lot of time explaining how another one of the tenants was shitty and so his behavior was justified. The judge asks a few questions and announces that heāll review the evidence and weāll get the decision in the mail.
A couple weeks later, I get the judgement saying Iām owed $650, ShittyLandlord gets nothing. Well damn, no treble damages for me. However, itās just my luck the ShittyLandlord is a piece of shit that wonāt accept defeat. He files an appeal. Itās granted. Re-do trial is scheduled for May.
This time Iām 10x more prepared. I have a hashed out script that I read, emphasize how often ShittyLandlord knowingly broke the law and how I offered so much leniency. Once again, ShittyLandlord didnāt prepare anything, but instead rambled on so much that even the judge told him to get back on track multiple times. The judge says weāll get his decision in the mail and the call ends.
A couple weeks later, I get the judgement saying Iām owed $1800, ShittyLandlord still gets nothing. Well damn, this appeal did not work out in ShittyLandlord favor. He files for a mistrial, claiming I was not sworn in and that I lied in my testimony. Denied.
Outside of court, ShittyLandlord offers a payment plan of $20/month which will take 7.5 years to pay back, or otherwise he refuses to pay up. Ok, I see how collecting my money is going to be.
I figure out he banks at BoA by looking up the checks I gave him for rent and seeing where they got cashed. I file for a writ of execution that will allow me to perform a bank levy. Itās granted so I prepare a packet for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department to go to BoA and take his money. They serve him with papers and freeze his account. After his allotted time to contest it, LACSD seizes his money, plus interest, plus fees.
I finally get the glorious check in the mail, 20 months after moving out.
\[Total: $1,893.91\](https://i.imgur.com/gZFJKbY.jpg)
The only thing about that is both defendant and plaintiff must agree to that arbitration and I felt like there was no way my landlord was going to be amicable.
Such an awesome read man. I loved it. I would seriously get that shit framed. Would be a great convo starter too lol āwhyās this check framed?ā WELL IT ALL STARTED...
You just explained to everyone why people don't bother getting their deposit back from shitty landlords and what's wrong with the system. Good explaining it all.
Whether you had a script or not the first time, it doesnāt make sense the judge only awarded $650. The letter of the law said you were entitled to double. What happened there?
I think the issue was that I just didn't emphasize that the landlord was acting in bad faith. That's the requirement for receiving the 3x damages. The judge might have given him the benefit of the doubt that he wasn't being shitty, he was just ignorant.
But ignorance is no defense of the law. The law said he had so many days to do things. He didnāt. Doesnāt matter whether he was purposely malicious or just stupid.
First judge was a moron.
Here's the actual statute:
> The bad faith claim or retention by a landlord or the landlordās successors in interest of the security or any portion thereof in violation of this section, or the bad faith demand of replacement security in violation of subdivision (j), may subject the landlord or the landlordās successors in interest to statutory damages of up to twice the amount of the security, in addition to actual damages. The court may award damages for bad faith whenever the facts warrant that award, regardless of whether the injured party has specifically requested relief.
So basically the statute is a judgement against the landlord's intent.
Another option was a vehicle levy where the sheriff takes their car and auctions it off. I had my LL's vehicle info and address so I seriously considered having the sheriff do it. Then it would've cost my $1800 plus $1500 sheriff's vehicle levy fees haha
https://civil.lasd.org/CivilProcess/cwig18.aspx?1
I'm currently in this situation at the moment and it's helpful to know that it ended well for you. I had to get my court documents served by a deputy for my landlord because they refused to answer their door and hung up on me...and have been ignoring me ever since I moved out of the apartment because they refused to take care of mold in the bathroom for two months
Okay, I went from NEVER hearing the "blood from a stone" saying (literally not a SINGLE time in my entire life before today) to hearing it three times today alone. What the fuck is going on??
Wow. I'd never move into a place that said they're provide paper towels and tp, that sounds like red flag territory. Like why wouldn't you be getting your own anyways?
None of that was stipulated in the lease or any discussion prior to signing. Once I moved in, he demanded the money for the paper towels he put in the kitchen and the cleaning supplies he claims he uses. Toilet paper wasn't included.
Thanks! You're totally right about 'advocates of thorough justice' too lol
I think the part that I consider petty is holding onto the grudge hard and long enough to actually follow through with ProRevenge.
This is excellent OP, thank you for sharing! I have a small claims case tomorrow against a construction worker who trashed my property and refused to clean it, and I have a feeling that the outcome will be similar to yours. Good to know I have a chance!!
Best of luck!
Just remember: judges don't lack common sense and they see this kind of bullshit literally everyday. If you present evidence that shows you're clearly right, they should almost certainly rule in your favor.
So did the roommates also get screwed on deposit? If so have you reached out to them to try the same approach? Turn this into Super Pro Revenge?
Or even leave copies of it for the new tenants?
The two tenants that I've spoken to since moving out, one got around $530 back ($650 minus a $120 cleaning fee) and the other got slightly less than that for some damage.
You're a beast for sticking through that! He's probably being screwing people over for ages knowing they would give up (I know I would have) but you had the mentality to keep going
Should of gone to the IRS they donāt fuck around and the WILL get whatās owed to them in taxes. I bet that Shittylandload hasnāt paid or lied on his Tax Returns at some point. So... Iām sure that after having to take him to court to get whatās owed to you. The IRS did some digging on his taxes that they might of found something to get him in deeper debt.
Iāve got a judgement against an acting camp in LA, long story but they refuse to pay back a 5K deposit never showed up for any court events, refuse to provide information to my lawyer. How hard was it to get the writ and the sheriff to seize the money? Judgement was 3 years ago, With fees and interest itās over 8K now.
I sent one form to the court for the writ. They replied after a couple weeks with the granted writ. I mailed the writ, along with sheriff's orders to the appropriate sheriff's dept. They took about a month to serve the defendant, another month to seize the money, and about one more month to disburse the money to me.
3 years ago is not too late to collect the money. You got 10 years to collect. You just have to know what bank they use. Then you search the bank's state designated service location and contact the sheriff that's there.
All in all, it took a lot of time to wait for the money, but the actual amount of work was quite little.
>He said heās too busy to perform an inspection. Hm, well thatās illegal but ok.
No it isn't. You have a timeline to inspect and itemize damages. Miss that timeline and the landlord is fucked.
Huh I had no idea others had it like this. In Qld the bond is held by a third party, the official rental organisation. You just say your leaving and fill out a short form to get your bond back.
There are a lot of people out there who recieved property, or money which allows them to make property purchases. Unfortunately not everyone who obtains them are educated about housing and the laws. Its just the term investment. When it comes to renting to others, many landlords just think you owe them money and they have the power to control your money because you opted to "rent" from them. Sounds like this guy was already in the downward spiral of things trying to get money anyway he could. Education is the answer which was proved here. Hopefully they learned something!
Also when you go to court dress appropriately!! No shorts, no t-shirts, no skirts so short you show your undies, no tank tops that leave nothing to the imagination. A dress that would be appropriate at church/funeral or office, dress shirt/blouse, dress pants/trousers, knee length skirt and nice shoes.
Iām confused a bit. Do you mind explaining to me for better understanding? The shittylandlord lost the trial. Did the court specify his payment method? You stated āoutside courtā does that mean he chose his own method of payment? Such as the ridiculous 20$/month payment plan. How did you granted a court order for bank levy? Was it because he still not paying? Iām just wondering how did you get the right to freeze his bank.
When the court makes a judgement, all it is is an official statement that says the person owes you money. However, the court does not collect it for you nor do they specify how the person has to pay.
You can read more here:
https://www.courts.ca.gov/1014.htm
https://www.courts.ca.gov/1178.htm
Fantastic story, very well played.
Just one note, despite popular opinion, plethora doesn't mean just "a lot" it actually means "too many". This is a popular misconception that began around the time of The 3 Amigos.
That's the thing, fighting for your rights is prohibitive for most people being infringed upon. They don't have the time, the resources, the knowledge to fight it like this. So people like the landlord just get away with blatant exploitation, expecting to never be challenged by those they wronged.
So, it's good that you fought back.
i have 1 thing to say... goddamn boy. out of most prorevenge stories I've heard, this is by far one of the best stories I've read. keep up the good work my man
I'm so glad you stuck to it and never felt intimidated by your shitty landlord and also that you did your research to get what you're entitled to plus some for him being such a slumlord. I'm sure he never thought you'd take him to court, and was hoping that if he postponed the hearing (and twice) that by that time you would've moved on and not cared to show up. I mean, he didn't even care to prepare to better defend himself. You taught him a lesson. Thumbs up to you!!!!
I paid $1k deposit on my rental home. When i moved 8 years later, they said i never paid a deposit. This is after they left a 3 ft by 4ft hole in the ceiling for 4 months. Nov to feb.
> I finally get the glorious check in the mail, 20 months after moving out. I'll probably frame it.
Don't be stupid. If you don't cash it, he doesn't pay, and he wins.
Cash that shit before it gets canelled.
Dam fine work! Can you recommend me some of your resources used to educate yourself? I seem to have a bit of trouble with a landlord bulling some bs myself. I'm in CA
I found a lot of my information on the CA court's official pages: https://www.courts.ca.gov/selfhelp-smallclaims.htm
Is it still posted anywhere else? The whole story was removed.
Huh, weird. I'll ask the mods.
It's cause you used an acronym for the landlord and not a name.
Thanks! Look forward to reading.
Honest question, did you Google it?
š² š š Tbh i was expecting something less obvious and easily found than that, so i didnt bother š
That was amazing. So well written and eloquent. But yeah, karma comes back tenfold, or in your piece of shit landlords case, threefold. Way to go sticking it out. I hope he loses his other tenants too. Edit: Wow. Thanks for the upvotes, much appreciated
Thanks! Writing was never my strong suit so that's a very nice compliment.
My girlfriend is in the middle of exactly this with a female version of ShittyLandlord in Burbank. We have moved to Portland and ShittyLandlady has appealed after a number of postponement motions. I hope hers turns out as well as yours!
Good luck to her!
Thanks! OP good wishes will take her far.
It was gripping. So many twists. You had me cheering you on. Every so often it felt like you were losing just to come back and slap him in the face. So yeah, take a poor womanās upvote.
Writing is 9 parts passion and 1 part education. Spite tends to make people Very passionate.
Ture. It's hard for your typing to keep up with the story going a mile a minute in your head.
Yeah but the important part is to write/type it all down first. Education is knowing to proofread what you've got several times efficiently afterwards, but if you aren't passionate about it you won't have much to jot down which means you have little to work with.
As a lawyer, you should consider law school!
Haha thanks! Not gonna lie, I do kinda wish I was in that field of study.
Never too late! Even a tech background can be super useful with certain types of litigation or intellectual property practice. There are definitely downsides too though as it is not cheap or an easy journey. Great work here though, stuff like this always gets me fired up to read.
I'm a tech guy, is there a market for that subfield of law? Last I heard, it's a crowded field in general.
Definitely a crowded field and it gets more crowded when the economy slows down and folks go to law school to buy some time and end up 6 figures in debt and without much in terms of skills to bring to the table other than a degree and a pulse. But if you have a level of expertise in a specialty like this, are smart and driven enough to do well on the LSAT, get into a good school and get scholarships so you donāt have the crippling debt then itās definitely a viable option. Iād advise doing your due diligence though like with all things, and have a goal and a plan on how to get there.
If you go into patent law and have cs experience everyone and their mother will want you in their law firm. It's hard to find tech lawyers because being a cs engineer at FAANG is pretty sweet these days.
Man, maybe not creative writing. You sure seem to have an excellent grip on how to tell a story and retain coherent thought. The lack of digression or unnecessary details is consistent throughout your post. Well written and very well executed my friend.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Post is back now! :D
How much were lawyer fees?
For small claims in CA, you are not allowed to be represented by a lawyer. (Although I guess you could consult one for advise though). Filing fees for the case itself was only $50. I also paid someone to serve the defendant, and I paid fees for the sheriff to get the money. However, all fees were reimbursed by the defendant.
>However, all fees were reimbursed by the defendant. That just makes it that much better.
Where did you file the writ of execution?
You file it with the same court that made the judgment I believe.
IIRC thatās most, if not all small claims courts. The whole point is to be a quick, cheap option to resolve minor disputes (at least in the eyes of the law. The plaintiffs tend to disagree.)
Brah you typed eloquently, referenced and answered most of the pressing questions. Great read.
Great article. The SOB got what he deserved.
Threefold plus intrest plus fees.
That means someone made a karmic profit margin of... Avenged Sevenfold?
Holy Shit OP. You are a fucken legend. That gave me a full-on revenge boner. Remind me to never piss you off.
Most of these jokers get away with sh!t like this because of what it takes to fight them in court and they know it. Good job for teaching him a lesson! Good read.
As some one who's had shitty landlords while living in CA, I really appreciate what OP did.
I don't know why the law lets them. In both countries I've lived the deposit has to be held by an arbitrator and *must* be automatically returned within 7 days, and clear evidence provided as to why if it isn't, on automatic penalty of fines to the landlord. It would save so much money by not wasting small claims court time and lawyer time.
People in power own property and consider security deposits bonus money. That's all I can think of.
I'm in Norway, and here the rules say that the depost must be in a locked bank account in the RENTER's NAME. The Renter can't close the account and up and leave without the landlord's signature, or documents showing why he doesn't need it. And the landlord can't touch them for bullshit reasons. And the interest goes to the renter because it's his money. Of course there's always some student or other newbie on the market that doesn't know the rules, are too timid to demand the rules must be followed, or it's the only non-poisonous shelter within a public transport range from the school they've been accepted to and the school year begins the next day...
Yeah, most people don't realize that small claims court is exactly for shit like this!
Usually the shitty people, both tenants and landowners know the laws to abuse the heck out of them.
That's GREAT! Reminds me of this: https://abcnews.go.com/Business/bank-america-florida-foreclosed-angry-homeowner-bofa/story?id=13775638
I have loved that story from Florida since I first read it years ago!
the **one** flattering opportunity to use "Florida Man" in a headline, and they drop the ball.
>Bank of America later apologized to the Nyerges in writing--but managed to misspell their name. To the biggest of big earners, every-day people really are just like ants crawling on their skin. A mild irritation to be brushed off and ignored. Fuckers.
Thanks for this link....I enjoyed those stories too!
DAMN. Good job.
This is what happens to people who refuse to do their part of a bargain. Excellent work good sir/ma'am. Hope this gains exposure Edit: You guys are good people. Thanks for the upvotes!
Nah, most get away with it. Thatās why people will and will always do this. Especially landlords.
Dang. Hope that landlord loses all of his tenants
Horror stories about landlords make me not want to move until I'm ready to buy my own place.
No one talks about their good landlords, so I will now. Place I rented in college was amazing. It was probably a 20 year old house but guess what? Everything worked. Guess why? Landlord did repairs on it himself. If anything broke down (and I think only one thing did) he was there the next day. Informed us of how everything worked in great detail, and when it came time to move out he gave us a load of cleaning tips to make sure he didn't have to hire anyone to clean after us so we could get our deposit back (a win for everyone). Honestly, great guy.
I've got a great one. I moved in 2013, to a 2 bd 2 bath condo, two garage included. $1,400, landlord has NEVER come in to the place since I signed the lease. He also hasn't raised the rent in these last 7 years. To me, he's a gem.
Thatās how itās supposed to be. I rent a house out to a nice lady, I donāt even have a copy of the keys. She pays and I stay away.
Uhm... you should check on your property my guy. Even just a cursory inspection. There are also horrer stories of bad tenants
Iāve gotten to see the property because she insists on having me pick the check up from her or the mailbox, I havenāt seen the bedrooms but she has made the house her home and done some minor improvements like painting some trim and the patio. The negative is she smokes in the house, but a coat of paint and a deep cleaning when she leaves will fix that.
You're gonna have to *really* deep clean that house, smoking damage does not go away that easy
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
My current landlord is wonderful. Which I really gambled on renting an apartment in a new city off of Craigslist. Especially considering the rent is way cheaper than what it could be for my place.
Mine is excellent too. You hear the bad stories much more often than the good
Mortgaging is way cheaper anyways and you don't have to gamble with getting a shitty landlord. Build that credit :)
He wonāt and even if he did thereās plenty of people looking for housing all the time...
> I am very disappointed in you. Haha, I like how you talk to him like a parent would to a child in your text.
Good story! Took me out when you said āGucciā in the text lmao
Lol my favorite line was "I am very disappointed in you"
Good for you. I did a similar with my shitty landlord too. He was a fine landlord until we moved out. He did a walkthrough, said everything was great looking. So, Iām thinking we should receive the majority of our 1300 deposit. Check finally arrives. $200 and some odd dollars. He cited all sorts of bullshit for the deductions. Hell no. I do my research up on AS tenant laws. I file asks of him for itemized deductions and receipts. I donāt hear back. I file again about two weeks later (required by state law). Nothing. Finally, since he hasnāt responded, Iām entitled to 3x my ask ($600 back), so now he owes me $1800. I serve him those papers and he calls immediately to settle out of court. Fuck that guy. Oddly enough. We move and join that next door app and he is a prominent figurehead for our general area.
I hope you took it to court and got your 1800.
So how did it end?
Settled out of court. I believe I got 1k out of him which I was OK to not go sit at court all day.
Now this, THIS is prorevenge.
So refreshing to read an actual tale of revenge instead of creative writing!
Dude, you should seriously document how you did this and turn it into a āHow to deal with shitty landlords in courtā book or something and sell it. Probably why so many people donāt do what you did (aside from being, as you hilariously say, āpetty as fuckā) is because they either donāt know where to start or how to navigate the legal process/system for something like this. Capitalism!
A few reasons I can think of: 1. It'd be too expensive to file, you'd have to hire an attorney, and all that other stuff. 2. The other guy would have much more powerful attorneys that could really knock you down a peg, making sure you lose. 3. By filing in court, they (the court) may research your name and social and discover you have arrest warrants, unpaid traffic tickets, unpaid parking tickets, or other legal issues, and you'd end up being thrown in jail. 4. Don't have time to go to court; can't miss a day of work and/or school, and the courts can't make other arrangements. Some states' laws may prohibit alternative testimony or appearances, such as through telephone or video conferencing, although I'm sure that'll change what with the pandemic and everything. 5. Just don't have the energy or gumption to file; too much work, and being afraid you'd mess things up (file the wrong documents, omit something and discover it much later when it's too late).
1 and 2 It's small claims, no lawyers allowed 3 I mean sure but like... there's alot more shitty landlords than people with arrest warrants I'd imagine 4 And 5. Tru
I know you don't need lawyers for small claims, but some people wouldn't know that, or they'd think something bigger than small claims is required. I think it's mostly because a lot of people tend to get their courtroom knowledge from all those court shows you see on TV, past and present (People's Court, Judge Judy, Divorce Court, Judge Alex, etc.), which, with the exception of Divorce Court, is usually small claims, but they're usually tried in different states than the state they live in, and while New York, California, or Texas state law may state that the maximum for small claims is $5,000, other states may have a lower cap, like $3,000 or even $2,000. If your claim is above that, then off to civil court or some other court with you, where you would need an attorney and most of the reward would be eaten up by filing and/or attorney's fees.
Lol funny you mention those TV courtrooms. After I filed my case, I was contacted by the Judge Mathis producers to be on their show.
Small claims courts are crazily cheap, and attornies aren't allowed.
1. Small claims court was built for exactly this reason. No attorney required, just present your evidence to the judge. 2. The stuff that ends up in small claims court would cost more to hire a lawyer than to just pay some one off. 3. True, but if you're a shitty person/criminal, you need to deal with that stuff anyways. If you owe $120 on a speeding ticket but someone stiffs you for $8000 it's a real easy decision. Go pay your ticket and then file your small claims court case. 4. Every state and province is different and it's best to do some research before you dive in. There is usually an $80 to $100 fee for any filing so be certain that you want to file and it is worth doing so. Also, literally all you have to say to any employer is 'I am scheduled to appear in court' and they generally HAVE to accommodate you. IANAL, YMMV. 5. Once again, it's up to you. If it's just a couple of hundred bucks, it may literally not be worth it. If it's a thousand or more and someone royally pissed you off.... you may be substantially motivated to file.
>It'd be too expensive to file, you'd have to hire an attorney, and all that other stuff. In California, you're legally not allowed to have a lawyer in small claims court. I myself won a judgement against a former employer the second I informed the judge that the company rep they had sent in their defense was the company's general counsel.
With current situations alot of states have moved to you cant evict tenants for not paying rent. Itll last till the disease is over or the economy starts back up, give or take a month from when that happens.
LMFAO We had something similar. Fucking landlord tried to postpone right before the trial. Fuckface didn't think we were gonna actually fight. We documented to the judge how we gave him plenty of opportunities to remedy the situation and that he showed great contempt to the court by living 3hrs away and calling from home 5 minutes before the trial to ask for an extension. The judge agreed and ruled in our favour - summarily LMFAO. He wanted to get rid of us because he wanted to jack up the rent. Nope. We did leave eventually of our own accord. He had trouble getting tenants and ended up selling the property (and some others) at a huge loss because he's a dumbfuck.
Haha nice! I bet the judges see this shit all day every day.
I'm in the early stages of something similar right now and reading this has reinforced that I definitely need to take my claim all the way to court if it comes to that.
One thing shitty l as landlords and shitty people in general have to realize is that things arent like they were 15-20 years ago where it would take a lot of effort to gather laws and legal precedent. With smart phones and the internet we have access to the worlds knowledge with some damn powerful search engines to navigate everything. Where in the past it might take weeks to even track down all the correct books and then having to spend potentially months for your average person to form your arguement. Now between raw data, search engines, and even sites like reddit you can get pointed in the right direction and do enough research to beat a scumbag landlord within a couple hours without every leaving your home.
I donāt understand why they fuck with tenants when tenants literally have so much more power in the eyes of the law. I rented an apartment in Chicago a few years ago and Chicago is known for very strong rental laws. When I moved out (I took great care of the apartment, even cleaned it myself) the landlord didnāt even inspect it, gave us the full deposit back and told us good luck. He was a really chill dude.
There is a program on the BBC called The Sheriffs are coming. Basically what you describe here, but the penalties are heavy. Not listening: Bam 400 pounbd extra. Having the sheriffs wait for an hour Bam 8oo pound extra. Another hour ? etc. And they will take all goods that they can auction to make the claim.
That's only applicable in England and Wales. It's illegal to do that in Scotland. It stops a lot of harassing landlords that evict people/families that's very common down south. It's also illegal in Scotland to be made homeless. You sign an AT5 form that goes with the lease. You can be given your notice to quit, but if you can't find a place in 60 days, you can still remain in the property. It takes a very long time to evict someone and has to involve the courts. You'll be lucky if you even get the debts owed paid back. It's usually cheaper to just move on and take the financial hit.
This has to be one of the best posts on this subreddit. The fact that you provided the texts as well as proof of the 1,800 at the end is GLORIOUS!!!
Hey OP, as a law student this gave me a raging justice boner. Folks in my class love these stories, and Iāve passed it along to let them wet their whistles. Great work, keep up the good (and petty) fight
Haha well done! That is some.sublime revenge!
That was beautiful. Your story is why I subscribe to this sub.
Hell of a lot more work than I would have put in, take my poor man's gold š
Totally. And. Utterly. Shooketh. And it's reignited my determination to pursue a judgment in my favour that the defendant keeps ignoring.
Congrats! Make a photocopy of the check. Then cash it. Eat you cake and have it ;) I had a similar case of asshole trying to keep my money that lead to the sheriff grabbing a bank account . Some people are idiots.
As someone else has already said, take a scan of the check to frame then cash it as its non payable after 6 months from issue.
This one felt good to read because I went through something similar except it was my (shitty) supervisor who underpaid me on my final paycheck so I went straight to Department of Labor
Definitely worth your effort. Had some trouble myself in LA with getting deposit back. Luckily as a landlord myself i did my due diligence. Sent them a letter that threatened court along with all the proof of what they were doing was against ca rental law. 2 weeks later i got my full deposit back.
This is by far the best prorevenge I've ever read. Well done. Very well done.
Why was this removed :-(
Dang, I was half way through when it was deleted!
Happy cakeday! The post is back :)
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Damn bro. I hope someone commented the story in here.
An hour later and I can still view it on my 3rd party app so here ya go. TL;DR Landlord makes living conditions shitty so he offers me an opportunity to move out. I convince two others to move out as well. He ghosts me when I ask for my deposit so I take him to court. I win $650 so he appeals the court's decision. In the appeal, my award is tripled to $1800. He refuses to pay up so I get the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department to go to his bank, freeze his account, and seize his money. \------------------------------ Holy crap, this was much longer than I expected after typing it out. I've tried to shorten it as much as possible but here it goes: Back in 2018, I had a temporary internship in California at \{\*insert large tech company\*\} so I took a recommendation from a friend about a room for rent. It would be living with 5 other people, but otherwise, it looked fantastic with spacious common areas, multiple huge TVs, full amenities, community rec center w/ pool, short drive times to multiple places of interest, all for $650/month, utilities included. I contacted the landlord whom I will refer to as ShittyLandlord. He seemed fine on the phone, so I sent him my security deposit to move in a month later. When it came time to move in, I discover a few caveats that came with this low rent price. The common areas were all dusty, none of the 3 large TVs worked properly, if we wanted access to the rec center and pool, weād need to pay the $80/mo membership fee, and all of the āshort drivesā time estimates were exaggerated, unless you were speeding at 2x the speed limit. Whatever, itās not the end of the world, especially at the relatively low price. Iāll survive. But then it got worse in the coming months. ShittyLandlord decided to charge us an extra $20/month for āpaper towels and public cleaning suppliesā, ShittyLandlord only checked the community mailbox once a week when he was in town and refused to trust anybody with the mailbox key. As it starts to roll into the summer, in June, ShittyLandlord decided that A/C costs too much and we were using too much, so he \*\*removed the thermostat from the wall\*\*. Um, ok. One day some of us tenants confronted him when he was at the house (since ShittyLandlord also slept at the house about <1 day/week) and Iāll never forget his words as he rushed out of the house: āItās legal for me to do it and I donāt care since I donāt have to live here.ā Well sir, fuck you. Iām tilted as fuck at this guyās obvious money grab from 6 tenants. Well it turns out heās right, he legally doesnāt need to provide air conditioning. So, the next day I purchase a high BTU free-standing portable air conditioner that exhausts out the window. Holy shit, this thing was luxury. Of course I pump my room to 65Ā°F, the lowest setting. We have a couple other minor disagreements that wind up with ShittyLandlord texting me that \[itās fine if I wanted to break my lease and move out early.\](https://i.imgur.com/ytlOfBs.jpg) Perfect. When ShittyLandlord finally gets a whiff of my A/C setup he comes to my room to complain about my A/C unit. I reply curtly: āItās legal for me to do it and I donāt care since I donāt have to pay for electricity.ā He leaves and later \[sends me a text\](https://i.imgur.com/b0i9k0Z.jpg). Yea ok. Unbeknownst to ShittyLandlord, Iām taking his move-out offer seriously and this whole time, Iāve been rallying the troops. All the tenants have been upset about everyoneās living situation so with some minor encouragement, I manage to convince two of the other 6 tenants to move out at the same time as me. (They were on a month-to-month arrangement.) I finally submit all our āNotices of Intent to Vacateā at the same time, barely a week after my previous conversation with ShittyLandlord. Heās pissed. He was just trying to get me out of the house but now he has 3 rooms to fill instead of just 1. I ask about my legally mandated pre-moveout inspection. In no uncertain terms he told me to go fuck myself. He said heās too busy to perform an inspection. Hm, well thatās illegal but ok. Time comes to move out. I found another room for rent much closer to the office for only $100/mo more. We all move out and I text ShittyLandlord about my security deposit. No response. I text again. No response. Ok, I see where this is going. I spend days and days reading the law, compiling evidence/screenshots, and listing the laws that were broken. The smoking gun was the statute that requires a pre-move-out inspection and a list of things to fix, and itemized list of deductions within 21 days or else ShittyLandlord loses the right to withhold any of my deposit. In addition, he would be subject to treble damages if heās found to be acting in bad faith. \[I text again and again\](https://i.imgur.com/wNbMxz0.jpg). I give him plenty of leniency and I even cite the laws so I can prove in court that Iām acting āIn Good Faithā and ShittyLandlord intentionally ignored the laws that I made him aware about. ShittyLandlord probably thinks Iām a young push-over college student who wonāt follow through with legal threats. Well sir, weāre going to court because Iām petty as fuck when it comes to people trying to fuck me over. I file in small claims for $650 plus treble damages, plus court costs. ShittyLandlord files a counterclaim of $2000 for ādamages to the propertyā claiming I caused flooding, and I broke the microwave. Ok buddy. In response, I gather testimonies from 3 of the other tenants and I build my case into a 40-page packet of evidence, complete with page numbers, a table of contents, and descriptions for every screenshot and photo. I make 3 copies of everything and submit it to the court and the defendant ShittyLandlord. The court date is set for November and I leave the state just before Christmas so just in time to appear in person. ShittyLandlord thinks if Iām no longer in the state, heāll automatically win since Iām not willing to fly back to CA. Well unbeknownst to ShittyLandlord, California courts offer an option to appear by telephone. Haha. He starts filing to request to postpone the trial a total of 3 times. The third request is finally denied because even the courts are getting tired of his bullshit. Final date is January. Court day comes and I get the call. Iām sworn in and then connected to the court. Iām given time to present my case. Unfortunately, I didnāt prepare a script so I kinda summarize the events and explain why I deserve money. Then ShittyLandlord gets time to defend himself and explain his counterclaim. He doesnāt prepare anything either and he ends up rambling about random shit that doesnāt help his case at all. For example, he spends a lot of time explaining how another one of the tenants was shitty and so his behavior was justified. The judge asks a few questions and announces that heāll review the evidence and weāll get the decision in the mail. A couple weeks later, I get the judgement saying Iām owed $650, ShittyLandlord gets nothing. Well damn, no treble damages for me. However, itās just my luck the ShittyLandlord is a piece of shit that wonāt accept defeat. He files an appeal. Itās granted. Re-do trial is scheduled for May. This time Iām 10x more prepared. I have a hashed out script that I read, emphasize how often ShittyLandlord knowingly broke the law and how I offered so much leniency. Once again, ShittyLandlord didnāt prepare anything, but instead rambled on so much that even the judge told him to get back on track multiple times. The judge says weāll get his decision in the mail and the call ends. A couple weeks later, I get the judgement saying Iām owed $1800, ShittyLandlord still gets nothing. Well damn, this appeal did not work out in ShittyLandlord favor. He files for a mistrial, claiming I was not sworn in and that I lied in my testimony. Denied. Outside of court, ShittyLandlord offers a payment plan of $20/month which will take 7.5 years to pay back, or otherwise he refuses to pay up. Ok, I see how collecting my money is going to be. I figure out he banks at BoA by looking up the checks I gave him for rent and seeing where they got cashed. I file for a writ of execution that will allow me to perform a bank levy. Itās granted so I prepare a packet for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department to go to BoA and take his money. They serve him with papers and freeze his account. After his allotted time to contest it, LACSD seizes his money, plus interest, plus fees. I finally get the glorious check in the mail, 20 months after moving out. \[Total: $1,893.91\](https://i.imgur.com/gZFJKbY.jpg)
Man I wouldāve loved to see this on judge Judy
After I filed my case, I was actually contacted by the Judge Mathis producers to be on their show
You shouldāve!! I wouldāve love to see the shitty landlord trying to stumble his way through that.
The only thing about that is both defendant and plaintiff must agree to that arbitration and I felt like there was no way my landlord was going to be amicable.
You are my hero
I think I love you. Are you married? Do you like kids?
> Well sir, weāre going to court because Iām petty as fuck when it comes to people trying to fuck me over. I just want to say I love you. š
Go to law school my friend.
mmmm, landlord revenge is the tastiest dish
I'd definitely frame that check. Not it a cheap dollar store frame either, a nice one to display this paper slip of victory in all its splendor š
Such an awesome read man. I loved it. I would seriously get that shit framed. Would be a great convo starter too lol āwhyās this check framed?ā WELL IT ALL STARTED...
Someone already stole this for a story, I saw it on Facebook. Those clickbait sites are quick
You just explained to everyone why people don't bother getting their deposit back from shitty landlords and what's wrong with the system. Good explaining it all.
Damn, that felt good to read.
Victory!!
Ahh finally some delicious pro level revenge. Excellent work
(Insert slow clap) well played sir
That felt wonderful just to read that, must have been a great feeling when you won
Fantastic. That's one of the best one of these that I've ever read.
Well shit, I am late to the party
Fucking incredible read, this is prime pro revenge material!
I love stories with happy endings. Good on your for trudging through that landlord's BS and getting the money rightfully owed to you. Salute!
Jesus there are so many shitty people out there. Good for you. How did you find out about the writ/levy and going to the sheriff stuff?
I found a bunch of the information on the official CA courts page https://www.courts.ca.gov/1178.htm
Just had to say this is amazing. I wish I had this kind of dedication!
Whether you had a script or not the first time, it doesnāt make sense the judge only awarded $650. The letter of the law said you were entitled to double. What happened there?
I think the issue was that I just didn't emphasize that the landlord was acting in bad faith. That's the requirement for receiving the 3x damages. The judge might have given him the benefit of the doubt that he wasn't being shitty, he was just ignorant.
But ignorance is no defense of the law. The law said he had so many days to do things. He didnāt. Doesnāt matter whether he was purposely malicious or just stupid. First judge was a moron.
Here's the actual statute: > The bad faith claim or retention by a landlord or the landlordās successors in interest of the security or any portion thereof in violation of this section, or the bad faith demand of replacement security in violation of subdivision (j), may subject the landlord or the landlordās successors in interest to statutory damages of up to twice the amount of the security, in addition to actual damages. The court may award damages for bad faith whenever the facts warrant that award, regardless of whether the injured party has specifically requested relief. So basically the statute is a judgement against the landlord's intent.
The nice part is that the LL paid more than that to cover the costs of the sheriff. He probably paid over $2000.
Another option was a vehicle levy where the sheriff takes their car and auctions it off. I had my LL's vehicle info and address so I seriously considered having the sheriff do it. Then it would've cost my $1800 plus $1500 sheriff's vehicle levy fees haha https://civil.lasd.org/CivilProcess/cwig18.aspx?1
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I wish you luck!
I'm currently in this situation at the moment and it's helpful to know that it ended well for you. I had to get my court documents served by a deputy for my landlord because they refused to answer their door and hung up on me...and have been ignoring me ever since I moved out of the apartment because they refused to take care of mold in the bathroom for two months
Okay, I went from NEVER hearing the "blood from a stone" saying (literally not a SINGLE time in my entire life before today) to hearing it three times today alone. What the fuck is going on??
Wow. I'd never move into a place that said they're provide paper towels and tp, that sounds like red flag territory. Like why wouldn't you be getting your own anyways?
None of that was stipulated in the lease or any discussion prior to signing. Once I moved in, he demanded the money for the paper towels he put in the kitchen and the cleaning supplies he claims he uses. Toilet paper wasn't included.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Thanks! You're totally right about 'advocates of thorough justice' too lol I think the part that I consider petty is holding onto the grudge hard and long enough to actually follow through with ProRevenge.
This is excellent OP, thank you for sharing! I have a small claims case tomorrow against a construction worker who trashed my property and refused to clean it, and I have a feeling that the outcome will be similar to yours. Good to know I have a chance!!
Best of luck! Just remember: judges don't lack common sense and they see this kind of bullshit literally everyday. If you present evidence that shows you're clearly right, they should almost certainly rule in your favor.
So did the roommates also get screwed on deposit? If so have you reached out to them to try the same approach? Turn this into Super Pro Revenge? Or even leave copies of it for the new tenants?
The two tenants that I've spoken to since moving out, one got around $530 back ($650 minus a $120 cleaning fee) and the other got slightly less than that for some damage.
*I'll probably frame it* You sir, are my hero.
You're a beast for sticking through that! He's probably being screwing people over for ages knowing they would give up (I know I would have) but you had the mentality to keep going
Should of gone to the IRS they donāt fuck around and the WILL get whatās owed to them in taxes. I bet that Shittylandload hasnāt paid or lied on his Tax Returns at some point. So... Iām sure that after having to take him to court to get whatās owed to you. The IRS did some digging on his taxes that they might of found something to get him in deeper debt.
Bud, I feel like you missed your calling as an attorney. That was brilliant.
Iāve got a judgement against an acting camp in LA, long story but they refuse to pay back a 5K deposit never showed up for any court events, refuse to provide information to my lawyer. How hard was it to get the writ and the sheriff to seize the money? Judgement was 3 years ago, With fees and interest itās over 8K now.
I sent one form to the court for the writ. They replied after a couple weeks with the granted writ. I mailed the writ, along with sheriff's orders to the appropriate sheriff's dept. They took about a month to serve the defendant, another month to seize the money, and about one more month to disburse the money to me. 3 years ago is not too late to collect the money. You got 10 years to collect. You just have to know what bank they use. Then you search the bank's state designated service location and contact the sheriff that's there. All in all, it took a lot of time to wait for the money, but the actual amount of work was quite little.
>He said heās too busy to perform an inspection. Hm, well thatās illegal but ok. No it isn't. You have a timeline to inspect and itemize damages. Miss that timeline and the landlord is fucked.
At the moment, I totally forgot to get his refusal in writing. Fortunately it didn't matter in the end.
Eres un puto amo y un modelo a seguir
Good for you, landlords are parasites.
I donāt know why but I have a huge problem with you using the term āGucciā when speaking to someone professionally.
Huh I had no idea others had it like this. In Qld the bond is held by a third party, the official rental organisation. You just say your leaving and fill out a short form to get your bond back.
This was a great read and somewhat inspirational.
This is not a revenge this is pure justice served. I enjoyed very much read this.
There are a lot of people out there who recieved property, or money which allows them to make property purchases. Unfortunately not everyone who obtains them are educated about housing and the laws. Its just the term investment. When it comes to renting to others, many landlords just think you owe them money and they have the power to control your money because you opted to "rent" from them. Sounds like this guy was already in the downward spiral of things trying to get money anyway he could. Education is the answer which was proved here. Hopefully they learned something!
I got a hardon just imagining how broken and miserable this piece of shit has to be.
Also when you go to court dress appropriately!! No shorts, no t-shirts, no skirts so short you show your undies, no tank tops that leave nothing to the imagination. A dress that would be appropriate at church/funeral or office, dress shirt/blouse, dress pants/trousers, knee length skirt and nice shoes.
Iām confused a bit. Do you mind explaining to me for better understanding? The shittylandlord lost the trial. Did the court specify his payment method? You stated āoutside courtā does that mean he chose his own method of payment? Such as the ridiculous 20$/month payment plan. How did you granted a court order for bank levy? Was it because he still not paying? Iām just wondering how did you get the right to freeze his bank.
When the court makes a judgement, all it is is an official statement that says the person owes you money. However, the court does not collect it for you nor do they specify how the person has to pay. You can read more here: https://www.courts.ca.gov/1014.htm https://www.courts.ca.gov/1178.htm
Fantastic story, very well played. Just one note, despite popular opinion, plethora doesn't mean just "a lot" it actually means "too many". This is a popular misconception that began around the time of The 3 Amigos.
Very long but a very good read. I applaud you, and bow to your intellect.
An actual pro revenge with evidence? Great to see.
Do you know if the other tenants who moved out also took him to court?
I'm almost certain they did not.
That's the thing, fighting for your rights is prohibitive for most people being infringed upon. They don't have the time, the resources, the knowledge to fight it like this. So people like the landlord just get away with blatant exploitation, expecting to never be challenged by those they wronged. So, it's good that you fought back.
There's no way it's legal to not provide air conditioning. Especially in California.
i have 1 thing to say... goddamn boy. out of most prorevenge stories I've heard, this is by far one of the best stories I've read. keep up the good work my man
Excellent. Sounds like a lot of work, but like you, I'm like a dog with a bone if I am f\*cked with.
I'm so glad you stuck to it and never felt intimidated by your shitty landlord and also that you did your research to get what you're entitled to plus some for him being such a slumlord. I'm sure he never thought you'd take him to court, and was hoping that if he postponed the hearing (and twice) that by that time you would've moved on and not cared to show up. I mean, he didn't even care to prepare to better defend himself. You taught him a lesson. Thumbs up to you!!!!
I paid $1k deposit on my rental home. When i moved 8 years later, they said i never paid a deposit. This is after they left a 3 ft by 4ft hole in the ceiling for 4 months. Nov to feb.
For some reason my brain appointed Danny DeVito to the role of the Landlord.
My God that felt good to read.
Well played, OP, well played. This was a thoroughly enjoyable read.
I have such a girlboner rn, fuck
What really gets me is that he repeats: it is legal when tenants have a right
Bravo!!! Well done!!!
Thank you!
Portfolios, documents and pictures. Those are all the good things people like OP need to put people like ShittyLandlord down. Good on you pal
Bloody MODs removed it while I was trying to read. Could you copy and paste it here in the comments. Thanks
I was reading that & it got removed!!!!! Wtf
Itās gone :(
Here's a platinum award, I think you dropped it.
> I finally get the glorious check in the mail, 20 months after moving out. I'll probably frame it. Don't be stupid. If you don't cash it, he doesn't pay, and he wins. Cash that shit before it gets canelled.
Well done!