A Black woman in New York City, New York, has been nonstop asking her landlord to fix the heat in the middle of a very cold winter. During a call, however, she heard one of the landlord’s assistants badmouthing her neighbor, also a Black woman, calling her “loud and annoying.”
The woman in question, Rebekah Journey, shared the story on TikTok. According to her, she’s been having problems with the heat since the winter started back in November 2025. She had called 311 multiple times anonymously, but since she didn’t see any results, she started saying her name.
To her, the only reason why nothing has been done at all is that the landlord is trying to make her and her neighbor leave the New York building, as they are the only two tenants living there currently.
In an effort to counter the cold weather, Rebekah has had to use her stove oven, boiling water, and bathroom steam to warm up her apartment. However, those things “only last so long,” she said, as the apartment gets cold just “five minutes after.”
“They [311] have come to inspect the building. They found multiple violations both times they came to visit,” Rebekah explained.
According to the New York woman, 311 recommended that she take her landlord to housing court, which she fully intends to do. However, a call to the leasing office just put more gasoline on the fire.
A woman at the leasing office, who picked up the phone, put her on hold. Or at least, she tried to do so. Without the woman’s knowledge, Rebekah was hearing everything she said, most notably, her complaints about her and her neighbor.
“I don’t know what to say to her,” the lady said, according to Rebekah. “I have nothing to say to her. They keep calling, and I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, leave me alone.’” Then, the lady called Rebekah’s neighbor “loud and annoying.”
Gaslighting, Reactions
Eventually, the lady transferred the New York woman to her landlord, but the call dropped. She called once again, and the landlord picked up the phone. She confronted him with what was going on, but the landlord feigned ignorance, even claiming that Rebekah’s apartment was reading 75 degrees.
Of course, Rebekah called him out, saying that her thermostat told a different story. And while the landlord promised to go to the building and check himself, the lady called Rebekah and tried to gaslight her, saying she misheard what she said.
Users, of course, were furious. “Get an attorney,” one said. Another one commented, “This is illegal. A landlord MUST provide adequate housing.” A third one added, “Put your rent in an escrow account until your heating is fixed.“
Rebekah hasn’t posted an update, so it is unclear if the landlord ended up fixing the heat or not.
