Just when you thought horror stories about landlords couldn’t get any worse, here comes another one. A New York tenant’s apartment turned into a waterlogged hell, complete with the accompanying black mold, after their landlord incorrectly installed a washing machine upstairs, which then flooded downwards. Before that, the landlord’s negligence had become so severe that other colors of mold and even mushrooms began growing in the basement.
This struggle from Reddit user IronMike34 began as early as May. The Reddit user lives on the ground floor partition of an apartment in New York, and one day, he heard a crack in the kitchen floor. So, he checked the basement and found that it was not only rotting, but the mold situation had grown so bad that mushrooms were starting to sprout. The Reddit user did notify his landlord about this issue, but allegedly got gaslit. So they just decided to begin their moving process.
Fast forward to mid-September, the Reddit user encountered another issue because their landlord recently installed a washer upstairs, but not properly, so it flooded straight through the ceiling and down to the Reddit user’s room. All the furniture below and other stuff got wet. To make matters worse, the Reddit user’s landlord kind of blames him for not having insurance.
“I agree. I should’ve, but to be smug about it and even say that as a matter of fact is mildly infuriating.
This room was full of boxes as we are moving due to black mold and lead paint. All my belongings got wet including a brand new couch we bought for our new home. Landlord caught wind of that and is attempting to evict us before we leave.
Same landlord that saw no issue with the foundation crumbling or the mushrooms growing in the basement,” complains the Reddit user
Now, Reddit user IronMike34 appears to be exploring his legal options and is seeking reparations for all his damaged property. It’s also unclear whether the washer mishap was deliberate, as the Reddit user also claimed that the landlord is trying to evict them before they leave.
People online are advising the tenant to fight back
For a post in a Mildly Infuriating subreddit, this case appears to be, in fact, rather extremely infuriating because it now involves property damage and a really difficult landlord. People online are notably frustrated with the landlord’s actions and concerned about the Reddit user’s health, especially since he also mentioned black mold and lead paint on the premises. Some people have since urged the New York tenant to hold the landlord accountable.
“Time for small claims court.”
“Yep, this is negligence, pure and simple.”
“All your insurance would do is to claim the money from the landlord. His insurance should pay because he made a stupid mistake.”
“Tell him there’s no need because it’s his insurance which will be paying. Or him if he doesn’t have it.”
Other people online were appalled at the audacity of the landlord, who not only ignored the dangerously rotting basement but also the mold and fungus growing in their property. Thankfully, the Reddit user has already found another place and is well on their way out of their hazardous home and their dangerous landlord.
