After someone attempted to break into his son’s apartment, a North Dakota father was left speechless after his landlord demanded he pay for the damages. The dad has since argued with apartment management over paying the $500 deductible fee, but argument went nowhere. “I’m just confused how a random break in attempt can be considered negligent damages on my end? All the doors and windows were locked,” the father wrote.
The dad was sharing his plight under the username Smokel_Tokel28 on r/Renters, where well over a thousand people were hundreds expressed their opposition against this landlord’s ‘break-in fee.’ He wrote how the lease says nothing about being charged for damaged by attempted theft. “The only part I can find for anything about damages is where it says I am responsible for damages done by me or my guests,” he explained, and the thief was certainly not a welcome guest.
Smokel_Tokel28 added how he’s lived in the apartment for three years without issue, so there was no ‘beef’ between him and the property manager. One person accused his son of possibly doing the damage, to which the dad replied that his son is 8 years old and wouldn’t have the physical strength to bend the metal frame of a window.
Redditors Push the Dad to Legally Fight the Landlord’s Irrational Demands
To answer the dad’s question about whether he should fight or just pay the $500 fee and be done with it, the comment section consensus was clear: he needs to fight. “I am so enraged on your behalf,” expressed a commenter. “It’s not about the money, it’s about being able to tell people what to do,” remarked a second.
A third believed the manager was likely just trying to fish some money from the father’s rental insurance instead of his own. “He definitely need some kinda back up in the lease terms- otherwise he’s just trying to act stupid, and con man,” wrote the user. “So, by the Landlord’s logic, if hail breaks a window, you’re liable?” questioned another. Others chimed in agreement, calling the landlord’s demand “completely insane.”
Smokel_Tokel28 has expressed how he’s done all that he could until now by filing a police report and taking plenty of photos and message screenshots. However, people telling him to “fight” could be risky, as one person explains. The dad’s goal isn’t to argue his way out of the landlord’s demands; it’s to leave things up to a lawyer, the evidence of the lease, and the law.
“Don’t get into an argument. Use declarative statements. Keep it formal and concise. Be firm. Do not leave room for argument. Landlords thrive on tenant ignorance and fear,” advised the commenter. It’s sound advice, for sure, as when it comes to legal matters, “it’s an exercise of wits and restraint.”
