When a tenant first entered her new apartment, she found peeling paint in the bathroom. She waited patiently for repairs to be made, but when they did not come, she confronted her landlord. His answer was brief: file a complaint with the city.
That’s precisely what the tenant did, and the inspection found far worse problems than the peeling paint.
The Peeling Paint
She said she saw the paint on her bathroom ceiling beginning to peel. Moisture made the problem worse, causing the new paint to peel off in large chunks. She said she had dealt with bad landlords in the past and understood what her new property owner was supposed to do in the situation.
The homeowner lived out of state and did not like being bothered, she said. According to the local rules that apply here, landlords had 21 days to address a tenant’s issue.
Contractors Never Showed Up
The tenant told the landlord she gave her 63 days, or roughly three months, to fix the peeling paint. Contractors were supposed to visit the apartment six times during that period. The tenant said none of those appointments ever happened.
When the tenant next addressed the homeowner, she inquired if any of the problems would actually get resolved. She brought up the city’s code enforcement office as a way of indicating that she was thinking about filing a complaint.
The Landlord’s Advice
The tenant reported that the landlord did not ask her to wait; instead, the landlord replied, “That is not relevant to me. File your claim with the city.”.
The tenant acted at once on the suggestion and promptly arranged for an inspector to visit the property.
What the Inspector Found
The tenant told the inspector that his discoveries went beyond the bathroom’s peeling paint. In the basement, he found two windows boarded up that needed to be replaced with proper windows. He also found a major problem with the electrical breaker.
The electric company sent someone to look into the matter after the inspector told her to get in touch with them regarding the electrical issue.
The Wiring Problem
The tenant claims the utility company found that the wiring was crossed. She stated she has been paying for the whole top floor of her neighbor’s apartment, while her neighbor has been paying for the kitchen and bathroom in her unit, along with the basement.
From Paint to Compliance
At first, the tenant’s complaint was limited to getting her landlord to address the peeling paint in her bathroom. But during the city inspection, several other problems with the property were found, beyond just the paint.
The final result was an apartment that had been brought into compliance with city code, according to the tenant. She also pointed out that fixing the electrical billing problem might save her money.
The Daily Dot’s Note
The Daily Dot could not independently confirm the events described in the Reddit post or the tenant’s claims regarding local landlord-tenant requirements. This article draws solely on the account posted by the original writer on r/MaliciousCompliance.
Timeline of Events
| Step | What Happened |
|---|---|
| Tenant notices paint peeling | Moisture causes new paint to peel in chunks |
| Tenant waits for landlord | Homeowner lives out of state and dislikes being contacted |
| Tenant informs landlord | Contractors scheduled six times but never showed up |
| Tenant threatens to report | Landlord tells her to file a complaint with the city |
| Inspector arrives | Finds boarded windows and a faulty electrical breaker |
| Electric company assesses | Wiring was crossed, with neighbors swapping bills |
| Apartment brought into compliance | Tenant may stop overpaying for neighbor’s space |
After the landlord suggested filing a complaint, an inspection turned up much worse issues than the peeling paint, including crossed wiring between two apartments. The tenant was given an apartment that came into line with city code, and she may now end the overpayment for her neighbor’s space.
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.