A reader, who prefers to remain anonymous, weighs in on a pretty shitty landlord situation and passes along previous coverage about the landlords:
"In 2006, I rented a St. Charles Avenue apartment from a couple that own a number of properties in the University area. All you have to do is say their name out loud in Bruno's or some other Uptown bar and somebody will probably come tell you a story. My story is, she rented me an apartment with a gas leak and didn't tell me. When I called her to tell her about the problem, she said 'Yeah, that one is kind of a curve ball.' Part of the contract was that utilities were included, but since the gas was shut off, I had no heat, hot water, and couldn't use my stove. I consulted a lawyer who advised me to pay only part of the rent since the utilities were supposed to be included. She tried to evict me. We went to court and the judge told us to figure out an arrangement on our own. The landlord was to fix all the problems — the gas leak, a broken refrigerator, a broken window in the kitchen, a hole in the exterior wall, and some other things before I would resume paying rent again. She did the very basic. Like the WWL article says, that was my first rental as an adult, and I did not get my security deposit back. Phone calls and letters were not returned. They say 'We always respond.' That is a boldface lie. I was also told on the walk-through that any problems would be fixed."
Think you can top this one? Share your wild and crazy rental experiences by hitting up the tipline. Landlords, feel free to chime in, too.
· photo via New Orleans Slumlords/fb
· Renters say owners leave apartments in disrepair [WWL]
· All Renters Week 2013 coverage [Curbed NOLA]
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