An apology, a lesson learned, and a question about getting our security deposit back
The intent of this post is threefold: 0) apologize and hopefully help someone avoid my stupid mistakes, 1) hear your thoughts on whether I could realistically get my deposit back, and 2) hear your thoughts on how to stop other people from getting scammed by this guy.
First, the apology. A while ago I posted an apartment here that, in hindsight, I should never have posted. The place had systematic problems and living conditions close to the limit of human tolerance. Luckily, nobody from this subreddit actually took it or signed anything; the broker eventually found someone else after we moved out. Still, I'm sincerely sorry for having posted it here at all.
Before you say it, I'll say it myself: I know, I was an idiot. I signed a lease from the other side of the world without ever seeing the place in person. I did a video tour and it seemed fine, but little did I know what I was getting into.
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The apartment (prewar, for context) had several problems. Every time it rained heavily, a literal waterfall would form in our kitchen and down the staircase. When we moved in, the chandelier in the bedroom wasn't working; we took it down and found two liters of water inside it.
But the worst part wasn't even the apartment. It was the super, who wouldn't help us in any way and actively fought us at every turn. From the very first day, the other tenants (it's just four units) confirmed what we'd immediately suspected: dealing with her was impossible, and we weren't the first ones to go through this.
Since then, we've now moved downtown to a building that's everything we could've dreamed of: repairs happen immediately, everything work and people actually reply.
So the first takeaway is obvious: know exactly what you're signing and what you're committing to, and ask around before you do.
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Now, the deposit. They kept our entire security deposit for reasons that made no sense. They charged their own lawyer's fees against it. They deducted $100, sometimes $300, every time the super "visited" the apartment, including when she was just supervising the contractors doing maintenance (the windows, for example). None of these charges were in the lease. And they charged us $100 for the day we moved in. Like, wtf.
We assumed the only option was hiring a lawyer, but as international students we have no idea what that costs here, and we're owed $2,575, which might not even cover the legal fees. (For context, we moved out on May 5th)
So, in short: does pursuing this legally even make sense financially?
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What's really hard to digest is that they've apparently been doing this for years, and we're nowhere near the only ones. Everyone in the building, and even people on the street, knows exactly what's going on. Search HPD for that building alone and there are three open cases: humidity, mold, and massive leaks. And here's how deliberate it gets: the buzzer has "never worked" and they refuse to fix it. We're convinced that's on purpose, because without a working buzzer, I doubt that HPD inspectors can get into the building on their own, so the landlord keeps operating undisturbed.
What makes it even crazier is that the owner isn't some anonymous slumlord. Without naming him, he's a somewhat public figure with a real online presence.
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So my last question: what's the right way to warn future tenants without ending up in court myself?
Thanks in advance for your help ❤️
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Made and signed by two international students who didn't really know how renting works in the U.S., and who have now learned a very long-lasting lesson.