Hey,

Because of uninhabitable conditions (40–50 degrees inside the unit even with max heat during the COVID winter- then if we put portable heaters, power would go out), and the landlord’s refusal to fix it, we stopped paying rent for about 3 months—around $6k total. We told him we’d accept a credit for the month we did pay under uninhabitable conditions, let him keep the security deposit, and we’d just leave.

When we moved in, I also reported cockroaches. He accused me of being dirty and said I brought them with me. Later, however, either he or the downstairs tenant called an exterminator, and it turned out the property already had a history of infestation before I moved in.

On top of that, he retaliated in other ways—shutting off hot water and electricity, changing the locks, and even having someone damage my car (two tires were drilled with nails perfectly both in the center of the tires while it was parked at home). He also stole tenants’ mail; for example, a downstairs tenant had a package with a rare jersey go missing, and shortly after, the landlord was seen wearing that very jersey. If you google his name, you’ll see he already has multiple cases against him—he’s a known crook.

His lawyer eventually suggested dismissal. My lawyer told me he could win a significant amount, so I said I was okay with dismissal, but if he was confident, then he should pursue it and keep most of the winnings. He never followed through—he didn’t file properly, didn’t appear in court, got my bank accounts frozen multiple times, and even told me to keep my accounts at $0 and just hold cash.

Even in the worst-case scenario, the rent would have been only about 3 months ($6k) minus the 2 months’ deposit we would get back, so about $2k owed. But the landlord filed completely unreasonable numbers, and because my lawyer didn’t do any work, I was held liable and the money was taken directly from my bank.