Tenant Says Landlord ‘Accidentally’ Took Her Belongings

One tenant said she suffered a moving disaster when her landlord “accidentally” removed all her belongings from her apartment before the lease officially ended.

In the video, TikTok user @_alrighty__aphrodite_ says this is the “biggest mistake” landlords have made in renting. In the process of moving apartments, @_alrighty__aphrodite_’s new rental agreement overlapped with her old apartment’s agreement. It didn’t matter. Because she was given enough time to start over. Or so she thought.

“Today, we park at our apartment, which we paid rent for until the end of this month,” she says. “And then I went to unlock the door and realized, wait a minute, the door was already unlocked. I went in and all the lights were on and–I get it– All our belongings were gone.”

She also noticed that she had four copies of her house key and that there was a ladder in her apartment. Because of this, @_alrighty__aphrodite_ believes that the apartment manager is responsible for this unexpectedly barren apartment.

“I call my landlord and he’s like, ‘Hey, everything’s gone from my apartment.’ Everything about my personal [items]–It has been cleared. what is happening? ” @_alrighty__aphrodite_ says. “And they say, ‘Oh, I thought your lease ended at the end of November.’ And I’m like, ‘I’m looking at the paperwork now and it says December 31st, and the rent is due on the 1st. It feels like it’s being paid in full.”

@_alrighty__aphrodite_ said the apartment manager admitted they made a mistake and cleaned the apartment early without giving proper notice. They said she wouldn’t charge @_alrighty__aphrodite_ a cleaning fee because obviously she wasn’t moving.

“I wasn’t even thinking about cleaning costs. Don’t talk about cleaning costs at this point,” she said she told management. “It’s okay, what did you do with the things you brought?”

@_alrighty__aphrodite_ says the administrator told her they could make an inventory of her discarded belongings and provide a cost estimate.

“‘So, it’s not new or anything, but I still think it’s worth it to you, so please let me know what it’s worth.'” @_alrighty__aphrodite_ says that’s what the apartment manager told her. What a humiliating way to say that.”

The apartment complex also overlooked the fact that @_alrighty__aphrodite_ paid the rent on December 1st. That means she legally had until December 31st to remove her belongings from the apartment. She said the apartment complex told her that she would likely be refunded her rent for that period after the apartment was cleaned.

“We’re very lucky to have somewhere else to sleep tonight, but what if we don’t?” says @_alrighty__aphrodite_. “At this point, I don’t know what to do because I’m afraid they’re going to come back and try to haggle. And then I think, ‘No, that dresser isn’t worth $900.’ So what am I going to do? ”

This may be a violation of the lease, but @_alrighty__aphrodite_ said she’s only 25 years old and doesn’t know how to hire a lawyer or whether it’s legal to hire one in this situation. In her caption, she wrote, “You’ve lost your mind.”

The video had been viewed more than 2.9 million times as of Monday night. Viewers gave advice in the comments.

One user admitted, “Wow, it’s worth it. My lawyer will take it for free in a heartbeat.”

A second user wrote: “It’s illegal period so don’t haggle. Yes it’s worth it. Sue me now.”

Another user wrote, “I filed a suit against my landlord for a reduced amount and won. You win. Sue. Now.”

“That’s replacement market value, not second-hand purchase value. Call a lawyer,” another user urged.

This is a new issue for @_alrighty__aphrodite_, but multiple TikTok users are also experiencing this issue in their apartment complexes. One woman reported this summer that her roommate was evicted and her apartment accidentally dumped her belongings. In November, another user returned to her old apartment to retrieve her belongings, only to find they had been thrown away due to a clerical error, she said.

The Daily Dot reached out to @_alrighty__aphrodite_ for comment via direct message on TikTok.