The Lousy Landlord
We all have our opinions about landlords. While some landlords are genuine individuals who care about their tenants, others are the absolute worst. Crummy landlords are known to be greedy, dishonest, and deceitful individuals. How do you get sweet and satisfying revenge on a terrible landlord? Well, just ask our friend, “Dennis.”
Dennis was an admirable person. At twenty-three years old, Dennis was smart, kind, and on the path to becoming fairly wealthy. After he landed a job as a software developer in a new city, he and his wife, “Rebecca,” thought it would be a perfect opportunity to rent an apartment. The couple wanted to save for a new home, so the apartment was strictly a temporary living situation. Dennis only wanted to live in the apartment for a little over one year.
However, when Dennis and Rebecca’s money-hungry landlord, “Jim,” decided to raise their rent by fifty percent, Dennis knew he needed to teach him a lesson. A lesson that would cost the landlord his coveted reputation and a hefty 20k.
~
New Job, Apartment, And Problems
Dennis and Rebecca were a newly married couple. Excited to begin a new life together, the couple decided to live on a double income and no children for a few years. This way, Dennis and Rebecca could easily save up for a few years for a down payment on a new home.
Dennis had just graduated college and was working as a software developer. He kept an entry-level job for a while, but eventually, he was recruited to a new job in a different city. The job paid three times more than what Dennis was making at his entry-level job. He couldn’t pass up the job offer, and it seemed like a no-brainer to further his career. If Dennis and Rebecca lived frugally, saved his entire salary, and lived off of Rebecca’s income, the couple would have enough money in one year to put twenty percent down on a new home.
Dennis and Rebecca found a nice apartment in the new city listed for nine hundred and fifty bucks per month. The landlord, Jim, also happened to be a real estate agent who owned a two-bedroom condo as an investment property. Jim was an older no-nonsense guy with no sense of humor, but Dennis thought he was pleasant enough to do business with at the least.
Jim seemed to be amused by the young couple. He believed Dennis and Rebecca were young, naive, and clueless, but he also knew they were a safe choice as renters.
Despite Jim’s offputting and strange behavior, Dennis and Rebecca chose to go ahead with renting the apartment from Jim. However, when the couple signed the rental agreement and credit check, problems with their crummy landlord Jim started to begin.
~
The Ridiculous Rent Increase
After Dennis filled out the credit application for his new apartment, Hank raised an eyebrow at Dennis’ job title and income.
“Software developer,” Jim scoffed, “And seventy-five thousand bucks a year?”
“Yeah,” Dennis replied, “It’s crazy right? There is a lot of money in software development. I love my job.”
For a twenty-three-year-old who recently graduated from college, seventy-five thousand bucks was a small fortune. Adding in Rebecca’s salary, the couple was over six figures in income and renting an apartment below their means.
Jim continued saying, “I cannot believe how much money you make,” under his breath.
Dennis explained, “Rebecca and I are looking to buy a house next year. We might stay in the apartment a few months after our lease expires, but could we pay rent month-to-month afterward?’
Jim assured the couple it would be fine.
Rebecca and Dennis moved into the apartment, and they only saw Jim one other time during the year.
When the couple saw Jim again, he awkwardly mentioned, “I still can’t believe software developers make so much money.”
It was odd, but Dennis gave him a vague reply and moved on.
One year later, Dennis and Rebecca found a home they wanted to buy. They signed all of the papers and began making plans to move out of the apartment. The new house wouldn’t be ready until two months after the couple’s lease expired, but Jim assured the couple that extending their lease wouldn’t be an issue.
“I’ll send over a new lease agreement and extension notice in the mail,” Jim explained, “Keep an eye on your mailbox. It should be there in a couple of days.”
The extension arrived in the mail, and Dennis opened the letter. He was shocked to find Jim had increased his rent by five hundred bucks per month!
Dennis ran to his phone and immediately called Jim.
“Jim, why did you increase my rent by fifty percent? Fifty percent is way too much! In addition, it’s more than my new mortgage is going to be!” Dennis exclaimed.
Jim condescendingly replied, “Dennis, it’s what apartments go for now. I would be losing money if I rented the apartment to you for any less.”
Dennis tried to reason with Jim, but it was clear his landlord wasn’t going to budge on the situation. Jim knew Dennis and Rebecca could afford the rent increase, so he was going to needlessly steal their money.
Jim became irritated at Dennis for arguing with him and uttered unforgivable parting words.
“Dennis, you don’t have to like the rent increase,” Jim explained, “You just have to pay it.”
Meanwhile, Dennis knew he and Rebecca needed to find a way to move out of the apartment early one way or another.
~
Guess Who’s Back?
Dennis and Rebecca did everything they could to move out early. They tried to put their furniture in storage and stay with friends for a couple of months, but nothing was going to work out.
Dennis swallowed his pride and wrote a check for his rent, plus the extra five hundred bucks. He continued to pay the ridiculously high rent until the couple moved out of the apartment.
Before moving out, Dennis made sure the apartment was totally spotless. Still, Jim withheld the couple’s three hundred buck security deposit to squeeze more money out of Dennis. Dennis’ hard-earned money was stolen by Jim, and there was absolutely nothing he could do about it.
The worst part? Jim put an advertisement in the newspaper after Dennis moved out, and he listed the apartment for rent at only one hundred and fifty bucks more than what he paid originally. What happened to the inflated rent cost, Jim?
Five years later, Dennis had forgotten about the apartment rent debacle between him and Jim. Dennis’ life was good. He loved his house, had a child, and was still employed as a software developer.
One day while Dennis was at work, he overheard one of his co-workers, “Frank,” talking to the person working at the receptionist’s desk.
Frank told the receptionist, “Hey, I am expecting someone to drop off some important paperwork for me soon. If Jim asks for me, tell him I will be right out.”
Dennis froze in his tracks. Jim? Was Frank talking about the same Jim who terrorized Dennis’ life? There was no way it could be the same person!
Dennis walked over to Frank’s desk and asked, “How do you know that name, Jim?”
~
Dennis’ Sweet Sabotage
Frank turned to Dennis and explained, “Jim is my real estate agent. I bought a condo through him several years ago, however, I’m selling it now. So, I am looking to move and buy a house, so I am going to ask him to be my agent again. But wait, how do you know Jim?”
Dennis told Frank, “I used to rent from Jim,” and gave Frank a description of what Jim looked like.
Frank confirmed it was the same Jim he knew, and Dennis was in total disbelief.
Suddenly, the office door opened, and in walked Jim. He was carrying a folder of papers and seemed flustered. Jim didn’t recognize Dennis at all.
Frank finally turned to Dennis and said, “Jim, this is my friend Dennis. I believe the two of you have already met, right?”
Dennis interjected and said, “Yes, hello Jim. Good to see you again! My wife and I were your tenants a few years ago. Remember, the software developer who rented from you to eventually buy a home? Well, this is where I work. Here. With your friend, Frank.”
Dennis could tell Jim was starting to put everything together.
Dennis continued, “Phil says you’re his real estate agent. Small world, isn’t it?
Jim simply stayed quiet and nodded his head.
Dennis did some quick math in his head, then stated, “Frank is selling the condo for one hundred fifty to two hundred thousand bucks, and he is looking at houses in the five hundred thousand range. In total, you’re looking at around seven hundred thousand in transactions. Jim, you’re an agent who is getting three percent of the sale, plus another twenty thousand from the purchase. Your commission is almost too good to be true for an agent, isn’t it?”
Jim’s eyes flashed, and Dennis knew he remembered everything about him now. Frank was surprised at Dennis’ passive-aggressive tone, but he would be in for a major surprise when he learned who Jim really was.
~
A Lesson Learned?
Jim deflected Dennis’ question and walked out of the office.
As the door was shutting, Dennis told Frank, “Don’t sign anything yet. I have a story to tell you.”
Frank exclaimed, “Dennis! What was your attitude about?”
Dennis told Frank about how he and Jim had a dark history. He gave Frank the entire story, including how Jim raised his rent to an astronomical price and kept his security deposit.
Dennis pleaded, “Frank, you can’t use him to sell your condo and buy a home. He is evil. I will help you find a different agent, just use anyone but Jim.”
Frank was a standup guy, and he always took Dennis’ side when an issue arose.
He replied, “There’s no way I can use Jim now. What should I say when I fire him?”
Dennis and Frank came up with a perfect plan to fire Jim. Dennis’ only regret was not being able to see Jim’s reaction in person.
The next day, Frank made the call to Jim while Dennis stood behind him listening.
“Hi, Jim?” Frank asked, “This is Frank. I have decided to get some other quotes from other agents. I’m not going to be needing your help anymore.”
Jim argued, “What if I give you a discount? This is because of Dennis, isn’t it?”
Frank replied, “No, this is a decision I made, it has nothing to do with Dennis.”
A couple of seconds passed by, and the room was completely silent.
Finally, Frank told Jim, “You don’t have to like my decision. You just have to accept it. Goodbye.”
Frank slammed the phone down and began laughing. Not only did Dennis get revenge on Jim years later, but he also conned him out of twenty thousand bucks, too. Sweet revenge at last!
Hopefully, Jim would think twice before messing with the wrong tenant again.
~
