Renters Beware.
As many renters know, trying to get local landlords to deal with problems can be a nightmare. Especially when it comes to deposits or anything that has to do with money. For the last two years, my family has been living a nightmare dealing with a landlord named Pam Hines.
Two years ago, my younger brother fell from a balcony on one of her rental properties and passed away. The next day, maintenance came out to fix the wobbly rail from which he fell. We heard no word from Ms. Hines.
I am not writing to place blame for my brother’s death on anybody. I am writing to expose the hardship that Ms. Hines caused us during this already difficult and painful time.
We attempted to contact Ms. Hines a number of times with hope to obtain the deposit back from my brother’s six-week stay in her property.
Within two weeks of his death, we had received verbal confirmation from Ms. Hines stating that she would return the deposit. By the end of the school year, all remaining tenants had received their deposits back; however, we still had not received ours.
After numerous attempts to contact her through both letters and phone calls during the last two years, we filed a report with small claims court. We received a court date of Nov. 8. Less than a week before the court date, a letter arrived with a check from Pam Hines.
As an alumna of Ohio University, I remember the excitement of signing a lease for my first house. New renters do not think to look into reviews of landlords or rental companies.
Renters over the age of 18 also do not realize that by signing a lease they become the person a landlord will contact; though parents often provide payments, landlords will not speak with parents when issues arise.
Although it’s late in the renting season, I hope this serves as a warning to future renters. Most importantly, I hope that landlords and rental companies can begin to treat renters with respect that human beings deserve.
Amy Smith is a graduate student studying organizational communications.
