Renting a place can either be the best experience or the worst, depending on one’s landlord. Some building managers keep out of their tenants' way and don’t cause any problems, whereas others are hell-bent on making people’s lives miserable while they reap the benefits.
This is what some tenants faced because their landlords didn’t care about their well-being at all and refused to replace their broken fire alarm. The building managers eventually got what was coming to them when they arrogantly contacted the fire marshal.
More info: Reddit
A good landlord can make renting feel like a pleasant experience, especially if they genuinely care about their tenants
Image credits: Drazen Zigic / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The poster shared that his building ended up getting new landlords who were disrespectful, and also had no idea of the responsibilities they had to take on
Image credits: benzoix/ Freepik (not the actual photo)
One time, when the fire alarm stopped working in the poster’s apartment, the landlords refused to replace it, stating that it wasn’t their duty
Image credits: fabrikasimf / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Much to the amusement of the tenants, the landlords decided they were going to contact the fire marshal, who would prove they didn’t have to replace the alarm
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The fire marshal obviously scared them straight, and the landlords were immediately forced to install new fire alarms in every room
The poster explained that he and his roommate were living in a basement apartment and that they ended up getting new landlords. The new building managers didn’t seem to know what responsibilities they had to fulfil, and they kept illegally entering tenants’ apartments or going through their things.
Being a renter can become even more difficult if you have to deal with a rude landlord. Sometimes, the reason for this bad behavior is that certain building managers feel that they have power over their tenants and can do as they please. Other times, it might also be due to animosity on both sides that leads to conflict.
Regardless of why the landlords were behaving so badly, their ignorance could actually harm their tenants, and they didn’t seem to care at all. Instead of immediately replacing the broken fire alarm when they were alerted about it, they treated it as nothing and kept replying sarcastically to the poster.
What some people don’t seem to realize is that a working fire alarm or smoke detector can actually save lives. It’s estimated that around 60% of deaths that happen due to house fires are simply because there were no smoke alarms installed. That’s why these devices are crucial and needed to be regularly checked and replaced when they malfunction.
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The tenants realized that their landlords didn’t know much about building safety, and were amused when they said that they would talk to the fire marshal about the alarms. The OP was sure that the building managers would have to face severe consequences if they revealed their ignorance.
If a fire marshal finds something that is not up to code during their inspection, they can fine the building manager for it. They might also assign a severity ranking to the violation, which impacts how much time the landlord is given to correct the problem. Even though it might be a frustrating or tiresome process, all of this is done only to keep people safe.
The landlords must have learned their lesson immediately because they started knocking on doors the next day with a whole bag of fire alarms. Their arrogance about the fire marshal taking their side had turned into fear at what consequences they would have to face if they didn’t follow the fire safety rules.
It must have been amusing for the OP to see the building managers scrambling to install new fire alarms. Hopefully, they figure out all of their other building responsibilities and learn how to treat their tenants with more respect.
Have you ever dealt with a bad landlord? Do share your stories down below.
Folks were glad that the fire marshal got involved and that the building managers had to face appropriate consequences
