Searching for an apartment to rent is stressful and not that simple. Finding a place that would be nice and in a convenient location with an affordable price tag can be really a challenge. It’s especially nerve-wracking when you’re a student, so you have a limited budget, limited time and limited options as everyone’s looking for an apartment at the same time.
This TikToker was exactly in this situation and what is worse, she wasn’t able to look at the apartments as she was in a different state so that led to renting a dodgy apartment for a ridiculous amount of money. She showed the state of the place she was renting and the video blew up with 12.4 million views.
More info: TikTok
A video went viral on TikTok with 12.4 million views in which two college students showed the seriously wrong things in their apartment they pay $2520 for
Image credits: emma_fidler
The video was posted last month and it was the first video on the account, however, it was wildly successful. The account emma_fidler is owned by two college girls who share an apartment in Los Angeles.
They originally had other housing plans, but they fell through, so they had to quickly find another solution. The women said that it was really hard to find something as all of the good options were already taken so they just took what was left and signed the lease immediately.
There is a cutout in the bathroom door so it can close properly
Image credits: emma_fidler
The kitchen is very small but has a huge fridge that doesn't have space to be opened up fully
Image credits: emma_fidler
Both of the students were out of state over the summer so neither of them were able to look at the apartment before signing the contract, so they were just hoping for the best.
However, after seeing the apartment in real life, the girls realized they were scammed. The rent was $2520 but what they got was not the same as advertised and in a later video, they mention that the photos were edited. Other people shared that they spend a similar amount of money for more modern apartments in the better locations in Los Angeles, so the landlord knew exactly what he was doing.
Image credits: emma_fidler
And the cabinets are so high that it is a challenge to get things out even for a tall person
Image credits: emma_fidler
Image credits: emma_fidler
In the viral video, the girls give us a tour of the spicy features of the apartment. It seems that there is not much space there as the toilet is so near the door that it has a cutout to be able to close it. And the fridge door doesn’t even open fully as the stove in front of it is too close.
The kitchen is actually so small that there isn’t even space for a trash can, so the trash is on display here. Although the space is small, it is tall and the cabinets on the walls are so high up that a person of 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 meters) can’t reach the top of it.
A sliding door which isn't the securest of doors opens up to a motel and the bedrooms don't have lights
Image credits: emma_fidler
Image credits: emma_fidler
What was evidently unexpected to the tenants was that the sliding door they had opened up to a motel. The problems continued into the bedroom where no lights could be found. The shower didn’t look better as the shower head was too low and falling off, the faucet was leaking and thus staining the bath.
There were some dangerous aspects to the apartment too, like a non-functioning fire alarm and a hole where the floor and the wall connect. The TikTokers went outside and also showed their walkway which seemed to be falling apart. We can only assume that the neighborhood is not the calmest as police come raid the street on the regular.
The shower head in the bathroom is installed too low and is about to fall off
Image credits: emma_fidler
Image credits: emma_fidler
The women fully realize that they are being ripped off, so they just tried to make fun of the situation by posting this absurdity on TikTok. They were annoyed with their landlord and wanted to vent. In another video, they revealed that what was shown in the viral video didn’t even include the worst part about their living situation.
It’s hard to believe, but they didn’t have any heating for three weeks in December. Los Angeles is known for its amazing weather, but it was quite a cold month this year. And while trying to solve this issue, the women started to realize how weird their landlord was who came to their home to talk about heating instead of meeting in his office and he was walking around with his bare feet.
The faucet is leaking, which creates a stain in the bathtub
Image credits: emma_fidler
There are constantly police outside but you would never see firefighters as the fire alarm is hanging on a wire from the ceiling
Image credits: emma_fidler
What is more, people who saw the video were pointing out that they probably have mold and it can be harmful to their health. The college students decided that they wanted to do an experiment and find out if it’s true as they are science majors and this kind of activity is really on brand.
They bought a test and swabbed the bathroom just to see how true it was. The petri dish showed that the commenters were right and there is mold growing in their bathroom. So now the TikTok account states that the two of them are ‘the mold girlz’ and people are really invested in this whole journey.
Image credits: emma_fidler
There's some structural damage as well, making the building seem to be on the verge of collapsing
Image credits: emma_fidler
The newest update is that the tenants finally got a maintenance check and the guys who came immediately recognized the problems, so the last video on the account shows the girls packing their luggage for a stay at a hotel paid for by the landlord while the apartment gets renovated and hopefully becomes more livable.
Image credits: emma_fidler
Finally the landlord admitted the apartment needs fixing and the tenants will temporarily live in a hotel paid for by him
Image credits: emma_fidler
In the video below you can see how ridiculous the apartment is
It is so sad to see that landlords don’t care about the living conditions in their owned properties, having in mind that they get paid for just the ownership of it. But it seems that the girls managed to direct things towards a better direction and might become proof that it is important to insist on getting things fixed.
What was your reaction when you first saw the conditions in which the girls lived? Do you think they were right for standing up for themselves and demanding to fix the issues? What would you have done in their shoes? Share your thoughts in the comments!
TikTok users were appalled by the audacity of the landlord to ask for $2520 as they could have gotten something so much better
