#tenants

One of my clients is an elderly man with cognitive and memory disabilities. 3 weeks ago, his neighbor set a fire in their apartment building, and his unit was rendered uninhabitable, per the city inspector.

He was staying in hotels at personal expense until he literally ran out of money, then he switched to couch surfing and homeless shelters.

During this time, legally speaking, he was obligated to continue paying his rent.

So he did. He paid the bills his landlord sent him.

On May 1, he received a bill with the usual notice: pay this in full by May 3, or we will begin eviction.

Except the bill was 25 dollars less than usual.

So, very reasonably, this man paid the bill he was given.

And by "accepting" the 25 dollar discount, he waived all right to any other reimbursement for the time his apartment has been legally uninhabitable.

The landlord no longer had to pro-rate his rent for the uninhabitable days, nor pay for cleaning, nor even complete the repairs beyond ensuring the electrical system is up to code.

They fucking scammed him into having to pay the full amount of rent for those weeks, and into taking on the cost of cleaning up-including literally repairing the holes in the ceiling left by their contractors to access electrical conduits.

And every lawyer we spoke to confirmed: this disgusting little scam is perfectly legal because my client "accepted the offered remediation, meaning he waived his right to pursue others."

If this ever happens to you, pay the full amount of your expected rent, even if that means overpaying the bill you received.

There's a new festival in town [Withington, once home to British actor Robert Donat] -- Tenants United Film Festival meets Thursdays, 8pm at the absolutely beautiful Cafe Blah on Wilmslow Road.