Heather had a gut feeling something wasn’t quite right in her townhouse, so she did what she had to do in case something went wrong: she took photos, videos, saved receipts, and copies of text messages. Her apartment needed a lot of repairs, but her landlord would use a temporary solution rather than solve the cause of the problem.
In February, Heather smelled gas and called the utility company and her landlord. The utility company left a tag stating the gas leak needed to be fixed by a licensed technician. Her landlord wanted to fix the issue themselves, even though they are required to use a licensed technician. Because he began the work himself against Heather’s wishes, she also called Lincoln Building and Safety.
Heather and her children were without heat for two and half days before it was fixed.
Because she had reported the safety issues in the home, her landlord threatened her with eviction. He seemed angry that she had called the gas company first, that they came to do the repair after hours, that they would require a licensed technician to certify the repairs, and that the City Inspector from Building and Safety had given him a list of things to be fixed in the home to bring it up to code.
By March, Heather had decided to move but was accused of causing $5,568.35 in damages to her apartment: entry door windows, blinds, a dent in the dishwasher, flood damage from bad plumbing, the list went on and on. Most of the repairs on this list were clearly updates and repairs the landlord was responsible for, but he continued to pressure and threaten her.
“Me and my children were living with ice on our windows, ice coming in through the door, mold in the bathroom...It was more than him being mean, it was the living conditions we were living in.” Heather said. “He holds a lot of power and what he is doing is wrong. It was never about the money for me, I just wanted to be done with it.”
Heather and her Legal Aid of Nebraska attorney were able to disprove each item on the damages list with photos, videos, and text messages. The judge found that not only were the landlord’s claims without merit, but that Heather was owed money from overpayments!
“He put me and my children through so much when he had the means and ability as a landlord to fix things,” Heather said. “I really appreciate everything that you have [done] for me and my kids, I truly do.”
Heather had faced situations before where someone she trusted tried to take advantage of her; but she learned from it. The photos, videos, and text messages she saved were invaluable evidence that many renters do not have the foresight to gather.
“Don’t ever feel like you have to be intimidated by someone in a powerful position,” said Heather. “Trust your gut. Always advocate for yourself. Honestly that’s why I want to become a lawyer, I didn’t have an advocate as a kid... We have to try and bring each other up.”
*Stock photo used to protect the client's privacy.
