When it comes to solving tenant-landlord disputes, the subreddit group r/legaladvice is the place to turn to. And the story that one Redditor decided to share with its members infuriated more than one of them. Paying or not paying? That is the question.
In short, the OP's landlord hired someone to cut down small healthy bushes in their front yard, which were already there when they moved in and which they had since taken such good care of that their neighbors and landlord had never complained.
Had there been some complaints, the Reddit user explains that they could have easily done the job themselves, given that they work in landscaping. However, they added, there was "no warning, no communication at all" on the landlord's action.
No communication, except for an invoice, which the OP received a few days later from their landlord for a $630 charge.
"He also attached a part of my contract that says … 'if residents do not maintain property, someone will be hired and rent will be increased to pay for said amount of services,'" the Redditor said. "Another interesting detail is that the landscaping company he hired is HIS landscaping company. Do I have to pay this man?"
In rental properties and communities controlled by homeowners associations, this type of issue is common, with accounts of tenants prevented from making cost-saving, environmentally friendly changes like growing their own food, planting a native garden, or installing solar panels. Some went as far as spraying pesticides in a tenant's garden in their absence.
Working with HOAs is therefore necessary to challenge restrictive rules and bolster changes toward sustainable living.
Meanwhile, Redditors were happy to provide the OP with pieces of advice, having previously lived the part.
"No, you likely do not have to pay this charge," one commented, pointing out that the landlord had likely violated the OP's tenant rights by not giving proper notice before contractors entered the property. "You were never told there was an issue with the bushes, and you should have been given notice and a chance to fix it yourself before they took action."
"You were not asked to remedy before he took action, and the bushes were already being maintained. I also think the lease is too vague to actually encapsulate the work he did," another confirmed. "Plus it's sketchy as hell that he hired himself."
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Yes 💯 Several members of the group advised them to question the landlord via email or a certified letter to track in the event the situation leads to a court action and mentioned the need for the Reddit user to soon hire a lawyer, depending on the local laws.
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