A Reddit user has caused a commotion on the platform after sharing his story.
User rickky1000 claims that, unbeknownst to him, his landlord rented his apartment through Airbnb while he was away for “a few months”.
However, the Californian tenant then fully assumed the costs of the rent.
Worse still, it was by noticing anomalies in his apartment that he learned the news.
“When I got home I noticed items from my house were missing, like my PlayStation, my PC and even an entire safe with a gun inside,” he detailed in his post.
“There were no signs of a break-in, I filed a complaint with the police for the theft, while asking my neighbors if they had seen anything,” he added.
Two of his neighbors then told him that they hadn’t even realized he had gone on a trip… Indeed, many cars were constantly parked in front of the apartment and people were coming and going all the while.
That’s when he questioned his owner.
The latter then told him the worst: according to the tenant, he had rented his apartment through Airbnb.
“I am absolutely furious,” wrote rickky1000.
“He denies any wrongdoing stating that it is his building and that I left the premises for two months. I paid every month for my absence”, he was still indignant.
Many Internet users strongly disapproved of the owner’s actions.
“Your landlord had absolutely no right to double rent your apartment while you continued to pay the rent whether you were physically inside or not,” one man wrote, urging the tenant to initiate legal action.
“Your landlord may try to argue that you abandoned the place, but if you continued to pay your rent, I think that argument will be dismissed,” argued a second person.
This remark is in line with advice given by other California resources on renting, reports the Dailydot.
On RentPrep, author Stephen Michael White writes, “A tenant who suddenly goes on an extended vacation or goes to jail is still technically a tenant as long as they haven’t breached the terms of the lease.”
“If a tenant leaves the unit without notice, eviction proceedings must first be initiated to officially end the tenancy,” White said.
Since rickky1000 was paying his rent, the argument that he gave up the property may prove difficult to make.
TVA Nouvelles was unable to verify the details of the rickky1000 story.