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‘You can’t live here for free, people’: Property manager calls out tenants, sparking debate

‘Everyone would love to pay their bills. It’s hard to don’t have enough to pay on time.’

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Braden Bjella

woman speaking captions 'Property manager tok' 'Rent payments' (l) mint light green/blue calculator with 'RENT' typed on screen sitting on top of papers with finger pressing button (c) woman speaking captions 'Property manager tok' 'Rent payments' (r)

A property manager has gone viral on TikTok after posting a video calling out tenants for not paying rent.

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In the video, user Nichole (@nicholefeather1) says she called tenants who did not pay their rent to see what their issue was. She claims that she offered the tenants help with filling out rental assistance applications, asked if they needed to make a payment plan, and offered a variety of other options to help the tenants. 

“Whatever I can do to help you,” she says. “I don’t know your situation.”

In response, she claims people were “very rude.”

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“They get an attitude because you’re doing your job,” Nichole notes. “I don’t understand it. … In market communities, you have to pay rent! You can’t live here for free, people!”

The video currently has over 99,000 views.

@nicholefeather1 RANT: I Am sorry but rent is due monthly and I do not make you the rules … but these companies want payment or they need u to move #propertymanagement #communitymanager #housing #section8 #projectbasedsection8 #evictions #hardships #market #rentalproperty #lateFees ♬ original sound – AJ Consulting & Training

At first, some commenters claimed the process of paying back rent or applying for rental assistance may have simply overwhelmed the tenants, resulting in them being needlessly curt. In other cases, users said the tenants might be dealing with issues outside of their control that affect their dealings with property management.

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“I don’t think they want to live for free, their probably just stressed about the past due rent,” wrote a commenter. “I wouldn’t take it personally.”

“Everyone would love to pay their bills. It’s hard to [not] have enough to pay on time,” added another.

“I’m trying to get on assistance right now because my job messing with my check,” offered a commenter.

In response, Nichole said she understands that people have issues that might affect their payment. Rather than quietly dealing with those issues, however, Nichole insisted that it’s better to inform her of the situation so she can help figure out the best way to resolve the issue.

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“[You] have to communicate and make a plan,” she commented.

Other users expressed their appreciation for Nichole for the way she’s handling the situation.

“Wow … I wish the management company where I live would have someone like you who actually cares about the renter,” shared a user. “stay blessed friend.”

“Thanks for understanding and working with your tenets. I wish all Managers/ Management companies are this helpful,” agreed a second.

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The Daily Dot reached out to Nichole via Instagram direct message.

 
The Daily Dot