A user on TikTok has gone viral after filming a confrontation between herself and her former landlord, whom she accuses of taking $1,760 from her $3,000 security deposit.
In a covertly recorded video with over 3.1 million views as of Saturday, TikTok user Nicole (@opalnea) films her landlord, identified as “Ben,” as she confronts him about the money he’s allegedly taken out of her security deposit.
While Ben insists the apartment was delivered in a better condition than it was returned, and that he would never rent out an apartment in such a condition, Nicole is quick to counter that that wasn’t actually the case.
“It’s just not true, Ben,” she says about his accusations. “And I think that you know that, because it’s just false, and I’ve been in other apartments that you own and they’re not in the best condition.”
Nicole then goes through specific charges, such as $1,000 to paint the apartment to cover “spots.” Nicole states that the spots were there when she moved in, among other lingering issues.
One of the issues that she brings up is that she was charged for causing a leak with her shower curtains. Not only was she billed $350 for new shower curtains, but she claims that the leak was actually caused by insufficient sealant, which was later added and remedied the leak.
The video cuts off here while also saying that it is merely the first part of this series. No other parts have been posted at this time, though Nicole says she has three more parts coming and ended up taking the landlord to court. She also says that she took photos before and after moving out to validate her point.
Nicole isn’t the first to go viral after complaining about issues regarding a security deposit. One user claimed that their landlord fraudulently deemed their clean apartment “dirty” in order to hang on to their security deposit. Another user alleged that her landlord used photos of someone else’s apartment to justify keeping the security deposit.
@opalnea When the rich robs the poor! #housingcrisis ♬ original sound – Nicoleelizaaraujo
In the comments section of Nicole’s video, users shared stories of their own landlord disputes.
“My landlord did this so I went back and took the front door and screen door,” a user said. “The cops couldn’t stop laughing because [technically] I paid for it.”
“Had a landlord in California wrongfully take an entire $6,800 deposit, we took him to small claims and won the max amount of $10,000 plus fees,” alleged another.
“Before I moved into my last apartment I took pictures and sent them to the front office for their record and FOR MYSELF in case they try something funny,” stated a third.
The Daily Dot reached out to Nicole via Instagram direct message.
