Landlord stuck living in van after tenant stops paying rent and refuses to leave
A Washington homeowner claims he's owed up to $50,000 in unpaid rent
It goes without saying, landlords get a pretty bad reputation around the world for neglecting tenants, raising rent prices and unforeseen evictions.
And when it comes to social media, the trend of 'outing' irresponsible landlords appears to be still rolling on.
But today, the tables have turned for one Washington landlord, who is being forced to live in a van parked outside his house after a tenant living in his house refused to leave the premises, months after refusing to pay any more rent.
Advert
Jason Roth had rented out his Seattle home - which he purchased back in 2016 - to pay for pilot school, having undergone a huge career change.
Though he'd previously made some extra cash by renting out specific rooms in the house, he later made the decision to rent out the entire property in order to come up with the money he needed to pay for his education.
In March this year, after interviewing him and receiving a great first impression, Roth allowed Kareem Hunter to move into his home, with him opting to move out to a cheaper apartment nearby.
According to documents filed by Roth in Kings County Superior Court - later reviewed by Insider - the pair had agreed on a rental price of $4,300 per month.
After paying aircraft engineer's apprentice Roth just one month's portion of rent, Hunter stopped transferring over anymore money.
The homeowner said they initially tried to negotiate a payment plan, but Hunter still refused to pay him anymore.
Instead, Hunter began listing rooms on the property for rent without paying down his debt.
Roth told local news outlet KIRO 7 this week: "So, not only is he not paying me, but he's generating an income through the basement Airbnb unit, and meanwhile, I'm having to pay the utilities for that unit."
He now claims that Hunter owes him $47,248, a figure which includes $33,400 in back rent, as well as utilities and late fees.
Because of these extra payments, Roth was forced to give up the affordable rental apartment he'd been living in, and has had to move into his van.
Hunter is claiming however, that Roth refused to accept payment of past due rent, believing he always intended to go take him to court to collect 'eviction insurance'.
He also alleges that Roth demanded $40,000 to allow him to break the lease.
Roth claims however, that he doesn't hold the insurance policy that offers landlords protection if they're sued for wrongful eviction.
According to court documents, Hunter told Roth in an email in July that he wanted to pay his outstanding rent, adding that he didn't want to attend court and have an eviction on his rental record.
Insider also struggled to find any documentation proving Roth demanded Hunter pay $40,000, only recovering a discussion of payment of $12,000 of back rent.
Hunter also alleges Roth was aware of his plans to sublet the property, with the lease - included in the court filing - indicating that subleasing the property through sites such as Airb&b is permissible, as long as the tenant doesn't claim to be the property owner.
On top of this, in another plot twist, Hunter claims Roth threatened his life over the dispute, lied about being homeless, and was 'directly or indirectly involved in the robbery of the property causing over $55,000 in losses'.
Roth claims however, that these assertions are 'baseless and defamatory'.
The dispute is now in court, with Roth revealing that his friends are in the process of raising money for his legal fees on GoFundMe.
He insists that all he can do now is 'struggle and wait — and keep eating the f***ing value meats that are in the on-sale section at Kroger.
Topics: Money, Washington
Rhianna Benson