Worst Landlord Ever: A Piece of Advice on Housing

The kind people at ULoop have suggested that we write about our housing experiences on and off campus. Well, this year I have had possibly one of the worst experiences with landlords ever. I would like to pass on my knowledge and experience so I can prevent someone from renting from this man.

Bill Gardner is my current landlord. He lives in Miami, Florida and he rents his property through an agency called First Place Realty. The people at First Place Realty have been more than fantastic. They were kind from the start and they are very accommodating when we have any issues that they can solve. On the other hand, Bill is the worst person to deal with, and I knew this was going to be a sour relationship from the very beginning. I came up to Columbus from Cincinnati to view the apartment and meet Bill before he went back to Miami. I waited a half an hour at the apartment before I decided to call and see where Bill was. It turns out he was too hungover to come meet me, and he decided he did not need to inform me of this. What kind of professional does something like that? This has not been the only meeting he has failed to attend. In addition to that, he charged us an outrageous fee for having a 2.5 pound dog and he demanded our rent early. He even tricked one of our building-mates into paying for the water to operate our laundry machines. Luckily, our lease protected us from having to pay rent early, but you can see the kind of swindler he is.

When there is an opening for an apartment on Indianola this coming year, please make sure your landlord’s name is not Bill Gardner. If you decide to rent with him it will be the year from h*ll for you!! I hope someone out there can be helped and possibly avoid what I have gone through at the hands of this slumlord.