A renter’s nightmare
Deborah Bailey's basement has been flooded for almost a month, since May 18. The flooding resulted in property damage, and mold near her kitchen, and that's just the beginning of her concerns.
She asks how can a landlord get away with this.
Bailey says it flooded once before in August 2017, and was met with prompt response by her landlord, Mel Snyder. But this time we're told there has been no response to calls, texts or emails. Just responses like "sorry, I can't talk right now" on May 18.
Bailey brings up the flooded basement again in text on June 7, this time with no direct response.
We contacted Snyder, he claimed the flooding had been taken care of, but had no response when we informed him that we had just seen a few inches of standing water ten minutes earlier.
Bailey claims her landlords attitude changed in November 2017, after she became eligible for Section 8.
Her rent was lowered in the agreement from $775 a month to $663, with Bailey paying $343 a month.
The only problem, says Bailey, is that Snyder still expected the full $775.
Unaware of her rights, she continued to pay $455 over the past seven months, something her case worker said should not happen.
"When I showed her she said Debby why are you paying him $455, and she said oh no," said Bailey.
Snyder in the phone call claims Bailey broke her lease when enlisting Section 8.
In a letter sent from the Department of Housing and Community Development, Snyder is now being told to repay the excess money he has been accepting from Bailey by June 30.
But that isn't the end of Bailey's worries.
She is now concerned about her $775 security deposit.
After giving sixty days notice on May 29, she will be freed from her lease on July 29.
But Bailey still hopes to find a way out sooner, for her health, and to feel free, saying as of now she feels like a prisoner.
The difference in rent is $112 a month extra paid by Bailey for the last seven months, which comes out to $784 which must be repaid by the end of this month.
Bailey is also hoping she'll get back her $775 security deposit, in total, that's $1,559.
We reached out to Snyder who denied a recorded interview, but he did say that he has been in contact with the DHCD regarding the dispute over the amount paid by Bailey.
She says she does not care about being reimbursed for lost property to the flooding, just to be repaid for her rent and to be set free from her lease.
