[Housing] Discrimination Is Real
My experiences with housing discrimination… *Updated*
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Prior to relocating to the Carolinas, I lived on my own on older properties in nice areas in my home state. I never paid a deposit, my rent was always paid on time and the most I have ever complained about was… well I didn’t really have any problems to be honest.
Fast forward, over ten years later and I am going through hell.
I didn’t know what discrimination felt like until I moved to the Carolinas. It all started subtly then very started to become really bold.
After the dispute between my mother and I over the family home over two years ago, I was tasked with finding somewhere new to live. I hadn’t lived on a rental/apartment property in over 4 years.
My last home was on a property in my home state, and it may have been the beginning of my discrimination issues due to faulty repairs but I moved out of the state so I didn’t think anything of it.
The dispute between my mother and I followed a loss of employment and failure to obtain full time, consistent employment. It was a nasty little divorce from my mother and the beginning of realizing that my family was not anything I wanted to be but it was too late because they had already shaped my reality.
The search for an apartment was really not good given I wasn’t employed but mother dearest offered to co-sign and provide certain assistance so I just picked a property that she agreed on and moved on.
It was a property undergoing renovations and showed signs of potential so I thought why not. Little did I know the property manager would be a nightmare.
I consented to a background check and later in the evening learned that I would have to pay a full months rent deposit. I paid the deposit due to the limited amount of time I had to move. Never had I ever, so I started to ask questions. This didn’t end well, it actually was the beginning of the very battle that I am currently in the midst of.
Turns out the property manager had gone above and beyond to locate court cases, and taken over the initial application process from the leasing team and must have decided that I was a suspicious candidate so I owed a full months rent, by myself, with a co-signer.
The next few months after we were all under a Stay Order in which we weren’t able to do much so I began to look for wfh employment.
My apartment was frequented monthly by random strangers and resulted in my employment being interrupted, and I couldn’t take it so I went off. People attempting to access my unit with keys that had not been authorized, contractors at the wrong apartment all while I work remotely.
I was hit with multiple lease violations.
The next few months, I endured and paid my rent on time then I realized that I would need to eventually seek employment and re-enter the real world only to be met with a poorly ran and maintained property where no one leaves after dark.
The sad part is that recent advertisements showed that the rates had decreased so I was possibly paying more for a unit than those new to the community.
I pushed send on a lot of initiatives until changes were made then it became time for my renewal. Even during the pandemic and paying my rent on time, the property increased my rent. I couldn’t believe it and I had just started another role.
*Insert: I also encountered lost or intentionally misplaced packages, delays in repairs, invasion of my privacy and a slew of other things throughout my first year.
Reluctantly, I signed another lease after requesting that my rate remain the same and enduring belittling conversation from a property management team with whom felt they owned me for “allowing me to live here”; and I test positive for COVID.
Not only did I test positive for COVID and have to sit out of work for two weeks but my A/C goes out.
Five months later and my A/C has gone out 3 times (within 4 of the months) and each time it is right before rent is due and the weekend, in which they don’t work. The community has gotten bolder and bolder in taking their time with temps as high as the 90’s, stating at one point that it wasn’t an emergency.
The longest amount of time that I have gone without A/C to date has been 8 days.
I’ve also been followed out of the community and had them access my unit as soon as they see me leave the premises, which is another story. This is the most negligent mess that I have ever had to deal with in my entire educated adult life.
The company, based out of Los Angeles, CA and the staff have been reported to every agency and the good folks always appear to side with the company or brush it off or come up with some lackadaisical answer equivalent to a group of low income and low class professionals who don’t know any better.
It’s safe to say that once all of my unfinished business matters are complete that I plan to get the heck out of dodge.
Insert: One of the most recent findings, is that the Property Management team shortened my lease and increased my rate BUT replaced the previous manager with the worst candidate the former assistant. Fix it Jesus.
In situations like this, you have no choice other than to move across town or out of the state. More than likely they’re already stalking you and/or have been using information gained in the process of applying to live there as a means to manipulate you.
No matter what state you live in or your income level, know your rights. There are so many ways that people discriminate these days and not every state is built for single people or renters.
From the large deposit to the excessive background checks and even not respecting the privacy of their residents — there are so many ways you can be targeted and not even be aware.
You shouldn’t have to own your home or a company to be respected.
*A/C Update: My a/c was fixed within 24 hours this time, after my extreme attempts and having to reschedule due to prior engagements.
This article is just a brief overview of an ongoing battle to help identify ways that you may be being discriminated on when it comes to housing. Please note: The article was written at 5:00am while I checked in with myself (and made sure I was alive).
