Imagine you buy a home then spend months trying to renovate it. Time comes for you to rent it to a family of good people. Sounds good in theory, right? Unfortunately not every time things go according to plan, as you’ll soon find out from our story.
The Protagonist
The protagonist of our story is Thomas Ravaux, a simple man with a loving family. Everything was going great in their lives, with the potential to get even better. Thomas had to his name, an apartment that he had just finished renovating. He thought that it would be a great idea to rent the place, so they can have an extra source of income. He would soon come to regret this idea.
Better Be Safe Than Sorry
Thomas was informed about the problems that many landlords usually face. Late rents, squatters, or damages to the property. He was no fool, so first, he did all the research he could and had talks with his lawyer about how he can be legally safe if anything happens to him. He was told that he has to have the proper paperwork before signing the deal. But something else was more important.
Trying To Get It Right
To pick the right tenants. He knew that he wouldn’t have to worry about all these things if the people he chose to rent his apartment to were not the kind of people that would do anything like that. He asked some friends that he had and looked at the statistics. The best candidate would be a family with some kids. It is very uncommon for a family with kids to risk their well-being by getting in trouble with the law.
When It's Right You Feel It
He put on the ad and waited for the right family. A few couples showed some interest in renting the apartment, some single people as well, but Thomas was determined to wait for the right family. So, he refused to rent the apartment, for now. A few days later, he received a call from a family that wanted to see the apartment. He was excited that this might be the one. He couldn’t have been more wrong.
A Normal Family
The next day, Thomas met with the family in front of the building that the apartment was in. It was a big family of 5 members. The parents with their 3 well-behaved children were very pleasant and seemed to be really impressed by the apartment. Thomas had a great feeling about this family, but there was one last thing he wanted to check before giving the green light.
Everything Good
As it is normal, there was a security and financial check, before signing the lease for the apartment. Everything came back normal. It was official, Thomas had nothing to be worried about. This, compared with his gut-feeling, secured it. That was the family he was going to rent the house to. Little did he know that he will soon regret his choice.
About To Move In
The moving-in process continued normally. While the family was getting their stuff, he was getting the apartment in tip-top shape. He finished painting it and even polished the floor. He wanted to start their collaboration on the best possible terms, to avoid any problems. As you can see, he was really aware of the dangers of being a landlord, but there was no hint of what was about to come.
Handing The Keys
Then the day came. The family brought all their stuff, in boxes of various sizes. Everything is neatly packed. Exactly what you would expect from a family. Thomas helped them put everything inside and at long last, he handed the keys over. The apartment was theirs. He left the building, feeling quite nice about this contract. The moment he left, was the moment everything took a turn for the worst.
No Rent
The days passed by, and Thomas didn’t think a lot about what his tenants were doing, but when the day to pay the rent came, he realized that no money had been deposited into his account. He thought it was a bit odd, but he shrugged it off. Probably some bank problem that was keeping the pay from coming in.
Still No Rent
The second month came in and still, nothing was in his account. He called the bank to complain about the delay, but he was told that there was no problem with receiving payments. What had happened was very simple. Nobody had tried to put any money into his account. He was shocked. He immediately called his tenants to see what is going on. The answer the family gave him, was complete lies.
The Problem With The Bank
They told him that something was wrong with their bank, but it was going to get fixed very soon. Thomas was a bit suspicious, but there was nothing that he could do. So, he waited patiently. Then the next month came and there was still no rent money in his account. He was getting annoyed by the whole story. So he called again the family, demanding answers.
Trying To Get In Contact
They only gave him empty promises and more excuses. This went on for a few months, and in the end, the family stopped answering completely. Thomas was getting desperate. It had been 14 months since they signed the contract and he still didn’t get any money from this family. He had had enough. It was time to go there and confront them face to face. He wasn’t ready for what he would find there.
Let’s See The Apartment
He went to the door of the apartment and knocking on it. He was ready to have a calm discussion but what he got was different. He only got silence. Nobody was answering. He rang and rang, but after a few minutes, it was clear that no one was going to open the door. He decided that he had every right to open the door. He took out his spare key and unlocked the door. He pushed it open, and from what he saw, he couldn’t believe it.
A Garbage Dump
There was trash, everywhere. Without exaggeration, there was trash to the ceiling. Thomas was in a state of shock. He was wondering, how could someone live in a house so full of trash. He went inside and called for the parents. No answer. He decided to go deeper into the house to find them. But as he was moving, he started noticing something other than the trash that was everywhere. Something worse.
Damages
There were damages to the house. Not just some small hole, or a bit of paint that needed redoing. That would have been a paradise for Thomas, compared to what was happening. There were damages everywhere. On the walls, on the ceiling, on the floor. Everywhere. Thomas was wondering, how could a human being cause so much damage. But then he realized the worst part.
That Was No Accident
This was done on purpose. He did not doubt in his mind that they were trying to punish Thomas for something. But Thomas had done nothing to them. He was only demanding what they had agreed to in the first place. It looks like they did all this damage so that not even the security deposit could cover what was happening. There was something else as well in the house. A weird smell was everywhere.
A Horrible Smell
He looked around, and he found a lot of leftover food in the fridge and around the kitchen. The food had gotten bad, with huge patches of mold everywhere. The apartment, except for destroyed, was also disgusting and probably dangerous to breathe. What could Thomas do, against so much hate? Actually, he had a great idea of what to do. But first things first.
Planning For Revenge
Thomas called his lawyer to inform him of the situation of the house and tell him what he had planned in mind. The lawyer told him that it would be a bit messy, but he could go ahead with what he had in mind. He didn’t need to hear anything else. He quickly got his plan into action. You will not believe what he had come up with, to punish this rude and inconsiderate family.
Tracking Down The Family
The first thing he needed was to see what happened to his ex-tenants. He went to the neighbors and asked them if they had seen them recently. The neighbors claimed that no one has been in this house for weeks. Since it had been weeks since they had left, probably they would be feeling quite safe now. They were probably thinking that they got away with it, but they were wrong.
Finding Them
Since they were registered, he could find easily where they were staying at the moment. After that, it was over. Thomas was tunnel-visioning towards one goal only. Revenge. He made a few calls, and after a bit, he was set up and ready to go. Time to take out the trash. The most fitting revenge the public media has ever seen was about to take place.
Time To Take The Trash Out
He had arranged for a truck to come outside his apartment and for a few guys to give him a hand. The workers that saw the mess, were disgusted and felt sympathized with Thomas. Everybody laid a hand and the truck was ready to go in a couple of hours. A truck full of all the mess the family had left behind was ready to go. There was only one place, Thomas wanted the truck to go, and it wasn’t the garbage dump.
Almost At The Address
The address he gave to the driver, was none other than the new house address of the family that created this mess in the first place. They didn’t even try to go far away. Their new house was just a few blocks away. This carelessness showed that they never thought of the consequences of their actions. Thomas was about to give them a track full of consequences.
Let’s Get To Work
The truck pulled up on the driveway of their new house, and all the guys go to work. They started unloading the huge pile of trash right there. A whole truck full of trash was getting emptied right on its feet. Thomas thought this was poetic justice. It is only fair that their trash should follow them wherever they go. But, there was another crucial element in Thomas’s revenge.
Social Media
He was filming the whole thing, so he can upload it on Facebook and Youtube. People like that deserve to be publicly humiliated. It is the only way they could learn their lesson. Probably he wasn’t the first to have his property destroyed by this family, but he was planning on being the last one. The video would follow them wherever they go, informing their new landlords of what they are capable of. There is a surprise part about this revenge.
A Fitting Revenge
If the family didn’t pick up the trash that was on their driveway, they would be fined by the state. So they had to pick up all the trash and hire a dumpster to save themselves from the fine. To imagine them working hard to clean the mess, they originally created, brings a smile to Thomas’ face. Thomas had done something to make sure he wouldn’t face legal consequences.
Thomas Was Safe
He got a legal representative to inspect the damages in the house, and he talked to the authorities about what he was about to do. He made sure, that he wasn’t doing something illegal. Since the authorities were on his side. He didn’t have anything to be afraid of. His revenge was dealt and he was on top of the world. Although not all of the public sphere agreed with his actions.
Mixed Reactions
One of the viewers of the video commented the following: “Not a bad idea but if these tenants can’t pay rent moved to a new place which is not their place you just made a big mess for a new landlord who now can sue you for jumping on his property. Think man. I know you’re upset but you put a new landlord in the middle and he did nothing to you.” Thomas claims that he doesn’t regret what he did.
The Law Is On His Side
Except for a small minority though, most of the people seem to agree that, what Thomas did, was completely justified. Some people go so far, as to praise Thomas for his actions, even if they were, borderline legal. Probably, to settle this issue legally would have been a better lesson to the family than a day of hard work. But for sure it felt sweet forcing them to clean up after their mess.
Huge Damages
In the end, Thomas claimed that the damages were so extensive that he had to paint the entire house. He also had to redo the floors get new carpets and furniture for the entire apartment. Of course, there is no need to mention that disinfection was needed to try and remove the disgusting smell of rot and decay. It was a surprise for Thomas that a family can live under these conditions. He said that they should be ashamed of themselves.
The Worst Tenants Possible.
Everyone has heard of tenants being late on their rent or disappearing without even paying. Both of those are condemnable actions, but they don’t compare to what these tenants did to Thomas and his family. At least they got served a bit of justice at the end. Let’s hope, for the shake of their next landlord, that they learned their lesson.