This viral TikTok is a cautionary tale for landlords who want to deny a renter because of a disability. In the video, a woman reveals how karma eventually caught up with the landlord after she faced discrimination due to her multiple sclerosis. Uploaded by Staci (@itsstacisiegel), the video has already garnered over 264,000 views.
While out for a stroll, Staci recounts the story. “I rented a house in Santa Monica. Well, I applied. My application was accepted. I signed a lease; I paid the deposit, and you will not believe what the [expletive] happened,” she said.
With her things packed, the movers hired, and her roommate on notice of her departure, Staci thought she was all set to move into her new apartment—until she wasn’t.
“Then like five days before I was supposed to move into this new apartment, the landlady, let’s call her [expletive] Mc[expletive]erson or CM for short, called me, and she said ‘Hey Stacy, I have really bad news. I was just talking to my attorney, and I know that you have multiple sclerosis, and he told me because you have MS, it’s too much of a liability for me to let you move into the apartment,’” she continued.
Can the landlord do this legally?
Staci was alarmed by this news, specifically because it was a blatant case of housing discrimination under the Fair Housing Act, which probits discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, and disability.
“So in any case, I was calm, and I explained to the landlady what she was doing. I said, you know, ‘CM, [expletive] Mc[expletive]erson, this is illegal[…]. You cannot do this[…]. Not to mention, we already have a signed lease, […] I’ve paid, and I’m moving in five [expletive] days,’ Staci exclaimed.
Seemingly unfazed by Staci’s concerns, the landlord remained firm on her decision. Fortunately for Staci, she knew exactly how to proceed. By contacting the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
“I hung up the phone. I called HUD and I told them what happened, and they said they would do an investigation. They asked me for all of my evidence and any witnesses, and in about a week, they called me, and they said ‘OK, we’ve done our investigation, and we’ve determined that you definitely have enough evidence to follow or file suit with her.’”
Reluctant to jump into a lawsuit, Staci gave her landlord a chance to reconsider before proceeding with any legal action.
“So I sent her a letter explaining to her what HUD had just told me and you know asked her if she would reconsider and she said she would not, so I did end up filing a suit. We had our day in arbitration and she didn’t have to let me move into the apartment, but she did have to pay me a [expletive] ton of money. If I told you how much it was, you would die. So karma is a [expletive],” she explained.
Why did the landlord want her out in the first place?
As the video wraps up, Staci reveals the real reason why the landlord wanted to keep her out of the apartment.
“But here is the [expletive] craziest part of this whole story is that she actually wanted to sell the place. I heard from lots of neighbors[…]. She did end up selling it […]. She just thought that instead of just calling me that week before I was supposed to move in and telling me that her finances had changed and she needed to sell the place, she decided that a better argument for getting out of a lease would be to violate fair housing laws, so go [expletive] figure.”
@itsstacisiegel This story happened a while ago but it’s an important one to tell and a good lesson for anyone who has been discriminated against or for any landlord considering denying a renter with a disability. I left some parts out of the story that would make people even more outraged at CM, but in the interest of saving time I wanted to post a more condensed version. #multiplesclerosisawareness #multiplesclerosis #ms #mswarrior #chronicillness #chronicillnessawareness #discrimination #fairhousing #disability #disabiltyawareness #wtf #lawsuit #judgmentday #disabilityawareness #ada ♬ original sound – staci🤍
The Daily Dot reached out to Staci via TikTok Direct Message, and she had this to say about the incident:
“I posted this story and shared my experience so that anyone who has been discriminated against[…] knows that they have recourse[…] and that there are government agencies that will help them.”
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