A woman (@lexiehuckabee) submitted a critical, “anonymous” review of her apartment building. However, in a recent TikTok, she says the complex management reached out to her about it.
“It was not anonymous,” she says, despite the complex portraying it as so.
In the “anonymous” review, she wrote that the complex has small dog and kids parks, tacked on extra charges to her rent after they installed a ceiling fan, and let black mold grow in her apartment for almost a year.
“It was a health concern,” she says in her TikTok. “It was ruining our furniture. It was ruining other things. It was leaking in moldy water. It was getting our animals sick.”
She says this detail is what made the complex know it was her review.
“I got an email directly from the office asking me personally to come in at my earliest opportunity,” she says.
She responded to let the complex manager know how she felt about their email.
“I feel like it’s highly unprofessional for a review to be anonymous, and then you directly contact a resident, almost in a condescending way.”
She says the response to her email was 3,000 words, and the manager didn’t address any of her privacy concerns.
“She was just like, I feel like we’ve handled everything professionally, and your moldy window was half under management with me and half under management with someone else, so I can’t really speak to that, but yeah, you don’t have to renew your lease next year,’” she says in her TikTok.
‘Warn others’
Several commenters said they would be upset if they were in her shoes. Others empathized.
“Girl same thing happened to me and they tried keeping my 1.5k deposit saying I caused damage,” one viewer commented. “I lawyered up and my attorney told them that I can get more because what they did was abuse with my living.”
“This inspired me to leave a bad review for my rental company,” another said.
“I just broke a lease on an apartment after the vents were covered in mold and made me sick for a year,” another wrote. “You 100% need to leave a review to warn others.”
“I did what I thought was an anonymous online survey from my gym,” another viewer shared. “They called me an hour later to ask me about my rating of them.”
“My complex refuses to renew anyone that leaves negative reviews,” another warned. “I am moving out TODAY!”
“I am so sorry,” another viewer wrote. “I work in apartment living and just want to apologize for how this entire situation was handled. Sending so much love.”
Can an anonymous review be traced?
The short answer is yes, because your computer or phone’s IP address is trackable unless you’re using a VPN, which hides it online. As a general rule, Google is never anonymous.
And yes, you can be sued for leaving an anonymous review if it is defamatory. It can usually be subpoenaed.
It’s unclear how the landlord tracked the tenant in this case.
Advice from the crowd
Others left advice.
“So you paid for the ceiling fan in the rent, I’d be taking it with me when I left,” one viewer said.
“Get that ceiling fan money in small claims court,” another suggested.
“File a complaint in your state with that email about the unresolved mold,” another shared.
“Please go to an attorney or police then attorney,” another said. “So many things wrong. AND now when you go to renew your lease, they may try to not let you. Like “renovate” and you have to reapply for another unit.”
“Leave a Google review so other people know about the issues,” another wrote. “I’d want to know those things for sure
@lexiehuckabee Brb still reading the email#mrshuck #fypviral ♬ original sound – Huck
“I never leave a review till I move out,” another commented.
The Daily Dot reached out to @lexiehuckabee on TikTok, but she did not immediately respond.
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