A user on TikTok has gone viral for sharing how he enacted revenge on his landlord after the property owner reported his car to the city for parking in front of their property.
In a video with over 983,000 views, TikTok user Jer (@confused_millennial) recounts the full experience.
“So my landlords called the city on me. I got a ticket for parking in front of their house,” he explains. “They’re going to love it when I call Revenue Canada and let them know that they have an illegal basement suite that I pay cash for so they don’t have to claim rental property on their taxes every year.”
“Play with fire, get burned,” he concludes.
@confused_millennial Tried to raise my rent in the middle of my lease due to inflation and got my car ticketed when I said no. LET THE PETTY GAMES BEGIN 😜 #landlord #rental #foryoupage #foryou #fyp ♬ original sound – Jer
In a follow-up video, Jer says that this was only one of many issues with the landlord. For example, Jer says that the landlord attempted to raise his rent by about 30% in the middle of a year-long lease, which is illegal in Calgary, Alberta where Jer is based.
Jer also says in this follow-up that he has another rental lined up after this one, so he will not be homeless if he is kicked out of the apartment.
@confused_millennial Replying to @Queen Grégoire for the trolls, it’s not my parents basement lol #foryoupage #foryou #fyp ♬ original sound – Jer
As some commenters noted, damage deposits in Alberta must be placed in a trust account, and landlords must also pay tenants interest on their security deposits.
CBC notes that illegal basement suites are surprisingly common. Author Karina Zapata writes, “While it can’t keep track of all of them, [the City of Calgary] says there are many more illegal secondary suites than there are legal ones. In a statement, the city said it received around 2,500 complaints regarding secondary suites between 2020 and 2022.”
While Jer’s revenge may seem like enough, some commenters encouraged the TikToker to go further.
“Call the city.. ask for an inspection just in case it’s not up to code…also cc the fire chief…to review all the fire safety,” wrote a user.
“Don’t forget to report it to the city as well. They can get fined as well,” added another.
“If you wanna be really petty try to find out where they are insured. If this wasn’t disclosed it can void their policy,” shared a third.
“I did the same with my landlord. They weren’t claiming rental property. Trust you’ll see how quickly things will change,” recalled a further TikToker.
The Daily Dot reached out to Jer via Instagram direct message.
