A tenant has gone viral on TikTok after revealing there’s a secret staircase behind what she initially believed to be a simple storage closet next to her unit.
In a video posted on May 7, TikTok user Janine (@yayatizz) started off by saying, “Guys, I know you’re not gonna believe me when I tell you this but something weird is happening with my short-term lease and I swear to God, this is not clickbait.”
The TikToker then went on to explain how a door marked “storage closet” adjacent to her unit’s entrance seemed to harbor more than just old brooms and boxes. Her suspicions were confirmed one evening when the sound of vacuuming emanated from the so-called closet. “It’s a really small room. I don’t know how someone could be vacuuming,” she whispered.
She recounts peeling back an opaque window covering to reveal not a closet, but a staircase descending into darkness. The TikToker reached out to the owner but the response to her inquiry only added another layer of mystery.
Janine, still whispering, said “Wait ‘till you see what she messaged me back. She said, ‘Hi Janine rest assured, the door that is behind the stove can only be opened from your side.’ What door behind the stove?” This was news to Janine, who had been oblivious to its existence.
Why didn’t the landlord tell her about the staircase?
The landlord’s husband, in a phone call, offered a code to access the basement, where Janine found the light already on. The explanation provided was that the landlord’s brother, the property’s caretaker, frequented the basement to assist tenants and maintain the property.
However, the reassurances did little to alleviate Janine’s fears, especially when she was told that once in the basement, the door locks behind, preventing return access from that side. “If I get murdered, check the ‘closet storage’ downstairs and also, apparently, check the door behind the stove,” Janine half-joked, half-pleaded.
Since its upload, the video has garnered over 717,000 views. In the comment section, users speculated about the secret behind the hidden basement.
One wrote, “I wondering if it’s a unit that isn’t legally rentable. Like doesn’t have enough windows or exits or something, so he’s trying explain away to you why someone would be there so you don’t report it.”
A second suggested, “I would be looking for tiny cameras and peepholes, but I’m VERY paranoid.”
“This feels like a movie plot!” a third remarked.
In a follow-up video, posted on May 9, Janine recorded herself sneaking into the “basement.” What she discovered was a hallway with several rooms, including a bathroom, bedrooms, and a kitchen area.
@yayatizz ♬ original sound – yayatizz
“I can understand now why they didn’t disclose it because it’s definitely not up to code,” Janine said, adding, “At least there was no obvious signs of some basement filled with cameras looking at everything in my room.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Janine via TikTok comment.
