When her neighbor was evicted from their third-floor apartment, TikTok creator @softscorpio began filming as maintenance crews started throwing items off the balcony.
The viral video, garnering more than 300,000 views, shows a pile of debris in the courtyard of an apartment complex.
“Slumlord strikes again but unfortunately for one of my neighbors,” user @softscorpio says. “My neighbor who lives on the third floor, I guess, is being evicted, and the landlord has the maintenance people up there on the third floor chucking all of this stuff down.”
@softscorpio this is genuinely insane to me there is SO much debris everywhere and i know they aren’t gonna pick up #slumlord ♬ original sound – cam
She began watching and recording to hold the landlord and maintenance staff accountable, claiming that the practice was a safety hazard.
“Stuff’s bouncing everywhere, debris, it’s a complete safety hazard,” she says. “It’s 10:34, Monday, June 6, and I’ve just been sitting out here recording the whole thing because this is not how they’re supposed to do it, especially not chucking all of these things over the balcony, things that can break off and hit people, or splinter off.”
The TikToker says the maintenance team clearing the apartment had slowed and stopped throwing things off the balcony after she began recording, but eventually picked back up. In follow-up videos, she says that the maintenance crew had even been throwing glass items off the balcony, in a spot where people walk their dogs and children come to play.
Some commenters were floored by the callousness of throwing personal items of a resident out the window, particularly the childrens’ items seen in the video.
“The fact that there’s kids stuff in that pile is hurting my heart,” one commenter wrote.
Others were sure that they were seeing something illegal happening, referencing varying tenants’ rights relevant to their own localities.
“As a former property manager they are not supposed to chuck things off the balcony,” one commenter wrote. “The resident has a certain amount of time depending on the state.”
“The only way a landlord should be able to physically remove belongings are if it’s a skip and abandoned,” another commenter wrote. “Or if a writ is filed and the police should be present as a witness. Otherwise this is hella illegal, in Texas at least, I don’t know where you are at.”
“In my state the landlord cannot destroy tenant property,” a commenter wrote. “They must store it until the ex tenant claims it or abandons it.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to @softscorpio regarding the videos via Instagram direct message.
Source: https://www.dailydot.com/irl/landlord-threw-belongings-off-balcony-eviction/
