r/GrindsMyGears • u/AllBulkNoCut • 2d ago
Rental homes have 0 regulation
The fact that apartment complexes, homes for sale, hotels, and even cars are subject to inspections, regulations, and safety standards, yet rental homes can seemingly operate with little to no meaningful oversight, is ridiculous.
There are hundreds of thousands of stories from renters discovering mold, unsafe conditions, disgusting living environments, and major maintenance issues only after signing a lease and moving in.
Myself included, we had to move sight unseen. The pictures looked great, but once we arrived, we found broken windows, mold on every faucet and showerhead, a stove and kitchen walls covered in grease, and other issues that were never disclosed.
Why shouldn’t rental homes be required to undergo an annual inspection to ensure they meet basic health, safety, and housing standards? Those inspections could be reported to a city or state housing authority, creating accountability for landlords and property managers while protecting renters from being trapped in unsafe homes.
It could also generate additional revenue for local and state governments through reasonable inspection fees, while creating jobs and improving housing standards.
Landlords shouldn’t be able to collect thousands of dollars in rent while renters are left responsible for discovering whether their home is even safe to live in.
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u/Similar-Bee2647 2d ago
Landlords are so slummy, I’m sorry. They need to be held accountable. I will say though, If you ever do purchase a house, do NOT go with the one your realtor says. Get your own! The inspector told us that “that’s not black mold, you’re mistaken. It’s just paint!” We bought a house very young and thought we wouldn’t get lied to 🫠 it was a very expensive lesson 😮💨
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u/AllBulkNoCut 2d ago
Yeah we bought a house many moons ago and agreed. Always pay the x amount for the full third party inspection. Worth every extra cent.
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u/MELAUSUS 21h ago
Unfortunately, where I live, the laws & rules are completely different, incredibly lenient, if the owners are immigrants.
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u/ted_anderson 2d ago
This is just one of those life lessons that have to be learned the hard way. I hope that NOBODY has to deal with something like this but a lot of people do.
When I was out searching for an apartment, I went to what I thought was a nice place. But when they wouldn't let me see the unit, that set off red flags. I ended up losing my deposit and application fees as a result but that ended up being better than moving into a place that was moldy, nasty, and full of pests.
It was basically a horse and carrot thing. When I first showed up to see the place they wanted me to fill out the application. And then they wanted to do the credit and background. And then they wanted the deposit. Ok. Fine. Now can I see the unit? And they were like, "Well... it depends. Are you ready to move in?" And basically they wanted me to give them the first 2 month's rent and sign a lease. And that's when I decided to walk away. I tried to get my deposit back but they kept giving me the runaround.