Vivian clenched her small fists, wishing she could punch that untrustworthy landlord.
“Let it go. Anyway, we got the rent and deposit back, so there’s no real loss. If we really go through the lawsuit process, who knows how long it will take.”
Lara had recently done an interview about a dispute between a landlord and a tenant. The landlord wanted to deduct part of the deposit because they thought the tenant had left the house too dirty. In a fit of anger, the tenant destroyed the renovations in the house, then left without taking the deposit.
The landlord was furious and called the police.
But the police considered it a civil dispute and there was no evidence proving the tenant did it, so they advised the landlord to go through the court process.
However, such matters can take a long time, and determining the amount of damages and compensation is not easy. Even if they win, they might not receive the compensation.
So encountering such a situation is really frustrating, but the landlord brought it upon themselves. Some landlords do this, finding various reasons to withhold deposits when tenants move out. If they encounter a tenant who is easy to manipulate, they might get away with it, but if they meet someone with a fiery temper, it could end up being a lose-lose situation.
Although this situation was different from the one Lara had interviewed about, the final procedures were similar, and since neither of them had financial losses, the court might not support their claims.
“No way, I can’t just swallow this anger!”
“I’m going to curse them for a hundred days, what kind of person is this!”
Vivian, who had just entered society not long ago, clearly hadn’t faced too many harsh realities yet. After experiencing more, this kind of thing really isn’t a big deal.
In a big forest, there are all kinds of birds.
You can’t impose your own standards of morality on everyone.
“Fortunately, it’s the weekend, so we have time to find a new place.”
Lara comforted her.
“Alas, it can only be like this.”
Vivian plopped down on a chair, looking like a deflated balloon.
Lara then sent a message to Jacob: Brother-in-law, I won’t be moving tomorrow afternoon, so you don’t need to set aside time for it.
At that moment, Jacob was at an art training center with Macy, attending a trial piano lesson.
Previously, their financial situation didn’t allow it, but now that they were better off, Jacob thought about letting Macy learn one or two musical instruments. Of course, the instruments had to be ones she was interested in, so trial lessons were necessary for her to experience them.
When Jacob saw that Lara suddenly said they weren’t moving, he asked about the situation and learned that the landlord had suddenly breached the contract.
After thinking for a moment, he sent Lara the address of a house he had bought that morning: This community is quite close to your workplace, right? He asked this question knowing the answer, as he had looked for a real estate agent nearby after dropping Lara off that morning, so Zoko Community was naturally not far from her workplace.
And Lara indeed confirmed it.
Jacob originally wanted to send a message, but seeing that it was only six o’clock, he decided to call directly.
“If living there is okay, I can go to the school now and help you move your things. That way, you can participate in the parent-child sports meeting tomorrow with more ease.”
“Huh?”
“But the rent for that community is a bit high.”
“Vivian and I don’t have that high of a budget.”
Although Zoko Community was an old community, it had a good location, and the rent for a two-bedroom apartment was around 2,500.
Lara and Vivian’s previous place was relatively remote, but the rent was only 1,800.
“How much was your previous rent?” Jacob asked.
“1,800.”
“Then I’ll rent this one to you for 1,800 as well.”
“Huh, this??”
Lara was a bit confused: “Brother-in-law, but the landlord won’t agree!”
“He will agree.”
Jacob spoke with certainty, then didn’t dwell on that issue and continued to ask: “You should have packed everything up, right?”
“Uh, more or less.”
“I’ll be there in about forty minutes.”
After saying that, Jacob hung up the phone.
Lara in the dormitory was left in a daze; even someone as smart as her couldn’t figure out what was going on.
The house was likely a friend of her brother-in-law’s, but if the rent was cut to 1,800, it would be 600 or 700 below market price. Her brother-in-law wouldn’t be planning to cover that difference himself, would he? “My dear Vivi, why is renting in Coastville so expensive!”
“It’s so unfriendly to us working people! Rent, food, transportation, utilities, phone bills, plus buying clothes and cosmetics, I feel like my 4,500 gold coins a month are just not enough!”
