My mom was the same way with my little sister & I always told her that she’s spoiling & enabling her, but now that she’s an adult & lost in the world without mommy, I tell my mom she DIS-abled her.
They are toast. Sydney admitted in open court to turning off the heat. What I find interesting is that Kennedy is by far the least self-assured. Mommy will never let her grow up.
I am a landlord and have a home in a college town. It is MY responsibility to manage the property if my tenants have notified me that they would be gone for nearly a month and an unforeseen winter storm came in. I would certainly NOT want my tenants crawling under my home potentially hitting gas lines and or injuring themselves. With prepping plumbing it’s not just simply turning up the heat, it’s turning all of the sinks at a small drip, covering the exposed pipes. The fact that Mikayla said that the pipes already had damage tells me that this was previous damage. Lastly, you always cushion your deposit for accidentals like this to cover any insurance deductibles and I’m curious if they did not either file an insurance claim which they should have done and settled for the deposit or they are doing the work themselves and not making a claim under insurance because they do not want it on record since it is an investment property. I would have liked to see the document that they gave the girls of how to prep the house for a winter freeze, and if that was all done and checked off then case close. The landlord just hast to take it on the chin and move on.
@@Treesah0416 Absolutely. If there was any danger of a freeze during a KNOWN vacation period, it is on the owner/management company to notify the tenants of what weather proofing precautions need to be taken.
@@Treesah0416my parents always called their tenants to ask them to make sure the garden hoses were off the outside spickets and to open cabinet doors and let the water drip.
Letting pipes freeze is a fast way to do a ton of damage. I understand that these girls are young, however common sense has got to kick in sometime…… yes ? Should have called her know it all mom. Stop feeding that girl the answers!
As someone who’s never lived in the cold, where pipes would freeze, could you please explain how it would work if one was away on extended leave, etc. in cold/freezing weathered areas? Would you just have to leave just your home heater on? I’m totally clueless & absolutely intrigued & would love to learn the best way to maintain in the cold weather. Here in the warmer states, when temps drop to 40’s-50’s we put foam wraps on our outside pipes but other than that, I wouldn’t know what to do if I were ever in freezing temperatures. Thanks for your insight
@@ElleElle75the least she could have done is have a slow steady stream of water so the water in the pipes isn't siting in one place long enough to freeze. In our old house our kitchen sink pipes would freeze. We put insulation around the pipes and has steady water running. Sometimes a little space heater. You obviously don't want to leave a space heater on that long with no one home.
@@ElleElle75 If you’re going to be gone for more than a day, then the best way to keep the pipes from freezing is to leave the cabinet doors open, keep a trickle of water running through the faucets, and set the thermostat to 60. If you’re at home, and the temperature really drops then do a modified version. Open the cabinet doors so the warmth can get to the pipes, keep the thermostat set to whatever temperature keeps you warm. It’s also best to put insulation covers over the outside spigots. Home Depot and Lowe’s carries them.
@@ElleElle75 I live on the Canadian prairies where we hit temps of -50° for weeks in the dead of winter. We would never leave our homes for a vacation for example in that type of weather, without someone checking on our homes. It is primarily the heat in the home that keeps the pipes warm so they do not burst, if the furnace happens to stop for whatever reason, there is a great risk a pipe will split. Also water running through the pipes, from individuals showering, flushing toilets etc, helps to keep the pipes in proper working order. So with everyone away as in this case, that wasn't happening. We had a whole apt building under construction in my city where the boiler (In lieu of a furnace) stopped during the Christmas break, workers were on days off, and pipes burst flooding the building. Put them months behind and cost thousands in repairs, not sure why they didn't pay someone to check on the building.
@@grbenway Probably not, especially now that they have a record explicitly saying they aren't including the cosigners as defendants and objecting to their intervention. However if they get a judgement against the kids who are easier to prosecute, the parents probably pay the bill of their own accord.
@@Vaelosh466 No, the guarantors can be taxed with the judgment once the lessees fail to pay. They don't have to be named as defendants to be held liable on the contract. If these people had an attorney, the attorney would have told them the guarantor, who is contingently liable, could motion the court to allow them to interplead. I'm sure that would have been allowed and then the parents could have spoken at this hearing.
@@Blake_the_Drake If that is the case and she is legally responsible as they are then why is she whispering and coaching her daughter? That's acting as a lawyer and last I checked that is illegal!
It's crazy to see the difference between the first two girls talking. It's obvious that the first has been babied her entire life and had mommy do everything for her, including speak. The second girl was concise, well spoken, confident, etc. And I'm sure they were close to the same age. Just shows how much a parent can cripple their child, even though they're just trying to "help".
😂😂😂😂 She wasn't the one who admitted responsibility in her testimony and I wouldn't want to be on the hook for thousands in damages that the other tenant already admitted to
Yes! I have an adult son who went thru a troubled time and I was there repeatedly to clean up the mess. The stress and financial burden were making me ill. And then my daughter wisely said, " Mom, all your helping is not helping." So pithy:) It was then I began practicing tough love and totally turned it around! He's doing well today. This mom needs to see the light!
Judge Webster is really a great judge. Very thoughtful and intellectual. Really a fan. I’ve been a lawyer for a long time and a judge like this is appreciated
Omg..I hated watching this and couldn’t stop. I wanted judge to call out the mom for writing those answer notes. That adult kid is a mess. Wait till mom picks her husband. Yikes
I feel sorry for Mikayla because none of this seems to be her fault. It's Sydney's fault the damage happened. Kennedy is racking up attorney's fees by drawing this out which is going to end up biting them all in the end.
@@GrainneDhu I'm speculating here but It sounds like they are all from very different places. I'd guess they didn't know each other before they all rented a bedroom but had a co-liability clause in their contracts. Which makes sense from a property owner standpoint because then you don't have to prove which tenant caused the damage.
@@Meat88 I'm not sure. If they were all in university owned housing, I'd be more ready to believe they didn't know each other prior to living in the same house but it seems a little coincidental that they are all going to the same university. Like maybe they got to know each other at the university and decided to rent an apartment together. In any case, I doubt the property owner arbitrarily chose them to be roommates because the liability issues in that would be huge. They may have met by one person advertising for roommates but they were there voluntarily.
Yeah, it isn't about feeling, it's all about facts..lawyers can be so rude!! Hence my fave joke...what do you call 10,000 lawyers under the sea?? A START😂😂
As a plumber I can say for sure that a busted pipe or pipes happening when nobody is home can be an astronomical price tag to fix. $5000 is a drop in the bucket compared to what it could have been. There's no way possible they can beat this in court. At best they can blame miss lentz. Just cut their losses and pay. They weren't evicted so there's no record unless they keep going until there's a judgement against them.
How is it that's their fault tho? Even with the heat on, faucets dripping, they could have still busted. Sometimes that is inevitable and to blame the girls isn't right.
Especially if they are in typically warmer climates where pipes aren't set up to handle that type of freeze. Most landlords don't add that into their lease because it's something that most of the time can't be controlled.
@ryanwilson2016, I live on the Canadian prairies, we hit -50° temps in January & February, kmow of more than one homeowner/business thst have come back to a flood after an extended break like Christmas vacation! I agree 5k is a drop in the bucket!
So to start she throws her roommates under the bus, then claims they weren't sent "enough" evidence. 4 pics should be enough if it shows all of the damage, sure let's make it worse by asking for more pics possibly showing more damage. They were also sent the bill and just expected it to fix itself for free? This just proves you don't have to know much to get into a college.
I'm surprised (and a little disappointed) that Judge Webster is letting Mommy get away with passing notes to her daughter, but I am getting a pretty big kick out of watching Mommy trying to be sneaky about it, and Kennedy trying to look down at the note by pretending to scratch behind her ear, or whatever. "Umm....well, your honor, I umm....uhhh......I'd like to.....uhhhh...... I'd like another pre-trial hearing, please!"
As somebody who lives in a region where AC isn't common, I honestly wouldn't have known not to do that. What is common sense to some is definitely not to everybody, especially when we're talking about people who are likely living on their own for the first time in their lives.
Ok, your culprit is Sydney. Not only did she admit to turning it off, she's evasive, there's certain things she's clearly omitting and she looks scared beyond belief. This was caused by an action she took yet she won't take ANY accountability. And Kennedy..... I'm not touching that. Her mom is going to be her downfall. Mikayla appears to be the only one that can even speak clearly and appropriately to defend herself. She may never take another roommate though and I don't blame her.... she got bad roommates
Clearly Sydney is an idiot who caused the damage by turning the heat off. Unfortunately the landlord can go after all of them . However the other 2 roommates can go after Sydney and make her responsible for the entire thing.
The other comments paint Kennedy as the culprit and I’m like did we watch the same video! Sydney admitted to inadvertently turning off the heat and leaving last.
These parents need to suck it up. Their kids are in over their heads and, the reality is, one or all of them screwed up. This is pretty straight forward.
@@34stzoo It’s different where I live. Winter is a given and proper home maintenance during the cold months is standard for renters. This brings up a good point-what the “typical” weather conditions are. Fluke / natural disaster type situations, are unique and might not have standard conduct.
@@34stzoo Wow, that is about the most ignorant comment in this already ignorant thread. they are responsible for repairs, just because you leave does not mean you are no longer responsible. if they are too stupid to know what to do in a grown up houses, they need to stay in the dorms or at mommy's
@@34stzoo Bullshit. That might be the most idiotic legal argument I've heard. Every rental agreement has a clause about returning the property in good condition and about taking reasonable care.
Who ever you are that thinks they have no responsibility for the repairs IF and they did turn the heat off you are wrong ! When you leave for break your still on the lease so you turn the heat DOWN not OFF. If you don’t know that you shouldn’t be in your own apt/house. And even tho only 1 girl turned it off they are all responsible because they are all on the lease. Now the girl who actually turned it off is more responsible than the other 2 girls. That’s what they should be arguing about in court!!!
I think it’s her nerves- 😮…because her mom is making her anxious and then a lawsuit at this age can feel overwhelming. I remember that age I would get easily flustered when I first started working. Lol ugh I don’t miss that age.
Well, to be fair, she was taking her cues from notes her mother was writing on a pad. Her attention was divided and she didn't know from what her mother wrote which 'dad' she was supposed to reference. Her mother should NEVER have been allowed to stay there and coach her.
Don't be close-minded because in reality it can make more sense than you realize and I'm going to give you an example. Bio dad and stepdad maybe in the same line of work so when Mom is telling her that there is that witness but can't speak to her but instead has to write to her she could be confused over which dad. And some families stepdad and bio-dad may both be referred to as Dad, so I hope that explains how as weird as it sounded how it could be possible.
@@laurelvanwilligen9787haha yes, that’s why I put “remember” in quotations, she was definitely just waiting for her mom to write down if it was dad or stepdad
If i were Ms Woodward, or her parents, I would offer $2k to have myself removed from this action. They can take 2k, or they can try to collect a judgement across international borders. 🤷♂️
@@pattylovett4682she probably was never responsible for turning the heat off/on at home. I’m sure she didn’t know the risk it would cause. If this is the first time of her living on her own she truly may not have known what would have happened.
@@arianaalioth unless I misheard, it sounded like the last one to leave thought she only turned off the AC and didn't realize she turned off the heat, so was accidental
As a landlord, smart move. It's nothing but stress. Especially during the pandemic. Tenants didn't have to pay a dime for nearly 2 years and expected not to be kicked once the guideline was lifted. We need our money too, it would be the same when it's payday at your job and they say "we can't pay u this week, we will have to try and pay u a little bit when we can" at you're full time job
These girls need to realize that instead of $5,000 or so, they are going to end up owing more like $10,000 if they fight it. If they appeal it, even more. Then comes post-judgment interest assuming the contract doesn't call for pre-judgment. Then, when they don't promptly pay, the landlord may just let interest accrue for a year or two. Suddenly, one of the co-signing parents is going to get garnished for $25,000 when it could have been split three ways now for $2,000 a piece.
Absolutely correct. When u appeal a case like this, the court makes u pay rent to the court, they hold it while the appeal process takes place between 1-6 months. So a tenant is paying more to fight it, rather they could use that money better served finding something else. I've done evictions as a landlord myself.
Something tells me that Miss Locke is chomping at the bit to question these three girls and tear up Miss \Kelly's "fact witness". It's going to be ugly. Miss Lentz has already admitted to the damage. I would actually pay to watch Miss Kelly's mom have to write the check.
Well maybe Miss Kelly can video tape the check writing and find a way to post it as a pay per view. That’s one way to pay all the landlord’s attorneys fees she racking up.
As a lawyer, the young lady with the “pipes are not fixtures” argument HAS the best argument. Pipes are indeed- not plumbing fixtures. That was a great argument.
Parents: First off: Raise your children to be able to survive without holding your hand BEFORE you send them off to college. Second: Never co-sign for your "adult" children OR let your child sign a lease unless you have: 1. Have read in full the Landlord Tenant Law Handbook or specific laws pertaining to the city AND state where the rental is located. THEN SEND IT TO THEM SO THEY CAN READ IT THEMSELVES. Tell them to learn that shit front to back so they don't get screwed. 2: Have taught your child basic household issues: plumbing/electric/heat and cold fixes, how-to look up a appliance manual online, how to youtube or google what to do if your leave the house for a long period of time and what to make sure you don't do...and who to call if such damages happen. 3: DO NOT SHOW UP TO COURT SITTING NEXT TO THEM AND MAKE THEM APPEAR WORSE OFF THAN THEY ARE. Lastly: Ensure that they know over EVERY SINGLE SITUATION THAT MAY HAVE THEM IN A SITUATION WHERE THEY ARE GETTING SUED, OR HAVE ANY DEALINGS WITH ANY COURT FOR ANY REASON that they get a god damn lawyer. "Adult Children": Grow up and educate YOURSELF if your parents didn't provide you with the information that they should have BEFORE leaving high school. The law is one thing you should really get familiarized with because anything can happen, and anyone could decide to screw you over one day OR one day you might mess up and you want to be able to have a fighting chance to survive that mess up without the highest penalty. Life is hard. Learn to take responsibility for yourself early. At the same time, protect yourself from stupid friends, roommates, school-mates and parents who think they know best but do not. Do not rely on mommy and daddy for everything because if they didn't teach you this shit in the first place, they shouldn't be trusted enough for you to rely on when this kinda stuff goes down.
Repairing this kind of damage is labor intensive and incredibly expensive. The fact that these girls, who have no idea at all what’s involved in making such repairs, think the bill is ridiculous just shows how little respect they have for the trades.
Not just girls but all youth not exposed to every day living situations. AND , did the landlord provide written instructions on the maintenance of the house, were ALL the pipes properly insulated, was the under floor area insulated. I would bet these girls were not previous friends, somehow hooked up to rent a house which the landlord had rented to similar groups before, changed premium rent (because they are college students). The landlord should be responsible for at least part of the damage, and is probably some company with many rentals and lawyered up and did not show at the hearing.
I predict this 'trial' is going to go about as well for those three girls as those frozen pipes in winter. Mikayla, the Canadian, is just regretting the day she ever met Kennedy 'Let my mom deal with it' Kelly and Sydney 'I shut off the central heating when I left the property' Lentz and wishing she never rented a place with them. They're all going to end up paying a lot more than the original damage because some helicopter mom decided that she wanted to have her daughter have her day in court.
Bingo! Whose bright idea was it to turn off the central heat? That mother is atrocious, she's crippling her daughter, I'm sure the other two rue the day they met Kennedy...
Are you a lawyer or some expert lol? Nope & it shows by your assumption & your OPINION. NOT FACTS! The roommate shut the heater- the other 2 had nothing to do w that. As annoying as her mother was, they’re not wrong. At least not about direct accountability- only potential shared responsibility- if they’re responsible at all - cuz there DEF is an argument for ‘plumbing fixtures’ as defined by the rent agreement, as will be seen late on when presented. Pipes under the house may not even be their responsibility!! Sooo yeah…
@@janessap1739The lease calls for joint or separable liability, so they might be held responsible even though they didn’t do what caused the damage. Lying about being evicted wasn’t helpful. Since she turned off the heat, she caused the damage. The fixtures part of it may not apply, but the negligence of turning off the heat does. A lease doesn’t have to state everything that the renter could be held responsible for. For example, suppose Kelly hits the house with her car, damaging the siding. Since the lease doesn’t mention that you are responsible for any damage caused by you hitting the house with your car, does that free her from liability?
That mother is a disgrace to her daughter and to herself. What a horrible example of being a responsible adult. Disgraceful to the extreme. Sydney was the only one who took responsibility for turning off the heater and NOT throwing the others under the bus. She didn't even need Mommy to help her.
Shielding??? The kid showed up for her pretrial and her mother is there for her kid as she is exposed to the legal system. Maybe you should learn the difference between “shielding” and “supporting”.
They are going to pay so much in atty fees if they insist on a trial that it will be far more expensive than just paying up. Plus its yet another waste of court time & resources.
I was wondering why the lawyer kept calling the pipes and plumbing "fixtures". If thats all the lease says tenants are responsible for, they are playing games with words.
Of course they’re playing games. They have three timid college girls with zero experience and they’re taking advantage of that. The complex was found to have old pipes with shoddy previous repairs. They saw an open wallet to fix the property with these college kids. The landlords attorney was basically threatening them to settle.
Ms Kelly- is way too sheltered by mom, it’s super super obvious. She can’t even answer simple questions. Mom be a support but don’t hinder her independence. The other two at least are well spoken. Kelly doesn’t even seem like she’s out of high school.
I got the impression that she was more bothered by her mother's reaction to her not saying the right thing than anyone else. Deer in headlights might be unkind, but it looked to be in that ballpark.
If the lease makes them jointly and severally liable for damages to the property, it doesn't really matter who turned off the heat. One girl admits she did it, though unintentionally. This is the risk you run signing contracts with other parties where you adopt part of their exposure. At this point, the other girl has already wasted money on one attorney, and getting another one is throwing good money after bad. It totally sucks because with the water heater (?), this damages bill _may_ be padded; however, you gotta be practical at this point and pay up and move on. Landlord is likely to win at trial, and then you stand to have to pay their attorney's fees as well.
If the lease says they are responsible for plumbing fixtures they aren’t responsible for the pipes. Landlord needs to rewrite his lease to include plumbing fittings if so.
With an admission that the furnace was turned off this will be an open and shut case. They should pay the damages and then Kennedy and Mikayla could take legal action against Sydney for being the one who wilfully or negligently caused the damages by turning the furnace off.
Gotta love that defense... "I thought I was turning the _air conditioning_ off". Sooooo does she seriously think the AC was on; in December? Suuure. Then again, maybe she really IS that dumb who knows lol
The Judge told that mother not to help and it was painfully obvious that the mom towards the end was writing notes and the daughter was looking over before answering.
I have had my pipes freeze and burst underneath my house during a quick freeze in Oklahoma. All my faucets were dripping and my heat was on so i believe it eas the property owner or landlord who had the responsibilities. I should have had my pipes wrapped and did not. My fault
Its hysterical how they are trying to be so mature. Ladies, you signed the lease. There was damage. You are ultimately responsible for it. And saying the damages are too much? That college should be giving these numnuts their tuition back. "And umm...yeah"
The lease says they can be sued JOINTLY and INDIVIDUALLY. Since hairbrain just admitted to causing the damage by turning off the heater, the 2 innocent parties should move to be exonerated from the lawsuit and ALL responsibility and expense needs to fall directly on HER. Sydney is the only one who caused the damage. She owes the money
Limited tactic anyway. She won’t be having her Mummy at trial if they insist on going there. She’ll have to be prepared to testify without any coaching from anyone else.
Mom is making herself and her daughter look stupid. I understand that HER daughter didn’t turn off the heat but HER daughter (as when as she herself) signed a contract that they were equally responsible for happenings in the house. Kudos to the other girls for doing the best they can on there own. This situation is actually REALLY common with young, first time renters. My son actually did this one night when he was having a get together and had the fireplace lit. They turned off the heat and forgot to turn it back on prior to going to bed. Thankfully the damage was not as severe since he was in the house and found it in the morning. Sounds like this went undetected for days. Landlords should install thermostats that can be programmed to avoid this. Unfortunately, it’s often something few people think about educating young renters about until it happens. These girls just need to own it, pay up and move on. I’ll bet it never happens to anyone involved again.
Despite my irritation with these defendants' language skills, I believe them. I also know that college students are prime targets for greedy and dishonest landlords. The landlord should have either specifically explained to them what to do to prep for the weather, or get it done themselves. There was nothing stopping them from entering to protect the plumbing. The roommates can't predict the weather for their time away.
As annoying as she may be, Mom is going to be liable for this judgement, and likely should be allowed to participate. I think it's totally inappropriate to only sue the three girls if there are also three jointly and severally liable parents on the hook as well.
I wonder if that $6k bill was submitted to the landlords insurance for payment. If so, they can't recoup the entire $6k. That would be up to the insurance company to go after them for negligence. The girl from Canada should just go back home.
@@gloriawelch3603If they’re looking for one to tell them they can win, maybe but I don’t see any difficulty otherwise. I can’t see an attorney refusing a case in which he gets paid to not do much at all providing he’s been honest with his client’s very dubious chance of winning.
First Kennedy's mom needs to shut her mouth and leave the room. Sydney you admitted to turning off the heat and are solely responsible for the damage. You just hung yourself! Gonna cost a hell of a lot more getting an attorney rather than doing a jury trial.
19:25 Yeah, your not going to find an attorney that will tell that case. A group of college girls don't understand how to take care of a home and turned the heater off in the winter. It sucks, but it is absolutely their fault.
Don’t have enough info to say that such as lease terms and then some. If there were no stipulations and instructions on how to care for the property during breaks everyone knows about (even if you’ve never been to college or aren’t a student, you know about winter, spring, summer break) it’s the property owners fault and they need to not rent to students
@@Januaryjenkins So, you are saying that three at least partially college educated students can’t figure out between them that you don’t turn off the heat in the middle of the winter in a place where the temperature drops below freezing? I weep for the future.
"Plumbing damages had incurred " 😣😖 The English department owes the young lady a refund for her tuition. Edit: it gets worse "communicated with us more better"
Gotta say - I was a college student once. We just went home on break. Then we came back. We shared rent on an old house in WV. I couldn't have told you anything about pipes.
When you sign your name on a lease with a tenant landlord agreement you are responsible. It doesn't matter if you are not the one that turned off the heat. This is why a lot of landlords don't to rent to roommates. Weather there in college or not. And regarding that what about insurance question that flashed on the screen. Somebody who has a rental business which is a rental company isn't allotted that kind of insurance. And their deductibles for force majeure are much higher. I own my home and just spend $8,000 replacing the and the underground where the pipes damaged buy tree roots and age. Even as a homeowner that live there my homeowner's insurance doesn't cover that. If a tornado came through and knock the tree over and its roots ripped my plumbing out of the ground then I can file a claim. This is why you need renter's insurance because if your landlord's apartment floods for some reason be at your fault or force majeure or any such nonsense insurance does not cover your damage to property nor are you entitled to sue a homeowner by forces of God out of their control which is the only way they can claim something on their property. I'm sorry that people think this is an outrageous price or that these girls don't think they're responsible but if you want to play house and play grown-upto play by the rules that we all play by. AND QUIT THINKING THAT HOMEOWNERS AND LANDLORDS HAVE INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR REPAIRS! 😅
Mother coaching her daughter to argue over a bill that she should pony up and pay. Lawyer fees are just going to increase the bill. If it were my child I would arrange to pay her share and get out of this mess. It’s not the worst thing that can happen to them in life.
Poor Sydney needed her mommy lawyer next to her because she just admitted sole responsibility for the entire incident. But frozen pipes happen and if they broke under the house in the ground it wouldn't have mattered if the heat was on or not. Plumbing pipes in the walls and ground are not "fixtures"
R ally the simplest solution for landlords renting to college kids is to just go check the property if they are going to be gone. Inform the tenants that if they are going out of town that maintenance will be by to check that everything is in order. Would save a lot of headaches
This is messy but as a landlord to young adult student housing, the owner should have anything like “Do not turn heat off during winter break.” in the house rules. Young, just figuring things out and clueless…we’ve all been there. Hope the owners are proactive going forward.
They are adults. And one is a local ,another a Canadian. If they were all from Los Angeles ignorance of freezing pipes might be a reason ( though not an excuse ).
Of course having an attorney to represent you is always, always best. But, considering most of the US lives paycheck to paycheck not sure how many people can afford an attorney.
How does he know the property owner is dumb enough to rent to students and not check on their property frequently during breaks everyone knows about? I’m still not understanding that part and would love to hear from the landlord. How do you rent to people you know will be off the property WEEKS AT A TIME and leave your property unattended? I’m pulling up to my ish AT LEAST once a week, especially as soon as the break starts and the tenants leave to make sure everything is in order
and "if" her father is in construction, he would be more than aware that $5K is a very reasonable amount when repairing the damage caused by frozen/burst pipes.
I was a criminal defense lawyer for 30 years, but if friends or family had landlord-tenant issues I'd represent them. It's so easy for a lawyer to help people in these situations. Once I started to say things like "hearsay" the landlords knew this wasn't going to be so easy.
One of the girls mentioned pipes being damaged "under the house". Two thoughts. In some areas, houses are commonly built on a concrete slab, with plumbing under the slab - underground - so that could *easily* reach $5k, if a plumber had to literally tunnel under the house to get to the broken pipes. (There are videos on YT of issues like this. Horrifying.) On the other hand, one of the girls described a photo of some pipes "wrapped in styrofoam, and they were already corroded". Presumably she meant fiberglass, not styrofoam; this suggests the pipes were in a crawlspace "under the house" (as opposed to underground), and an expert witness might be able to make an argument about the corroded pipes being the cause, not the heat being shut off. At the end of the day, though, I think you'd spend far more in attorney fees and expert witness fees than just paying the few thousand dollars in damages. It would be a Pyrrhic victory at best, with no guarantee of success.
Thanks Meg this was so good! I can only imagine how much worse it would have been in person than on zoom. these people are so dumb they would probably throw a fit in front of the judge.
I mean when you admit it is your fault and you didn't follow basic instructions, you can see why it is hard to get an attorney. Only thing the attorney is going to do is pin it on the other roommate, and cost more then the damages would be. Pay it or get another estimate and compare to try and save some money but otherwise they are at fault.
@TheHolymadrix They may be at fault for having left the heat off, but, they have a LEASE that says their only responsibility in the area of plumbing lies with the fixtures. Pipes are not fixtures!
The Kelly woman/child is dragging everyone in to the seventh circle of hell here. I can't believe they've taken it this far, but I suspect that Kelly's mum is in the driving seat. OK, the bill might be steep/inflated, but if your name's on the agreement... . I don't get the impression that anyone involved is exactly on the breadline, so I'd say pay up and be more careful next time - and learn from it.
