Very little good typically comes of rooting about in the walls of one’s home, but a TikToker’s recent experience has us all rethinking the logic of a good old fashioned remodel.
It started with a minor mishap with content creator @adrian_peru’s apartment wall. A small shelf that used to be affixed broke off, and took a fair amount of paint and the lingering wallpaper beneath with it. What could have been an eyesore for @adrian_peru quickly revealed itself to be a massive boon, however, after the TikToker discovered cold, hard cash tucked into the now-exposed hole.
@adrian_peru shows off a truly impressive amount of cash — more than $450, by my count — and still more waiting within his walls. Over several more videos the creator slowly unearths even more cash — at one point noting that he has upwards of $500 left even after a pricey trip to Best Buy — scattered throughout his walls.
Later videos — including one in which @adrian_peru finds a strange drawing that looks suspiciously like a map — caused viewers to doubt the truth of the creator’s supposedly mysterious find, but if this is a fabricated story, he went all in.
A trio of videos see as the TikToker tears off numerous chunks of his apartment wall’s paint, leaving several unsightly holes in his wake. He may be lying about where he found that cash, but at least he committed to the bit. He’ll have a fair bit of clean-up to do in the wake of his treasure-hunting exploits, but it’s well worth it for the impressive reward.
And, in the process of unearthing his hidden riches, @adrian_peru also made a discovery about tenant rights and U.S. housing law. Apparently unaware, up to the discovery, that landlords are expected to pay for any upkeep costs related to an owned building, @adrian_peru had shelled out hundreds of dollars across several years as a tenant. He’d been paying to fix his plumbing, and various other expenses, since he moved in, and didn’t discover his mistake until a bunch of holes mysteriously poked themselves into his walls.
In case anyone else out there is similarly uninformed on U.S. tenant rights, let’s dig into a little refresher. Landlords are responsible for keeping any space they rent out in “habitable” condition, which puts the management of quite a few things on their plate. They need to fix broken pipes, tackle pest control, and ensure all major maintenance — from heating and cooling system upkeep to maintaining the roof, siding, plumbing, and gutters — is dealt with quickly and thoroughly.
All that tenants are on the hook for is basic upkeep — you’ll want to keep damage to a minimum, promptly alert your landlord to any major issues, and ensure that any damage done by your guests (or pets) is dealt with.
So next time something goes wrong in your apartment, don’t tackle it yourself — unless, of course, you stumble upon lost treasure packed into your walls. I recommend you keep that little detail to yourself, unless you want to share the reward.
Published: Oct 15, 2024 09:09 am