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A landlord based in Hawaii documented the startling moment that she opened the door to the unit that was once occupied by a tenant she evicted.
Posted by TikTok user @shannaricketts, the video was viewed more than eight million times as revealed mounds of garbage that covered the floor.
However, she noted in a subsequent video that the reason behind the eviction was that the tenants were not making their rent payments.
According to the law information website Nolo, not paying rent can be used as a reason for eviction.
Tenants may be given a few days to pay the rent or move out.
"If you move out but don't pay, your landlord can still sue you for the amount of rent you owe," the article said.
In her video, @shannaricketts opened the door and was immediately met with flies that flew out of the unit.
Once she saw the inside of the unit, she gasped.
"This is Hoarders," @shannaricketts said, referring to the television show.
Cardboard boxes were stacked high and garbage blanketed the entire floor in one huge pile.
A second video took viewers inside and gave them a look around the entire unit. Like the entryway, garbage was strewn all over the floor.
"I don't even know—how am I supposed to walk around?" asked the man who accompanied @shannaricketts into the unit.
As the camera panned around the unit, it captured a mattress that was propped up against a wall in the hallway, empty food and drink containers and garbage bags that were full.
A third video showed the inside of the bathroom and a bedroom, which appeared to be in the same shape as the rest of the unit.
'Maybe My Room Ain't So Bad'
Viewers were shocked by the mess that greeted @shannaricketts.
"Maybe my room ain't so bad," a viewer wrote.
"The way my dropped to the floor," commented another.
"I truly hope the [tenant] gets the help they need," one viewer said. "No one should be living like that. And I'm sorry it was left like that for you."
Reason For Eviction
@shannaricketts shared several other videos providing some background on the matter. She said the tenants lived in the unit for about three years, and she knew one of them.
Giving the tenants the unit to rent was done as a favor, @shannaricketts said, though she also said they did not have a strong credit score.
In another follow-up video, @shannaricketts explained that the tenants were evicted because they were unable to pay their rent starting in March. She was unaware of the state of the unit until they were evicted.
In April, @shannaricketts said the tenants did not pay any portion of their rent.
"I basically told them that if they did not make all payments by the time in May rent is due, then I will be giving them the letter to vacate," @shannaricketts said.
The tenants made a rent payment in May, but it did not cover the entire amount owed to @shannaricketts. A few days later, she sent them a letter notifying them they had 45 days to leave the unit.
Although the tenants made another large payment to @shannaricketts and requested extensions, she said it did not cover the full amount of money she was owed and did not want to give them any additional chances.
When the tenants did not leave the apartment at the end of the 45-day period, @shannaricketts said she went to court to file the appropriate documents for eviction. They also had to participate in a mediation session.
"During mediation, they actually said they were going to be out by August 12 and they were going to start making monthly payments for $700 for seven or eight months," @shannaricketts said.
August 12 came and went, and the tenants remained in the unit, which prompted @shannaricketts to go back to court where she was officially given her property back.
The Clean Up
Additional videos show professional cleaners at the apartment. In one such video, @shannaricketts said the cleanup is expected to cost about $3,500, and the $1,800 security deposit she kept from the tenants will only cover part of the cleaning.
She also said that after reaching out to biohazard cleaning companies, the floors, cabinets and walls may have to be stripped.
Newsweek reached out to @shannaricketts for further comment.
She's not the only landlord who's had to clean up after messy tenants, though.
Another landlord posted a video showing the mess that an evicted tenant left, and it's enough to make you feel bad for the dog that lived there.
It's not just landlords who can suffer in a tenant-landlord relationship.
A woman shared a viral video in which she showed maggots that appeared to come into her apartment through gaps in her ceiling. She said they were coming from an upstairs neighbor who died.
One woman who was reportedly evicted was seen in a viral video attacking a trailer park maintenance worker.
About the writer
Catherine Ferris is a Newsweek reporter based in New York. Her focus is reporting for the U.S. Trends Team. She ... Read more