Old, broken appliances, non-working sinks and toilets, noisy
neighbors – these are all reoccurring issues that we witness as we read Evicted.
Most, if not all, of the characters in Evicted are living in
poverty. They are surviving pay check to pay check and the apartments that they
can afford are certainly not ideal. The characters in the book experience
apartments with broken appliances and sometimes apartments without any
appliances at all – because the law does not require a landlord to supply
anything but the basics. I am curious if the renters are aware of this law. Do
the landlords let the tenants know this? Or do people move in only to find out
that they are not supplied with a fridge, stove and oven?
All of these conflicts bring up similar questions pertaining to
the role and responsibilities of the landlord. Where are the leases? Are there
leases? Are the tenants and/or landlords signing anything before move-in? The
types of issues that the tenants in Evicted
face are conflicts that should have an established course of action. I think
that it would be in the best interest of the tenant and the landlord to have an
established agreement that would explain the responsibilities of each party.
The conflicts mentioned above, as well as rent, eviction, children, pets and so
on, could be resolved if there were leases.
If it’s not broken or missing appliances, then it’s a plumbing
issues. Characters experience issues with plumbing in sinks, toilets and
bathtubs. While it may have been caused by the tenant, the landlord does not
seem too interested in helping solve the issue. The characters in the book are
often left to deal with the issue on their own, despite the fact that they
barely have enough money to pay rent. The issue often remains unresolved. Would
it not be in the landlords’ best interest to help fix the issue so that bigger
problems do not occur further down the road?
And if it’s not plumbing issues, then it’s the loud upstairs
neighbors that make noise throughout the night. The characters in Evicted often deal with this issue by
confronting the neighbor, which usually results in a large argument and
long-term conflicts. Yet, the landlords seem to get annoyed when the tenants
contact them about solving issues like this. Shouldn’t the landlord be obligated
or willing to deal with issues like this?
[Mykaela Scarpace: Blog Post 1]