When you look at apartment websites, you are always greeted with pictures of immaculate living rooms right out of “Good Housekeeping,” smiling middle-class families, sparkling swimming pools and accolades such as “exquisite apartment homes.” But beneath this carefully crafted veneer lies a different reality documented in reviews by actual Alabama tenants. Because Alabama law favors landlords and perhaps, as in many cases, the laws even written by the very property owner groups regulation is supposed to regulate – a long and sordid practice specific to Alabama -there are few legal options open such as putting rent in escrow. Writing a review then often becomes the only means of protest available to tenants. It’s one of what James C. Scott calls, “the weapons of the weak,” strategies used when obstacles are too great or open protest too risky. In this case, it is reputation that is targeted, a vulnerable point that can’t be protected, but can lead to lost income to landlords if too many negative reviews crop up on websites. Below is a sample of such reviews:
* “If you are looking for some were to live at and nice please do not move into these apartments. I never have been late or miss paying my rent. I love my apartment the size and space is nice. There are a lot of mexican that live out there. They do accept section 8 an from what I can seen the section 8 apartments are fixed up to pass the inspection. The apartments have bad roach problem. The landlord do not no how to talk to you. She will kick you out in a heart beat. She do not play by the rules at all. I can write a book about this place. Her manager that us to live out there let her son get away with everything. He dew drugs with his friends an do a lot stuff that he should not be doing. Maintenance sucks out there. The landlord go with her maintenance man ken an let him get away with everything. The manage her boyfriend fight more then any one you know. But the landlord be so quick to kick you out if you have a gun and the manager boyfriend have one and have pull it out on the manager. If you call the cops too many time you will get kick out or have the cops to come to your house you can get kick out.”
* “This is a ‘no go to’ apartment… Management is horrible. The roof caved in while I was there and the owner of the lease went to complain about this. The property manager was so arrogant and rude. Said he couldn’t do anything about it till Monday. Pictures were shown to him and instead of ask if any one was hurt or even try to get to the apartment to see what was wrong. He was so rude and said he should go stay in the apartment like that. When he realized we had involved the health and safety inspector he came in to apartment. Instead of focusing on the work, he decided to call the cops on me and said I was criminal trespassing because my name was not on the lease. How am I criminal trespassing as a visitor with the owner of the lease present in the apartment as well. When the cops came he blatantly started lying that I had insulted him and called him names. Please stay away from this apartment. They do not care. When things break down they don’t fix it. This is the worst place to live. The property manager is a horrible person. Please take your money elsewhere.”
* “I would not recommend this apartment complex to anyone I know. The manager and maintenance are over bearing. The maintenance man will cuss you out if you ask him to wait a few minutes before coming in your apartment. The manager lies and accuses the tenants of things they didn’t do, and they aren’t friendly. Never get a place here, you may as well live in prison.”
* “The manager is very racist. She is very disrespectful. She does not like black people. Her mouth is very rude. She talks to people like they are dogs. She has a very nasty character do not live here. She has no respect. She just walks into people homes. She disrespects you with her husband they are bothering racist and disrespectful.”
* “There’s BIG BEAVER-SIZED rats living in our walls, but I got new electric outlets 2 days ago. Eviction has been threatened, by refusing to pay where RATS RATS RATS have taken over
They destroying OUR HOMES, but you spend $$$$ to renovate the gym, wow! I’m moving what hasn’t been damaged to this gym, along with my toddler. I tried to get YOUR ATTENTION, but you made a MOCKERY of a factual issue, RAT INFESTATION! When you placed those big traps, without telling me about it, after MOM was released from hospital, in center of my kitchen, did you care about my 5 year old, Ijs? Oh, so a month after I’ve complained about the rats, showed pictures to Maintenance, I need to put in a Work Order about rats in my home, interesting right! Stop it, since you guys know my code, you can bring pest control over next time, not an Electrician #Silent no more #Tired of begging for help #I ain’t paying to live with rats, you wouldn’t either #This is killing my Family #Pop up at my house with pest control, like youve done 2 days in a row #I ain’t putting no 60 days VACATE notice in, my home is Uninhabitable, I’ve been living in the hotel for a month now.”