Headline says it all, doesn’t it.
Now — I’m no lawyer and couldn’t say for sure if u/LeatherSeveral7614 is really in the free & clear here, but it sure seems like a HUGE stretch for them to be found liable at all for, what they describe as, “not wanting to reimburse medical bills for a kid who jumped into the dryer while my clothes were drying?” I’ll let them explain.
So I am living in a basement suite that has a laundry room next to it. The room is shared by my and the family I am renting from as part of the rental agreement.
OP rents a basement suite with laundry facilities that OP is allowed to use. So, once a week, they do!
One day a week, the family will unlock the door in the laundry room that leads to my suite, and thus I have access to the room for the day. I put my clothes in the machine, and shut the door to the suite so that I don’t hear all that ruckus. There are stairs in the laundry room that lead up to the rest of the house, so I assume that is how they access the laundry room.
One day, they hear yelling from the laundry room and an ambulance pulls up.
I had my clothes drying in the laundry room. All of a sudden I hear yelling from the wife and next thing I know, ambulance has arrived. I soon learn that:
The landlords’ four-year-old had opened the dryer, climbed in, and the dryer was faulty; it tumbled the kid in it.
Apparently their 4 year old opened up the dryer and climbed in.
Their dryer was faulty.. it doesn’t shut off when you open the door.
Yea…. So the kid was tumbling in there while the door was open and all because the machine didn’t shut itself off when the door was opened.
Thankfully, the kid is okay. But then…
This was last week and the kid turned out to be relatively fine.
The landlord wants payment for the medical cost of the accident.
But now the landlord and landlady want me to reimburse their son’s ambulance bill and medical bill (they have no insurance), totaling $8477.34. Because it was my laundry that the kid climbed into. (Really??)
I didn’t think I was responsible because:
I am not in charge of watching their kid. I am paying an insane amount of rent to begin with, I didn’t agree to babysit anyone in addition.
It is their laundry machine that is apparently faulty.
OP argues that watching the kid isn’t their job and the machine’s faulty behavior isn’t their responsibility.
But they insist and I am not sure. I went to a forum that was orientated towards landlords to see if I was really responsible. I was asked if they family ever raised rent. I have been living there for one year and 4 months, so no, I admit they did not raise rent when the lease was renewed after the first year. But still, they didn’t do it for charity. I pay my rent on time everytime and don’t cause a problem: I assume them not collecting a little extra is still better than the risk of trying to find a tenant that isn’t trouble etc, atleast that was their thinking. Anyways, I am not planning to stay after the lease ends
A landlord forum (… not sure what OP was expecting) said they should pay it just to be nice. ??? What.
Anyways I was told then by the landlords that I should be grateful that they did not raise rent and should pay up to be morally fair. AITA?
EDIT: Thanks for all the advice. Will discuss will a lawyer but don’t think they will try to pursue this outside of guilt tripping me as I think they know that they don’t really have a case.
OP knows that the couple likely has no case and won’t pursue it, it’s just a scare tactic.
To clear up a few things
Yes I do laundry once a week. I am a single person and a few loads for one day of the week is enough for me. To be fair to the landpeople, they have expressed letting them know if I need an extra day or whatever to do laundry. They seemed chill about that part. Idk, I’ve never taken them up on that offer.
I don’t know how the kid got in. He’s not that tiny like a newborn and the door doesnt take much effort to open. Idk, nor is it my responsiblity to know.
OP gives a few edits, clarifying that YUP, the landlord forum was a shitshow. OP clarifies that there was no indication the kid was inside the dryer when OP started it.
yes, that really was the majority of the response on the landlord forum. I didn’t go into details, cause I didn’t need to; I only stated what the verdict came out to be: that I should pony up to be “fair”. Yes there were comments/discussion on the stupidity of the situation, there was some sympathy towards me. But the majority verdict in the echo chamber was(as to whether I should pay): Be grateful they didn’t raise rent and pay up or risk being a leech/or to just be nice because “dealing with tenants isn’t easy”. Mind you, I’ve never caused trouble for them to begin with. Aside from having the audacity of drying my clothes in the 21st century in a machine where their kid can climb into, I guess.
And no… I didn’t close the dryer on the kid wth? Im assuming he tumbled/went in as it was still running after he opened the door, and he had trouble leaving the machine as it was literally rolling him around inside.
I didn’t question the medical bill as I am a graduate student on a long term exchange program from… Canada. I’ve never paid a medical bill in my life and just accepted the fact it would be expensive. .
