‘There are some bogus landlords out here’: Gee recalls rental dispute as Tacoma tenant sues over $10,000 damage bill

A Tacoma woman said her landlord hit her with a nearly $10,000 damage bill after she stood up for her tenant rights, and now she’s taking the landlord to court, according to KIRO 7.

The case prompted co-host Gee Scott to recall his own rental dispute during “The Gee and Ursula Show” on KIRO Newsradio, while co-host Ursula Reutin discussed the difficulties tenants face when challenging charges.

“I really was expecting a deposit back, and then I was told not only was I not getting a deposit back, but that I also owed like $3,000,” Gee said.

Gee recalls charges after cleaning a West Seattle rental

Gee said he previously rented through a property management company in West Seattle.

“At the very end of the lease, I actually did a good job in cleaning up, and I had some helpers come and help clean and got it done,” Gee said.

He described the explanation he received for withholding the deposit and charging additional money.

“The painting needed to be done, because it was kind of a bigger place. The painting, the carpet. There were some stains on the carpet, so they might have to replace a certain area,” Gee said. “They just put some kind of bogus stuff on me.”

He distinguished that experience from other rentals where he accepted responsibility for damage.

“There are some other places where I was just like, keep the deposit, where I messed up,” Gee said. “But this particular story I’m telling you, these folks really were taking advantage of me.”

Tacoma lawsuit brings tenant protections into the discussion

Litsiba alleged her former landlord violated Tacoma’s Landlord Fairness Code, commonly called the Tenants’ Bill of Rights. Her attorney, Ann Dorn, told KIRO 7 that she believes the lawsuit involves multiple legal violations.

Gee welcomed attention to disputes like Litsiba’s while acknowledging that not every landlord acts improperly.

“While there are landlords that do the right thing — I’m not talking about you — there are some bogus landlords out here that take advantage of tenants,” he said. “Period.”

Ursula pointed to the expense of obtaining legal help and disagreements over a rental’s condition.

“Many tenants cannot afford an attorney. Then it becomes this big fight over, hey, who is responsible for these smudges on the wall, or the mold that you have here, or the damage done to the wall that you insist was there before you moved in,” she said.

Hosts discuss written expectations and repainting

After a listener suggested photographing existing damage at move-in, the conversation turned to what landlords should explain before a tenancy ends.

“I think there needs to be a discussion up front, and then after that discussion, in writing,” Gee said.

KIRO producer Andrew Lanier pushed back on treating routine repainting as a tenant expense.

“Repainting a place is considered, at least the interior, to be a standard refresh on a unit,” he said. “And if you’re getting bills for paint, that shouldn’t fall on you.”

“Yeah, I agree,” Ursula responded.

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to Gee and Ursula on “The Gee and Ursula Show” weekday mornings from 9 am to 12 pm on KIRO Newsradio.