"Our Neighbors Said A Tax Inspector Was Looking For Us."

Belarusians rented an apartment without a lease and shared their experiences with the consequences.

Residents of Brest had been renting an apartment for several months from a man they believed to be the owner, only to learn from their neighbors that his ex-wife was the sole owner of the property. After that, the tenants moved out immediately, and the tax office and police took an interest in the case, according to “Zerkalo”.

A Threads user recounted what happened.

The apartment in question is located at 53 Makhnovich Street in Brest. According to the woman, a man who “seemed normal” at first—whom she and her fiancé initially mistook for the owner—explained upon their move-in that the apartment had allegedly been obtained on preferential terms for a large family and therefore could not yet be officially rented out. The tenants agreed and signed an informal lease.

“Three weeks ago, our neighbors approached us, said that a tax inspector was looking for us to talk, and gave us the apartment owner’s number. And that’s when the sh*t hit the fan. The apartment’s owner is the ‘landlord’s’ ex-wife, and she’s the sole owner,” said the Brest resident.

It later turned out, according to the author of the post, that the apartment owner currently lives in Poland with her children and had not given her ex-husband permission to rent out the apartment. The man himself allegedly “has been suffering from an active form of schizophrenia for five years and doesn’t show up for check-ups at the psychiatric hospital”; three criminal cases have been filed against him.

“The landlord himself has a habit of coming to the apartment and stealing from the tenants. It sounds funny, but my grater, garlic press, and whetstone—things I use every day—have disappeared,” the young woman said.

She added that the man is registered at the apartment, has keys, and “breaks into it every time the locks are changed.”

“He also forges documents claiming ownership of the apartment and shoves them in your face at every opportunity. The police have taken an interest in him as well, and now the local police officer is looking for him too,” the Brest resident said.

According to her, after speaking with the actual owner, a tax inspector, and the local police officer, they decided to move out quickly. They didn’t even pay rent for the last six days of their stay—at the request of the apartment’s owner and the inspector. Furthermore, as it turned out later, the utility bill for the apartment included a “tax for freeloading,” which the tenants initially didn’t notice.

After moving out, the couple decided never to rent a place without an official lease again and to install a camera pointed at the front door.

A woman who, according to her, had previously rented the same apartment also commented on the post.

“He really got on my nerves over those five years. The landlady is a wonderful person—a friend of ours. But what he’s doing is outrageous. My husband and I knew right away that this is what would happen to future tenants. It’s a shame you ended up in this situation too,” she wrote.

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