Woman gets backlash for complaining about her $4,400/month ‘nightmare apartment’ in New York City

A woman living in New York City has received backlash for complaining about her “nightmare apartment” that clocks in at $4,400 per month.

On June 12, Tory (@torycenter) posted a follow-up video on TikTok after a commenter noted that her describing her “old place as a ‘nightmare’” was “a bit of a stretch considering how some people love in this world.” Tory decided to show her “actual” nightmare apartment, which was located in the East Village.

Tory’s first apartment was on East 10th between A and B in a five-floor walk-up, on the top floor.

“I don’t mean to sound dramatic here. It wasn’t all bad. We did have two-bed, two-bath with washer and dryer in unit, which obviously was nice,” she says. “It was small and cramped, but it’s East Village and that’s what you’d expect, so that’s on me.”

When she lived there, Tory paid $4,400 per month. The apartment is now going for $5,700 per month.

“The entire building is fully infested with mice … and they literally ate through all of our food,” she says. “At night I would sleep with the lights on, and on multiple occasions we tried to call the building, who has to legally provide us an exterminator, and they didn’t do anything about it.”

One time, Tory and her neighbors collectively caught a mouse in their stairwell, put it in a plastic container and sent photos to their landlord as proof of the infestation.

Some TikTok users still believe that Tory’s apartment was especially luxurious for New York City, despite the mice, while others have come to her defense.

“Seriously girl? Mice is a thing in buildings that are not luxury. And also luxury. Just be glad it wasn’t a rat. It’s New York,” @_tealjen wrote.

“I don’t understand how ppl in the comments seem like they would be content living with a mouse infestation,” @fruitbbygrl replied.

“This video SCREAMS I just moved to NYC. No hate to the creator because having mice sucks but I wouldn’t say this is a nightmare apartment for New York,” @maeze__ commented.

How to vet your future apartment

According to a piece written by Jordan Hart of Insider, it’s important for prospective renters to bear in mind a few things when seeking out a space to live in. Ensuring that you actually take a look at the apartment in person before signing the lease, for instance, is important so as to not fall “victim to misleading photos and an inaccurate description.”

“Negative or no reviews from past or current tenants,” poor communication with the building manager and claims of “‘no-fee’ or pro-rated rents” are additional red flags to be mindful of.

Educating yourself on your rights as a tenant — as well as your responsibilities — is also helpful in remaining up to date on protection laws in New York state.

Tory suggests that prospective renters in New York City also refer to the Housing Preservation & Development website and find information about the building. Once an address has been inputted, HPD Online pulls up that property’s history of complaints and violations, property registrations, charges and litigations, block and lot information and vacate orders.

Openigloo is another resource Tory recommends for reading reviews from past tenants, but she notes that there doesn’t appear to be enough data on this website to make it particularly useful.

“So to my good friend Xabi,” she says of TikTok user @shemakesarrows that left the comment that prompted this video, “you’re right, this was my nightmare apartment.”

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