Internet rallies around woman being denied rental home because of her chronic illness

In every country, disabled people are entitled to receive certain facilities from the government and the public. Generally, disabled people in America get various Social Security benefits along with laws that protect their basic human rights. However, that doesn't stop people from engaging in ableist behavior and denying disabled people access. A woman named Staci Siegel—who goes by @itsstacisiegel on TikTok—shared how she was wrongly denied a rental due to her chronic illness.

"This story happened a while ago but it’s an important one to tell and a good lesson for anyone who has been discriminated against or for any landlord considering denying a renter with a disability. I left some parts out of the story that would make people even more outraged at CM (landlady) but in the interest of saving time I wanted to post a more condensed version," the caption of Staci's video read. “I rented a house in Santa Monica. Well, I applied, my application was accepted, I signed a lease and I paid the deposit. You will not believe what happened," she said.

"Five days before I was supposed to move in, the landlady called me and said, ‘Hey Staci, I have really bad news. I was just talking to my attorney and I know that you have multiple sclerosis. He told me because you have MS, it's too much of a liability for me to let you move into the apartment.'" Staci was dumbfounded after facing discrimination from the landlady and she had to fight back. “I freaked out because that is just such a clear violation of fair housing laws which are in place to protect people with disabilities. I was calm and I explained to the landlady what she was doing. I said, ‘You know, this is illegal and you cannot do this.’”

Since she was an experienced investigative reporter, Staci used her skills and knowledge to find a way in which she could get back at the landlady for her actions. “I hung up the phone, I called HUD (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development) and I told them what happened. They said they would do an investigation. In about a week, they called me and said, ‘OK, we've done our investigation and we've determined that you have enough evidence to file a suit with her.’”

So, Staci ended up filing a lawsuit against the landlady who had to pay her a huge sum of money. Staci revealed that she got to know from a neighbor that the landlady wanted to sell her property last minute. However, instead of being honest about it, the landlady decided to take a different route. Further in her caption, Staci urged people in America to be well versed in their rights that fall under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in several areas, including employment, transportation, public accommodations, communications and access to state and local government programs and services. The TikTok community sided with Staci and collectively believed that the landlady deserved to get slapped with the lawsuit.

@thecapeboss wondered, "Why wouldn't she just say she was selling the property? People get notifications all the time when landlords decide to sell." @sc6bs commented, "I can hear my property management mom and lawyer BF screaming at this story. I am sorry she was such a terrible landlord but she got what she deserved because that is just so illegal." @cristallloo added, "Not happy this happened but so happy you got justice!!! I wish more people knew their rights."

You can follow Staci Siegel (@itsstacisiegel) on TikTok for more videos on lifestyle.