Living in New York is not for the faint of heart. Is it worth living there just because someone’s cupboard falls over?
As we grow up and move into our own homes, certain issues arise that we never thought we'd have to deal with. From broken appliances to out-of-control mold, homeowners and long-term renters face a variety of challenges. But our fears grew even more when a TikTok video showed an apartment with a cabinet that had just fallen over.
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A video posted on TikTok on April 29, 2024, shared the story of a New York City apartment renter whose kitchen cabinet fell off the wall in the middle of the night, and it went viral. Because of them, we don't have to be afraid anymore. Luckily, social media experts were able to have a sense of humor about the whole literal mess.
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A TikToker's kitchen cabinet collapsed in her New York apartment in the middle of the night.
You've probably heard the horror stories about New York apartments. From exorbitantly priced tiny studios to cockroach-infested places, New York doesn't seem like an ideal place to rent an apartment. If you're lucky, you might find a diamond in the rough, but sometimes your kitchen cabinets fall off the wall and the diamond turns out to be coal.
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After Christine Kovode shared a video of how a kitchen cabinet collapsed in her New York City apartment at 5 a.m., commenters took to the stage to share their biggest fears and jokes about the incident. “She woke up at 5 a.m. to a crash and she went outside and saw this,” Christine said of the many broken cabinets on her floor.
Although not an ideal solution, the homeowner is in charge of the cupboard.
Christine and her roommate immediately contacted their landlord to address the issue. Fortunately, the landlord was relatively responsive (compared to other landlords I've dealt with in the past) and sent a team out to clean out the cabinets and clutter. But once that was resolved, Christine had no idea what to expect in terms of compensation or replacements.
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What would you do in that situation? Since Christine does not own the property, it is unlikely that she installed the cabinets in the first place, which would be the landlord's responsibility. However, since the incident, Christine has gained a lot of attention in online magazines such as: people About how she's handling it and the comments and views her first video received.
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She and her landlord communicated via email and phone, and the landlord instructed her to “give him his number'' for compensation. Christine jokingly posted a follow-up video in which she claimed her landlord gave all her roommates $6,000, an all-expenses-paid vacation to Cancun, and a meeting with Beyoncé. As of Beyoncé, we knew it was a joke, but at least she has a sense of humor about the whole thing.
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But commenters are sincere in their advice. “Maybe it's worth documenting everything,” one person wrote. “You'll need to pay for the damage, the cost of the broken item, the time it will take to get it fixed (if you're renting), and if the landlord refuses, you'll need to get your money back or go to small claims court.”
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Or someone spreads joy by telling jokes that resemble the OP's sense of humor. One person pointed out that at least there was a washer and dryer in the unit, which is very rare in New York. Another person asked, “Hey, can you bring me a glass of water?” Make light of all the broken dishes.
But for now, it looks like the kitchen cabinet fall may actually have been a boon for New York artist Christine. She gained more attention with her solo exhibition, and it appears that her landlord took care of the situation.
