After paying a portion of the mortgage, the property owner believed the tenant deserved a portion of the profits.
If finding a good rental home is challenging, finding a good landlord is virtually impossible. The term “landlord” frequently evokes strong negative emotions, and many landlords do live up to the stereotype. However, there are a few landlords with a good heart, and a story about one of them was posted on Facebook. Chris Robarge, from Worcester, Massachusetts, was taken aback when one of his former landlords requested his current address. It had been a while since he had moved out, and all issues had been resolved, so it seemed odd for the landlord to request this. A few days later, he discovered why when he received a letter containing a $2,500 check. He was awestruck. The landlord had enclosed a letter explaining that he had sold the house for a good price and wanted to share some of the proceeds with his tenants, who had all contributed to the mortgage.
Chris Robarge wrote an emotional Facebook post in which he recalled renting the residence following his divorce and subsequent relocation. Robarge stated that it was the first place he ever called home, and it is evident that the landlord was warm and accommodating. Robarge wrote, “It’s a letter from that person, informing me that they sold their house and that they were paying me and every tenant they ever had for what we contributed to the profit they made from selling the house,” wrote Robarge.
He was beyond awestruck. “I have been sitting with this for more than a day and I am still completely beyond an actual way to describe what this act means to me. All that I can say is that there are people who talk about their values and there are people who actually live them, and the reason I wanted to share this is that I want to encourage us all to actually live our values,” He wrote, adding that the post was shared with the landlord’s permission.
The landlord wrote a letter explaining the thought process behind the check. “I recently sold the house and the rent you paid each month contributed to paying off the mortgage. I firmly believe the capitalist tradition of retaining money after the sale of a property is exploitative and antithetical to society. I wanted to return to you the portion of the rent you paid,” The proprietor reasoned. He also explained how he arrived at the figure, taking into account the increase in the home’s value since the time he purchased it. The landlord concluded, “It was a great house and I’m glad that I was able to share it with you.”
Robarge added that he would retain $500 for auto repairs and donate the remaining funds to charity. “I am giving away the rest of the money. I want this good deed to reach as far as possible. I have already given $500 to Black and Pink Massachusetts, I’m going to fill every Worcester Free Fridge, I’m making a donation to OurStory Edutainment, and I’m going to give some money out in the streets to people who need it. If you can’t do what my former landlord did, let this inspire you to give whatever you can spare to someone or someplace that needs it,”
Many lauded the landlord for his act of kindness. Lin Wilcox published, “This made me cry. We have been through some heart-wrenching times these past few months from deaths to suicides job loss etc. I could not get people to pay me that they owed me and out of the blue, a pastor friend brought us 500 inside a Thanksgiving card. We were close to being homeless. It saved us. I intend to pay it forward as well.” Robarge replied, “This is it. This is how all the best things happen for people, and all it takes.” Another person commented, “Wonderful surprise! There are still some caring people in the world!”