Fact Check

Did a Landlord Get Revenge on Tenants Who Destroyed a Home?

Readers may have seen ads that claimed a landlord got the "ultimate revenge" and "last laugh" after tenants left a home in disarray.

Published May 12, 2021

 (Thomas Ravaux/Facebook)
Image Via Thomas Ravaux/Facebook
Claim:
A landlord named Thomas Ravaux got revenge on tenants who left a home in a bad situation.

Since at least early 2021, online ads have claimed that a landlord got revenge on his tenants after they destroyed a home. One of the ads read: "Tenants Destroy Home But Landlord Gets Last Laugh."

Ads about Thomas Ravaux claimed Tenants Destroy Home But Landlord Gets Last Laugh and Landlord Gets Ultimate Revenge When Tenants Leave.
The picture showed a landlord named Thomas Ravaux.

The other said: "Landlord Gets Ultimate Revenge When Tenants Leave."

Ads about Thomas Ravaux claimed Tenants Destroy Home But Landlord Gets Last Laugh and Landlord Gets Ultimate Revenge When Tenants Leave.

Both ads showed a picture of a French landlord named Thomas Ravaux. However, the two photographs that depicted piles of garbage appeared to be unrelated to the house featured in this story.

Readers who clicked on either ad were led to a 58-page slideshow article.

The Tenants

It's true that in June 2018, Ravaux, the landlord, hatched a plan to get revenge on tenants who left one of his homes in disarray.

Boxes, furniture, toys, and garbage were left behind by the tenants throughout the home. (Thomas Ravaux/Facebook)

According to the French website The Connexion, it happened in a small town in France called Rozoy-sur-Serre.

Rozoy-sur-Serre is located northeast of Paris. (Google Maps)

A family with three children lived on the property for 14 months. According to Ravaux, they didn't pay rent for any of the time they occupied the house. They also left without notice.

The Landlord Finds the Damage

On June 1, 2018, Ravaux posted on Facebook that he was "feeling pissed." Included with the post were pictures of the damage:

When Ravaux entered the home, he found that the tenants had left behind rotting food in the refrigerator, as well as furniture, toys, and other items. The scene might remind some readers of the "Hoarders" reality TV series.

He also posted two videos that showed just how poorly the property had been treated by the tenants.

Revenge

Ravaux did indeed get back at his tenants. He hired a truck (lorry) and loaded up all of the garbage and items that had been left behind by the tenants. The truck was then driven to the tenants' new house, where it was dumped at their front door.

He posted a video of the moment on Facebook:

According to another French website named Franceinfo, the tenants ended up having to clean up the mess on their own.

In sum, it's true that a French landlord got revenge — and perhaps even the last laugh — on some unsavory tenants who destroyed his property.

Jordan Liles is a Senior Reporter who has been with Snopes since 2016.

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