A year and a half ago, Chris Stergis and I made a simple handshake, man-to-man agreement. He would…read morerent us the space behind his building so my wife, our Siberian husky, and I could live in our 17-foot camper for a fair monthly price. No contracts, no complications, just a parking spot and a little corner of his warehouse. Nothing else. That was the deal.
We were desperate. Almost no one would rent to us because of our dog's breed, even though she is well trained. This arrangement let us stay loyal to her. It felt like a no-brainer.
Day 1 we moved in. The first thing Chris did was break the agreement by turning the small corner into a full garage. Then he commented that he did not want to see us "rocking the camper" on the security cameras at night. Not a good sign, but we still had our dog, so we stayed quiet.
Before we arrived I had asked him clearly to treat us like regular people, no special treatment. On Day 2 he showed up with two camping chairs and a massive tent. I asked if he bought them with the rent money we had just paid. He said yes, that he did not need the money. That stung; we were broke. He then offered water and electricity. I agreed to both at a fair price.
Day 3 brought more. He arrived with laundry machines, a microwave, and a refrigerator. I told him straight out to stop we did not need or want any of it. I managed to refuse the laundry and microwave, but he pushed the fridge anyway. It sat unused in the garage. Everything felt increasingly uncomfortable because none of this was part of the original deal. We only wanted to be treated as normal tenants, not as his personal charity case.
Then came the food invitations. Coming from poverty, I rarely turn food away. After the pattern of unwanted favors, I began declining. The line was crossed when he bought food for me, I accepted it intending to give it to a nearby homeless woman, and he got angry, saying he had gotten it for me, implying not for her. He also started bringing our mail. At first I did not mind; later I asked him to stop and he refused.
One day neighbors said good morning. I mentioned it to Chris. He became upset and told me not to be friendly with them because of something they had done to him. I answered that they had done nothing to me, so I would not treat them that way.
Months in, he told me I did not have to worry about being kicked out for four years, until he planned to retire or sell. Over time his comments revealed more. After a neighbor's house burned, he criticized the single mother with kids for losing the home by not paying the bank. I told him he did not know their situation and that not everyone has his resources. He also criticized his own friend and tenant Wayne for still needing to work another ten years to retire, adding that this meant Wayne had "no money." He once said we "deserved some luxury" and should not just stay there working and walking the dog. We were trying to save money. I began wondering what we had gotten into.
A month later he appeared with a formal lease, asking me to sign after we had agreed on no contracts. I refused. He said okay and left, but I knew he would return. He kept creating unnecessary situations. Still, we stayed for the dog.
One day he mowed without noticing our vehicle and chipped the windshield with debris. I said nothing.
The one request I made was that he keep his own dog Max's water bowl full. For over a year I saw it nearly empty and asked him to fill it. He argued as if it were a contest. One morning I reminded him politely; he mocked me. I posted a review mentioning it. When he printed the review he made a loud public scene, which gave it more attention than the site ever had (it had zero views at the time of deletion). He shut off our electricity, denied us entry, and threatened eviction until I removed it. I did.
We never missed a payment until the final two months, and only because he refused to accept the money, giving him another excuse. He evicted us anyway. Now the eviction record makes renting an apartment nearly impossible.
Three months in he had already threatened eviction over a text.
I'll leave it to people to decide what kind of person he is.
