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A renter was fined for posting negative reviews on Yelp and Google on a home beset with black mould.
British national Adrian Paull discovered his rental company, Denali Real Estate, enforced a policy of charging $2,000 (£1,468) for each review of three stars or less.
After selling their house in Scottsdale, Arizona, Mr Paull and his wife needed to rent a home in the interim, and signed a lease on a nearby property.
When they visited the home, they found an ‘enormous patch of black mould,’ said Mr Paull, speaking to broadcaster 12 News.
The couple asked property management firm to fix the problem, but when they returned to move into the home Mr Paull said there were ‘holes in the wall’ and ‘carpet missing’.
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After his messages to Denali were ignored, he posted two reviews about his experience on Yelp and Google.
‘I did what most people would do. I just posted online. Reviews are the way we keep people accountable,’ he said.
‘Rather than galvanising them into action, I noticed that they had imposed a $4,000 (£2,940) charge which apparently related to two complaints I’d made,’ he said. ‘It was outrageous’, he added.
In the middle of Denali’s lease 21-page agreement, they had included a so-called ‘non-disparagement’ clause to prevent comments, statements and negative online reviews.
Mr Paull said they were trying to ‘stifle and suppress any negative reviews’, calling the practice ‘outrageous’.
‘This idea of suppressing all negative feedback for me was just completely opposite of what any successful business should be pursuing.’
A US law was passed in 2016 to prevent companies from imposing penalties on customers who post negative reviews.
Meanwhile, Mr Paull said he has since found what he said were rat droppings in the property, while the master bedroom has sustained further damage from storms.
He added: ‘Companies like Denali feel they can stifle and suppress customer feedback, corrupting the review process is absolutely unlawful.’
Denali was approached for comment.
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