15+ Renters Who Got More Than They Bargained For

An ideal rental situation is when a respectful tenant who keeps the place in good condition and pays on time pairs up with a fair and straightforward landlord. But let’s be honest—things don’t always go that smoothly. Sometimes, you encounter landlords or tenants with truly odd habits. From landlords letting themselves into the property when tenants aren’t home to bizarre requests like insisting on keeping a shoehorn in the apartment, these stories prove that the rental world is full of surprises.

• The house was clean, with a bathroom, and normal furniture. The old landlady warned us that we should save water and electricity. We came in the evening, and she met us right at the doorstep with the words, "Why did you leave the lights on?"
  We thought that maybe we had left the lights on in a hurry and apologized. The next day, the story repeated. On the 3rd day, the landlady made a scandal. It turned out that she was referring to the diode on the laptop, which signaled that it was switched on. © Vanig / Pikabu
• I rented a room in a flat that was owned by a single lady. She turned out to be very curious. In addition to asking about my life, she also looked through my things.
  I noticed that things in my large bag were rearranged, but I kept quiet because I didn't want to make a fuss out of it. Before I went home for a week, I put a note inside my bag on top of my things, "Please don't touch my things."
  When I came back, I could see that the bag had been opened. The landlady was angry, but she couldn't say anything, as she would have to confess that she had been going through my stuff. So, I made her stop doing this without a fuss. © 1minimi1 / Pikabu
• My first apartment had a rat and roach problem. My landlord refused to fumigate or call an exterminator. Instead, he just showed up one day and started opening up the walls looking for the pests. I remember sleeping at night and I could hear the rats in the walls. I'd wake up in the morning and there would be drywall in the kitchen because the rats chewed through and got into the pantry. I refused to pay rent until he called an exterminator. After 6 weeks, he told me to move out and just up and changed the locks, holding all my possessions hostage. Fortunately, I took him to small claims court and won. © DrBairyFurburger / Reddit

• A typical landlord, "Are you going to have guests over? Absolutely not!"
  My landlord, "Are you going to have guests over? Are there men among them? Will they stay for the night? Let them stay, they'll help to replace the fridge!" © nn_astel / Twitter
• They put up the flat I rented for sale, so I had to move out. I cleaned every corner and left. The next day, the landlady called. I got scared that they'd found something broken.
  But she started to thank me for cleaning the place. And then she suddenly said, "How come you're so wonderful and alone? Let me introduce you to a friend of mine." © DrShigella / Pikabu
• I was 19 and lived with 2 girlfriends of mine. Our landlord lived next door and decided she wanted to come check out how we were living one day, by breaking the lock on the front door and walking around our apartment. My roommate was asleep in her room when and heard her come in. She screamed, and my landlord ran out. About 2 weeks later, almost the same thing happened except my roommate was in the shower. I stomped over to my landlord's house and lost it on her. © IronMermaiden / Reddit

• When I was looking for a place to rent, a friend showed me an ad that said, "Only with animals." Cool, because I have a cat! I immediately arranged a meeting. I arrived - the flat is cozy, the price is good. I couldn't resist and asked the landlady, "Why only with animals? What's the catch?"
  And she said, "It's just that everyone follows the "no animals" policy. And I'm not against pets. So I thought that people without them can easily find a place." That's how we found a place to live - thanks to people like this! © Not everyone will understand / VK
• I was looking for a tenant for my flat. Once a guy in his 20s came to look at it. It's a 1-bedroom flat that has everything for a comfortable life.
  We go back into the hall, and he says, "Don't you have a shoe horn?" I was stunned, but said, "Unfortunately." And he replied, "Then this flat's no good," and left. © Overheard / Ideer
• I lived with my family in a very old flat. The taps leaked, the floors creaked, and the windows were drafty. At night, a whole piece of wallpaper fell off the wall and covered us, scaring us terribly.
  The next morning we decided to put up new wallpaper at our own expense so that it would be a little nicer to live there. The landlady, when she came to collect the money again, said with a nice smile that now the flat looked fresher and, of course, could no longer be rented for that "little" money that we paid, so she raised our rent. © Podsushano / VK
• My landlord removed the floor in my bathroom to have some plumbing done and left a big hole in the floor for almost a month. I had to drive down the street to Walgreens every morning to use the bathroom. © DonutCoffeeSquirrel / Reddit

• On the payment day, the landlady came with a bag of bathroom supplies. There was shampoo without aggressive sulfates, which could damage the bathtub coating, and other things for washing and scrubbing the bathtub.
  She explained that the bathtub should be washed after every bath and wiped dry with a special cloth. And taking a shower every day is a silly habit. That's when the era of lying began. We bathed every day, but while one of us was taking a bath, the other one was sitting on guard at the window.
  One day I woke up at 5 a.m. and realized there was someone in the flat. And yes, it was her scrubbing the bathtub. It turned out that today was some holiday, and the flat should be cleaned, but we worked and wouldn't have time. We stayed there for about 6 months. © MeriSky / Pikabu
• I've been renting a flat from the same landlord for 3 years. He is good, adequate, allowed me to have a cat, and never comes without asking. Recently, I wrote a post on social media that I'd lost my job and was open to vacancies. So, I had to figure out how to distribute the money to pay for the rent, and for all other expenses.
  The owner read my post, called me, and said that I could skip the next month's payment because he knew I lost my job. I felt so embarrassed. But his offer was so timely. As soon as I get my first salary, I will try to pay for 2 months at once. © Not everyone will understand / VK
• I had a landlord who was taking my rent money, and then NOT paying his mortgage. He did that so long our place was foreclosed on and suddenly for sale. I figured this out on the day when somebody hammered a ‘For Sale: Foreclosed’ sign in my front yard. © phatmexican13 / Reddit

Navigating the relationship between landlords and renters can be tricky—while some landlords are supportive and understanding, others can make life challenging with their antics or unreasonable demands. Here’s a collection of stories about landlords who seem to have perfected the art of testing their tenants’ patience.