16 Times Tenants and Landlords Realized They’re in the Same Boat

We have heard scary stories about unreasonable landlords. Those who come without notice, install hidden cameras, or refuse to return the deposit. But what if we look at the situation from the other side? Apartment owners also face scenarios that even the most seasoned realtors wouldn’t dream of.

• I had a tenant who called and said mold was covering her entire unit. Was obviously concerned, so went over quickly. It was quickly determined to be soot from her burning oils 24/7. It was everywhere, caked the entire unit. You could smear it on the walls.
  She called her dad and they both sat there trying to tell me it was mold, I had to explain to these dummies that mold doesn’t grow on plastic fixtures like power switches, and it doesn’t leave perfect outlines from pictures removed from the wall. © geman777 / Reddit
• My parents decided to rent out my childhood home, and I suggested it to a coworker. I had worked with this woman for several years, and thought she and her family were decent people. I trusted them.
  They brought bed bugs into the place, did quite a bit of damage to the walls. They also pulled out and sold 100-year-old hardwood trim, removed the central air unit and sold it. © I_am_a_Wookie_AMA / Reddit

• I moved into an apartment in an old building. The rent was low, and the location was convenient. About a month ago, I was rearranging my bedroom and finally decided to remove the panel nailed to the back of the closet.
  My boyfriend grabbed a hammer and broke it down. Behind it was a tiny windowless room, about the size of a large walk-in closet. It was empty, except for an old wooden chair and a stack of yellowed newspapers from the 1970s.
  I called my landlord, and he was as surprised as I was. He’s owned the building for about 20 years and had no idea there was a hidden room. Eventually, I decided to make it a reading nook. © Inevitable-Sense740 / Reddit
• I’m retired. I rent out my apartment. When tenants start delaying rent payments without reason, I simply tell them some scary story about the apartment.
  For example, about some crime that happened in the kitchen, or that a house spirit lives in the closet. Within a week, they move out on their own. I thoroughly enjoy this. © Overheard / Ideer
• I asked my landlord to fix my utility lines. She cut them all off. Now I don’t have Wi-Fi or phones. © Fearless_Nope / Reddit

• One of my tenants had a clogged kitchen sink. Instead of calling me to snake/clean it, they continued to use it. They just let the overflow drip onto the floor. Eventually it leaked into the apartment below, at which time I was contacted by building management.
  It destroyed the hardwood floor, subfloor, the ceiling below and created a mold problem. It caused thousands of dollars in damage, which of course I never got back. © Proof-Albatross6235 / Reddit
• We rented out our house. The tenants decided to set up a turtle breeding farm in the basement. They simply flooded the concrete floor with water. The wall, mind you, was drywall.
  When we found out, we evicted them in 2 days. © Unknown author / Reddit

• We decided to rent out our 2-bedroom apartment. We found a tenant even during the renovation stage. He inspected the apartment, we agreed on the price, made a verbal agreement, sealed with a firm handshake.
  He just asked to speed up the renovations a bit. In turn, I asked him to treat my property and the renovation with care, as almost all the renovation was done with my own hands, you could say I put my soul into it.
  He paid the rent regularly, and I didn’t visit him even once in 9 months. Then he called and said that he had been laid off at work and wanted to move out. I said, “No problem, you can leave the keys with the neighbors downstairs.”
  A few days later, I decided to check on the apartment, took the keys from the neighbors, opened the door, went in, and what I saw... The apartment was like no one had lived there. Perfect cleanliness, everything tidied up, everything in its place, nothing was broken, even though he had 2 children at the time. © maratk / Pikabu
• I decided to move out the townhouse I’ve lived in for 3 years. The landlord started sending realtors out to look at the place, I assume they plan to sell it.
  One of the realtors complained the trees made it “hard to see the house and needed curb appeal.” So, I trimmed the branches a little bit and thought it looked nice. Landlord disagreed and said it needs to be done more.
  This is the final product he is happy with. It makes me so sad... Picture of when I trimmed it vs what he wanted. © AxelPantheonXIV / Reddit

• The boss had to rent an apartment in another town. It’s a small town with not many options and even fewer good apartments. Then, an advertisement pops up for a wonderful apartment with excellent renovation at a suspiciously low price. There are many views and a queue of interested people.
  As it turned out, that’s the whole point. The apartment owner, a very cultured, well-off lady, lives in a big city and visits the town once a year for a month. She holds viewings. The price is low because she values the person, not their income level.
  Out of a large number of applicants, she chooses the best one, and so far, as she says, she hasn’t made a mistake even once. © Maarizza A / ADME
• We rented an apartment to a guy, everything was fine, but suddenly he decided to move out. We came for the keys, looked around: nothing was broken, but it wasn’t cleaned either. We decided to clean everything ourselves in a couple of weeks.
  So, we were cleaning the apartment, looked behind the sofa, and there was a turtle. Of course, the tenant hadn’t informed us about this surprise. We rushed to the vet, and it turned out it was an aquatic turtle, and it almost died without water.
  We nursed the little one back to health, named it Eugene, and bought a huge water tank for it. Now we have a pet in the family, although not a furry one.
• Ceiling caved in after a year of telling our landlord that the ceiling has been sagging. © dondafreak / Reddit

• We needed to urgently rent an apartment. Called an ad. The realtor lived on the other end of the city and demanded a 100% commission.
  The realtor was apparently too lazy to come for a showing at 8 in the evening, despite us immediately stating that we would rent the apartment. Instead, he called the landlady and told her to show it herself, as it was inconvenient for him and she lived closer.
  She had to leave her kids, go by subway late in the evening on a weekday to show the apartment. We met. We rented the apartment and signed the contract without the realtor. © Hamster77 / Pikabu
• I rent out the apartment to a young group of musicians: 3 guys and 2 girls. Remembering my own wanderings through rental apartments, I try to be a perfect landlady: I don’t show up, don’t raise the price, don’t store things. Just so my nice tenants don’t move out.
  And all because it’s my revenge on the neighbor who played the same song every morning for 4 years. © Overheard / Ideer

• Moved to another city and rented out my apartment to a decent family couple. A year before, I had done a major renovation there because I was planning to live in it myself. Then they started delaying payments, so I asked them to move out.
  In the end: the kitchen furniture was ruined, there were greasy stains on the living room ceiling, the lady decided to tape the windows with double-sided tape, and it looked like there was dried glue on the toilet floor (it was actually damp rags that eventually dried on the tiles and stuck in places).
  Eventually, I rented it out to 3 men, and sometimes I drop by to take the payment. I’m always met with cleanliness; the house is always in order, they’ve each bought a TV for their room, and they always pay on time. © araiskii / Pikabu
• I rented out my apartment. I was always surprised by tenants who grimaced at my monthly visits. Yes, I inspect my apartment. Yes, you are not at home here.
  Moreover, everything was always discussed in advance, and I warned that I would come and check. But every time, there were unhappy faces and snorts.
  Why do tenants consider rented housing their own? Everything there is mine, from blinds to plates, and they are just borrowing it for some money. In short, I never liked renting out my apartment. More problems than benefits. © Vera / ADME

And here are stories about landlords who can drive their tenants crazy.