17 People Who Rented a Place and Got Into Trouble

Home rental is not something easy. People can discover problems with the place only after they’ve moved in and signed the lease agreement. Sometimes, the landlords forbid to turn on the air conditioner in hot weather, or enter the house without letting you know. So, when you read such stories, you realize how difficult it is to find a normal place to live.

• We rented a haunted flat. My roommate claimed that she could feel the spirit of the old lady who had lived in this place before us. But that’s not the reason why I moved out.
  There was no hot water, only a boiler. And it was old. It was always malfunctioning, I had to call the landlady (she lived close by), and she used some magic to turn it on.
  But after a week of this nonsense, I realized that I was used to living with hot water in constant access. So I moved out.
• My old landlord used to enter my unit without notice when I wasn’t home. How did I know? Found the toilet seat up (I’m female). © mamabear-50 / Reddit
• Recently, the landlady called me and said I had 2 days to move out because her relatives were coming to the city, and she wanted them to stay in this apartment. I begged her to give me more time, but she refused. I was desperate, because I knew that I wouldn’t be able to find a new place in 2 days.
  I found a new flat by a sheer miracle. My manager at work noticed that I was depressed and asked me why. I told him everything. He said that his wife had a vacant place and I could live there. I was very happy, packed my things and moved out.
  Suddenly, the landlady of the old flat called me again and said that the plans changed and I could stay. I refused. She tried to persuade me and even reduced the rent (I always paid on time and kept the place clean, she liked it very much). But I still didn’t agree. I was thrown out like a dog, and now she’s calling me back, I don’t like it. © Ward No. 6 / VK

“Front steps in a Chicago apartment look like this. Landlord says there’s a shortage of people willing to work.”

• I rented a flat, but didn’t move in right away, had to move my stuff first. One morning, I opened the front door and there was a man lying on my pink sofa. I didn’t close the door and started yelling. So, he calmly buttoned up his coat, as if everything was okay, called me by my name, gave me the keys, and left.
  It turned out that it was the brother of the landlord. This fellow used to live in this place and apparently decided to spend the night here like in old times. He ate all my chocolates, by the way. This story left me traumatized for life.
• I rented a house. Everything was fine until the landlady broke up with her boyfriend. She’s already moved some of her stuff into the garage. And now she’s complaining that rent prices are high.
  I have a feeling she wants to come live here. I texted her that we have a contract, and I’m not comfortable with her staying here at all. It’s been 2 days, and she hasn’t responded. I don’t know what to do. © pastelbroccoli0414 / Reddit
• I urgently needed a place to live. So, I rented a room in a 3-bedroom apartment with 2 roommates. The landlady sternly informed me that no boyfriends were allowed. Fine.
  Then she informed me that the washing machine didn’t work — it was being repaired. As my roommates told me later, the washer didn’t work at all, so they had to wash by hand.
  But the worst thing was the fridge. It was so loud that I couldn’t sleep. After 2 weeks, I moved out.

• I was unloading some boxes from the back of my car, and bringing them into the apartment. The door shuts behind me as it normally does since it is an automatic door. When I go to open the door to go back to my car, it won’t open. The handle is completely seized up and won’t move.
  I’m trapped inside my apartment, and that is the only exit. So, I decide to call the emergency maintenance number. This was at 6 p.m.
  Now with the previous leasing company, if you called emergency maintenance, you would get an on call person to speak to, and they would typically be at your apartment within 15 minutes. With the new one, I got a voicemail service. So, I left a voicemail letting them know of the situation.
  About 15 minutes later, I get a call back. “Yeah, you called. What do you want?” is the rude voice on the other end. I explain the situation and am told, “Uhhhh, let me call my supervisor to see what he wants me to do.” It is now 9:37 p.m. I’ve yet to get another call back.
  Thankfully, my neighbor noticed my car door was open (from getting the boxes) and came to check on me. The door is open now, but needs to stay propped open, otherwise I’ll be stuck again. Still no maintenance. © Manofmanyhats19 / Reddit
• My landlord has recently been asking for tips (think restaurants), and I am wondering if this is common practice among landlords. He sent out a memo that he “is constantly working to improve living conditions” and wants to “repair the plumbing by next year” and he says that he needs all his tenants to tip at least 10% extra on our normal monthly rent payment for a while. My rent is currently $1000 per month (studio with a community bathroom on every floor), so it would be an extra $100. © Slow-Mongoose-7508 / Reddit
• I wanted to move into a new place. I arrived and it was so dirty! The landlady’s son spoke to me very dismissively, but said that they would hire a cleaner, but she would come only in 4 days. So now I have to live in this mess. And there was a dog, it was running around in their yard.
  I’m extremely uneasy around dogs due to a traumatic experience and always look for apartments with no dog policies. If I had known, I would never have rented a place with a dog. In short, I am going to break the lease, although I will lose money. © toclosetoquestionit / Reddit

• My boyfriend and I decided to move our relationship to the next level and move in together. We found the perfect place with a very reasonable price. We’ve just moved in.
  Suddenly, the landlord informed us that he had caught his wife cheating on him. They had a fight, so he wants us to move out as soon as possible because he’s going to live here himself. It’s a terrible situation! © sonteheridosin / Reddit
• A guy I know told me a story about a place he rented. It turned out that the neighboring flat was an Airbnb. And people who stayed there partied every night.
  Very loudly. He couldn’t sleep. So, he stayed there for a week and then moved out.
• The landlord requires tenants to use specific (and very expensive) eco-friendly cleaning supplies, and doesn’t allow tenants to use colognes or perfumes. This feels like a weird invasion of privacy to me to control those kinds of things, but the lease has already been signed. Is this legal? © Piehogger / Reddit

• I was young and stupid, and agreed to rent a 2-bedroom with a friend. Everything would be fine, but my friend had 2 restless sons.
  We got along just fine with them when I only visited them, but now they would break into my room all the time. I begged and yelled, but nothing helped. Considering I work from home, it was horrible, and there was no privacy in the evening. I wasn’t ready for this.
• The landlady wants to evict me on some silly pretext. She claims I emailed her a photo of indecent content. There’s only one thing though. I don’t even have her email address.
• I signed my lease, and the landlord informed me that she does not want me to run anything when I’m not home. No AC, no fans, etc. I was getting home after work and sitting on my couch dripping sweat literally until I went to bed. It was absolutely unreasonable.
  I left the AC on a low setting one day, so it would stay around 75 degrees, as opposed to the 85/90 I was returning home to. It was lovely. Upon asking around, I found that most people run their AC on hot days so they don’t come home to a sauna and mold.
  Fast-forward: I have a floor fan. One of those box ones. It helps to keep air circulating around the apartment. The place isn’t that big, so when I cook I need the air to move around to clear the scent of my cooking. I left it on over the past day or so in the kitchen.
  She entered my apartment today when I was not home and unplugged it. She did not provide a warning. I feel like this was a complete invasion of privacy as this was not an emergency, and my lease states she must give notice unless it is an emergency. How do I confront her without starting a war? © Pinecone945 / Reddit
• I’m moving out of my apartment soon, and my landlord has started having people tour the unit. We have a basement/storage room that has had a rat problem since we moved in, and the landlord has done as little as possible to fix this. I was home for a tour today — as they were about to enter this room, I said they should be careful as there have been rats in there and I don’t want anything tracked into the apartment.
  After the tour, the landlord tells me to not mention any problems with the apartment and “if this is difficult” for me, then they will ask that I’m not present for tours. I wonder how? I still live here, after all. © TheBiggest*** / Reddit

But some people decided to share their witty ways to deal with insolent neighbors.