Anyone who has rented a house or an apartment knows how troublesome it can be. Constant instability and restrictive rules substantially reduce comfort, while losing the landlord lottery and getting a bad one can make, in extreme cases, the accommodation unlivable.
Tenants in the r/Renters community are constantly sharing their fights and struggles with property owners. From unrealistic charges to requesting tips on rent, they prove that, in fact, landlords are really that bad. To find these horror stories, all you have to do is scroll down.
While you're at it, don't forget to check out a conversation with realtor, private landlord, and real estate investor Chelsey Gibbs, who kindly agreed to give us some pointers on how to avoid a bad landlord.
#1 How Cold Is It Tho
Image credits: skypetutor
#2 What Am I Supposed To Do?
Image credits: Lumpy_Staff_2372
#3 Charging For Carpet Replacement Upon Move Out? Reston, Va
Just moved out of a 1 bedroom apartment. I rented a carpet shampooer from Home Depot before and had the whole place looking and smelling real nice. Just got this email which screams of nonsense. I plan to fight this to the death. The carpet was not damaged and had zero stains when I left. The pictures aren’t amazing but you can tell there’s not big damage
Image credits: Rams11A
#4 "It's Not Me Who's Choosing To Raise Your Rent. It's The Market."
Image credits: whoocanitbenow
#5 Landlords- Please Don’t Paint Over Cockroaches
Image credits: viewerdoer
#6 How Much Do You Tip Your Landlord?
Image credits: H5N1BirdFlu
#7 Interesting Situation
Image credits: Funk-o-Tron
#8 My Landlord Is A Perv And I Dont Know What To Do
I 24f am in PA, my roommate recently moved out and since I've been here by myself my landlord started asking for hugs every time he came over (he also shows up unannounced to "fix" things and will push his way in even after I say no and I require notice) the hugs were already crossing a line but I don't have anywhere to go and am already nervous about him and he wouldn't leave until I did it so I just did what he wanted. now he has sent me this email and I'm scared to go home. I've been staying at a friends house trying to figure out what to do
Image credits: cobraacat
#9 Landlord Said If It Comes Back I’m Responsible
Recently got displaced for a week while some people came by and fixed my ceiling. It was covered in full since there was evidence of mold on the windowsills prior to moving in. Company came in and took the humidity which was 78. They were going to replace the ceiling, parts of the wall, and connect the air vent all the way outside as it was not hooked up correctly. Came back after a week and everything is replaced and there is no evidence of mold anymore. Tub is clogged and I’m waiting on that to get fixed but otherwise, seems good. The thing that didn’t make sense to me is the landlord telling me that if it happens again I will be responsible for it. He did not provide any maintenance advice on how to control it if this should happen again. My leasing contract states that I will only be held responsible for repairs if I don’t take the necessary precautions to avoid it but how do I avoid mold growth? Contract includes vent cleaning, filter replacement, not running the ac too hard, normal house things- but nothing about mold. I’ve requested receipts of all the work done so I have evidence that it was done properly and I also plan on requesting humidity check ups. I fail to understand how this would fall back on me if it comes back? If it’s done correctly, it shouldn’t return at all?
Image credits: Pspurgex
#10 Absolutely Floored At The Income Requirement (Ca)
Image credits: hungo_bungo
#11 Can They Really Force Us To Pay $30? Il
Image credits: d3fualt003
#12 Advice On How To Deal With A Landlord Denying That It Has A Roach Problem
I live in a building in a city right outside Chicago. It does have a lot of units and I realize big old buildings do have bug issues but my landlord is insisting that they’re just water bugs. I told her last Thursday that when I was paying my rent that I’ve seen a couple roaches and she tells me to take a picture next time. So last night I had a friend over and she was sitting on the floor and my cat ran by and a roach ran under my friends leg. So not only was I horrified I was embarrassed I sent her a picture at like 1 am and she didn’t reach out till 2 this afternoon and is still insistent it’s water bugs. My friend used Google lens and what do you know it registered as a roach. I called her and told her I’m not gonna argue with her about it and that she needs to get the exterminator quick. I have poison bait traps by the doorways and today I sprayed raid outside the back door and the landing on the inside. What else could I do to solve this issue if she won’t. Any advice is welcomed.
Image credits: Olddirtyyybonnie
#13 Landlord Covered My Windows With Plastic
I was shocked when I came home from work and saw plastic covering every window in my apartment. I reached out to the property management and they told me it was for “waterproofing” the building. Asked for a date when it would be removed and they said they “weren’t sure”. It’s cutting off ventilation and I’m having to run my AC in 70 degree weather because it’s almost 80 degrees in my apartment with this plastic on. I asked if they would subsidize a portion of my electric bills since I will be needing to run the AC, which they said they would “get back to me about” but of course they didn’t
Image credits: ResidentCaterpillar
#14 Apartment Manager Discussing My Personal Life Via Internal Email
So I moved in to my new apartment in late January, I didn’t have a car then but recently got 1. Email the apartment manager for a parking permit, and she didn’t respond after a few days so I sent a follow-up. She send me a email today to say she was off and will follow-up but accidentally sent me this email which was obviously meant for internal purposes
Image credits: Due_Schedule6697
#15 Oh Front Door Locks Freezing
I moved into a new apt in April and this is my first winter here. They removed all the storm doors when renovating the property and never did any weather stripping/proofing with the front doors, it’s about 1 degree out right now with high winds that have been pushing through our front door along with snow and today I woke up to our locks iced up from the inside
Image credits: Inevitable-Bed-8192
#16 (Texas) Is It Legal For My Landlord To Leave The Bathroom Without A Tub Or Shower?
He promised to have it in within a couple weeks of living here, but has yet to even order the tub that fits my rental house. I have one bathroom with a shower, but nothing in the master bathroom
Image credits: funkofanatic95
#17 Landlord’s Outrageous Requests
Image credits: Bitterbaby-11
#18 Landlord Won’t Fix Mold Problem (Mn)
I notified the landlord about a mold problem 2 weeks ago and he keeps saying that he will fix it but nothing ever comes of it. He keeps making excuses and lying about it and saying that people are coming, which makes me take a day to work from home so that I can be here when they come to fix it (I don’t have unlimited work from home days)
Image credits: TravelingAdHd
#19 Landlord Says I Haven't Paid For This Month's Rent Even After I Already Did. I Don't Know What Else To Do
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#20 Landlord Installed It Just Above The Door Of Our Apartment. If It Has Audio Is That Legal? Door Is Thin And Could Clearly Eavesdrop If Audio Enabled Camera
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#21 Is This Oven Safe And Acceptable As Stated By Landlord?
It has a glass cover, but no actual door so it has its springs exposed. The handle is very flimsy and is very hard to open the oven with as it isn’t properly attached. As soon as 5e oven is turned on it starts smoking without even being opened
Image credits: nervousmostly
#22 Outrageous Fees Just To Apply (Ga)
Image credits: Traditional-Dog-4938
#23 $750 A Month To Live In A Shed In Someone's Backyard With No Toilet Or Shower Or Appliances
Image credits: tarktarkindustries
#24 I Feel Decieved On Day 1 Of Move-In
Image credits: IHateCoconuts47
