When you go on vacation, there are a few people that you really don’t want to be contacted by. One of them is your boss, because it is your official time off, so they have no business disturbing you during your well-deserved rest.
Another person you wouldn’t want to get a message from is your landlord, because what if they are messaging you because you left your oven on or didn’t unplug your hair dryer and now the house is on fire?
Thankfully, it wasn’t anything serious for Twitter user Tim Unkenholz, but the text was quite bizarre because this landlord was upset that he placed his spare tire in the garage. The hilarity of the situation amused the internet and the tweet went viral with 224k likes.
More info: Twitter
Landlords are very protective over their property, so they can have strange demands for the tenant that they might not understand
Image credits: pxhere (not the actual photo)
Twitter user Tim Unkenholz mostly shares funny videos and memes on his account, but recently he posted a screenshot of a weird message he got from his landlord and it went pretty viral.
In that screenshot, you can see the landlord asking about a tire in the garage and that it shouldn't be there, so it needs to be removed. Tim was confused as to why it was a problem, but the landlord didn’t give a clear answer.
Image credits: timunken
Twitter user Tim Unkenholz was asked by his landlord to not keep the extra tire from his car in the garage that he is renting
Image credits: timunken
Image credits: timunken
It appears that Tim was gone for a trip and to have more space in the trunk, he removed the extra tire. It wasn’t the spare tire, but an additional one, so it was not necessary to take it with him on that vacation trip.
Tim promised the landlord he'd remove the tire. He was mockingly apologetic and even if the landlord noticed the attitude in the message, he didn’t react to it and was satisfied to hear it will be removed.
Image credits: timunken
Image credits: timunken
Tim didn't understand what the big deal was and he put that tire there to only have more space in his trunk as he was going away on a trip
Image credits: IAmJPRoy
The landlord doesn’t live with Tim and he guesses that the only way he could have known about the tire was if he constantly checks the security cameras. Tim wasn’t very happy that the landlord told him not to keep tires in the garage as he was paying for that space and it wasn’t damaging the property.
Also, in the lease agreement, there was nothing said about not being able to keep tires in the garage, so it’s really a mystery why the landlord was so triggered by it. It was just a regular tire, not a huge monster truck wheel.
Image credits: timunken
Image credits: timunken
Image credits: timunken
The landlord didn't give any reasonable explanation, just that he didn't like seeing it and that there are already grills stored there
Image credits: timunken
Some people pointed out that tires might be a fire hazard and the landlord is responsible for making sure his property is being used safely. However, that is not entirely true. According to the online magazine Motors And Wheels, “Tires contain certain compounds like benzene, oil and carbon that are highly flammable. Because of these compounds, tires often burn when they are piled in large quantities under hot conditions.” However, they are not flammable.
They actually advise storing tires indoors instead of outdoors, but you have to follow a few guidelines, such as not stacking them but standing them upright, keeping the pile less than 50 feet in length and making sure the room is well-ventilated.
They add that “Tires can catch fire if you expose them to severe heat or harsh sunlight. Also, piling your tires in large numbers can increase the risk of a fire.” But for that to happen, they need to reach 750˚F-1000˚F (400˚C-540˚C) which is not easy to achieve, so Tim wasn’t doing anything wrong by leaving his one tire in the garage.
Image credits: Kecko (not the actual photo)
Image credits: timunken
Image credits: timunken
Image credits: timunken
While some people were calling Tim entitled because it’s the landlord’s garage, it’s his property, so he can set out any conditions he wants, others were surprised how invasive Mike the landlord was as they were used to being completely in control of the space they rented because they were paying for it and even if it was temporary, the place was their home.
According to a survey conducted by Sky News, in which they asked which statement about landlords’ power comes closest to their views, 54 percent of respondents said that they feel that landlords have far too much or slightly too much power over tenants.
Many people tried to guess that the landlord might have feared a fire hazard but tires aren't flammable by themselves
Image credits: timunken
Image credits: timunken
Image credits: timunken
People really depend on landlords because they are the ones providing homes and they are the ones setting conditions. They might not choose you as their tenant because you have a dog, they may increase the rent in the middle of your lease, and sometimes it happens even if price changes weren’t mentioned in the contract.
Asking to remove a tire from the garage is not that serious compared to what they could demand, but it just shows that even if you are paying them, landlords are controlling and will use their power against you.
Tim promised to remove the tire from the garage but not without mocking the situation a bit
Image credits: adrianelliot
Image credits: FactsAreDead
Image credits: storylinefever
Image credits: wexlysmiffins
What do you think about Tim’s situation? Do you agree with the people who said that the landlord can ask whatever he wants because, after all, it is his property? Or do you think that because he is getting paid for someone using his property, he shouldn’t worry about how the tenant uses it? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!