Renting out a property sounds, on paper, like a fairly straightforward arrangement. You need house; I have house. I want money, you have money. It is, in theory, one of the more civilised transactions available to two consenting adults. And then the tenant moves in, and somewhere between the lease signing and the first inspection, something goes profoundly, structurally, occasionally biologically wrong.
Reddit recently asked landlords to share their worst tenant experiences, and the thread is everything we need to know about human audacity behind closed doors. We have property damage that defies explanation. We have missing rent payments accompanied by excuses of genuinely impressive creativity. In these instances, the security deposit was never going to cover the trauma.
#21
I'm a landlord, but this was something my crazy cousin did. He built a full on skate half-pipe ramp in his 4th floor Manhattan walkup. It was insane, and took up basically the entire place.
I have no idea what it took to build, but to get rid of it they just parked a truck outside and tossed the bits out the window into the truck below.
I have no idea what it took to build, but to get rid of it they just parked a truck outside and tossed the bits out the window into the truck below.
14points
In the interest of complete fairness, Avail also has some guidance for landlords, because the tenant from hell does not always emerge from a vacuum. They urge landlords to respond to tenant messages within 24 hours. You should also put everything important in writing, including rules, fees, and any changes to the arrangement, because verbal agreements are worth exactly nothing when things go sideways.
And maintain professional boundaries while remaining polite and fair, because a landlord who treats a tenant with contempt tends to get a property back in a condition that reflects that contempt. The relationship works better when both parties treat it like one.
#22
Had a tenant call me to put in a maintenance request because their microwave wasn't working and the fridge door wasn't working and would not shut. I go up to their apartment and check out the fridge with the tenant next to me. I then proceeded to move a milk slightly farther into the fridge (that is what was blocking the door from shutting completely). Then I looked at the microwave and saw it had no power. Checked to see if it was connected, it wasn't.
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14points
#23
My grandparents owned 68 rental houses at their peak, and while they're too old for that s**t now, they have plenty of stories. This one is my favorite.
Dateline, mid-80's:
One of their longest-standing properties was a long structure containing five flats alongside each other. In #5, there lived a young couple with a toddler who were a little bothersome, but paid their rent on time and never caused significant troubles. After a little over a year, they paid their last month's rent and moved out. A week or so later, my grandfather went in to make sure the place was ready for new tenants.
They. Took. *Everything*.
The usual suspects like the fridge, oven/stove, washing machine... but then the kitchen and laundry sinks and taps. All the lightbulbs, all the curtains, and they pulled up and removed the carpet. The lightswitch fittings on the walls, not just the doorknobs but also the doors. They even managed to dismount and remove the f*****g toilet.
Just about the only thing they left was the drywall, windows and front door.
They avoided contact, but upon being summoned to court, they seemed to genuinely believe that they, as tenants, were entitled to take whatever they wanted with them, since they'd paid for the place over the previous year. They'd already installed the g*****n toilet in their new place.
The resulting legal battle effectively resulted in #5 being completely refurbished at the ex-tenant's expense.
Dateline, mid-80's:
One of their longest-standing properties was a long structure containing five flats alongside each other. In #5, there lived a young couple with a toddler who were a little bothersome, but paid their rent on time and never caused significant troubles. After a little over a year, they paid their last month's rent and moved out. A week or so later, my grandfather went in to make sure the place was ready for new tenants.
They. Took. *Everything*.
The usual suspects like the fridge, oven/stove, washing machine... but then the kitchen and laundry sinks and taps. All the lightbulbs, all the curtains, and they pulled up and removed the carpet. The lightswitch fittings on the walls, not just the doorknobs but also the doors. They even managed to dismount and remove the f*****g toilet.
Just about the only thing they left was the drywall, windows and front door.
They avoided contact, but upon being summoned to court, they seemed to genuinely believe that they, as tenants, were entitled to take whatever they wanted with them, since they'd paid for the place over the previous year. They'd already installed the g*****n toilet in their new place.
The resulting legal battle effectively resulted in #5 being completely refurbished at the ex-tenant's expense.
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14points
#24
My parents had some tenants when I was probably 7 or 8 that never paid the rent and they wound up getting evicted. My parents decided that they would save some money and we would just clean the place up ourselves. This was their worst idea ever.
I didn't know what a lot of the stuff I saw that day was until much later in life. The first thing I saw when we walked in the door was a fish tank full of d**d, exotic fishies. In the bedroom we found used c*****s, used tampons, and used needles. Like, just laying around. Once we saw that bedroom my parents gave up and hired a cleaner but I heard what else they found.
They found a cat shoved into the toilet of the master bathroom. It was terrible.
Edit: to those who are wondering, my parents did report them for animal a***e/neglect but unfortunately nothing came of it.
I didn't know what a lot of the stuff I saw that day was until much later in life. The first thing I saw when we walked in the door was a fish tank full of d**d, exotic fishies. In the bedroom we found used c*****s, used tampons, and used needles. Like, just laying around. Once we saw that bedroom my parents gave up and hired a cleaner but I heard what else they found.
They found a cat shoved into the toilet of the master bathroom. It was terrible.
Edit: to those who are wondering, my parents did report them for animal a***e/neglect but unfortunately nothing came of it.
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13points
The landlord and tenant relationship is, at its best, one of mutual respect. At its worst, it is a legal nightmare, a financial catastrophe, and occasionally a garage sale on someone's front lawn. The stories in this thread sit firmly at the worst end of the spectrum, which makes them entertaining to read and harrowing to have lived through.
Most tenancies are fine. Most tenants pay their rent, take reasonable care of the property, and leave without incident. The ones that don't, however, tend to leave a mark on the walls, on the finances, and on the landlord's willingness to ever do this again.
Are you a landlord who has a hair-raising story to share? Head straight to the comments!
#25
Used to have a job that involved cleaning and minor repairs of rental apartments and houses between tenants. Usually it was easy enough, but the ones who were evicted often made it a point to wreck the place on the way out.
One particular a*****e decided to pack plumber's putty into the sink and bathtub drains, then turn the taps on before he left. They had to get professional contractors to fix most of it, but I got to rip out a bunch of stinky wet carpet and water-damaged floorboards.
One particular a*****e decided to pack plumber's putty into the sink and bathtub drains, then turn the taps on before he left. They had to get professional contractors to fix most of it, but I got to rip out a bunch of stinky wet carpet and water-damaged floorboards.
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13points
#26
I work in property management, I used to work at a high rise in downtown San Diego. I had a resident who would constantly complain about things that were out of our control, and then ask for a rent credit for his "inconvenience." These complaints included: too many homeless in the area, the restaurant across the street smells, tired of the dog next door barking when the owners come home (barks for only a couple minutes) etc.. My personal favorite (where I just went off on him) was when he was parked in front of our building (a designated loading zone) and he received a parking ticket. This is a public street, mind you, so the only personnel that can give out tickets in this area are the meter maids with the city. He comes in barking at me about this ticket and asks us for reimbursement and an additional credit added to his account due to the emotional stress. I explained to him that it was the city and we have nothing to do with it and that your request is absurd. People will ask for any sort of reimbursement for the stupidest things.
So I kindly ask, if you live in an apartment community, please be nice to the leasing professionals and management. I am not the reason your dishwasher stopped working and no I didn't decide how much your rent was. Thanks!
So I kindly ask, if you live in an apartment community, please be nice to the leasing professionals and management. I am not the reason your dishwasher stopped working and no I didn't decide how much your rent was. Thanks!
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13points
#27
I rented one of my house to a gal i worked with. Mother of 2, married. Did ok at work didn't think much of it
It was my first and last time renting out. I didn't know the laws well for my state. I was *very* nice in that i was forgiving if rent was a few days late but she never paid for the deposit as i was also a student and was busybwith school and *needed* someone in that second home so i didn't have to pay.
She took me for a ride. Knew all the laws and had to go to court twice. I was lucky in that A) we communicated via text and i SAVED every message and gave a copy to the judge and B her boss wouldn't give her the day off to go to court so her husband of whom seemed to also be along for the ride was stuck trying to defend them not paying. She tried to say i said s**t when i didn't but those messages saved my a*s and luckily they got kicked out with very little damage to the house.
It was my first and last time renting out. I didn't know the laws well for my state. I was *very* nice in that i was forgiving if rent was a few days late but she never paid for the deposit as i was also a student and was busybwith school and *needed* someone in that second home so i didn't have to pay.
She took me for a ride. Knew all the laws and had to go to court twice. I was lucky in that A) we communicated via text and i SAVED every message and gave a copy to the judge and B her boss wouldn't give her the day off to go to court so her husband of whom seemed to also be along for the ride was stuck trying to defend them not paying. She tried to say i said s**t when i didn't but those messages saved my a*s and luckily they got kicked out with very little damage to the house.
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13points
#28
Bronx landlord. Had a tenant stop paying. I tried to work with her to get the Department of Social Services to pay a portion of her rent. After a year, nothing ever materialized of it. I went to evict, and here I am, 7 months later still trying to get her out. The judge keeps giving her more time to get DSS to try to pay. They've already denied it twice, but the Bronx housing court is just there to let tenants get by as long as possible without paying. It's the most tenant friendly court in the nation.
Another Bronx tenant refused to sign a new lease. He also stopped paying, and I went to evict after 8 months of nonpayment (keep in mind, the city taxes me as a class 2A building, taking $400+ a month for an apartment that rents for $1400). So tenant moves out, but his son (30 year old convicted felon) stays behind. I now have to evict him, his girlfriend, and the three friends that moved in. I gave them a blank lease to show them what a new one would look like, and offered to sign it if they came up with the arrears. No dice. They came up with not a dollar. Five adults had zero money.
We get to court, and the judge starts talking about the blank lease I gave them, and how it's basically as if I offered them the lease. My attorney and I are both shocked. The judge was ready to throw out 3 months of waiting on the courts, on a completely fabricated technicality. I can always spend thousands to appeal, but that makes no sense, and the judges know that. Luckily my leases state they are only valid if the 1st month's rent and security deposit are paid. F**k Bronx judges.
Another Bronx tenant refused to sign a new lease. He also stopped paying, and I went to evict after 8 months of nonpayment (keep in mind, the city taxes me as a class 2A building, taking $400+ a month for an apartment that rents for $1400). So tenant moves out, but his son (30 year old convicted felon) stays behind. I now have to evict him, his girlfriend, and the three friends that moved in. I gave them a blank lease to show them what a new one would look like, and offered to sign it if they came up with the arrears. No dice. They came up with not a dollar. Five adults had zero money.
We get to court, and the judge starts talking about the blank lease I gave them, and how it's basically as if I offered them the lease. My attorney and I are both shocked. The judge was ready to throw out 3 months of waiting on the courts, on a completely fabricated technicality. I can always spend thousands to appeal, but that makes no sense, and the judges know that. Luckily my leases state they are only valid if the 1st month's rent and security deposit are paid. F**k Bronx judges.
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13points
#29
Several years ago I found a missed call from my renter after a nice long 4th of July holiday weekend. The voicemail went something like this, "Jordan was taking a shower and broke the handle on the shower and now we can't get the water off." I called right away (one or two days had gone by) and told them how to turn off the main. Yes water was still coming out until I called. These people truly were i****s. They would call for a simple clogged toilet. And when they stopped paying the rent and utilities, they threw away all of the smoke detectors because they couldn't get them to stop chirping. (The smoke detectors were wired to the house electrical as well as battery) I like to think there is a special place in hell waiting for them.
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13points
#30
Rented out a room in my house to a girl I knew who was trying to find a place closer to her work. She was normal for the first few weeks and then it devolved into a s*******m. Her bedroom and bathroom were constantly trashed with dirty dishes, clothes, shoes, and hair styling tools plugged in and left on. Luckily she kept it contained to mostly her areas, but then other things...
Random guys coming over all the time, at all times of the night. She had a boyfriend, too, that had no idea she f****d around, but he was a c**t, too. Constantly demanding my boyfriend and I write her prescriptions for her nasty yeast infections (we never did, but that never stopped her stupid a*s from asking every f*****g week). Then one day I came home and heard scratching and whining coming from her bathroom. She got a f*****g puppy. Told her she needed to find that puppy a new home by that night or they'll both be looking for new homes by the next day. She thought it was going to be fine to just leave it locked in her bathroom while she was gone all day and most every evening. C**t.
And then the thing that made me kick her out? She got pulled over for a DUI and thrown in jail. There was a pay phone inside the cell she was being held in. She called me and demanded I come down and spring her out of jail. I decline. I'm at work and don't want to deal with her s**t. She proceeds to blow up my phone calling over and over and over screaming at me. I turn off my phone. When I turn it back on, my voice mailbox was full.
That night after work, I packed up all her s**t in hefty bags, called her bf to pick it up or it's going to the dump, and changed my locks. I braced myself for retaliation and prepared by putting up cameras to catch her if she tried anything. Surprisingly, she disappeared and I never heard from her again.
Random guys coming over all the time, at all times of the night. She had a boyfriend, too, that had no idea she f****d around, but he was a c**t, too. Constantly demanding my boyfriend and I write her prescriptions for her nasty yeast infections (we never did, but that never stopped her stupid a*s from asking every f*****g week). Then one day I came home and heard scratching and whining coming from her bathroom. She got a f*****g puppy. Told her she needed to find that puppy a new home by that night or they'll both be looking for new homes by the next day. She thought it was going to be fine to just leave it locked in her bathroom while she was gone all day and most every evening. C**t.
And then the thing that made me kick her out? She got pulled over for a DUI and thrown in jail. There was a pay phone inside the cell she was being held in. She called me and demanded I come down and spring her out of jail. I decline. I'm at work and don't want to deal with her s**t. She proceeds to blow up my phone calling over and over and over screaming at me. I turn off my phone. When I turn it back on, my voice mailbox was full.
That night after work, I packed up all her s**t in hefty bags, called her bf to pick it up or it's going to the dump, and changed my locks. I braced myself for retaliation and prepared by putting up cameras to catch her if she tried anything. Surprisingly, she disappeared and I never heard from her again.
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13points
#31
Not me, but my best friend and his father run a property management company nearby.
They had a a couple for tenants in the third floor of a building that were pissed off, out of work, alcoholics and apparently just not nice people.
They were getting evicted and knew it, but in my state that is a a LONG process (3+ months). So, they proceeded to take anything of value and destroy everything else. They took the dishwasher, refrigerator and some carpet. They destroyed the closets, bathroom fixtures, cabinets, walls, etc. They even s**t in a bucket and left it in the unit, just cuz.
And then.. the Coup de grace...
The guy used to work construction and mixed up some quick-setting concrete and poured it into EVERY Drain. It literally destroyed most of the plumbing in the building as the pipes all drained down to the floors below. They had to tear the walls apart and completely redo all of the plumbing it touched.
I mean, it was terrible and one of the biggest a*****e moves I've ever heard. But, on the other hand, the best way I've ever heard of completely f*****g your landlords.
They had a a couple for tenants in the third floor of a building that were pissed off, out of work, alcoholics and apparently just not nice people.
They were getting evicted and knew it, but in my state that is a a LONG process (3+ months). So, they proceeded to take anything of value and destroy everything else. They took the dishwasher, refrigerator and some carpet. They destroyed the closets, bathroom fixtures, cabinets, walls, etc. They even s**t in a bucket and left it in the unit, just cuz.
And then.. the Coup de grace...
The guy used to work construction and mixed up some quick-setting concrete and poured it into EVERY Drain. It literally destroyed most of the plumbing in the building as the pipes all drained down to the floors below. They had to tear the walls apart and completely redo all of the plumbing it touched.
I mean, it was terrible and one of the biggest a*****e moves I've ever heard. But, on the other hand, the best way I've ever heard of completely f*****g your landlords.
13points
#32
I had a tenant remove the kitchen island and bring it outside by the pool because they needed an outdoor serving area.
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12points
#33
I was a landlord when my girlfriend moved in with me, and she had an empty condo. First 2 renters where fine, but then there was Kevin. Kevin was a single male, good income, seemed like a perfect tenant. We get into month three and the rent checks stop coming in. So we go to the condo to find out what the deal is. First off there is a nice new flat screen TV, but no furniture and a giant bean ball chair. We ask where the hell is the money, Kevin looks frantically through his bible and is all like "I lost the money order, sorry". Pissed off we do a little more looking and it turns out he has a roommate, a silent muscular black man. Ok whatever, but if you have a roommate you got to tell us Kevin so we can put him on the lease.
Long story short, Kevin stays silent, and a few days later we come by to serve him papers and to begin the eviction process. Kevin's no-named roommate turns out to be a rapist who is out on parole. That is greats and all but we were right across the street from a school, old Kevin was violating s*x offender legislation. Thank god he left without much of a fight and were able to dump the condo at a modest profit.
Long story short, Kevin stays silent, and a few days later we come by to serve him papers and to begin the eviction process. Kevin's no-named roommate turns out to be a rapist who is out on parole. That is greats and all but we were right across the street from a school, old Kevin was violating s*x offender legislation. Thank god he left without much of a fight and were able to dump the condo at a modest profit.
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12points
#34
Was renting a house and subletting a room to an 18yr old couple. Real nice, considerate, devoute Christians. Had to leave for 2 weeks and asked them to clean the house spotless so we could get the security deposit back and in turn, pay them for the trouble.
Came back a couple days early to find they had completely trashed the entire house (crack den status), moved the matresss down into the living room, including our TV. Went through all of our stuff and incorporated it into their stuff, adopted 2 cats 2 days after we left (no pets, found the adoption papers) kitty litter in every square inch of carpet, used condoms everywhere, the whole house smelled like cigarettes (no smoking), pawned our $800 drum set and $200 bong and stole most of my sentimental keepsakes I had kept in a small box since I was a child.
Cops were called and they were in the green legally, proceeded to pack up whatever they wanted (including our stuff) and left with their parents who "didn't care" what their kids had done.
F**k Reno, Nevada.
Came back a couple days early to find they had completely trashed the entire house (crack den status), moved the matresss down into the living room, including our TV. Went through all of our stuff and incorporated it into their stuff, adopted 2 cats 2 days after we left (no pets, found the adoption papers) kitty litter in every square inch of carpet, used condoms everywhere, the whole house smelled like cigarettes (no smoking), pawned our $800 drum set and $200 bong and stole most of my sentimental keepsakes I had kept in a small box since I was a child.
Cops were called and they were in the green legally, proceeded to pack up whatever they wanted (including our stuff) and left with their parents who "didn't care" what their kids had done.
F**k Reno, Nevada.
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12points
#35
I have an eviction story! I found another veteran Marine on Craigslist that was looking to rent a room in my house. When dealing with Craigslist, I always meet the person several times before they move in so I can get a feel for them. He was very chill and his dog was calm. I gave him the green light!
Well.. it turned out his dog has severe separation anxiety and barked and scratched constantly until Brayden came back. Except Brayden is a bartender and would be out of the house for upwards of 12 hours (one time was 2 days!!) and he would just leave the dog in the house s******g and p*****g everywhere. I got fed up and moved the dog to the garage so I could sleep.
Now I have a big boy job. I wake up at 445 in the morning to go to work. Meaning I expect quiet hours to start at 10 pm. Well Brayden would come home from bartending at 2am Hammered drunk with several friends and blast music and argue politics. On more than one occasion I had to pick up broken glass bottled out of my grass from when his girlfriend got pissed off.
The culminating event was when he threw a party on a Monday night where he left the door open to my house where both my cats escaped, my wallet was rifled through, and he j****d on my ottoman. I broke up the party with a (unloaded) s*****n.
I comped him his rent if he just moved out and didn't make me go to court to get eviction papers drafted. J**z never really comes out.
Well.. it turned out his dog has severe separation anxiety and barked and scratched constantly until Brayden came back. Except Brayden is a bartender and would be out of the house for upwards of 12 hours (one time was 2 days!!) and he would just leave the dog in the house s******g and p*****g everywhere. I got fed up and moved the dog to the garage so I could sleep.
Now I have a big boy job. I wake up at 445 in the morning to go to work. Meaning I expect quiet hours to start at 10 pm. Well Brayden would come home from bartending at 2am Hammered drunk with several friends and blast music and argue politics. On more than one occasion I had to pick up broken glass bottled out of my grass from when his girlfriend got pissed off.
The culminating event was when he threw a party on a Monday night where he left the door open to my house where both my cats escaped, my wallet was rifled through, and he j****d on my ottoman. I broke up the party with a (unloaded) s*****n.
I comped him his rent if he just moved out and didn't make me go to court to get eviction papers drafted. J**z never really comes out.
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12points
#36
My mum rented out a house to this nice mum, her young son and they're two dogs. She wasn't great at paying on time but my mum sympathised as she knew what it was like to struggle with money as a mum and was very forgiving. When mum had enough she had to ask her to leave. When we all went to get the house ready for viewings it was disgusting. There was dog p**s and s**t rubbed into the carpet, on the walls, in the wardrobes etc. The house was vile. So much for beinv thankful.
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12points
#37
I had a female tenant in her 50's. She was a tall thin white woman, and she had nasty dreadlocks and considered herself true believer of the Rastafari faith https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rastafari
She rented one unit of a fourplex. I got a complaint one day from the neighbor tenant, that she had been pacing around the entire fourplex all night long, and was shouting incoherently at people that weren't there. It was the 1st of the month when I went there to talk to her, and she yelled and screamed and wrote the rent check out to the "Devil and his followers" and signed it "I am signing under duress!!!" in the signature box. The amount was correct however.
Once I had the check in my hand, I noticed it had her father's name and phone number on it. He lived in the neighboring state - so I called him and explained the situation. He says "Please have her arrested. She is off her meds, and her mother was the Devil yesterday and I was the Devil this morning". I explained that he was off the hook, as I was now the Devil, and then I called the cops.
They had to fight her into the car, even after handcuffing her. Three days later she was back, back on her meds, and apologized for the issue.
And that is why all the units have individual yards and it would be impossible to walk laps around the house now. Side benefit is that people will pay a little more if it has a tiny yard.
She rented one unit of a fourplex. I got a complaint one day from the neighbor tenant, that she had been pacing around the entire fourplex all night long, and was shouting incoherently at people that weren't there. It was the 1st of the month when I went there to talk to her, and she yelled and screamed and wrote the rent check out to the "Devil and his followers" and signed it "I am signing under duress!!!" in the signature box. The amount was correct however.
Once I had the check in my hand, I noticed it had her father's name and phone number on it. He lived in the neighboring state - so I called him and explained the situation. He says "Please have her arrested. She is off her meds, and her mother was the Devil yesterday and I was the Devil this morning". I explained that he was off the hook, as I was now the Devil, and then I called the cops.
They had to fight her into the car, even after handcuffing her. Three days later she was back, back on her meds, and apologized for the issue.
And that is why all the units have individual yards and it would be impossible to walk laps around the house now. Side benefit is that people will pay a little more if it has a tiny yard.
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12points
#38
My grandparents rent out some extremely nice houses on Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. A very young couple moved into a home. They didn't have a lot of furnishings but oddly enough could afford the extremely high month to month rent. Long story short they had a huge m*******a farm in just about the entire house. My grandparents found out from a landscaper who cut their grass. Yeah.
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12points
#39
Tenant decides to have bonfire in backyard, November, around 2am police knock on my door (lived upstairs) telling me I needed to tell him to put it out as I'm homeowner, apparently he decided to tell firemen they didn't know what they were talking about, they called police of course. I told police that they should arrest him as I'm going back to sleep.
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12points
#40
My aunt owns a huge house that she turned into an air bnb. There was this Aussie guy who rented the place for about a week then left without a word. He left all the doors locked which took us a couple of days to get sorted (we discuss want to ruin the nice doors). When we finally got in, we discovered that this guy cut all the power cords of most of the appliances. Tv, sound system, kitchen appliances. The b*****d just cut them all off and probably took them with him. We never found it.
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12points
