Several key factors come into play when looking for a place to rent. Among them are the place itself and how it accommodates your lifestyle, the monthly payment, and the landlord you’ll be dealing with.
If you’re lucky, you’ll have a landlord who is understanding about your needs and would actually put in the effort to make life easy for you. But of course, life isn’t always perfect like that.
These tenants would know, and they are rightly shaming the horrible landlords who made renting a nightmarish experience for them. If you’ve been in a similar situation, this list likely resonates with you.
Some landlords might refuse to put agreements in writing, and this is a major red flag, according to personal injury lawyer Robert Montanez. As he explained, this resistance alone could be an indicator that they may dispute responsibilities later on.
Montanez adds that tenants often overlook this warning sign during the initial meeting, particularly if the landlord presents a friendly demeanor or verbally promises quick fixes.
#22 What Are These Hooded Statues/Figures My Landlord Left In My Apartment?
Moving into a new apartment this week. Wtf are these statues my landlord has placed on the fireplace? I’m creeped out and I’m scared to remove them.
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21points
#23 My Landlord Is Selling And Is Asking A Lot Of Us
My landlord is selling all of their properties and is moving very fast. I was uncomfortable with pictures, but now they want to do walk walk-through showing while we still fully occupy the house. Is this normal? What can I do to protect my privacy? I don’t want to block the sale, but I don’t want strangers walking through my home either.
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21points
#24 When Your Landlord Is Dumb
How do you handle it? I asked my landlord to text my husband instead of me, maybe 10x, because I was getting very close to responding with what I wanted to say instead of what I should say. We have paid on time or early for the two years we have lived here, not asked for anything, and have been very accommodating to his inability to remember to give 24 hours' notice. Additionally we have been very accommodating to a sale of the entire building. Sharing just because this is a great snapshot of our interactions. Today is Sunday, btw. Also, I haven’t responded to any texts he has sent to this number for a year now.
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20points
Communication is an integral part of signing a lease for a place to rent. And according to Noah Albers of debt collection agency Advanced Collection Bureau, Inc., tenants tend to overlook a landlord who provides vague answers, uses a templated lease, or shows unreasonable aggression about security deposits. Some may even try to intimidate you.
“It usually means they’re comfortable using intimidation or legal gray areas to control tenants, which becomes a much bigger issue down the road,” said Albers, whose agency specializes in residential rent and move-out balances.
#25 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. Just wondering what the legality of this is, and if there are any suggestions on how to remove it from my second-story window if it comes to that. I have tried popping out my window screen, but for some reason, it’s very difficult. I’m also currently sick, so I need proper ventilation in my apartment, and it would be nice for my mental health to be able to see out of my windows.
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19points
#26 Landlord Sent Us Bill For Clogged Sewer
We live in a row of 4 townhouses in Pennsylvania.
On 11/8, around 7PM, I went down to our garage and found the floor drain backing up raw sewage. I immediately called the emergency number and within a few minutes, the on-call maintenance called me back. After going back and forth with him for a while, he had a plumbing company call me, but they couldn’t come out until the next morning. I wasn’t pleased with this because there was raw sewage everywhere, on our clothes (washer and dryer are in the garage), etc.
He also told me this wasn’t the first time this has happened in our row of apartments, the last time it was 2 apartments farther from the main line. After getting there in the morning, the plumbers immediately went to the outside clean out and snaked towards the main line, and said they found a clog around 44ft out. Problem fixed!
Fast forward 2 weeks, and I get this bill in an email for a clogged sewer (2nd photo). Luckily, I was smart enough to ask the plumbers for a statement with the date and explanation. My question is, how can they expect me to pay for the bill when 1. There are 3 other apartments on the same sewer line, and 2. I just so happened to be the one who called it in, because my neighbors who are closer to the clog weren’t home at the time.
Am I correct in thinking this is in no way my responsibility, and I should not pay this? I emailed my property manager, but haven’t received a response yet.
On 11/8, around 7PM, I went down to our garage and found the floor drain backing up raw sewage. I immediately called the emergency number and within a few minutes, the on-call maintenance called me back. After going back and forth with him for a while, he had a plumbing company call me, but they couldn’t come out until the next morning. I wasn’t pleased with this because there was raw sewage everywhere, on our clothes (washer and dryer are in the garage), etc.
He also told me this wasn’t the first time this has happened in our row of apartments, the last time it was 2 apartments farther from the main line. After getting there in the morning, the plumbers immediately went to the outside clean out and snaked towards the main line, and said they found a clog around 44ft out. Problem fixed!
Fast forward 2 weeks, and I get this bill in an email for a clogged sewer (2nd photo). Luckily, I was smart enough to ask the plumbers for a statement with the date and explanation. My question is, how can they expect me to pay for the bill when 1. There are 3 other apartments on the same sewer line, and 2. I just so happened to be the one who called it in, because my neighbors who are closer to the clog weren’t home at the time.
Am I correct in thinking this is in no way my responsibility, and I should not pay this? I emailed my property manager, but haven’t received a response yet.
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19points
#27 Landlord Says This Is An Acceptable Temp Difference
I need to know if I have any rights as a tenant in Texas against a landlord out of Jersey. She says this is an acceptable temperature difference in my bedroom. My AC simply can't keep up with the Texas heat, and we even bought a window unit because she refused to acknowledge the fact that the house is constantly 80°. She says 20° less is the parameter. Well, I say you come try to sleep when it's 81°.
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18points
So, how do you spare yourself from the hassles of dealing with a bad landlord? Hiring a realtor would be a first step, according to Ryan Carrigan, founder of tech moving company moveBuddha.
“A licensed realtor knows what paperwork is needed to make a lease agreement binding, and they can usually spot any landlord red flags much easier than you can,” he said.
#28 Paid AUD $544 Because Landlord Made An Error
Got locked out after the keycard stopped working because the landlord didn’t update the rental period. After contacting the landlord at 6 pm, they asked me to find a locksmith at my own expense for a mistake they had made.
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17points
#29 Landlord’s “Tree Surgeon” Broke My Rear Windshield With A Throw Bag
You can see the dead tree in front of the Subaru.
The tree hasn’t been taken care of for a while, sent two requests for it to be removed (just over a month of waiting). Finally, after the second maintenance request, the landlord’s go-to tree surgeon just came to say, “Yeah, I reported this three years ago, I’ll rope it down”. Ten minutes later, my windshield is gone.
As for why I didn’t move it before? The car can’t start, and he insisted that we didn’t need to move it - to wait until he actually starts to get it taken down. The head gaskets are blown, the battery is dead, so we started to charge the battery just after he called. Seems as though we should’ve neutral pushed it…
The tree hasn’t been taken care of for a while, sent two requests for it to be removed (just over a month of waiting). Finally, after the second maintenance request, the landlord’s go-to tree surgeon just came to say, “Yeah, I reported this three years ago, I’ll rope it down”. Ten minutes later, my windshield is gone.
As for why I didn’t move it before? The car can’t start, and he insisted that we didn’t need to move it - to wait until he actually starts to get it taken down. The head gaskets are blown, the battery is dead, so we started to charge the battery just after he called. Seems as though we should’ve neutral pushed it…
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17points
#30 My Landlord Offered Me A “Proposal” After I Asked If The Hotel Employees Would Stop Trashing The Yard (Ca)
I’ve been renting a studio apartment on a hotel property for five years. My landlord has raised my rent five times, twice in one year, and the other times have been more than 10% of the previous year’s rent. The last time he tried to raise my rent, I told him I wanted a bunch of stuff fixed, like a place to throw away my garbage, smoke detectors, central heat and air, and a full fridge. Some of these things are deemed “unlivable in California. After I asked him to ask the people at the hotel to stop trashing the courtyard, he sent this proposal, which sounds like a soft eviction notice to me. I live with my girlfriend, and have most of the receipts for staying here. We have two kittens, and I don’t know what to do. Apartments are super expensive here, and I don’t know if they would let us bring both kittens. Any advice would be immensely helpful.
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17points
You can also gain valuable insights by talking to your neighbors. As Naig explains, interacting with the people living next to you often reveals a pattern.
“When many tenants have the same gripe, the landlord finds it more difficult to dismiss the complaints,” he said, emphasizing the importance of documentation, ideally on paper.
#31 Suspected Landlord Of Stealing My Mail, So I Set Up A Camera
Unfortunately, I didn't get any today. She didn't even check her own mailbox, man... I can't sign up for USPS Informed Delivery because I'm pretty sure she stole the change of address confirmation letter with the code I needed.
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17points
#32 Landlord Said Any Realtor Can Enter At Anytime (Tx)
The landlord said that any realtor can enter at anytime to show the house. We will be out at the end of the month, in 3 weeks. The reason we want to be here whenever the house is being shown is that we have dogs. Both dogs bark, but one will bite if a stranger comes into the house. Please tell me that there is a misunderstanding and that nobody is going to enter our home without warning. I put the note on the lockbox. Any advice on how to go about this situation is appreciated.
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17points
How you handle an unpleasant situation with a landlord also matters heavily. Albers discourages retaliation or emotional responses, as they can only do more harm than good.
“A calm, fact-based approach not only protects your credit, it often wins in the long run,” he said.
#36 Landlord Withholding Full Security Deposit (1.8k) Plus Charging Another 1k Over For "Light Marks" On Walls (TN)
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16points
#37 Former Landlord Found A Remaining Balance 3 Years Late
Today I received this email from a former landlord’s property management stating I have a past due balance of about $50. It’s an inconsequential amount of money for me now, but my issue is that I moved out at the start of February 2022… So almost 3 years ago. This is the first I’ve heard of any remaining balance. I have no qualms paying a legitimate charge, but if I don’t legally have to, then I’d obviously rather not. I have no plans to rent from them in the future, so if this “burns a bridge”, then so be it.
I haven’t asked for specific details yet because I’m worried that asking for details will be considered “acknowledging” the debt, which may or may not be legitimate. I’m not sure what the charges could be for - I left the place in IMMACULATE condition since it was my first time renting and I’d heard the horror stories of how nit-picky some landlords can be. They still didn’t return my security deposit, but I was so naive at the time that I thought they were allowed to just keep it. So that’s on me, but I’m over it at this point.
So my questions are: Does asking for details count as me acknowledging the debt, even if it is not legitimate? If it is legitimate, is there any sort of statute of limitations that would preclude them from legally collecting? Thanks in advance.
I haven’t asked for specific details yet because I’m worried that asking for details will be considered “acknowledging” the debt, which may or may not be legitimate. I’m not sure what the charges could be for - I left the place in IMMACULATE condition since it was my first time renting and I’d heard the horror stories of how nit-picky some landlords can be. They still didn’t return my security deposit, but I was so naive at the time that I thought they were allowed to just keep it. So that’s on me, but I’m over it at this point.
So my questions are: Does asking for details count as me acknowledging the debt, even if it is not legitimate? If it is legitimate, is there any sort of statute of limitations that would preclude them from legally collecting? Thanks in advance.
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16points
#38 Told Landlord Multiple Times Plugs Keep Sparking And Then This Happened
So my landlord refuses to do anything to fix the electrical issues I have been having. I told him multiple times that the outlets have been sparking and they are loose (meaning no matter what I plug in, they don't stay in all the way). So then, when I was sleeping, I woke up to this. I live in Pennsylvania, so I'm trying to figure out what to do. He's from Greece, not originally from here. He's somewhere in his late 50s. It's a great place, but he either refuses to do anything or just puts it off for months. I was going to most likely put the rent into escrow until the problem is dealt with. But I am very open to any other opinions.
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16points
#40 Landlord Says Hes Not Responsible For The Huge Chunk Of Our Roof That Blew Off In January
We lost a panel that makes up about 25% of the roof covering our patio during heavy winds in January. Put a maintenance request in right away, haven't heard anything in months. Yesterday, the landlord canceled the request, saying it's "a greenhouse", so if we want it fixed, we have to fix it ourselves.
Because the rain always comes with winds, about 60% of the patio is completely soaked every time it rains, and there are no other measures to direct water toward the edge, so it just pools and spreads even further. I've got laundry that can't go in the dryer, and now I can't dry it outside for a third of the year either.
Because the rain always comes with winds, about 60% of the patio is completely soaked every time it rains, and there are no other measures to direct water toward the edge, so it just pools and spreads even further. I've got laundry that can't go in the dryer, and now I can't dry it outside for a third of the year either.
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15points