People Are Sharing The Worst And Weirdest Renting Experiences In 40 Tweets
Interview With ExpertWhen the tenants and their landlords are on the same page and respect each other, it’s a win-win situation for everyone. However, when they’re at odds and constantly bickering, it can lead to a lot of unnecessary trouble.
Sky-high rent prices, unmaintained homes, and unannounced visits are but a taste of what some tenants have to deal with.
Bored Panda has collected some of the most viral posts from X (formerly Twitter) users who wanted to vent and share just how chaotic and unpredictable some landlords can be. Scroll down to see how tough renting can be.
Bored Panda wanted to learn more about tenant-landlord relationships, so we got in touch with personal finance expert Rick Orford, the author of the bestseller, 'The Financially Independent Millennial.' He told us how the price of rent is determined and shared some spot-on tips for tenants to get along with their landlords better. Read on for his thoughts.
This post may include affiliate links.
Same here, which begs the question, do landlords hire people to come in and dirty a place just before you move in?
Personal finance expert Orford explained to Bored Panda that pricing is pivotal to the leasing process for landlords who invest in rental real estate.
"When pricing properties, I look at comparable properties and offer a slightly lower monthly rent (~5-8%). I've found that offering a lower rent allows landlords to reach a wider audience of qualified renters," he told us in an email. "Similarly, landlords that ask too much will have fewer and less qualified prospects."
According to Orford, properties that show well will attract higher rent. "With that in mind, when a renter leaves, I prefer to have the unit splashed with a fresh coat of paint, cleaned in every nook and cranny, and fix anything that even the most discerning renter might point out."
Meanwhile, we asked the expert for some advice to help tenants get along with their landlords better. "While property managers may appreciate it, landlords typically want to hear from their tenants only on occasion. Landlords are often busy with their own lives," Orford noted.
"For tenants and landlords to get along, expectations should be set before a lease is signed. For example, who pays for the 'day-to-day' maintenance of the home, such as light bulb changes or a clogged toilet? And how does the tenant report issues with nearby tenants?"
Orford shared that, in his experience, there are three main things that tenants can do to get along with their landlords: pay their rent on time, keep the property clean and tidy, and keep communication to a minimum.
"As a landlord, there were times I was ready to throw in the towel. I've certainly had my share of 'bad apples,'" he shared.
"Landlords looking for a more passive way to invest in real estate should consider either hiring a property manager or investing in apartment syndications. A property manager will take most (not all) of the work off the landlord's hands," he told Bored Panda.
"By contrast, syndications allow investors to pool their money with others while letting someone else do 100% of the work. The tradeoff from hiring a property manager or investing in a crowdfunded project is reduced profits.”
Bootlickers defend landlords like "But they provide housing!!!" Well, landlords provide housing about as much as scaplers provide concert tickets.
Holy moly, that is an extreme health hazard!! I'm pretty sure if the threatened the landlord with a lawyer, they would have a good chance to win.
Depending on what part of the world you live in, one of your rising concerns these past few years might have been the—frankly, ridonculous—cost of renting an apartment. There is some good news and bad news for American tenants.
CNN reports that the cost of rent has dropped for the sixth month in a row in the United States. There is a caveat, though.
Despite this new downward trend, US rent prices are still more than 18% higher compared to the pre-Covid 19 period. In short, the spike in prices was due to a limited supply of properties and a very strong demand.
This means there was greater competition to rent apartments, meaning that landlords had more power. How the US rental market will change this year and in the further future is unclear.
My old landlord wouldn’t fix the ceiling in the kitchen, it was so water damaged. I told him over and over he came and looked once and then left. Well I was in the shower and my three year old went into the kitchen to get a toy. I hear a crash and jump out buck naked. The ceiling just about fell on my son. He was a foot away. Then came the nuts. Nuts everywhere.. and a squirrel peeked over at me. A family of a had been using the space between the roof and the ceiling as a storage space for thousands of nuts. I informed him and did not pay my rent that month. I waited for him to come say or do something, but I just got an eviction notice. Good riddance.
On the other side of the Atlantic, in the United Kingdom, things are looking pretty grim for many tenants. Rent prices have risen so much these past few years that some tenants have been completely priced out, the BBC reports.
For example, in many major cities, rent rose by more than a third between 2020 and 2023, with an average rise of 30.7% across the country.
Meanwhile, the rise of remote work means that some Brits have chosen to rent larger homes further away from major cities.
As a result, the competition has been fierce to get a hold of properties that have easy transport access to bigger cities. Greater demand means a greater rise in prices. However, it’s the lack of supply that’s the main issue.
I've known some people who absolutely should have paid pet rent. Their dog constantly soiled the carpet throughout the entire house i pity the landlord when they moved out.
The BBC, referring to data collected by property portal Zoopla, notes that rent prices for new lets in Bolton rose nearly 39% in the three years up to the end of 2023. In the last year alone, the cost of renting spiked 15% in the town. Rent rose by 38.9% in Glasgow between 2020 and 2023.
Doesn't everyone love answering the phone to: You listen here, you piece of 💩
My son ran into that one. He is a writer and he gets monthly income from a family trust fund. He can show statements documenting the fact, but many places still wouldn't rent to him without a job.
Manchester saw price spurts of 37.8% during the same period. New let rent prices also rose by 36.4% in London, 36.4% in Edinburgh, and 35.5% in Wigan. Rent became 33.8% costlier in Bradford between 2020 and 2023. Meanwhile, Brits living in Rochdale saw their rent go up by 33.7%, while those in Luton saw a similar rise of 33.1%.
Bolton-based lettings agent and the managing director at Miller Metcalfe estate, Stuart Matthews, told the BBC that many rental properties have been getting multiple offers. “The price can be put up by £100 a month, and it still goes,” he said, adding that the past year and a half has been “staggering.”
Right on, threatening legal action in the US is often the only way to get them moving on anything.
The 2024 National Student Accommodation Survey, conducted by ‘Save the Student,’ found that students living in the UK spend an average of £550 ($702) per month on rent.
Meanwhile, those living in the capital, London, pay around £778 ($992) per month. A fifth of respondents said that they constantly struggle to pay rent, while 65% say they struggle to do so at least some of the time.
The survey also found that around two in five British students have considered dropping out of university because of how expensive rent is for them. Around a seventh believe that they will never be able to buy their own property.
7% of respondents revealed that they have experienced homelessness. Meanwhile, one of the main issues that student tenants face is dealing with dampness: more than a third of respondents have had problems with this.
Wait... OP was using 326 gallons of water per day BEFORE this happened?
Other major challenges for student tenants include having to deal with the lack of water or heating. 29% of respondents said that they have faced this issue. 18% noted that disruptive building work has affected their day-to-day lives. The same number also reported having to deal with rodents or pests at home.
Other concerns include inappropriate or unannounced landlord visits (13%), non-working smoke alarms (9%), dangerous living conditions (8%), bed bugs (6%), and break-ins (5%).
My last landlord raised rent $500 for 2 years in a row. I moved out of California before they could do it again.
What have your relationships with your landlords been like, dear Pandas? What are the best and worst experiences you’ve had with them? Have you ever had any issues with massive spikes in rent? What would your dream home look like? Feel free to share your opinions and experiences in the comment section at the bottom of this article.
I've got an empty room. I could get a mattress. I wonder if that would work in Dallas, Texas.
Poll Question
Thanks! Check out the results:
You May Also Like
Woman Refuses To Chip In For Babysitting Because She Doesn’t Even Have Kids, Asks If She’s A Jerk
Do you think childless individuals should be expected to chip in for group babysitting costs during friend gatherings?
17 Y.O. Is Done Sharing Her Birthday With Her Late Twin, Parents Are Not Having It
Do you think the girl should be allowed to celebrate her birthday without the remembrance of her deceased twin?
It's so easy to be a good landlord, but it seems to be really difficult for some people! Like, my mom is a landlord and she treats our tenants like actual people and it doesn't look hard to do that
It's not hard, I've had great landlords and really bad ones. They didn't even have to make much effort- in one house, the fridge (built in) broke down, he asked me to get 3 prices, he bought it, had it delivered and installed in a couple of days, and he was on business in china.
Load More Replies...Asking for ×3 times the rent income when rents are already at the median income of my country leaves a very small pool of digital nomads, expats and wealthy workers to rent. When there's not nearly enough social housing and banks deny any mortgage unless 30% of property+ taxes is paid upfront and even then there's a selection process that makes a lot ineligible because age or temp contracts. In a country where a third of its population is in risk of poverty despite working full time, so they can't save anything, let alone 30% of the tiniest apartment in the end of the world. If one day you see in the news that Spain's rioting, just know that this has been brewing for years.
I think were all just at the end of neoliberalism. Made 2 generations rich at the expense of the rest of us. Riot brother, lol maybe it will get apathetic Aussies off their arses.
Load More Replies...My flat was destroyed by fire ( not my fault). The landlord refused to return my deposit because I'd left without giving a month's notice. Everyone in our house was suddenly homeless...he wouldn't reconsider. He had insurance and may well have been responsible for the fire. Spent moths "sofa surfing" whereas, he refurbished creating luxury flats
How convenient a fire that gets rid of the tenant and then he can repurpose the apartment as luxury flat. I guess that's what they call a happy "accident"
Load More Replies...I don't think it's fair to lump all landlords/ladies into the same teratoma. My husband and I have a rental property. We lose money every month because the mortgage we pay on it is higher than the rent we get for it. And even though we're allowed to raise the rent, we haven't because we want our tenant to be happy living there. We also take care of any issues that come up asap.
With the way the value of real estate is growing. You will make a significant profit when you eventually sell. Thank you for not being greedy and treating the property as a long term investment
Load More Replies...I had to leave a previous property because the landlord was declared bankrupt and the house had to be sold. Turns out they hadn't made any mortgage payments in a long time, which makes me wonder where my rent payments were going. 🤔
Pocketed, probably. When a bank owns the house a tenant rents from a mortgage holder, the potential for homelessness is a huge risk. I think tenants should have the right to check out landlords before renting from them, same as LL checking out tenants before renting to them. For that to work it would have to be enshrined in law as a tenant right.
Load More Replies...Weird across the world we're all getting f*cked if we rent but each countries laws fail us differently. In my state in Australia we can elevate to a 'tenancy board', and they will usually help us if it gets that far, but 9/10 times landlords and realestates can add us to a blacklist that's not government controlled but used by landlords and real estate. So if we complain we blacklist ourselves from rentals for 5 years. Urgh at 37 I have so many rental horror stories. Oh non Aussies, 1year leases are maximum unless under very rare circumstances so we have no security.
Yeah those tenant-landlord boards are a joke. We tenants of an apartment building (in Canada) made a complaint about our outrageous rent increases to them, went before a judge for that. Judge went against the tenants. Guess who has shares in the REIT's? Folllow the money and you'll see how screwed we are.
Load More Replies...For 9 years I've had a series of really bad landlords, repairs and damp and mold have been neglected, my belongings repeatedly destroyed. Tenants in the UK have very few rights and it's legal for landlords to rent out housing in the most appalling condition. With a severe shortage of housing it is only the very fortunate that find a decent place to live and a decent landlord. Rents are unaffordable for the majority and homelessness at shocking levels. Currently, almost 200,000 families with babies are homeless and every 8 minutes another child in the UK becomes homeless. This was a great article, BP, highlighting a very serious and harmful social situation in several countries. Thanks.
This reminds me of when I was newly renting in 2017 and my in-sink garbage disposal failed. The landlord was perplexed as he said the unit was 'brand new', and could he send out the repairman to take a look? The repairman came, looked, and said in awe, "That's the oldest garbage disposal I think I've ever seen." I told him the landlord was certain it was new, to which the repairman replied, "I'm sure it was. When the condo was built in 1989." 'New' is definitely a perspective!!
I am ashamed to say, we have friends who at the last count 'own' 7 properties that they rent out. They call it their 'retirement fund'. Infuriates me that they are taking properties off the market to turn a profit. I nearly lost it when one of them posted to FB that she had had to spend the weekend repainting a flat for a new tenant, complete with sad face emoji. They either don't understand or don't care the damage they are doing to the housing market and preventing potential first time buyers having their starter home because they want their birthday trips to the Caribbean every year. And yes, they know my opinion on the matter.
I wish investors like your friends stuck to commercial properties.
Load More Replies...Next we need the renters from hell stories. Keep livestock in a bedroom. Pay first and last moths rents only and fight eviction for a year. Or my favorite, used the crawlspace access as a diaper drop for years.
Just a couple reasons why landlords rarely appear to offer up their grievances about bad tenants. After reading newspapers and comments sections in newspapers from US UK Aus CAN and housing/tenant forums, it is clear that unscrupulous landlords far outnumber tenants from hell. Also landlords don't care about the problems their tenants have, most LL know about them, that they're the source, the neglect is their fault, and so rarely read articles or listicles about tenants living in horrifical housing or comment on them. (edit: punctuation)
Load More Replies...I'm lucky I have always had great landlords, mind you I always make sure I'm an excellent tenant. It's a two ways street. So many people forget that so you end up getting crappy landlords and horrid tenants
I've had a landlord who told new student tenant that there was free wifi in the building while there wasn't. Eventually they came all knocking on my door because he told them they had to ask for my wifi key while i never made an agreement of that kind with my landlord. Of course i didn't gave them access to my internet.
My husband and I own a small house which has been in his family for many, many years. It's small so only suitable for 1 person or a couple who have few belongings. We were great landlords; the rent we charged was very reasonable and we fixed any and everything that caused issues. We had 2 super renters who stayed years; then the renters from h@!!. In two short months they destroyed the house, causing thousands of dollars of damage. The house has now been empty for a few years and will stay that way: it will rot down before we rent it to anyone again. Sorry folks, the renters are also huge problems.
I had a very smart self managing elderly landlord (RIP Leon) before I moved in he came to visit me without notice in my old rental to see how clean I lived. Something as simple as checking out the potential tenant before renting saved him aggrivation.
Load More Replies...It's so easy to be a good landlord, but it seems to be really difficult for some people! Like, my mom is a landlord and she treats our tenants like actual people and it doesn't look hard to do that
It's not hard, I've had great landlords and really bad ones. They didn't even have to make much effort- in one house, the fridge (built in) broke down, he asked me to get 3 prices, he bought it, had it delivered and installed in a couple of days, and he was on business in china.
Load More Replies...Asking for ×3 times the rent income when rents are already at the median income of my country leaves a very small pool of digital nomads, expats and wealthy workers to rent. When there's not nearly enough social housing and banks deny any mortgage unless 30% of property+ taxes is paid upfront and even then there's a selection process that makes a lot ineligible because age or temp contracts. In a country where a third of its population is in risk of poverty despite working full time, so they can't save anything, let alone 30% of the tiniest apartment in the end of the world. If one day you see in the news that Spain's rioting, just know that this has been brewing for years.
I think were all just at the end of neoliberalism. Made 2 generations rich at the expense of the rest of us. Riot brother, lol maybe it will get apathetic Aussies off their arses.
Load More Replies...My flat was destroyed by fire ( not my fault). The landlord refused to return my deposit because I'd left without giving a month's notice. Everyone in our house was suddenly homeless...he wouldn't reconsider. He had insurance and may well have been responsible for the fire. Spent moths "sofa surfing" whereas, he refurbished creating luxury flats
How convenient a fire that gets rid of the tenant and then he can repurpose the apartment as luxury flat. I guess that's what they call a happy "accident"
Load More Replies...I don't think it's fair to lump all landlords/ladies into the same teratoma. My husband and I have a rental property. We lose money every month because the mortgage we pay on it is higher than the rent we get for it. And even though we're allowed to raise the rent, we haven't because we want our tenant to be happy living there. We also take care of any issues that come up asap.
With the way the value of real estate is growing. You will make a significant profit when you eventually sell. Thank you for not being greedy and treating the property as a long term investment
Load More Replies...I had to leave a previous property because the landlord was declared bankrupt and the house had to be sold. Turns out they hadn't made any mortgage payments in a long time, which makes me wonder where my rent payments were going. 🤔
Pocketed, probably. When a bank owns the house a tenant rents from a mortgage holder, the potential for homelessness is a huge risk. I think tenants should have the right to check out landlords before renting from them, same as LL checking out tenants before renting to them. For that to work it would have to be enshrined in law as a tenant right.
Load More Replies...Weird across the world we're all getting f*cked if we rent but each countries laws fail us differently. In my state in Australia we can elevate to a 'tenancy board', and they will usually help us if it gets that far, but 9/10 times landlords and realestates can add us to a blacklist that's not government controlled but used by landlords and real estate. So if we complain we blacklist ourselves from rentals for 5 years. Urgh at 37 I have so many rental horror stories. Oh non Aussies, 1year leases are maximum unless under very rare circumstances so we have no security.
Yeah those tenant-landlord boards are a joke. We tenants of an apartment building (in Canada) made a complaint about our outrageous rent increases to them, went before a judge for that. Judge went against the tenants. Guess who has shares in the REIT's? Folllow the money and you'll see how screwed we are.
Load More Replies...For 9 years I've had a series of really bad landlords, repairs and damp and mold have been neglected, my belongings repeatedly destroyed. Tenants in the UK have very few rights and it's legal for landlords to rent out housing in the most appalling condition. With a severe shortage of housing it is only the very fortunate that find a decent place to live and a decent landlord. Rents are unaffordable for the majority and homelessness at shocking levels. Currently, almost 200,000 families with babies are homeless and every 8 minutes another child in the UK becomes homeless. This was a great article, BP, highlighting a very serious and harmful social situation in several countries. Thanks.
This reminds me of when I was newly renting in 2017 and my in-sink garbage disposal failed. The landlord was perplexed as he said the unit was 'brand new', and could he send out the repairman to take a look? The repairman came, looked, and said in awe, "That's the oldest garbage disposal I think I've ever seen." I told him the landlord was certain it was new, to which the repairman replied, "I'm sure it was. When the condo was built in 1989." 'New' is definitely a perspective!!
I am ashamed to say, we have friends who at the last count 'own' 7 properties that they rent out. They call it their 'retirement fund'. Infuriates me that they are taking properties off the market to turn a profit. I nearly lost it when one of them posted to FB that she had had to spend the weekend repainting a flat for a new tenant, complete with sad face emoji. They either don't understand or don't care the damage they are doing to the housing market and preventing potential first time buyers having their starter home because they want their birthday trips to the Caribbean every year. And yes, they know my opinion on the matter.
I wish investors like your friends stuck to commercial properties.
Load More Replies...Next we need the renters from hell stories. Keep livestock in a bedroom. Pay first and last moths rents only and fight eviction for a year. Or my favorite, used the crawlspace access as a diaper drop for years.
Just a couple reasons why landlords rarely appear to offer up their grievances about bad tenants. After reading newspapers and comments sections in newspapers from US UK Aus CAN and housing/tenant forums, it is clear that unscrupulous landlords far outnumber tenants from hell. Also landlords don't care about the problems their tenants have, most LL know about them, that they're the source, the neglect is their fault, and so rarely read articles or listicles about tenants living in horrifical housing or comment on them. (edit: punctuation)
Load More Replies...I'm lucky I have always had great landlords, mind you I always make sure I'm an excellent tenant. It's a two ways street. So many people forget that so you end up getting crappy landlords and horrid tenants
I've had a landlord who told new student tenant that there was free wifi in the building while there wasn't. Eventually they came all knocking on my door because he told them they had to ask for my wifi key while i never made an agreement of that kind with my landlord. Of course i didn't gave them access to my internet.
My husband and I own a small house which has been in his family for many, many years. It's small so only suitable for 1 person or a couple who have few belongings. We were great landlords; the rent we charged was very reasonable and we fixed any and everything that caused issues. We had 2 super renters who stayed years; then the renters from h@!!. In two short months they destroyed the house, causing thousands of dollars of damage. The house has now been empty for a few years and will stay that way: it will rot down before we rent it to anyone again. Sorry folks, the renters are also huge problems.
I had a very smart self managing elderly landlord (RIP Leon) before I moved in he came to visit me without notice in my old rental to see how clean I lived. Something as simple as checking out the potential tenant before renting saved him aggrivation.
Load More Replies...