Things Landlords Have Done That Prove They Need A New Profession
The tenant-landlord relationship can be a complicated one. It's not easy to be a landlord with disrespectful tenants who don't pay their rent on time or who have managed to break the oven three times, but there are also some awful landlords out there.
Owning a property and actually having it be livable are apparently two separate conditions for some landlords. From secret cameras to caved in roofs, these pictures show that not all landlords should be allowed to be in charge of other people's apartments.
It's Meant For Small, Narrow Items Only
Don't be so greedy! Your landlord just installed a brand new microwave for you, but now you want to be able to open it all the way? You’re asking for too much. I suppose next you’ll be expecting the toilet to flush and freezer to freeze ice cube trays.
Shall I throw rose petals in your path as you walk from room to room? Can I peel you another grape, Your Majesty?
A Not-So Gated Community
Adding a gate for extra security into the complex seemed like a nice idea to the tenants until they realized their landlord wasn't able to figure out how to actually do that.
A few orange cones and some yellow "caution" tape might help to give this set-up a more polished look and also add some extra curb appeal for potential renters. Or maybe they could just hire a bouncer to man that empty space.
Did They Stop Fixing It Halfway Through?
While the Reddit user who posted this picture wasn't exactly thrilled with their landlord’s solution to the broken tap, it is "fixed." It’ll rust a lot faster than other handles might, but it’ll be quick and easy to replace when it breaks again. And one thing that isn’t broken in this bathtub is that water pressure.
Sometimes you have to try and find that silver lining. Free vise grips, super clean hair, not too shabby!
A Little Natural Light
This door looks like the Kool-Aid Man is about to burst through it at any second, which, as entertaining as that might be, is not the kind of security we need from a front door. In the listing for this apartment, they probably went on and on about all the "natural light" that the room gets and how you will love all the “relaxing natural breezes” at this location.
Plus, you can see what kinds of shoes your visitors are wearing!
Not Exactly What They Were Hoping For
After a break-in happened on their street, these tenants asked their landlord if they could have some extra security on the front door (understandably.) What is not as understandable is how a landlord thought that this was the security they were looking for.
All a burglar would have to do is knock out the window and reach through to pull out the piece of wood. Now they are not only in the house, but they have something to hit you with!
Who's In Control Here?
Lucky for this guy, screwdrivers are relatively cheap so this one is more inconvenient than particularly awful, depending on what the temperature is set at. Remember that episode of The Office where Dwight Schrute buys the building where Dunder Mifflin is located?
And then he implements all sorts of cost-saving measures including locking up the thermostat? You have to wonder if this landlord splits his two-ply toilet paper into one-ply and rolls it back up to save money.
Time To Move
PSA: If there are mushrooms growing out of your carpet, it doesn't matter what a "fun guy" your landlord is, he needs to deal with your water damaged floors or you need to find a new forest to live in.
Unless you are a Smurf. If you are a Smurf you should complain that there aren’t enough mushrooms. And that the mushrooms you do have are hardly large enough to live in.
The Landlord Was Feeling Sluggish About Dealing With This
If you're a landlord and your tenants tell you they’re dealing with a slug infestation in their home, you should probably believe them. Literally no one would make that up. No one wants to manifest that for themselves.
And we know what you’re thinking, they might be good to eat, I’ll just cook the slugs and eat them and save my awesome landlord a trip. DO NOT EAT THE SLUGS, some of them have parasites that can cause paralysis or even worse.
Big Brother Is Always Watching
Remember folks, if your landlord claims they're doing work in your apartment then you later discover they actually installed a wifi surveillance camera that records audio and video, you should probably move out. But not before having a little fun ala Paranormal Activity.
Pretend you are sleepwalking late at night and go stand in front of the camera holding a butcher knife for several hours. Your landlord will think you’ve been possessed by g-g-g-g-ghosts!
Built-In Fire Starter
No, that is not a chunk of dirt coming out of someone's outlet – that’s the "insulation" that was causing the outlet to spark repeatedly. If your landlord refuses to investigate a problem you tell them about, it’s always worth it to take a look for yourself so you know which outlets will potentially set your place on fire.
Just be sure to turn that circuit off at the breaker box before you do or you might get shocked!
Sure, That Works
Not really what they were hoping for when they asked for more light around the garbage area, but the landlord technically did what they wanted. Tenants: We can't see the trash area at night, could put a light down there?
Landlord: Tell you what, I’ll do you one better. How about a lamp from the 80s with no shade? I think it will tie the garbage area together nicely. Tenants: …
Don't Let This Drag-On
No matter how much you love Game of Thrones, waking up to discover that your landlord has purchased a giant sculpture of a dragon to display in the front yard is not an ideal situation. Unless maybe you have trouble being found by delivery drivers.
"Yeah, it's a brown brick building, there’s a tiny blue sign with a white capital T off to the side… sans serif… oh yeah, look for the twenty-foot tall metal dragon out front…"
Now It's An Obstacle Course
This person was told by their landlord that they'd be installing railings around the porch in order to make it safer, but they weren’t expecting that railing to keep them from going outside.
"Yeah, I’ll be back tomorrow to wall in all the windows, you see staring directly into the sun can cause you to go blind. I’ll change the locks too and you can just text me whenever you need to be let out." It’s a new fad called “Rapunzeling.”
Hanging By A Thread
Typically, when people ask their landlord to fix something, it's because they’re not capable of doing it themselves. However, if they had known that this was an acceptable solution to a rain gutter that had fallen off, they would’ve just done it themselves.
This setup might not be ideal for the tenants, but it looks like a fun new flume ride for the roof rats that are likely to populate this old house.
Is He A Friend Of Yours?
If there is this much wood exposed in your house, your landlord has some serious work to do, unless this little guy is a new roommate you weren't notified about. Which brings up another important part of the lessor/lessee relationship: reading the fine print.
This rental agreement may contain a hidden clause stating that you forfeit your security deposit if this squirrel isn’t provided with a fresh bowl of acorns every morning.
It All Comes Crashing Down Eventually
The advantage to renting an apartment rather than owning one is that when the ceiling caves in (after you've told the landlord multiple times that it was leaking), it’s not your responsibility to clean up the mess!
There’s also a "finders/keepers" law in most states that say that, as a renter, you are entitled to “any hidden treasure or other objects of value found as a result of ceiling cave-ins and other structural failures.”
"So My Friends Landlord Thinks This Is No Big Deal"
No big deal, just, you know, MUSHROOMS GROWING FROM THE CEILING. This can't be good, and what lies above the drywall is terrifying. Did you know that the largest organism on earth is a two-mile-wide honey fungus that lives in Oregon?
They say you can make a tasty spaghetti sauce with it, but is it paying its share of the cable bill? Hopefully, they got out of there ASAP.
Now Do You Believe Me?
There's the old saying, "if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it." This adage certainly does not apply here. If your landlord doesn’t respond to your initial concern about the evident crack in your ceiling, wait until a pipe and some insulation falls through — they’ll be at your front door ASAP.
(That is if the giant metal tube collapsing into the bathroom didn’t render you unconscious while you were, ahem, using the facilities.)
Run Away, Immediately
"Is this mold? Is it dangerous?" The answer to both of those questions is undoubtedly yes. If the ceiling of your apartment looks like this but your landlord is refusing to fix it, you should probably refuse to pay for your apartment… or start charging admission for others to come and gaze upon the “Miracle Mold!”
Isn't that the face of Saint Francis of Assisi? Either way, you’d better put on a gas mask.
The Root Of The Problem
We're going to go out on a limb and say that these tree roots might be the reason behind those water pipe issues you’ve been having. Just a hunch, hard to say for sure though. Plus, remember the '90s?
Back then there was a band called "Tool" that had a stop-motion video that involved all sorts of weird pipes and strange creatures. At least tenant’s pipes aren’t filled with raw meat!
There Must Be A Better Way
Oh there's a giant, leaking hole in the ceiling? The obvious solution is buckets. What about when those buckets fill up with water? More buckets. It’s the only option to manage this leaky roof. The earliest known depictions of buckets date back to Egypt around 3200 B.C. and their popularity shows no sign of stopping.
The tenants of this building could take matters into their own hands with a new "Ceiling-water Bucket Challenge" to raise the money for the needed repairs.
It'll Be A Stairway To Heaven If You Try To Walk Up These
There was a miscommunication between the landlord and the contractor, so now this tenant has steps attached to a porch with no entrance. The porch looks pretty crooked anyway, so it's probably for the best that you can’t get on it.
This looks like one of those situations where the neighborhood kids will dare each other to go up the stairs and onto the porch, but the fun soon ends when it collapses. Tetanus shots for all!
No More Screwing Around
If you suddenly discover that your windows are screwed shut, you should probably be a little concerned. Whether they were recently screwed shut or you've just never noticed before, it’s a bit of a safety concern.
Unless you are the frustrated parent of a delinquent teen. In that case, show them this photo and say, "if you don’t stop sneaking out at night, I’m going to make you go screw all the windows shut on the crummy house next door."
He's An Artist, Not A Plumber
We hope for the tenants' sake that this "solution" for their leaking roof was only temporary, but the fact that they posted it on the internet makes us think that maybe they were living with it for longer than they’d like.
You have to give the landlord credit though, using old beer bongs to solve this problem makes us think that they might consider quitting the slumlord biz and roll the dice on an engineering degree.
Wired Up
A fire inspector or an electrician (or really any sane person) would have a field day with all these wires. This feels like an accident waiting to happen, but beggars can't be choosers, right?
On the plus side, the breaker box appears to be close to the washing machine, so if the circuit gets tripped when you run the washer, this is a real time-saver. You have to weigh the risks and decide which apartment is least likely to get you killed.
Can You Cut The Rent In Half Too?
These tenants asked their landlord to trim the tree so that it wouldn't be leaning on the house or the gutters, but they didn’t expect to end up with a tree out of a Dr. Seuss book, which is pretty understandable.
Do you see? It’s half a tree! The gutter once was filled with leaves! The landlord came and cut in two, now there’s only shade for me, not you!
Double The Risk
When they asked for a deadbolt to add some security to their apartment, this is not what they were thinking. All they're left with are two handles that can easily be broken. OR… maybe this is one of those Matrix-style red pill vs. blue pill life-changing decisions.
"You choose the bottom doorknob, the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You choose the top doorknob, you stay in wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes."
A Secret Cupboard For Tall People Only
It's not a collapsed ceiling or a bug infestation, but how is a cupboard that has no handles and is higher than the rest helpful at all? There will just have to be a minimum height requirement for whoever the next tenant is.
This could be a real bonus for people with toddlers. They get into everything, so keep all of your medication and sharp objects in the mystery cabinet over the sink.
It's All About Compromise
You finally got those countertops raised after your landlord has been talking about doing it for months, but now your outlet is half cut off by those brand new counters. Maybe it's an electricity-saving move on their part.
If you squint your eyes, this outlet seems to be melting into the counter ala the Wicked Witch of the West after getting doused with water. And not only that, it appears to be worried about it…
Pretty, But Useless
This girl complained to her landlord about a housefly infestation and her solution was a venus flytrap a la Little Shop of Horrors. We're not sure what the appetite of a venus flytrap is, but one little plant probably won’t eat the hundreds of flies that were in this girl’s kitchen.
No, if you really want to get rid of a housefly infestation, the only solution is an army of free-range frogs.
A (Hopefully) Temporary Fix
After a stray bullet damaged some of the wood on their house, this person's landlord quite literally decided to fix the situation by putting a bandaid on a bullet wound. Hopefully, he was just being funny and will actually be fixing it soon.
Let’s all just be thankful that this landlord didn’t decide to become an emergency room doctor. "Ah, these bullet wounds don’t look too bad, after this spackle dries I’ll put a fresh coat of paint on and you’ll be all better!"
What Is This? A Shower For Ants?
No, this wasn't installed like this before the tenant moved in. According to the user who posted the photo, their landlord came in and did this after they moved in. And who doesn’t like to take a long, hot, steamy, squatting shower?
At least their calves will be super clean (and toned) to boot. Do you think there is a social app for slumlords to share tips with each other about cutting corners? They could call it "LeakdIn."
Maybe It's A Spa Shower?
According to the user, whenever their shower breaks the landlord just installs a new shower head. It makes sense in theory, but they're going to run out of space real soon. In fact, this may be the early onset of a plumbing-based hoarding issue.
Before long they will be installing shower heads outside of the shower, on the bathroom walls. The next thing you know there are five Delta two-in-ones mounted in the reading nook.
Is This...Legal?
I'm not an expert on every code that landlords have to follow but my gut tells me that charging for elevator use is not legal. If it’s not in the contract it’s not legal. And you might as well make those free rides count.
Press every button when you get on so you can really enjoy the ride. Bring a nice folding chair and a cooler. Just because you reached your floor doesn’t mean you have to get off! Bring an iPad and have an elevator movie night!
The Jig Is Up
It's all finally making sense. That time you had the flu and were sweating so you tried to turn down the heat but it stayed at 80F? Yep. It’s all coming together now.
Are you in some kind of human terrarium, nothing more than an amusing diversion for some higher life form to observe, living in nothing more than a giant dollhouse? No, your landlord is just really cheap.
They Said The Storage Room Smelled Strange
This landlord decided to deal with a funky smell coming out of the storage room by hanging an automobile air freshener. The original Little Tree air freshener was invented by Julius Sämann in Watertown, New York in 1952 to help a local milkman cover the smell of sour milk in his truck.
But what I want to know is what the heck is the thing growing out of the ceiling?!
What Were They Expecting?
This landlord definitely does not get a prize in academics. His real skill is in deflecting a legitimate complaint, increasing the amount of time between his Kevin Can Wait marathon and when he will have to get out of his La-Z-Boy and come fix the broken water heater.
I'm not sure what they were expecting to get from asking that question other than an expertly crafted snarky response like this.
The Ultimate Security System
Whether you have a chain connected to your wallet to protect it from potential pickpockets or you have just parked a battleship and don’t want it to float away, chains are everywhere and have a million uses.
I can’t speak for the renter of this unit, but nothing makes me feel better than knowing I’m safe at night with a thin chain held together by a dollar-store lock and key.
Weird Flex, But OK
This weird flex (that might not even be a flex) is totally unnecessary here. Why does this landlord think his (maybe) Masters degree matters here? We have a fragile man on the prowl.
He doesn't even HAVE his Masters yet... what does it matter if he's "12 hours away" from it? I could say I'm two years away from my PhD... does that mean I can make people call me Dr.? I didn't think so.
I Mean...It's Not A Terrible Solution
Ah, the circle of life. There's nothing to make you regret signing that lease more than witnessing it first-hand in your home. I don’t hate this solution as long as the dead rodent was removed.
If the rodent wasn’t removed and these cheap bars of soap are just there masking the smell then that’s a problem. Or maybe the landlord simply thought the animal needed to take a bath.
So This Is The Fire Plan?
This person's landlord has a foolproof plan in case of fire. They probably thought it was "cute" of “funny” to violate the city fire codes, laughing to their landlord buddies, “wait’ll you hear what I did to those losers who give me money every month.”
The worst part about this is that there is room for more than one water bottle in that case, and the landlord still decided to skimp.
You Can See The Sag
This is not the solution you were expecting, nor is it the solution you wanted your landlord to come up with after you told him that a giant crack had appeared in the ceiling in your living room. Behold! The awesome power of The Board.
"So you think I have what it takes to be a landlord? What if something breaks?" “Slap a board on it and call it a day. Nothing a board can't fix.”
A Multipurpose Room
For all those times that you were cooking something and didn't want to go to the bathroom in case you burned the food, this apartment has your solution. A toilet directly next to the stove solves your problems, but it also creates some new issues.
And is that a mini-fridge? What you have here is a completely self-contained ecosystem for bodily functions. We are truly living in a modern wonderland.
You Won't Be Swimming Anytime Soon
Oxford Dictionary's definition of the word "indefinitely" is “for a period of time with no fixed limit.” Finding an apartment complex that has a swimming pool would be a big selling point. What the landlord failed to mention at the time though is that the pool is closed “indefinitely.”
If this was a feature that had been advertised, I might cease to pay rent for, oh I don’t know, a period of time with no fixed limit.
Time To Get The Broom
The ceiling caved in, but the landlord said they can't find the leak until next time it rains, so they’re left with a skylight in the bathroom and a mess on the floor instead of a proper ceiling.
It’s nice when you realize you’ve been working all week to earn money to pay someone to live your life for a period of time on their property and they can’t figure out how to use a hose and a bucket.
Don't Forget To Floss
The power of subliminal messages has been well documented as a tool to influence behavior and send persuasive messages to our subconscious. As a permanent reminder from your friendly, local landlord who cares deeply about your dental health, someone painted an actual dental floss stick onto the wall.
It's unclear if it was a clean or used one… Can you spot the dental floss stick in the wall and circle it with a Sharpie?
Make Your Own Heat
Those crazy old landlords, what can you do? Always skulking around, looking for ways to short-change their victims, i.e. their tenants. This stingy landlord may have turned down the heat in the middle of a Minnesota winter in order to save on heating costs, but he forgot that he pays the electric bill, so this person got creative.
Pro tip: Open the oven door and turn it up for some bonus warmth!
You Can't See It, So It Doesn't Exist
Holes. Since the dawn of time, humans have been confounded and bewildered by the hole. Leaky roof? Thanks holes. And imagine how much more bagel you could be eating if it weren't for that pesky hole.
So when you tell someone that there’s a loose grate in the backyard that you fell through, you expect that they’ll replace it, right? Wrong. A box over the hole is plenty safe. We’ve come a long way, baby.
Work On Your Squat Form
When your landlord said he was installing a handheld showerhead in the bathroom, you got your hopes up. While he technically delivered on that promise, it only reaches half your body unless you're ready to squat.
Close Quarters
Sure, it's not the absolute worst apartment bathroom we've seen, but there's at least a 70% chance that you're going to bump into that toilet every day when you get out of the shower after getting nice and clean.
Then again, if you happen to start feeling sick while you're in the shower, that toilet could come in really handy. Not that we're speaking from experience or anything... it's just an innocent guess.
Your Roommate Is A Trash Panda
You think you know someone right? You've been living with them for months, you've shared meals with them, had some great times, then they leave their door open one day and realize that you've actually been living with Oscar The Grouch.
Apology Accepted.
Honestly, as far as apologies, a box full of bacon is a pretty good one. So you got slapped in the face by your roommate... twice. You now have tons of bacon! It balances out.
The Kitchen Floor Will Be Clean Too Now!
This roommate who's hanging his head in shame learned that day that there is, in fact, a difference between dishwasher soap and dish soap, and he didn't use the right one in this situation.
Late Night Lunchable Thief
This person's roommate, who is basically the equivalent to He Who Shall Not Be Named, opened all of their lunchables so they could eat the cookies, then put the rest back in the fridge.
Seems Like A Viable Option
Why use Tupperware or a smaller dish to store your leftovers when you could just cover the baking sheet in saran wrap and take up the entire top shelf of the fridge?
This Probably Took Them The Whole Week
One guy made the mistake of going on holiday for a week and came back to find his roommates has transformed his room into a tinfoil covered paradise, including individual tin foil wrapped clothing pieces.
He Still Cleaned Though
His roommate had a date coming over and asked if he'd clean up his room quickly, so naturally, he decided to make a shrine to Princess Diana for his roommate and his date to see.
Guess You're Sharing Your Bathroom Now
For April's Fools Day, one man took on the task of turning his roommate's bathroom into a chicken coop equipped with not one, but two live chickens, because why not? That's such a fun prank and not difficult to clean up at all.
Your Very Own Aquarium
Christian opened the fridge to find live fish swimming around in the produce bins and was informed that his roommate's fish tank had broken so he needed a place to store them for a couple days... Couldn't a bowl or a bucket have been a better option?
Don't Disrespect The Pumpkin Pie
What kind of savage would do this? Eating your roommate's food is like the cardinal sin of living with someone, but not even having the dignity to eat it properly makes this heinous act even worse.
Swim Team Tryouts Are Next Week
This guy's roommate left the sink on while he was defrosting meat but then he decided to make a "quick" trip to Walmart and forgot to turn the water off, so now their dorm room doubles as a swimming pool.
The Least You Could Do Is Rinse It Off
There are definitely worse crimes to commit as a roommate, but it would be annoying (and a little gross) to live with someone who leaves the scoop for their cat's litter box in the sink every single day.
Smashing Pumpkins
Oh, are you wondering what exactly it is that you're looking at? Someone's roommate was feeling festive and bought themselves a pumpkin for Halloween, but never got around to throwing it out so it sat rotting on their windowsill for over six months.
Stick To Non-Plastic Spatulas
This guy's roommate insisted on always heating the pan before he cooked anything, but what he didn't insist on was carefully watching the pan and noticing that the plastic spatula was melting into it.
Clearly He Isn't Passing Chemistry
How does someone accidentally fill a dorm room with "above toxic levels" of hydrogen fluoride? We're also fairly certain it would take more than a couple of hours to air out a room filled with toxic gas, but clearly they lived long enough to post this, so that's a good sign.
Donate It All
Despite what it may look like, this person is not in the process of moving. They've been living with this for over two months, with no end in sight as their roommate has yet to attempt to unpack this mountain.
The Mystery Burn Mark
After kicking her roommate out, this girl discovered a burn hole bigger than the size of a pineapple hidden under the roommate's bed. The cause is unknown, as is the solution to the problem.
A Purple Pity Party
In a moment that can only be described as a quarter-life crisis, one roommate decided to dye their hair purple. Unfortunately, they also apparently decided not to properly clean up after themselves.
No More Clowning Around
If you're looking to give your roommate a heart attack the moment they wake up and/or make them wet the bed, do what this guy's roommates did and leave a clown statue in their bed while they're sleeping!
Let The Prank War Begin
These roommates decided to start a prank war in the house, and they were not messing around with the starting prank. And yes, in case you're wondering, these were all filled with water.
