TAKE THAT

Pretty sure that's illegal...

Stealing has its consequences.

Let's face it: paying rent stinks. It's like setting a pile of money on fire every week just for the privilege of surviving and oddly reminiscent of paying mob dues. You have virtually no rights to the home, along with virtually no guarantees, and in a lot of places, you can basically be asked to leave or pay more arbitrarily at virtually any point. Still, if you're fortunate enough to have a place of your own, you'll come to find that you're basically still just renting from the bank anyway, p…

What is it about landlords and pushing everything to the absolute limit when it comes to financial recompensation? Damage one little corner of a 15-year-old carpet or a horrifically sun-faded curtain, and suddenly, they're quoting you for full replacement and the consequential loss involved with that replacement—purely as a means to keeping your entire deposit, money that they feel entitled to. Meanwhile, your time and your things are valueless to them and they will be slothful about anything t…

We'll do anything for our pets . We buy them treats and toys, we kiss them and snuggle them, we drive them to the vet or to their favorite places to play. It's so great to have a fuzzy little dude running around your house who loves you like crazy, bites you sometimes, and always wants to cuddle up and hang out with you. However, a lot of landlords don't care how cute your cat, dog, bird, or rabbit is: they're simply not allowed in your apartment. So some people lie to their landlords, insistin…

"He's also a landlord for another property and knows that you need to keep heat on at least 60 to be legal and up to code."

"I told them I'd take that recording to the dean if they didn't make things right."

"We now have a larger nicer studio for 70% the original rental cost, and last time I drove by, the original space was still empty."

"Using the legal background of my fiancé, we send a strongly worded letter building on my input. As a result the landlord paid the deposit in full two weeks later and I never heard back of him."

It's always best not to let money come between friends, and it's even better not to let money come between distant acquaintances because, in those situations, you don't even have that tight of bond to keep things even-keeled when the going gets tough. Making matters worse is the fact that you're not complete strangers who can handle business without letting it get personal. You're better off not knowing them at all so that all parties can remain objective because you're never going to look at f…

“Slumlord” landlords really don't do much good for anyone. Sure, they “provide housing” in the barest sense, but really, their landlord is just an extra convenience for them in addition to the land banking they're partaking in, the fact that there happens to be a barely inhabitable We found ourselves living in one of these places just out of university, desperate to find any available housing with our lease expiring and new jobs set to start. It was a pretty dingy building in an otherwise nice…

Keeping a friendly rapport with your landlord is essential if you want to make the most out of your stay. And yet, how would you feel if your landlord threatened to call the authorities if you didn't leave the dryer and washing machine behind? The story below is an account of a bewildered tenant. The original poster (OP) had just moved out of her apartment. After living in the same apartment for a considerable amount of time, OP had decided that it was finally time for a change of scenery. So,…

Landlords are never there when you want them and are always there when you want to be left alone. This week, we've collected some of the top mildly infuriating landlord stories that range from ignored mold and pipe problems to entering tenants' apartments without permission. Let these stories serve as a friendly reminder to read up on tenant rights in your states if you also have a landlord who is either too invasive or one who refuses to acknowledge an unlivable situation. Personally speaking,…

It's easy to blame the landlord in any tenant-related dispute, but every so often, one comes across a story in which the tenant got exactly what he deserved. In this scenario , we have a landlord who rented out a room in his apartment to make some extra money. He covered all utilities and renovated the place so that there was some separation between him and his new tenant. However, after the first month, the tenant started bringing “lady friends” over five to six times a week and would make a t…

Getting in a squabble with your landlords or landladies can be so awkward… U/Corrid21 found that out firsthand when they had to move apartments . As if moving wasn't stressful enough, thanks to all the packing and cleaning you have to do, this person's landlady just can't stop showing up at her apartment to show the property to prospective buyers. This person was wondering if they were in the wrong here for their approach to getting back at the landlady. On the one hand, the landlady does have…