From our experience, becoming a landlord makes someone pick one of two paths. They either become the living embodiment of wholesomeness and are so welcoming they’re practically family to you. Or… they embrace the dark side and go full Darth Vader in their quest for power, domination, and easy victims to squeeze dry. An exaggeration? Perhaps a tad. But you never really hear about the landlords that are ‘just all right’; it’s the heroes and villains that capture the imagination.
And it’s the latter that we’ll be talking about today. We’ve collected a whole bunch of stories about tenants who got revenge on their landlords by doing exactly what was asked of them, as featured on the internet powerhouse that is the r/MaliciousCompliance subreddit. Be careful how you phrase things because someone following your instructions to the letter can one-up you so badly that you might consider being less of a jerk in the future.
Karma is real (it just needs a bit of help from our imagination, creativity, and courage), and the proof’s in this list. Scroll down for some of the best landlord revenge stories, and remember to upvote the ones that impressed you the most, Pandas. Oh, and do drop on by the comments to tell us about the relationship you have with your own landlord. Remember, though, good landlords do exist out there, too!
Bored Panda was interested to learn about how much we should all be ideally spending on rent, and how to get along with difficult landlords. We reached out to Sam Dogen, the author of ‘Buy This, Not That: How to Spend Your Way to Wealth and Freedom’ and the founder of Financial Samurai, as well as to personal finance expert, investor, and best-selling author Rick Orford, to get their opinions. (Spoiler warning: good communication is essential for a working relationship between tenants and landlords.) Check out what they told us below.
#1 He Wanted It Painted. They Painted It
Image credits: [deleted]
#2 Landlord Advertises All Of Our Company’s Equipment For Sale To Our Competitors. Best Follow Our Eviction To The Letter
Image credits: poshbo
#3 I Made A Point To Print Out A Dozen Copies Of The “Landlord Tenant Act” Of My City, Highlight All The Areas She Had Tried Scam Us Over
Image credits: Disorderly_Chaos
#4 You Would Like Me To Adhere To The Contract? In That Case I Require A Hotel Until You Resolve All Of These Issues
Image credits: low_myope
#5 You Want To Follow The Lease To The Letter Of The Law? Let’s Dance
Image credits: leigh10021
#6 Tell Me I'm Not Allowed To Make Any Unauthorized Repairs On My Residence? Fine By Me, It's Your Problem Now
Image credits: Kolbentine
#7 Sure, I’ll Reimburse You For What The Carpet Is Worth!
Image credits: nudist_reddit_mom
#8 You Illegally Remove A Bike Rack In Front Of My Home/Business, Just Wait
Image credits: fatheraabed
#9 I Should've Read The Lease? Well You Should've Read The Law!
Image credits: FatCats2fat
#10 You Like Building Codes? I Love Building Codes!
Image credits: conandy
#11 Reason Required To Move Out
Image credits: FuriousLafond
#12 “Guests Cannot Spend The Night At My Property.”
Image credits: justgnnathrow
#13 Landlord Wants A Professional To Install My Smoke Detectors? Ok
Image credits: tdlm40
#14 Tenant Asking Landlord (Me) To "Be More Professional"
Image credits: nygibs
#15 Dealt With A Lying Landlord By Threatening To Run Up Their Bills
Image credits: feeshta
#16 During My Junior Year In College I Lived In An Apartment Complex Where The Landlords Didn't Give Any Prior Notice Before Showings
Image credits: neptunewasp
#17 Hoa Won’t Let Us Fly Our Modest Pride Flag, So We Just Follow The Rules
Image credits: memon17
#18 Read My Lease, You Say?
Image credits: hrghprgh
#19 Nothing Beats Scummy Landlords During Covid Shutdown
Image credits: ccomplishedWardrobe
#20 Make Him Repaint For No Reason? You’ll Love The Result
Image credits: RandomRavenclaw87
#21 Dumb Landlord Refuses To Fix A Leak... It Destroys Other Suites Regular
Image credits: CatheterZetaJones
#22 Landlord Demands Building Be Restored, So Air-Con And Fine Reception Is Ripped Out
Image credits: speculatrix
#23 Not So Handy Landlord Won't Properly Fix Washing Machine And Dryer
Image credits: spare_princess
#24 My Own Special Passive Aggressive Revenge On Our Landlord
Image credits: _FizzeePop_
#25 Landlord Kept Showing Out Apartment On Super Short Notice, Turns Out It's Illegal
Image credits: godweasle
#26 You Want To Kick Me Out Of Our House When You Can't Pay Rent? ...ok!
Image credits: plscanunot
#27 Landlord Insists On Charging Me A $100 Late Fee? Okay, I’ll Hold My Rent Payment As Long As Possible Then
Image credits: taylrbrwr
#28 Housemate Terminated The Lease Without Asking, So I Moved Out Immediately With The Fridge
Image credits: get_in_the_tent
#29 Oh, You Mean Right Now? Ok!
Image credits: No_Push_5003
#30 Electric Bill Still In Our Name After We Move Out? I'll Make Sure We're Not Charged A Cent
Image credits: Erik_Withacee
#31 Kick Out The Tenant-Then Ask Him To Showcase The Place
Image credits: CareBear177
