Scammer 'Head Tenant' Gets Blasted for Letting Roommates Pay Their Rent

Author image for Ally Perry
Ally Perry • Writer and Editor
Jan 22, 2023 3:00 PM EST

There's no getting around it: most of the time, renting sucks. Landlords aren't known for being the most helpful and sympathetic of people, and if you have to share with roommates, there's even more potential for drama. Living together can easily make enemies of the closest of friends, and things can get even uglier when people aren't as comfortable around each other.

Usually, this boils down to petty drama like doing the dishes, or playing music at 3am. When it comes to stealing, it's usually a matter of somebody taking the milk from the fridge — not having your roommates unknowingly pay your rent for you. 

Still, that's exactly what one tenant admitted to on a Facebook group about housing. Complaining that they would have to reveal this to the people they sublet to when the lease was coming up for renewal, the outrageous confession soon captured the attention of Twitter. It's fair to say that this individual deserves all the vengeance they have coming to them.

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  • 01
    Font - chloe sargeant @chlosarge this is what happens when someone has a landlord personality but was born in a generation that was locked out of the housing market Sydney Inner West Housem... Q Group member 2h. Seeking advice I am currently the head tenant of a 5 bedroom house in the inner west. I sublet to 4 others and have done so for 2 years. The lease is coming up for renewal and the other tenants wish to all sign on. The issue is I have not been very transparent about the relative rental c
    via chlosarge
  • 02
    Gesture - Elena Wewer @ElenaWewer 3d Replying to @chlosarge Okay but this is way more common than we'd hope to think. My friend's partner was doing the exact same thing (also in the Inner West, but with fewer housemates). I was like to my friend, how can you even date this person knowing what he's doing???
    via ElenaWewer
  • 03
    Font - Megan A. Taros @megataros 2d Replying to @chlosarge ● Moved into a house with five other people and one was the master tenant who met with the landlord to pay rent and picked roommates. The first thing my dad told me was, "make sure he's paying rent and not making you guys pay his rent."
    via megataros
  • 04
    Font - Zoe Hewitt @RealZoeHewitt Replying to @chlosarge Had this happen (I speculate) when I first moved to LA - looked at a place with four roommates. I asked what the total rent was for the apartment and they refused to tell me because it "didn't matter" - didn't matter to whom?
    via RealZoeHewitt
  • 05
    Font - Eliza Spencer @amelizajane Replying to @chlosarge This happened in my first Inner West sharehouse - head tenant who lived interstate faked sublet forms, charged an extra $100/ wk. When we moved to the house next door bc black mould, REA found out and took the head tenant to the police - pretty sure she can't rent in NSW now.
    via amelizajane
  • 06
    Font - Joe Leather @leathermyjoe Replying to @chlosarge This has brought up a repressed memory of my first sub-let in London when I stayed in a room so small it was only a bed and no furniture, subletting from a couple. Went on a date with an estate agent and discovered their whole rent was 900 pcm and I was paying 600.
    via leathermyjoe
  • 07
    Organism - Ellen Fraser-Barbour @ellenffb Replying to @chlosarge Its helpful to be reminded that these sorts of people exist. "Head tenant" is red-flag enough.
    via ellenffb
  • 08
    Jaw - Carlos @carlosyenrac Replying to @chlosarge I'm more curious how they'll go navigating the situation when they find out they can afford the whole place without him.....
    via carlosrenyac
  • 09
    Font - AmyLou @ItMeAmyMc Replying to @chlosarge I literally just had a housemate who did this to me and 3 others. She insisted we never tell the landlord about repairs for fear he'd raise the rent. Turns out she was not only having her rent covered by us, she was actually PROFITING.
    via ItMeAmyMc
  • 10
    Font - Adam Melrose @melroseadam Replying to @chlosarge Reminds me of my friend's girlfriend (4 people living together) who told us the power/ gas bill was [x] each month, when in reality it was consistently less than half of [x]. She just pocketed the difference. It was 12 years ago and I'm still mad.
    via melroseadam
  • 11
    Organism - The Larsed of A s @luxasmmm Replying to @chlosarge Sounds he's going to be 'split equally' amongst and by his soon to be former housemates
    via luxasmmm
  • 12
    Font - Hayley @hayleysunflower Replying to @chlosarge One of my old housemates was a 'head tenant', we subletted and paid rent to her. Turned out she didn't have an agreement for the whole house, just her room, and was pocketing the money while the LL thought the other rooms were vacant
    via hayleysunflower
  • 13
    Font - scredgirl @Scredgirl Replying to @chlosarge Roommate sublet to me illegally, kicked me out w/o notice, refused to return my bond money, & only when I pressed charges did I find out that not only was the rent for the whole place 500 while she charged 700, her mom was paying for it. So she was just pocketing the whole 700
    via Scredgirl

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tenant landlord housing roommate house rent roommates apartment twitter stealing scams facebook
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