'The landlord requested a new paint job': Sailors get back at landlord by painting his rental property from floor to roof

Author image for Remy Millisky
Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Sep 26, 2023 11:00 AM EDT

This sailor is sticking to the honor code to help people in his community. Not everyone agrees with his hands-on methods, though. 

The people of the internet are divided over this guy's grandfather's story of malicious compliance. It's a classic tale of landlord versus tenant. 

Unless you live in a rent stabilized building, your landlord can charge you basically whatever they feel is fair for rent. This is a big problem these days, since many of us are priced out of living in even the most modest places. Landlords are free to charge big bucks for little tiny apartments or houses. And if the tenant doesn't want to pay up, that's great for them, because there's probably a line of people waiting to pay that amount to live there. 

It's really unfair to long-term tenants who have been used to a set rent price for many years. Imagine you're a retiree living on a fixed income, and then your landlord shows up to tell you your rent is quadrupling. That's exactly the scenario that this woman found herself in back in the 1960s. She enlisted this OP's grandfather to help her. If she couldn't keep her home, she was at least going to make her landlord regret kicking her to the curb. 

Up next, check out the story of the plumber who got his boss fined $50k. 

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  • 01
    Wheel
    via Jonny Gios on Unsplash
  • 02
    Font - He wanted it painted. They painted it. S My grandfather was born in 1943 and was sailor in the 60s. He subscribed to a very tight honour code when it came to taking care of one's friends and community.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 03
    Font - So when a little old lady who had lived in her house as long as anyone could remember had her rental lease passed on to a new owner, no one was pleased when he evicted her, after higher rent.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 04
    Font - My grandfather, however, offered to help with the exit maintenance, and the landlord requested a new paint job.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 05
    Font - So paint it he did, in one day, with all his sailor mates. Every interior wall, floor and roof with black ship paint. You know, the stuff that's supposed to withstand being at sea.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 06
    Font - My grandfather said he was irate, but couldn't do anything because all he had requested was a paint job with no other stipulations, and that's what they had done.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 07
    Font - Dagon Black ship paint... I thought that was outright diluted tar? 2.0k Reply Share [deleted] He always said paint, but he also mentioned the smell was incredibly awful, so you may be right.
    via u/Dagon
  • 08
    Font - alfalfasprouts I had to paint over some of that once for set dressing. Fourteen coats of killz later we gave up and just drywalled over the dark Gray wall.
    via u/alfalfasprouts
  • 09
    Human body - Kenitzka Black to match the color of the new owners soul.
    via u/Kenitzka
  • 10
    Font - Cityoftinylights So the owner is a bad guy because he is expected to earn outdated income from a property, making his own investment unsound due to a person he doesnt know being unable to adjust for inflation?
    via u/Cityoftinylights
  • 11
    Human body - Elfere Someone is going to rent that and be like w f?
    via u/Elfere
  • 12
    Smile - LawlessCoffeh No, somebody is going to look at it, be like "wf", refuse to rent it, and leave.
    via u/LawlessCoffeh
  • 13
    Font - |- jeblis Completely fing up someone's house doesn't sound like a very good honor code. BACK GUILLOTINE 15 Reply Share Evicting an old lady doesn't either people>>>>private property.
    via u/jeblis
  • 14
    Font - Geronimo15 You try and "paint" this picture of community and honor but all I see are jacka es who destroyed someone else's property. Imagine this from the landlord's perspective. One of your tenants refused to pay the rent and you have to evict her. You, and using your words, "request" that the interior be given a new coat of paint only to discover that the entire interior has been painted with black ship paint. Without other details it sounds like your grandfather is a d.
    via u/Geronimo15
  • 15
    Font - gordo65 It says the new owner evicted her. Nothing about not paying rent. Still a dit move though (if it happened, which it didn't). If I buy a house so I can fix and flip it, that's my right. I have no obligation to continue renting after the current lease has expired.
    via u/gordo65
  • 16
    Font - Ganaraska-Rivers. And did he and all his friends then offer to pay the woman's rent, or buy her a house? They sound like a bunch of as to me.
    via u/Ganaraska-Rivers

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landlord housing malicious compliance house malicious-compliance-reddit landlords paint sailor painting elderly black
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