'Needless to say, they didn't get their deposits back': 30+ terrible tenants, according to their landlords

Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor

Jan 19, 2024 4:00 PM EST

It's customary to blame the landlord in most rental apartment disputes, but every so often, you come across a story where the tenant is so outrageous and so out-of-line that you find yourself shockingly siding with the landlord. This is a rare phenomenon, one that I have rarely come across in my own life. Occasionally, you hear stories of people who impulsively paint their walls against their landlord's wishes, but you rarely hear about the tenants who cause $80K in property damage because they tried to fill their small city apartment with 25-40 cats.

That is just one of several anecdotes we found via this r/AskReddit thread, in which the landlords of the Internet were invited to tell all about their experiences with horrendous tenants. You would think most folks would realize that expectations of good behavior go both ways in any relationship, yet some tenants are so blind to their own ridiculous lifestyles that they have no idea their life decisions have consequences on other people. One has to wonder where these tenants are now and if they have any sense of greater self-awareness. My money says… probably not.

Keep scrolling below for this list of terrible tenant stories. When you're done, check out this list of cruise ship horror stories.