Tenant finagles a huge rent discount after real estate agents throw open houses in their apartment while they're away, gets payback: ‘And guess what I did? As promised…’

Author image for Elna McHilderson
Elna McHilderson • Managing Editor
Apr 26, 2025 7:00 AM EDT

It is one of the most dreadful feelings when your landlord hits you with the "I'm selling the place." That means you either have to move our or your rent is about to go up immensely. There is no happy ending to that statement unless it was something like, "I'm selling the place… to you! And all the rent you have been paying more for over the past several years counts as payment, so the place is your's! Here are the keys!" But that would never happen. And if it did, you should be filled with suspicion. Anyways, that's not what happened here. This Redditor was renting a tiny little studio when their landlord told them they were going to sell the place, so a real estate agent needed access to their place to show it. The tenant accepted their fate and was happy to comply, but the real estate agents were getting too aggressive with their technique. So they had to teach them a lesson…

Add as a preferred
source on Google
Advertisement

  • We won't give away all the details, but basically, this tenant just lived their life and didn't let an 8AM knock on their door stop them. They lived so chill, that they were able to get cheaper rent and have the real estate agents bend to their schedule! All's well that ends well. Or see for yourself below!

  • Cheezburger Image 10497595904
    via Unsplash+ (and lamsong4141)

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 'Real Estate Agent tested me after an international flight'

    Hi all, I was just listening to Rslash and remembered this petty revenge I got against a real estate agent in 2018.
    via GreyTsari
  • I, 34NB, was renting this tiny Studio (if this place was 20 Square Metres, I'll eat my jacket) apartment that went up for sale. All through the process I was polite and careful with the agents, making sure the tiny space was always clean (it was so small that any mess looked major),
    via GreyTsari
  • making sure I was available at convenient times when they needed to do maintenance, etc. Then they decided they needed to paint the apartment, including the bathroom.
    via GreyTsari
  • And because I had one window in my kitchenette, nothing else, it would be very hard to breathe in there until it dried. So, I did what I knew I shouldn't, and told the agent I was going overseas for two weeks and they could paint then.
    via GreyTsari
  • But because I had valuables in the apartment, including an inherited MacBook I was trying to download photos off, I insisted they had to make the appointments with my Dad to be in the apartment and they could not access without him there.
    via GreyTsari
  • About halfway through my trip, I realised my Dad hadn't mentioned anything about the painting so I asked him, and he said they never contacted him.
    via GreyTsari
  • -
    via Unsplash+ (and Getty Images)

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • So I immediately called the agent, only to discover that the painting was completed, photos had been taken and they were preparing Open Houses.
    via GreyTsari
  • I was told I could not stop them. One of their Open Houses was planned for 8am the day after I arrived home. I told them no, it wasn't, and if they showed. up at that time, not only would my unpacked suitcase be spread around the small space, but I would answer the door in my underwear (I'm a
    via GreyTsari
  • pretty large person, this would not be a pleasant sight). I got home at 11pm on a Saturday night and discovered they had photographed the apartment in such a way that every tech item in the apartment was on full display on the 'For Sale'
    via GreyTsari
  • sign outside the property, on the website and in the newspaper. Guess who knocked on my door at 8am? And guess what I did?
    via GreyTsari
  • FOR SALE OPEN HOUSE
    via Unsplash+ (and Pablo Merchán Montes)

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • As promised, I answered the door in my underwear, my suitcase and dirty clothes all over the floor. The agent profusely apologised and said they'd 'forgotten which day was being rescheduled' and ran away.
    via GreyTsari
  • Then, a couple of days later when I was back at work, I discovered that several pieces of jewellery were missing, gone during the open house viewings. The Agent didn't care, insisted they were watching everyone in the apartment, so I went online.
    via GreyTsari
  • I posted Google reviews, Facebook reviews, complaints on their website... I got a phone call that I was getting my rent heavily discounted for that month and the agents had to slow the open houses from 4 a week to 2.
    via GreyTsari
  • They never sold the place, it was a hole, but I will never forget that answering the door in my underwear got me the power I needed over those jerks.
    via GreyTsari
  • Petules This is bada. GreyTsari OP Thanks! It was mostly jetlag and exhaustion at the time AA
    via Petules
  • Accomplished_Type547 I'm horrified that they would allow all of those people in your house without your or your dad's presence. AND post pictures with your belongings showing. A discounted rent isn't enough.
    via Accomplished_Type547
  • GreyTsari OP A part of me wishes I'd fought harder, but at the time I was just happy to have the reduction and I moved out not long after. But I also think that's why I definitely count answering the door in my underwear as my main 'revenge', because yeah, to a real estate agent the complaints and rent discount was probably nothing but seeing me like that definitely taught at least one of them to be mindful of irritating jet-lagged travellers
    via GreyTsari

Want More? Follow Us and Add Us as a Preferred Source on Google.

Tags

homeowner costs real estate agent karens buying land new homebuyer new homeowner homeowner homeownership house hunting helpful new homeowners owning a home buying a house reddit karen what goes around comes around entitled people karma homebuyer real estate pay back How To karens in the wild justice served entitled karen karma new homebuyers r-entitled Reddit owning a house karen story new home karma karen housing market entitled people buying a new home
Scroll Down For The Next Article