Landlord's son tries to maximize his inheritance, tenant ensures he gets nothing by removing their modifications: 'The house sold for $550,000. In exchange for not pressing fraud charges against him, his three siblings split the proceeds, he got nothing'

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Brad Dickson • Managing Editor
Jun 7, 2025 12:00 PM EDT

There's nothing like having a good, working, harmonious business relationship. While having a landlord or a boss who maintains a predictable and rational, sometimes compassionate, relationship with you should be the norm, it's unfortunately far from it. Deflecting attempts to manipulate you or screw you over gets really tiring really quickly and that constant looking over your shoulder 

While it's great to have this, it's best never to get too comfortable, because circumstances could change beyond your control. Both a company and a house can be bought and sold or inherited, which will put you in contact with and potentially at the mercy of people with entirely different values and with whom you have no history or existing relationship. From there, the world is turned on its head as a once great job or living situation disintegrates in an instant.

There are numerous stories online, similar to this situation, where tenants are required to remove gardens or make modifications after a landlord's change of heart, or when someone has inherited or purchased the home. With the new owners then being surprised when they find that everything good about the property had been contributed by the tenant, and the place has been stripped bare to its former state. This one, though, takes things to another level with a less-than-honest inheritor getting nothing as a result. 

 

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  • 01

    "All modifications must be restored to the original."

    My family and I moved into a house in 2008 - 5 bedrooms, 3,200 sq ft, $1,600 a month. It was a decent price in 2008, and the rent stayed the same for many years. Since I'm reasonably handy, I would fix things myself rather than bother an old man. I lived there so long that I also made quite a few upgrades.
    via Maladjusted73
  • 02
    Cheezburger Image 10514622208
    via netherland indies
  • 03
    In 2024, the owner passed away, and his son inherited the property. A week later, he gave notice of intent to inspect the property. During the inspection, he kept trying to open drawers and look through my belongings, which isn't legally allowed, and was ride when I stopped him. As he left, he handed me a notice that my rent was increasing to $4,000 monthly, about $1,000 over market value. I would have paid higher rent if it had been reasonable, but I wasn't paying that much.
    via Maladjusted73
  • 04
    My month-to-month lease was worded to require three months' notice to raise the rent. I pointed out this fact, then gave him notice that I would be moving out at the end of that three months. A few days later, I was served with an eviction notice. The month-to-month lease also required three months' notice to evict me without cause, so he tried evicting me with cause. He claimed I had made "unauthorized modifications" to the house and cited the back door with a dog door installed.
    via Maladjusted73
  • 05
    I still had the original door in the garage and the previous owner's permission, so it was neither unauthorized nor a modification. Regardless, the judge decided I needed to move out within 30 days, or he would grant the eviction. Additionally, he explicitly ordered that all modifications be restored to the original.
    via Maladjusted73
  • 06
    This is where the malicious compliance comes in, and I'm sure you already see this coming. All the "Smart House" additions I made were removed. The tool shed in the yard was removed. The pond was filled in. Closet organizers were torn out. Garage organizers were removed. The updated appliances were replaced with basic models. Every update | made was removed, and then I moved out.
    via Maladjusted73
  • 07
    He sued me for removing everything. His lawyer cited a law that says any changes to the property become part of the property, and it's illegal to remove them when vacating the property. However, my lawyer pointed out the order from the previous judge, stating, "All modifications must be restored to the original." I provided receipts for all the things I had removed, proving I had added them and was required to remove them. I won the case, and he had to pay my legal fees.
    via Maladjusted73
  • 08
    A few months later, I got a call from his sister. Some of my mail had not been forwarded, and she wanted to ensure I got it. We had a short conversation about the entire ordeal. She told me the house was actually inherited by four siblings. Her brother had lied to everyone. First, he had raised the rent, knowing I would move out. He already had a deal to sell the house to one of those big rental companies. He told his siblings the house had negative equity and nobody would get anything from the
    via Maladjusted73
  • 09
    They had made an offer on the house, which included all the stuff I later removed. He couldn't afford to replace everything, so they took him to court over the sale. Since all four siblings were listed as owners, all were named in the lawsuit, which is how they learned the truth. In the end, the house sold for $550,000. In exchange for not pressing fraud charges against him, his three siblings split the proceeds, and he got nothing.
    via Maladjusted73
  • 10
    Edit: A lot of people asked the same questions. Rather than respond to them individually, I will post them here. Q. How did everything happen so fast after the landlord d d? A. I guess my wording wasn't clear. I don't actually know when he d_d.l only talked to the guy once or twice a year. This all started about a week after I was notified of his death in February of 2024. I moved out in early June. We went to court over the removals in September, and I spoke with his sister in December. Everyth
    via Maladjusted73
  • 11
    Q. Why did I rent for 17 years instead of buying a house? A. I moved into the house during my divorce in 2008. Buying a house during a divorce is not easy. I chose this house because it was large enough for me and three kids and close to their schools. By the time they moved out, I was set in my ways.I planned to buy another place at some point but was in no rush.
    via Maladjusted73
  • 12
    Q. How did his siblings not know what he was up to? A. I don't know. Everything involving me was my firsthand experience. Everything that happened after that was secondhand information I got from his sister. I can't confirm what she told me; I can only share what she said.
    via Maladjusted73
  • 13
    Q. Why did I do so many upgrades in a rental? A. I wasn't tearing out walls or replacing floors. Everything I did was reversible and done to make my life easier. Also, the landlord was retired, never raised the rent, and always gave permission. Even though I was renting, it was my home.
    via Maladjusted73
  • 14
    Q. Why did the judge only give me 30 days to move out? A. The eviction process didn't happen overnight. I thought this was obvious, but some people seem confused. From the point that I gave him three months' notice to seeing a judge, nearly two months had passed. There is a timed process that has to be followed.
    via Maladjusted73
  • 15
    Q. How did I remove everything so quickly? A. None of the stuff was difficult to remove. The pond was not a small lake. It was a small 300-gallon hole in the backyard with a few goldfish and plants. It took us about three hours to drain and fill it in. The shed was sold to someone who took it away on a flatbed. Organizers were modular. Appliances are simple to replace. The most time-consuming was replacing all the smart plugs with standard outlets and smart bulbs with regular bulbs.
    via Maladjusted73
  • 16
    Q. How are we supposed to believe you had all those receipts? A. I've been self-employed for 29 years. I keep every receipt because Uncle Sam doesn't mess around when it comes time for an audit. Most receipts come to my email, but I also have a portable receipt scanner for everything else.
    via Maladjusted73
  • 17
    Q. How would anyone believe the house had negative equity? A. Again, I can't speak for them, but I can share a personal anecdote. My mother d d in 2022. While settling her estate, we discovered that she had a reverse mortgage. Essentially, a company loaned her money with no mortgage payments. In return, they had to be paid back if she d d or tried to sell the house. The house wasn't worth enough to pay them off, so we let them take it. Reverse mortgages are prevalent and often predatory. I don't
    via Maladjusted73
  • 18
    Cheezburger Image 10514621952
    via Milivoj Kuhar

    The image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 19
    bedwithoutsheets I'm glad he got what was coming to him in the end (although some jail time on top wouldn't be unwelcome to the story) but I hope that 30 day eviction didn't seriously f you up, op! I know how hard that can be
    via Maladjusted73
  • 20
    Acegonia YOUR SHARE IS THAT YOU DONT GO TO PRISON. Now; silence, brother. We have altered the deal and pray we do not alter it further.
    via Maladjusted73
  • 21
    renoona I was really holding my breath for a happy ending and by God I got one. Sorry you had to go through all this. People are effing insane
    via Maladjusted73
  • 22
    Filosifee Not only was the compliance satisfying, but the fallout here is delicious. Wonderful way to end my evening.
    via Maladjusted73
  • 23
    Lord Tengil Wow. He really turned that to sh, didn't he?
    via Maladjusted73
  • 24
    UrAntiChrist Kind of the same situation happened to me. I was renting, the rental company wasn't paying the mortgage so I ended up in court. Judge said remove everything I added, and move out. What the judge didn't know was that the house was a shell when I moved in, no walls, bare plywood floors, etc. I took a chainsaw to the drywall, ripped up the carpet and padding, remove all plants and cabinets.
    via Maladjusted73
  • 25
    When the rental company went in for the walk through, they called the cops. Ended up back in court, case dismissed since l had receipts. They paid my attorneys too. Some people are stupid
    via Maladjusted73
  • 26
    MartenGlo Glad to hear you didn't lose too much here. I really enjoy that the AH bastid who tried to screw his sibs ended screwed himself. Real justice of any magnitude warms me in my middle.
    via Maladjusted73

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karens landlord rental tenant bad landlord karens in the wild entitled renting karen entitled people
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