20+ Landlords who refused to solve their tenants' household issues: 'My landlord said, "Just don't use the light switch"'

Author image for Remy Millisky
Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Aug 19, 2025 11:00 AM EDT

One of the benefits of renting an apartment versus owning a home is that when things break down, the tenant isn't always responsible. If the sink clogs up or the lightbulbs burn out, the landlord needs to take care of it. Broken stair, floorboard cracking open, oven isn't heating up? Chances are, that's the landlord's responsibility to fix it in a timely manner. However… that assumes the landlord takes responsibility for it, plans to fix it at all, and then does so in a few days or maybe a week. 

There are tons of great landlords, but there are also a lot who are just terrible to their tenants. In my experience, it seems like the larger the building is, and the more tenants there are, the worse the living experience is. These types of buildings with 20 or 50 apartment buildings and one landlord? They tend to have to wait to get their home issue fixed. The landlord can just keep giving the excuse that they're still waiting for a part or that there are 5 other apartments ahead of them. It feels like you're waiting for ever and ever for that unclogged sink or broken light switch to be fixed! And while you're waiting, you can read the stories of the people below, who have also been dealing with some tough landlord situations. 

Next, read about some of the worst concerts music fans have ever been to, like one person who witnessed a band play the same song 3 times in a row. 

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  • 01

    These people's landlords were ignoring some wild issues, from buzzing bees to broken pipes.

    Man in blue shirt and jeans painting white wall with roller while holding brush
    via Yunus Tuğ For Unsplash+

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

  • 02
    Lucy Huber @clhubes In honor of me buying my first house, a list of problems I've had in various rented apts and my landlords' solutions:
    via @clhubes
  • 03
    -apt mysteriously and suddenly filled with 100s of live flies: a roll of fly tape left at my door -pipe froze in the winter and sink didn't work: you can use the bathtub to wash dishes -I'm not going to wash dishes in my bathtub: space heater placed in basement ceiling, always on
    via @clhubes
  • 04
    -threw away two large boxes of my stuff bc I left it next to my car in the garage and they "thought it was trash": nothing -let my indoor cat out for hours: nothing -decided they wanted to move into my apt a month after I had a baby: "Its not that hard to move with a newborn"
    via @clhubes
  • 05
    My partner and I had to a gianormous baby seagull that fell down our not-so-blocked chimney
    via @DeFrenteComMahi
  • 06
    Catherine @cwelker My fridge suddenly stopped working, so I texted my landlord first thing in the morning to let him know. His response: "It's Friday, so there is nothing I can do about until next week."
    via @cwelker
  • 07
    Gretc... @offgridte... My favorite was when we had SLUGS crawl up through cracks along the floorboards. At that time I lived in Mountain View, down the street from some of the Google labs. SLUGS. My landlord's solution was to blame me for having a cat.
    via @offgridteacher
  • 08
    Nicola DeRobe... On the other hand one time we found $70 cash in a crawl space
    via @NicolaDeRT
  • 09
    Smiling man standing in front of fridge stocked with vegetables while holding a yellow and a red pepper
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

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

  • 10
    Lucy Hu... @clhu... Remember when a repair guy was working on the attic and just handed us down a guitar and was like "I found a guitar"????
    via @clhubes
  • 11
    Jules Mos... @juli... In case you're wondering the worlds best apt is in Alphabet City NYC, has a massive terrace, and a family of rats who ate a four foot hole behind the stove. I met them the day I moved in and my super couldn't send an exterminator for a week because he was "on vacation"
    via @julie_mo
  • 12
    What a long ... @... Tenant: there's water pouring into the garage Landlord: snakes plumbing, pulls out hair, razor cap, shampoo cap and disposable razor. Landlord: did you lose the drain strainer? Here's another one. Tenant 6 months later: there's water in the garage AGAIN! Drain strainer is gone.
    via @LooseyJackie
  • 13
    Madame Delphini... @ChicagoBDom Chicago scumlord edition: The apartment wasn't ready (still needed appliances) they had not put my name on the lease but put the consigner on the lease and then tries to evict me when the lady did that scummy sh. My cat caught 12 mice in total. Holes in the apartment weren't sealed. They lost one of the money orders and said that they didn't receive it but I had proof that I sent it. I broke the least because the mice situation was not fixed and they tried to tell
    via @
  • 14
    ide... @kissmyas... I once had my landlady come in while I was out to check my fridge that was on the fritz. She left the screen door cracked and a wind storm blew it off the hinges. She took it out my deposit when I moved out.
    via @kissmya**burger
  • 15
    to Ta... @lizsc... The front door for my first New York apartment would just randomly pop open. It didn't do it all the time so my landlord refused to replace it since I was "just feeling uncomfortable." He ended up replacing it for free after we talked a bit about lawsuits
    via @lizscher
  • 16
    Philly Autonomo... One of my favorites Brown sludge is coming out of my taps so thick that the water can't run through the filter: no it isn't.
    via @samsutliff
  • 17
    Emily... @e... In my 20 years of renting I have learned; there are either super involved landlords or landlords you will never meet. There is no in between.
    via @emilyrm
  • 18
    accidental ... @thef... One time our water heater had a leak so our landlord suggested shutting off our water until the new one came (about a week) and said we could take showers and brush our teeth at her house across town.
    via @thefaithasaurus
  • 19
    Sh... @shandra_mcj... My sister's last landlord refused to talk to her, only her husband. Wouldn't accept that SHE was the one paying the rent so SHE should have access to him. He also tried to charge them for a new fridge when they moved out, even though theirs worked perfectly.
    via @shandra_mcjeql
  • 20
    Sama... @_samant... Roof in my apartment was being redone, they took out the skylight and covered it up, but didn't tell us. Whole bedroom was covered in debris and dust. Offered a pizza gift card as apology.
    via @_samantha_lynn_
  • 21
    Khaiy... @khaiyk... Our landlord decided instead of fixing our sliding door from the porch to the backyard he screwed it shut and said we just can't use it anymore.
    via @khaiykhaiy
  • 22
    Nik Hol... @byNikH... Congrats on the new house! My landlady moments: Neighbours cat keeps coming in? That breaches no pets rule! Stop opening windows! Leaking shower? Just mop up after use! (Months later, finds empty shop unit below water damaged & unrentable.) Why didn't you tell me it was bad!?
    via @byNikHolson
  • 23
    CB @AelfridhH Toilet broke before Christmas: get a child's porta-potty; bathtub for liquids; bury solids in the backyard. Genius - why didn't I think of that? Oh yeah, I'm paying for a house with plumbing. Congratulations! You'll have problems as a homeowner too, but they're yours.
    via @AelfridhH
  • 24
    Jacquelin... @jacqu... The fridge in the unit next to mine stopped working so landlord gave the tenants keys to my apartment and told them to just use my fridge (without telling me)
    via @jacquelinedole
  • 25
    What a long... @... Tenant: mold in the bathroom Landlord is the fan broken? Tenant: oh I don't use that- it makes a blowing noise ⚫•
    via @LooseyJackie
  • 26
    Meg @marbenais Hundreds of wasps in the walls, entering the apartment from the oven and dryer vents which weren't sealed: came by the next day and said, "They're all de d now, not a problem anymore." (Spent the night in a motel with the dog. Still panic when I hear buzzing.)
    via @marbenais
  • 27
    Overthink Flamingos @DuchessTeatime Our sewer line was backing up into the tub for weeks while we begged him to get it repaired. His solution was to try snaking it himself, which didn't fix it in the slightest but *did* result in him getting raw sewage all over himself, so it was a win.
    via @DuchessTeatime
  • 28
    Pam B. @whammus My two current faves, both college landlords. The one in a huge expensive multi building apt complex: students must professionally carpet clean their carpets. The one in a small college town: students must move appliances and clean behind them.
    via @whammus
  • 29
    Man in blue shirt and jeans kneeling on the floor holding white painting equipment next to bucket
    via Yunus Tuğ For Unsplash+

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

     

  • 30
    Alyssa Knickerbocker @alyssaknix We had a landlady who was so against chemicals of any kind she would sneak into the apartment and steal our cleaning supplies
    via @alyssaknix
  • 31
    TheMedicinePeddler @BlackResonanc3 When I was in college and had a short term lease I litterally woke up in bed to my landlord IN THE APARTMENT SHOWING IT TO SOMEONE TO RENT NEXT
    via @BlackResonanc3
  • 32
    Allye @allyellujah Hot water tank and heat stop working at the same time: don't shower and do laundry so often
    via @allyellujah
  • 33
    taylor mountjoy @LadyMountjoy Light switch stopped working in my living. room and my landlord said, "Just don't use the light switch."
    via @LadyMountjoy

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landlord housing house tenants tenant landlords kitchen appliances fixed apartment
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