Scorned tenant leaves ‘nasty’ 1-star review of property management group, forcing them to shut their doors: ‘They had to shutter their namesake’

Author image for Lana DeGaetano
Lana DeGaetano • "Show me to me please."
Jan 12, 2026 7:00 AM EST

There's nothing more dangerous out there than a scorned apartment building tenant. They know things about their landlord's building that could end them.

A similar sentiment is reserved for crooked, slummy property management groups that try to milk every last cent from their tenants' bank accounts, hoping and praying that they won't be able to afford a lawyer after they're done with them. I know, I know. "Not all landlords" blah, blah, blah. Many landlords and property management groups, though, are like this. Living in New York City myself, you get to know a good amount when you're on the hunt for a place to call home.

After you've lived in a slumlord's apartment, you are forever changed. Every little black dot you see in the corner of your eye is a rodent. You anticipate an unwelcoming, freezing-cold shower in the morning before work. You expect very little from the person or company that is supposed to be maintaining the property sufficiently. No one should have to live in dwellings like this, but that's the way things are.

The best way to take down the villainous powers that be? Hit 'em where it hurts. A Google review is more authoritative than other channels of litigation nowadays, because the court of public opinion is more trustworthy than you'd think. The renters, foodies, and the like must stick together, and writing a 300-word proof-backed review of your evil landlord or nearby restaurant is the perfect recipe for revenge, whilst simultaneously acting as a service to others who might need the insider intel.

In this next story, you'll read about an apartment building tenant who had previously lived in a unit that was not upkept. Given the price of the unit, they continued living there until they could reasonably afford greener pastures. Even though the tenant took it upon themselves to clean the apartment top to bottom, they were still charged for cleaning fees after moving out. Fine, they'll fight fire with fire. You'd be surprised at how effective a review is on the World Wide Web. Scroll to read the full story below.

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    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

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

  • "I caused a property management group to rebrand"

    I had a pretty bad experience with my last landlord. Move-in left a lot to be desired, but I had nowhere else to go so I just noted the mold in the washing machine, put in the maintenance tickets and moved on with my life for a year.
    via ExtraSecure
  • 2025 came and went, when the apartment was ready for renewal, I asked for a rent reduction.
    via ExtraSecure
  • Many, many comparable apartments are cheaper and newer (my building was from the 40s). They offered to renew at the same rate.
    via ExtraSecure
  • I stuck to my guns and declined to renew, then found a much better place for cheaper.
    via ExtraSecure
  • The apartment relisted for $300/month cheaper than I was paying for it. Apparently the 6 unit building I was in had 4 vacancies at once!
    via ExtraSecure
  • After I moved out and scrubbed the ever-loving bejeezus out of that apartment they still had the cajones to charge me nearly $500 out of my security deposit for "cleaning" and "damage." The damage was non-existent and the unit was beyond any doubt as clean as it had ever been while I had sight of it.
    via ExtraSecure
  • But okay. I had a back and forth with the manager over email. No dice obviously.
    via ExtraSecure
  • Fair enough. Small claims wasn't worth it for $500 imo so I just wrote the nastiest 1-star Google and Yelp reviews I could.
    via ExtraSecure
  • Cheezburger Image 10595317760
    via Towfiqu barbhuiya for Unsplash
  • All truthful, but no holds barred. Almost immediately I got an email from the manager spitting red fire at how I went straight to the public forum instead of trying to reason with her.
    via ExtraSecure
  • Oh well! Cut to 3 months later, my review is the first thing people see when they google. this company's name (their rating is sitting at 2.9 stars), and I notice that it is "permanently closed." When I checked their website, the blurb read that they were "retiring the name and brand after years." I like to think I caused enough pain that they had to shutter their namesake to avoid a bad reputation.
    via ExtraSecure
  • Lady Quicksilver That amount was well worth small claims. All you had to do was put it in an escrow and take them to court and theydve folded and probably paid you
    via LadyQuicksilver
  • ExtraSecure "Take them to court" is easier said than done. Where I come from I'd have to have the suit served to them, which I would need to hire a 3rd party. Also there are court fees. Not to mention my time spent fretting about it.
    via ExtraSecure
  • ionowl Is it the same building? I'd drop the same review on the "new" business and at the top add an update that they changed their name to avoid their shitty management being aired out.
    via ionowl
  • ExtraSecure They got a bunch of properties they manage for the (multiple) owners. I assume they are still in business but they haven't put out their new name yet that I can find. You bet I'm gonna have the review follow them forever.
    via ExtraSecure

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landlord revenge tenant entitled people karma
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