Landlord demands using tenant's apartment for showings, then backs down when tenant asks for rent deduction in return: 'He was never going to give us money'

Author image for Bar Mor Hazut
Bar Mor Hazut • Senior Editor
Apr 18, 2026 1:00 PM EDT

The key to dealing with a greedy person is to find a way to speak their language.

It's not difficult to recognize a cheap person. All it takes is a 5-minute conversation with them to realize that the one motive that leads all of their actions is money. Every action they take is affected by how much money they would be able to save in the process, even if it means discomforting everyone else around them.

Now, if someone actually has to act that way in order to afford living, then good for them. Finding ways to save money can truly be beneficial for those who need it. Yet, we have come to learn that most cheap people are not really people who are struggling financially, but the exact opposite of that. The more money one has, the more stingy they get with reaching into their wallet.

Landlords, for example, are the best example for well-off people who hate spending money when they don't feel like it, which is the exact case of the landlord below. Every chance he gets to save a buck or two on his rented units, he will take it. He will do house repairs himself, even though he is not qualified for it, and he will guilt-trip his tenants into agreeing to "small favors" just so he can avoid paying actual money for them. And it's obvious that the guy has enough money to get by. After all, he gets paid rent from his tenants every single month.

The last favor he asked of his tenants was finally met with pushback, in an attempt to give the cheap landlord a taste of his own medicine. He wanted to use the apartment of one of his tenants for multiple showings so he could rent another unit of his. That means that he wanted free access to someone else's home for who-knows-how many showings, without giving the tenants living there anything in return.

However, the tenants finally decided to speak the landlord's language, and demanded rent reduction in return for his using the apartment for showings. As soon as he realized that it might cost him money, it didn't take long before he backed out of the deal.

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  • Unhappy Homeowner
    via sframephoto

    Unhappy Homeowner.

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

  • My Landlord finally backed off for the first time

    My landlord has a habit of asking for "small favors" which usually means we end up paying with our time and inconvenience so he can save a buck or two by doing repairs himself. He doesn't really
    via Albina-tqn
  • take no for an answer and keeps pushing, tries to guilt trip me, like he is trying his best but just needs a little help. This turns into a back and forth where i have to repeat myself multiple times or i eventually give in.
    via Albina-tqn
  • Well today i woke up to a message that he would like to use our apartment for multiple showings so he can rent another unit. Because i knew he wasnt going to take no for an answer i started
    via Albina-tqn
  • being more agreeable than usual, cause i wanted to waste some of his time. i asked first why our apartment and he said because the tenant is on vacation and he is moving out end of april and is
    via Albina-tqn
  • moving out end of april and is trying to find a new tenant. he kept reiterating that it was very time sensitive and him wanting to find a new tenant.
    via Albina-tqn
  • Then i had a stroke of genius, my landlord obviously loves money, since that's usually what our time and effort ends up saving him. So i needed to start talking his language. the language of Money.
    via Albina-tqn
  • So I said, yes i will gladly help you, providing we get an adequate rent reduction for our time and inconvenience. Us helping you will financially benefit you and i want us both to be on the winning side!
    via Albina-tqn
  • Homeowner applies caulking to seal window frame in residential area during works day
    via valentynsemenov

    Homeowner applies caulking to seal window frame in residential area during works day.

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

  • this is the first time there was **ZERO** back and forth. The shortest reply I've ever gotten, and immediate acceptance of our boundaries.
    via Albina-tqn
  • If there's one takeaway from my story, it's this: the one thing greedy people don't respond well to is being met with the same mindset. edit: his short reply was "ok understood, thanks anyways"
    via Albina-tqn
  • SolarOrigami I've pulled this one with a friend who kept using me like a moving service because I have a truck. After the second time he asked I told him I'm charging a fee comparable to the local moving services.
    via SolarOrigami
  • Actually worked out because he WAS willing to pay me after he looked at his alternatives- but his requests weren't as frivolous anymore
    via SolarOrigami
  • SpeedBlitzX It's always funny giving someone a taste of their own medicine and then seeing them go quiet.
    via SpeedBlitzX
  • virgilreality When asking for a favor, people aren't asking for the action as the favor. They are asking not to get charged for the action... THAT'S the favor.
    via virgilreality
  • Albina-tqn OP omg youre so right. why didnt i ever think of it that way?
    via Albina-tqn
  • Tikki_Taavi Having you do stuff benifits him and resolves him of responsibility if something goes wrong. Don't ever let the landlord get away with "Can you fix it" attitude.
    via Tikki_Taavi
  • Albina-tqn OP the other tenants were like "good luck if something breaks, you'll have to pay or just live without that thing that broke" i said watch me. i just threaten him with legal action to resolve the dispute and requesting a rent reduction until the all defects are rectified and suddenly he knows how to fix things within a reasonable time. im so lucky my sister works in this industry and knows the laws
    via Albina-tqn
  • ThreeDogs2022 Wait.....but what was the outcome? Did he agree in the sense that he offered money for viewings or agree in the sense that he said 'wait never mind, I'm a cheapskate." I must know!
    via ThreeDogs2022
  • Albina-tqn OP oh im so sorry i thought it was obvious he said "okay understood, thanks anyways" theres no way dudes gonna give me money
    via Albina-tqn

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landlord homeowner home repair tenant rent showing home money Renters entitled people apartment
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