Share your WORST tenant requests?

General Landlording & Rental Properties

Share your WORST tenant requests?

Mark UpdegraffBusiness Member

Real Estate Broker · Rochester, NY · Member since 2010 · 1k+ posts · 689 votes

Relative newbie to Landlording 101 (just over 2 years)

What is the WORST (stupid, funny, challenged etc) request a tenant has made to you? It can be written or verbal

I'll go first, I expect you more experienced landlords to have some excellent ones :D

"Will you sign this document that says my boyfriend has lived here for the last 6 months so he can collect taxpayer dollars for degenerates?" (OK, I'm taking creative liberty on this quote)

me: "No, he isn't on the lease and no one told me he was living here, by the way, have him fill out this application."
fast forward 2 weeks, I get a letter from DSS saying that he lives there and I need to do this and that so he can get taxpayer dollars. I say, he isn't on any lease of mine. DSS: Well, we have it right here in front of us... that's right they forged a new lease and sent the sucker in!

"I know the rent was due on the 5th, and it is now the 18th, would you mind waiting until next week to cash that check?"

"Our hallway window is broken, can you come fix it"
A new Double hung vinyl window looked like a brick was thrown through it. After I got there to "fix" it I reply "Fix it? Why didn't you say REPLACE it on the phone? I'll have to schedule this with my contractor"

OK OK, that is all for me.
Give it a go, it feels GOOD :D

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Most Popular Reply

Developer · Garland, TX · Member since 2008 · 8k+ posts · 4k+ votes

16y

"Hey, you cashed my rent check it made a bunch of other checks I wrote bounce. You need to pay all my bank fees."

Ummh, No.

"Well you deposited it on the first and you usually deposit it on the 6th or 7th, so you need to pay"

Ummh, No.

Email less than one hour later."We have mold in our house and we are going to sue you."

See this reply in the discussion

79 Replies

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Gail K.
Augusta, GA · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
9y
"Say he made ~$5,000 week"
He must be catching "gold" fish.
Gail
2 Reply
Joan L.
Somerville, MA · Member since 2016 · 30 posts · 20 votes
9y
"How do I turn on the disposal in the bathtub, to get rid of all the hair?"
5 Reply
Randall Brown
Investor · Santa Cruz, CA · Member since 2016 · 71 posts · 39 votes
9y
Originally posted by @Deanna McCormick:

Same apartment is listed as Single Occupancy
Is it legal to limit a place to 1 person? It is not a fair housing violation? (Family status?)
0 Reply
Gail K.
Augusta, GA · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
9y
Tenant called when they lost power to one bedroom. Turns out they plugged in an (unapproved) space heater and flipped the breaker off. I asked them to go to open the breaker box and check to see if any breakers were in the "off" position. Yes they said but they were afraid to turn it back on because they didn't want electricity spitting back out at them and electrocuting them.
So I had to go over and turn the breaker back on for them (luckily I live close by). That's when I found out about the space heater (prohibited in our leases). Seems like every day in my local news at least one house/trailer has caught fire during winter months; I suspect most of these fires are due to unattended space heaters.
Gail
1 Reply
Ericka G.
Investor · Atlanta, GA · Member since 2015 · 366 posts · 283 votes
9y
My two worst, glad I can laugh about these headaches now...
1, Atlanta tenant, a dancer, texted me 20 times in a day complaining that the A/C was broken. Had the repair guy out there 3-4 times before I realized she wanted the house to be 60 degrees (literally) in Georgia summer. The repair guy was like "she's crazy! there is nothing wrong with the A/C, it can only cool so much when it is 90+ degrees outside" but I spent all summer with her complaining and asking for me to pay for a hotel on nights when it was "too hot" Ugh.
2. NYC Tenant, a med student, was horrible with money and his credit wasn't great. I rented to him b/c he was a friend of my cousin and used a guarantor - he also offered to pay rent upfront in 3 month increments (as his housing stipend came in).
A couple of weeks after his first rent payment he asked for a loan against the bulk rent he'd already paid so that he could pay other bills. Huh? He also called me 6 months after he moved out looking for his mail.
0 Reply
Gail K.
Augusta, GA · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
9y
Tenant calls one Sunday afternoon and asks me to call his neighbor to ask if her son will stop bouncing his basketball in the driveway because the noise just woke the tenant up from his afternoon nap.
I tell him I don't own this house and am not this persons landlord and why doesn't he just ask the kid to stop doing this?
Oh, he says, he doesn't want to get the neighbor angry with him.
Gail
0 Reply
Camie Jelinek
Real Estate Agent · Dexter, MO · Member since 2015 · 24 posts · 9 votes
9y
I had a tenant call and tell me someone has been repeatedly breaking into her apartment. I was very concerned and asked how many times, if its repetitive why is this the first I have heard of it? Has any of the 31 other tenants there in this close knit complex not seen anything? Do you have damage to doors or windows?? She said "no no damage at all".  Then I thought are we talking break in like my friend moved out has a key and keep coming while you are out kind of thing? She said no I have lived here alone the entire lease. So I am confused a little.
She went on to say she was calling me to request that I ask my maintenance staff to stop using their master key to "break-in" her unit to go in drag out her clean towels and urinate on them in her living room floor.
At this point I said "Ok wait come again"...? She said someone is letting themselves in to my unit throwing all my clean towels in the living room floor and urinating on them and I want it to stop. I said ma'am do you have a dog?? She got very angry and told me she does not have an animal. She knows its us and we better stop.
Finally I just said Okay I'll see what I can do. If you can't beat em join em I guess.
2 Reply
Adam Christopher Zaleski
Investor · Pueblo West, CO · Member since 2014 · 310 posts · 213 votes
9y
Originally posted by @Gail K.:

Tenant calls one Sunday afternoon and asks me to call his neighbor to ask if her son will stop bouncing his basketball in the driveway because the noise just woke the tenant up from his afternoon nap.
I tell him I don't own this house and am not this persons landlord and why doesn't he just ask the kid to stop doing this?
Oh, he says, he doesn't want to get the neighbor angry with him.
Gail
I had a neighbor that complained of the same thing when I was in middle school. My neighbor worked at night and slept during the day. She said the basketball bouncing in the driveway was too loud. She threatened to call the cops. I was in 7th grade and I was like, "Go ahead and call them. It's not illegal to play basketball in my drive-way." She never did.
0 Reply
Paul Sandhu
Investor · The worst town to live in, KS · Member since 2016 · 4k+ posts · 4k+ votes
9y
My houses are in Kansas. Had a travelling worker/tenant whose girlfriend left him to go back to Atlanta. She took the vehicle and the credit cards. The only thing the guy had were his clothes and his pay check, and he wanted to get back to Atlanta.
I ended up buying him a bus ticket home with my credit card and he paid me in cash.

1 Reply
Gail K.
Augusta, GA · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
9y
"My neighbor worked at night and slept during the day. "
This guy doesn't even do that. He works during the day Monday through Friday. He just likes his Sunday afternoon snooze.
Gail
0 Reply
Colleen F.Pro Member
Investor · Narragansett, RI · Member since 2013 · 8k+ posts · 4k+ votes
9y
Would you let us out of our lease without penalty? Two months after we discussed the termination clause. (and they kept the lease a couple of extra days to READ this before signing)
Another tenant you need to take me off the lease because Suzy (her roommate) had me arrested.
@Bill Gulley I was that tenant climbing out on the roof and hanging out when I was in my 20's, no furniture though, never occurred to me there was a problem with it and the landlord never said anything..
0 Reply
Tim JacobPro Member
Real Estate Agent · Baltimore, MD · Member since 2016 · 520 posts · 379 votes
9y
a basic converstion timeline between me and a tenant i personally did not have a lease signed with but was hired by the owner to evict after they were already in there with the lease signed because the owner was new to landlording a screening.
Me: hi im the new property manager hired by the owner can you please pay the rent you owe. I emailed you my bank and payment info.
2 weeks later they call back afyer numerous voice messages, texts, and emails i left out payment.
Them: ill pay the rent next week.
Me: ok great but the court process has started as soon as i get payment and the check clears ill stop it.
Them: good ill have it next week
2 weeks later after they were found guilty in court
Them: the ac doesnt work
Me. : wheres the rent money. You now owe another month. Can you still pay.
Them: we need ac
Me: actually per state law you dont. Fix it yourself. Maybe if we had rent we could fix it.
Them: we will pay soon.
One week later
Them: we got a signed warrant for eviction. When is it scheduled.
Me: your not getting that info. Where is rent money.
Them. We will get it soon but we need to know that date.
Me: you wont know that date until the sheriff knocks on your front door and throws you on the street.
Them: we will Pay soon.
1 week later
Them: when is eviction scheduled.
Me: where is the money
Them. We will get it shortly
Me: as you can see your promises didnt delay **** your getting thrown out soon. If you cant pay dont bs me and just enjoy the rest of your time till you get thrown on the street.
Them . We will pay
Me: no you wont just shut up and dont bs me you will change nothing other than the fact i want to strangle you.
Every 2 days for the next month
Them: we will pay
Me: no you wont. After a while no more me answering pointless calls.
Last day.
Me: its over the sherriff is here get out.
I know we all have dealt with compulsive liars but i never saw someone who was so absolutely retarded and needed to be read the boy who cried wolf to them like they were a 6 year child and in their 30s
0 Reply
Natalie KolodijBusiness Member
Moderator
Tax Strategist| National Tax Educator| Accepting New Clients · Member since 2014 · 3k+ posts · 4k+ votes
9y
....Do you always threaten tenants, use vulgarity, and refer to people as "retarded"? This is your business, right?
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2 Reply
Remmy Vernon
Vilas, WI · Member since 2015 · 79 posts · 41 votes
9y
I just recently had a tenant demand that I ban the use of dryer sheets in the building because she doesn't 'do' dryer sheets because they cause cancer. (Its a community laundry room in a 10 unit building)
Same tenant wanted me to place a restriction on how long the other tenants doors was/were open to the hallway because she could smell their cleaning products and cooked meals.
0 Reply
Gabriel Hougher
Investor · Fairfield, IA · Member since 2016 · 10 posts · 1 vote
9y
"Can you tell the neighbors to stop using WIF? It's giving me massive headaches."
Couple breaks up Friday night. Saturday morning I receive email about mold and they are moving and want refund.
0 Reply
Stephen E.
St Thomas, Ontario · Member since 2013 · 575 posts · 408 votes
9y
I had a call from a tenant who complained that a chipmunk fell on his head when he was on the deck. He wanted me to do something about it. Perhaps I could have given the chipmunk a good talking to. Another wildlife story, a tenant complained that squirrels and rabbits had eaten plants that he had planted in the garden. It is not clear to me what he expected a landlord could do about the local wildlife but he evidently was looking to me for a solution.
1 Reply
Lisa McCormick
Real Estate Investor · Largo, FL · Member since 2015 · 6 posts · 4 votes
9y
Tenant called to tell me someone had put a bag with a dead dog in his garbage can that had been set out by the road for pick up. Wanted to know of I could come get it. Ummm....no.
Tenant called to report a spider in her house could I send someone over to kill it? Umm...no.
Tenant requested I remove her master bedroom ceiling fan because she decided to buy a canopy bed and it won't fit because of the fan. Ok but she's paying for the removal and reinstallation cost.
Tenant requested I remodel the kitchen so she could buy a bigger refrigerator and the current spot was too small for it. No.
Tenants child broke ceiling fan in master bedroom. While it's being fixed she requests a ceiling fan be installed in child's bedroom. No because they are purposely not because children sometimes have bunk beds that interfere and children tend to break them. Suggested she buy a floor fan. She literally said she'd done that but the child broke it. Duh.
3 Reply
Max T.
Investor · Philadelphia, PA · Member since 2015 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
9y
Originally posted by @Tom C:

One my tenants recently bought a new full size bed and the box springs wouldn't fit upstairs. Her dad told her 'I' could simply take the stair treads off. We'll asked her if she was nuts? Then she said her dad said 'I' could cut the box springs down to make them fit. Again, I laughed at her and said, not a chance. She took the bed back.
I've cut a tenant's box spring in half with my circular saw to help them out when moving in once! Either that or go to a store and buy a split box spring. They took me up on my offer.
0 Reply
Amy A.
Portland, ME · Member since 2012 · 616 posts · 550 votes
9y
Tenant that I had accepted as a tenant right before they paid a deposit: "Can I use an oxyacetylene torch to make jewelry for my business in the spare bedroom?" Nope. I had wondered why a couple wanted a 3 bedroom.
"I need you to change the locks because somebody came into my house and stole the meat out of my freezer." I was a new landlord so actually went over and changed the lock. It was later that I realized, due to her lifestyle, it was probably not "meat" that had been stolen.
1 Reply
Account Closed
Investor · Santa Rosa Beach, FL · Member since 2016 · 232 posts · 153 votes
9y
1. One of my AZ tenants had just moved to the desert. Within the first month, he submitted an AC repair request. He said, "the system's humidifier wasn't working and the air was too dry." When I explained that the HVAC system didn't have a humidifier, he belligerently argued. So my AC guy went over, fiddled around the unit for a few minutes and told him it was "fixed." We still laugh about it.
2. Our seasonal Canadian clients would ALL leave big orange Home Depot buckets full of water throughout their house. They asked us to re-fill them on our regular home inspections to keep the "air moist."
3. When we sold one our AZ properties, the buyer's agent called to tell me they would need to do an exterior "scorpion inspection." The house was on a golf course in an established community, but it is still AZ. Scorpions are supposed to be outside. I assured them after 8 years, we had never found a scorpion in the house. They insisted and showed up at our house one night at 9pm. The agent, his wife, the buyers and both sets of in-laws. We had 8 adults with black lights scouring every inch of our backyard for an hour. They didn't find a scorpion.
1 Reply
Jennifer T.Pro Member
Investor · New Orleans, LA · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 944 votes
8y
I hope you all don't mind my resurrecting this thread.
We recently had an , otherwise good, tenant send us a text asking for us to help her pay her electricity bill for the last few months. Supposedly, the a/c hasn't been running properly. Our a/c people had been there a couple weeks before replacing a minor part. They had been sent as soon as she made a request.
Her complaint from that text had been the a/c wasn't automatically turning off. We offered to send our a/c people out again to do a full inspection. She goes to look at the a/c and tells us, "Never mind. I see the problem. They set it to manual instead of automatic the last time they were here." Of course it was "them".
She goes on to say that at her last place (two years earlier), she only had $200/month bills during the summer and now she has $300-$400/month bills and we need to compensate her for the difference. That their car got totaled, so now they've been having to rent a car. And they just can't afford these bills. We simply stated we weren't going to help pay for her utilities.
As an aside, our local energy company raised their rates earlier this year and summer temps have lasted FOREVER. So, yes, I'm sure her bills are higher this year than they were in the past.
Just for the cherry on top. Section 8 pays 100% of her rent and she also gets a stipend for her utilities, though I'd guess she needs to come out of pocket for at least a 50% portion of those bills.
1 Reply
Peter TverdovBusiness Member
Developer · New Brunswick, NJ · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
8y
My all-time favorite:
Tenant: Hey, Pete it's (Tenant). I'm going to sleep at my g/f's house for the next couple days. (Other Tenant) woke up this morning and there was a squirrel in his bed.
My worst tenant:
Tenant: Hey Pete. When you send over your handyman to repair the wobbly step, can you also have him replace all the windows?
I manage student housing.
[email protected]732-289-3823
0 Reply
Andy Basler
Investor · Knoxville, TN · Member since 2015 · 24 posts · 9 votes
8y
In order of favorites:
1. (has happened twice on separate occasions) I was locked out so I kicked in the door.
2. A drunk guy picked up a brick and threatened to bust out all of our windows.....(wait for it)......can you move the pile of bricks.
3. There's a spider in the mailbox..........and we think it might be pregnant, can you do something about it.
4. The tree drops stuff on our car and I have to get it washed, will you cut down the tree?
5. Toilet doesn't work (we get this seems like daily, it's always clogged)
0 Reply
Mike S.
Rental Property Investor · Huntsville, AL · Member since 2013 · 419 posts · 323 votes
8y
Originally posted by @Andy Basler:

In order of favorites:
5. Toilet doesn't work (we get this seems like daily, it's always clogged)
My lease has a nuisance fee (not called that in the lease) of $50. $50 a day would make a nice side job.
0 Reply
Marco Y.
Rental Property Investor · North Jersey, NJ · Member since 2013 · 72 posts · 21 votes
8y
Originally posted by @Amy A.:

Tenant that I had accepted as a tenant right before they paid a deposit: "Can I use an oxyacetylene torch to make jewelry for my business in the spare bedroom?" Nope. I had wondered why a couple wanted a 3 bedroom.
"I need you to change the locks because somebody came into my house and stole the meat out of my freezer." I was a new landlord so actually went over and changed the lock. It was later that I realized, due to her lifestyle, it was probably not "meat" that had been stolen.
Lol I love the couples asking for 3 bedrooms. Those are automatic red flags for me.
0 Reply

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