I heard a story where the tenant moved into a rental house and found out that there were major plumbing issues. The sinks would clog constantly, and the toilet would overflow. Despite multiple complaints to the landlord, it took months to get it fixed as the landlord kept delaying and making excuses.
There was a case where a tenant discovered that the rental apartment had a serious mold problem. It was hidden behind the wallpaper at first. But as time passed, it started to spread and affected the tenant's health. The landlord refused to take responsibility, claiming the tenant caused it by not ventilating the place properly when in fact it was due to a leaky pipe that the landlord didn't fix.
One rental horror story is when the landlord suddenly increased the rent by a huge amount without any prior notice. Just when you thought you had a stable place to live, you find out you can't afford it anymore.
One horror story is about a tenant who found out the apartment was infested with cockroaches after moving in. The landlord refused to take any action at first. Another is a renter who discovered mold growing all over the bathroom walls due to a leak that the landlord had ignored for months. And there was a case where a tenant was constantly harassed by the upstairs neighbor, and the landlord did nothing to resolve the situation.
One horror story is getting a rental car that breaks down in the middle of nowhere. I was on a long road trip and suddenly the engine started making strange noises and then just died. I was stranded for hours waiting for the rental company to send help.
I rented an RV and when we were on the road, the engine started making strange noises. We were in the middle of nowhere. Turns out the maintenance on it was really poor. We were so worried about breaking down completely. After a lot of hassle, we managed to get it to a mechanic who said it was a wonder we hadn't had a major breakdown already. It really ruined our trip.
One common horror story is false advertising. The place looks amazing in the photos but in reality, it's tiny and shabby. Another is bad neighbors. I stayed at an Airbnb once where the neighbors were so noisy all night that I couldn't sleep.
One horror story could be getting a car that was in really bad shape. For example, the brakes were faulty. When driving in the hilly regions of Italy, the brakes started making strange noises and didn't respond well. It was a terrifying experience as we were on narrow mountain roads with sharp turns. Another story might be about hidden fees. The rental company initially quoted a low price but then added on all kinds of unexpected charges at the end, like extra insurance fees that we were not informed about before.
One horror story is about a tenant who found out the apartment had a severe mold problem that the landlord tried to hide. The tenant started getting sick all the time, but the landlord refused to fix it. Eventually, the tenant had to break the lease and find a new place while still dealing with health issues.
There was a rental where the lights would flicker on and off by themselves, especially in the basement. The tenant once went down to check and felt an extreme coldness that was not normal for a basement. When they looked around, they thought they saw a shadowy figure out of the corner of their eye. After that, they were too scared to stay and moved out immediately.
One common horror story is dealing with a slumlord. They might not fix things like a broken heater in the middle of winter. You'd be freezing and they'd keep delaying the repairs. Another is finding out there are pests after you've moved in. I had a friend who rented an apartment only to discover it was infested with cockroaches and the landlord refused to do anything about it. And then there are noisy neighbors. You could end up next to a party - loving family who blast music all night long and don't care about the other tenants.
One common horror story is arriving at the rental only to find it's not as clean as advertised. There could be dirty floors, mold in the bathroom, or even unwashed bedding. Another is dealing with unresponsive or rude landlords. For example, if there are issues like a broken heater during winter, they don't answer calls or emails to fix it. Also, some people have had the experience of the rental being in a much more dangerous or noisy neighborhood than they were led to believe.
Unresponsive landlords are a big part of nyc rental horror stories. Tenants may have urgent issues like a broken lock or a leaky roof, but the landlord just ignores their calls or messages. This can make living in the rental a very stressful experience as the tenant is left to deal with problems on their own.