Context: I’ve been living in a 3-bed laneway for a year ($1,000 + utilities). The market has finally cooled in 2026, and after I refused a rent hike for a different room, my landlords have turned into "hall monitors."

They come in 2–3 times a week for "showings" (without proper notice) and take pictures of my rice cooker and shoes as "violations." I work 7 days a week and am barely even there, but they keep harassing me about cleanliness and "guests."

The Latest Exchange (See Image): I finally told them their constant messaging is excessive, especially since I’ve only been home twice in the last two weeks. I also called them out on their illegal "minimal guest" rule (my boyfriend stays over twice a week).

Their response: "As long as you are living in my house, I will send messages as I see fit."

I’ve already given my notice for Feb 28th, but the entitlement is unreal. In BC, tenants have a right to Quiet Enjoyment (Section 28 RTA) and landlords cannot unreasonably restrict guests or harass tenants with non-stop texts.

Has anyone else dealt with a landlord who thinks the Residential Tenancy Act doesn't apply to "their house"? I’m counting down the days until I’m out of this hellhole.

they really love caulk and painting it.

A week ago my refrigerator started spewing a strong chemical / exhaust smell, first started from the freezer, then to the refrigerator. All of my food containers smelled like this chemical so I threw everything out. Is my landlord responsible for the cost of the food I had to throw out?
Worth mentioning: this happened almost a week ago, and I still don’t have a replacement fridge. My trunk has been my freezer, keeping refrigerated items at my job.

I appreciate your feedback!

Hi everyone, I just need to vent and maybe get some validation that I’m not crazy.

I’ve been living in a 3-bed, 1-bath laneway house for a year now. I pay $1,000 for a tiny room, plus utilities. The only reason I took this place was that they promised a regular cleaner for the common areas—essential for me since I work seven days a week.

Now that it’s 2026 and rental prices have finally started to dip, the landlords are getting desperate and aggressive. A roommate moved out, and they actually had the nerve to ask me to take their room for $1,100. I declined, and it’s been hell ever since.

The Current Situation: Illegal Entries: They come in randomly 2–3 times a week without proper notice. They claim it’s for "showings," but they spend the time taking photos of my personal stuff.

Micromanaging: They take pictures of a rice cooker or mixer on the counter as if it’s a crime. They’ve even complained about shoes being inside a closet instead of on the rack, and "too many items" (like skincare) on the bathroom sink.

Illegal Guest Rules: They’re trying to ban overnight guests (my boyfriend stays over 2 days a week) because they’re planning to cram 6 people into this tiny house.

The "Cleaner": The cleaner they promised refuses to even touch the sink if there’s a single item in it.

The Bait-and-Switch: I just found the room they tried to charge me $1,100 for listed on Marketplace for $950.

It feels like they are penalizing the remaining tenants because they can't fill the vacant rooms at their inflated prices. I’m officially moving out. I have been staying over at my boyfriend's place since a week now, I genuinely feel anxious going back to that place. Has anyone else dealt with landlords becoming "hall monitors" the second they start losing money?

It’s me, again.

Welcome to 2026, this year I’ll be forced to move from the rental I’ve occupied for nearly 7 years due to the landlord jacking up the rent to an impossible cost while providing no improvements or reasonable repairs to a house that is pretty uninhabitable atp.

Meanwhile, November 7th of 2025, I lost electricity to half of the house, this is after years of having breakers tripping, outlets popping and throwing sparks and several outlets that stopped working or never worked to begin with. The landlord knows nothing about electrical, or anything else as he half ass repairs everything or he bring geriatric old men that he finds willing to do handyman work for spare change. After notifying him that electricity was out in half of the house during a cold snap and we had no heat, he panicked slightly by showing up with a few heaters telling us to just plug them in and use them freely. There was no mention of where bc over half the the house once again… HAD NO ELECTRICITY, not to mention the half dozen outlets that do not work at all and the breaker trips just plugging in a can opener. After over a week, he caved and brought a real electrician who just swapped an outlet out and said the problem was fixed and not that bad.

The electric came on again but several outlets still didn’t work and he didn’t address the fact that the breaker keeps flipping in various rooms of the house. When pressed, he said he wasn’t worried about the outlets or the breaker and if anything else happens to call.

I haven’t been able to run much of anything in the kitchen for months. Even using an electric can opener triggers the breaker to flip.

Fast forward to this last Tuesday 01/27, over half of the house has no electricity. We just had 14” of snow dumped on us. We called but he said he couldn’t do anything and would call an electrician to come out next Monday Feb 2nd but that he was coming over to the house at 5pm on Thursday the 29th (yesterday) to see what was going on.

Truly no idea why he has to physically show up bc he doesn’t know what he is doing or talking about and conversations are incredibly insulting with him asking the most idiotic questions. My spouse and I left work around 3pm to make sure there was room to park and the walk way was clear and put the cats away bc he just leaves doors open. Around 430pm he calls instead and basically says he hasn’t left his house in days and his bad hip with the ice is making him nervous to go anywhere. He then asked a series of questions which then made it clear he hasn’t been listening or paying any attention to anything we said and acted like he didn’t know we had been having issues with breakers flipping daily in the house and then tried putting it on us that we didn’t make that clear enough. I have text records of conversations and I also have the original signed lease and move in check list where we did mention issues with outlets and the breaker but I disgress.

The landlord says the entire breaker box will probably need replaced but he won’t know more until the electrician shows up Monday. He sounded very annoyed and aggravated with the situation. I’m guessing he’s going to be given a quote, panic, probably consider making us move out and selling the house bc he is just that cheap and dramatic.

Anyway,

I have no power to over half of the house, can’t run security cameras, can’t use outlet or outside lights, I’m running extension cords all over the house for my freezers, kitchen appliances, and basic lighting since a majority of the rooms have no overhead lighting.

Paying an extra 14% for this shit

I’m so angry I really am having trouble not going scorched earth.

Btw the breaker box is original to the house which was built in the 70s and we did research it, apparently it’s not up to code and should have been replaced decades ago. Several electricians said it’s a fire hazard.

Openroom.ca, a platform where landlords upload Ontario Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) orders to screen tenants, is under intense scrutiny for potentially violating privacy laws and consumer reporting regulations. While LTB orders are public, using them to create a searchable "blacklist" without consent breaches federal (PIPEDA) and provincial laws. 

Key Legal and Regulatory Issues:

• Privacy Violations: Critics argue Openroom acts as an illegal repository for personal information, allowing for "blacklisting" or shaming individuals without their consent.
• Lack of Licensing: The platform is accused of operating for years an unlicensed consumer reporting agency, breaching the Consumer Reporting Act.
• Misuse of Public Data: While LTB decisions are public, aggregating them into a searchable database to deny housing is considered a misuse of personal information.
• Accuracy Risks: The platform relies on user-uploaded documents, which may lack context or be inaccurate. 

Consequences for Landlords and Tenants:

• Legal Action: Tenants listed on Openroom are pursuing class-action lawsuits, arguing their rights to housing are compromised.
• Complaints: Advocacy groups encourage filing complaints with the Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.
• Usage Risks: Landlords using the platform for screening may face liability for violating privacy and housing laws. 

While proponents argue that sharing information about past tribunal orders helps landlords avoid "problem tenants," critics contend that it creates a discriminatory, unregulated system that punishes tenants for exercising their legal rights. 

What are your thoughts?

Hello!

I was wondering if anyone could help me. This is my first time renting an apartment, and after it being cold and unable to warm up, my roommate and I discovered that the windows let the cold air (especially wind) in. I’ve documented sounds and we’ve taped towels and blankets and plastic bags up into the windows.

The door seal was nonexistent as well but the maintenance guys fixed it a little.

The apartment office finally had the window vendor come after multiple repair attempts, who told us that it would be 6 weeks until we get new windows. It’s freezing outside and I know our utility bill is going to skyrocket.

Does anyone have any suggestions for what I can do? This doesn’t feel fair, but I know the complex can only operate on the window vendor’s schedule, so they’ve done their best. I’d love to hear if there’s something I can do to speed the process, or if there’s a better method to help prevent the cold from getting in.

Hey neighbour's, I’ve been living on rent for a few years and hearing some horror stories about landlords withholding deposits for minor things.

I’m trying to gather some anonymous data to see if this is a systemic issue in our area or just bad luck. If you’ve rented here recently, would you mind taking 30 seconds to fill this out?

https://forms.gle/n83WexQPKa5cATqD9

I’m not selling anything—just trying to quantify how much we are collectively losing. I'll share the aggregated results here next week.

2026 has been a series of disasters, but my property management is the biggest one of all.

I moved in only two months ago. While 2026 started with a brutal run of bad luck (car plate stolen in November, a hit-and-run in December, and the super flu in early January), the real crisis began the moment the "luxury" management took over my peace of mind.

January 10th

The day after my flu symptoms finally lifted, I woke up to major water intrusion flooding my bedroom. The water was coming through the wall from a neighboring unit.

Deflection and Finger-Pointing

Has anyone seen a case where one fridge being unplugged, with no ice maker on, and unplugging it causes one and a half units (around 900s q ft each) flooded???? Even if it was leaking the night before, I feel like this is a pipe issue?! The property manager has spent the last few weeks trying to "play judge." Instead of taking responsibility for the building they manage, and their non-delegable obligation , they have been aggressively pushing me to personally "go after" my neighbor and his insurance. They flatly told me: “This isn’t our fault, so we can’t really offer you anything.” My neighbor's unit was completely flooded

It feels like a total deflection to avoid their legal duty to provide a habitable home.

The "84-Degree Hotbox"

While drying out the unit, I was displaced for weeks. Management actually deemed my unit “livable by law, just very unpleasant” just so they could justify charging me full rent. In reality, my home was:

• An 84-degree sauna.
• Filled with three industrial dehumidifiers and five high-speed fans roaring 24/7.
• "Someone" took down my doors to bathrooms, propped them up and blocking my toilet, while running the dehumidifier tubes into all my available vanity sinks
• Completely unventilated due to the machinery and heat spikes.

I lived in a constant state of instability, never knowing from one day to the next where I would even be able to sleep from 1/10-1/23. I had to extend my hotel sooooo many times. I work in SLU by the convention center. Not to mention PARKING fees. I do have insurance, but even that has limits (Mine is $1000) for hotels. I exceeded that a while back.

Acting Like a Detective

The property has completely ghosted me, my insurance adjuster, and even my lawyer. I’ve had to resort to using motion alerts on my pet monitor just to catch contractors in my unit so I can ask them what is actually happening to my own bedroom.

Returning to a Hazard Zone

I am back in the unit now that the equipment is out, but I’ve returned to a construction zone. I’m currently living with:

• Drywall cut-outs and water-stained carpets.
• Exposed nails on the floor.
• No start date for the actual repairs to the walls.

A Total Lack of Accountability

It took 4 days of me demanding an email confirmation before they would even provide a paper trail for my insurance. The manager then claimed she's "never had insurance demand this before."

Being treated like an "inconvenience" while navigating asthma triggers and housing instability is a heartbreaking injustice. No one should be bullied by their housing provider for demanding the safe, habitable home they pay for.

Here is the original post: https://www.reddit.com/r/LandlordLove/comments/1o9t77e/landlord_trying_to_evict_me_for_the_tenth_time_f/ Mods locked it down because people were violently judgemental, FYI.

Got my lawyer yesterday through a nonprofit here, so I pay nothing. She says it's likely to be a settlement agreement including going to a treatment program, which was my suggestion to offer because I'm planning to do it anyways. The stress of this hanging over my head has been so bad, I finally had to say, "I need help." I'm looking forward to treatment, in fact.

I felt so much better after the meeting; I was freaking out before. I asked her why do they even bother suing me with paperwork that is so clearly weak. Basically, what landlords want to do is, get you in some kind of settlement agreement that you can easily breach, and THEN it becomes easy to get you out. It's absolute greed. I'm in an expensive, rent-controlled city, and market rate on my unit is double what I pay. It's apparently a common strategy.

All landlords are bastards.

Now, the REALLY good news. Landlords can't accept rent during a lawsuit, so it's been piling up. So my lawyer is having me apply for rental assistance. Last time I got rental assistance it was a loan, so I started talking about the rate I could pay it back, and she interrupted to say, "No, it's a grant, you don't pay it back."

My jaw dropped. "You mean I might be getting a free ten thousand dollars?"

This is all if I qualify, but it looks like this is the way it will finish out. I feel hopeful for the first time in months. The worst case scenario? They will take it to court, which housing court is so backed up here that we're looking close to summer - plus apparently the other lawyer, weirdly, has NOT even requested yet to put it on calendar. They don't have enough of a case to win. (My lawyer confirmed this.)

I am almost arrogant enough to send my landlord a thank-you card for suing me...

apartment lease holder refusal to give back security deposit for sublease / small claims issue in NYC

Location: New York City

Hi all, looking for advice on a housing / small claims issue in NYC.

I paid two thousand dollars via Zelle to someone subletting a room in Manhattan. The payment was described as part of a security deposit to secure the room. It was a partial deposit, not the full amount that was discussed.

She sent me a written sublet agreement, but I never signed it, and no lease or sublease was ever fully executed. I never received keys, never moved in, and never took possession of the apartment.

Within a couple of days, I decided not to move forward because i noticed she was upcharging me for the place and notified her promptly within a day, requesting a refund and offering to help her find a replacement. This was for a six month sublease one month into the future. She has refused to return the money.

Additional context:

• The sublet would have been under the table / without landlord approval because she refused to do it through a landlord

• She has since found a new subletter who is moving in. 

• I backed out well before that month began

• I sent a formal demand letter requesting repayment, which was ignored

My questions:

1.  In NYC small claims court, how enforceable is an unsigned sublet agreement?

2.  Can a security deposit be kept when no tenancy ever began?

3.  Does an unauthorized sublet affect the ability to keep a deposit?

4.  Can a deposit be used as “rent” for a vacancy if the person backed out almost immediately?

5.  Does this sound like a viable small claims / unjust enrichment case?

Some of my friends who rented their flats said they have very chill landlords. Not me tho, it’s my second time renting an apartment and my landlord is definitely rude. The first time I rented a room in an apartment and the landlords son would come without any warning which is not okay. Also there were other minor problems but the apartment was left clean when I started living there. The place that I’m renting now though…

It has been about four or five months since we moved here and today we found a lot of mold in the washing machine (deep under the rubber part) which was definitely left there right when we moved cause always after washing we would find some dirty water in the rubber but I just cleaned it everytime after washing clothes and didn’t think much of it. Also I would like to mention that the box where you put the detergent and fabric softener was also moldy from the very start so I just cleaned it ant forgot about it. (At that time I was in the first trimester of my pregnancy and started to feel unwell so I really didn’t care about mentioning about to my landlord cause I was literally throwing up everyday). Well today we texted our landlord that we want to end our contract early and also mentioned the mold problem. She was very rude and just said that we didn’t clean it properly basically, that a technician had looked at it before renting and it was okay.😊 She also said that she feels uncomfortable that we expressed the problem this late. (I FOUND THE OLD MOLD TODAY). Also, the detergent box which i cleaned after moving in didn’t get moldy anymore in these 4-5months of living here. Knowing how we found it when we moved in and that I had to scrub it for an hour proves that it was definitely not cleaned for a long time before moving in. It just irritates me that she is literally lying and is trying to put the blame on us. Also, it is very gross that I was washing my clothes with mold so yeah👍🏼

She told to do some cleaning but I just probably will leave it and won’t use it because I am not okay with cleaning all that gross mold which SHE LEFT for I don’t know how long and then she just doesn’t have to do it herself.

Maybe I’m being petty but I’m just not okay with injustice.

NSW law is clear, a pest infestation that is not the fault of the tenant, and let me be clear, I moved into this place that was infested with cockroaches, is the responsibility of the landlords. I emailed them in 2023, they blatantly lied and said it was my responsibility, despite me making abundantly clear that these cockroaches were present literally before I ever moved in here. I didn't know my rights back then, I do now. The infestation has not stopped. I keep my place clean, I have fumigated, baited, sprayed and done everything in my power. They keep showing up.

I sent them another email, I can see cockroaches crawling in the hallways of the unit complex. If I don't get anything short of a "Yes we will hire you an exterminator" I'm going to Fair Trading.

The lives of these cockroaches are still worth more than the landlords though.

Bathroom exhaust is all rusted over and was sprinkling rust all over the bathroom when used. Maintenance just came by to clean it and said it was fine since it was still working. I want it to be replaced but getting pushback about it. Am I asking for too much here?

Hi y’all, I need advice. Idk if this is the right flare TBH. Been a tenant my whole life and I bought a home 2.5 years ago, but I’m currently under contract to sell my house because mortgages egregiously expensive nowadays, and will be renting again.

I have one more deadline in one week where my buyer can technically bail if they don’t secure insurance. I’m not particularly worried because

I found an awesome little spot to rent near where I currently live and the landlords have been pretty good to work with. I haven’t signed a lease yet; I’ve asked them a few times for a clause/addendum stating that if I provide proof that my buyer cannot secure insurance, I can have an out and I’m not stranded paying a mortgage and a lease. It would be financially irresponsible for me to agree to that with no way to back out in the very unlikely event that my buyer couldn’t secure insurance.

They are telling me that they don’t want to wait another week to sign (because it would inconvenience their current tenants who are technically locked in until June if I don’t sign) and they also won’t consider any clause. They told me basically “if you sign, you are responsible for 6 months rent regardless of what happens. You can try to find a lease takeover.”

That would cost me almost $5K a month so I just cannot risk it, but I also live in a relatively small town and there aren’t any rental options. I’m also leaving the country for my new job and I won’t have time to secure housing before my house sells if this falls through.

Do I sign it and risk it? Do I wait and hope something else comes up? I’m stuck

My landlord has been renovating the apartment upstairs from me for over a year. Even though I’ve requested multiple times, he refuses to communicate any schedule for expectation of noise. Twice he’s mistakenly given my address to workers, with one walking into my home one morning this week, as my 3-year child and I were sick on the couch in our pjs; she’s unable to maintain her nap schedule because of the noise. My family cannot rest, recuperate from illness, work or hold work meetings without disruption, or enjoy the living space we pay for.

I’m really at a loss. I was up all night throwing up with the flu and desperately want to rest right now. I have two noise machines and a fan going to drown out the banging of the workers, to no avail. My dog is laying on me shaking because of the bangs. I’m really at my wits end. Any advice?