In 2022, a study from iProperty Management found that “an estimated 76% of landlords spend less than 40 hours per month managing their properties.” Unbelievably, an estimated 42% of landlords claimed to have spent “less than four (4) hours per month managing their properties.”
Despite this excess of available time, many tenants report issues with getting their landlords to actually spend time facilitating repairs in their apartments. Sometimes, this is intentional. One TikTok user claimed their landlord was refusing maintenance in an attempt to get them to leave. Other times, the motivation for their failure to offer basic repairs is unclear.
Although landlords may not act on tenant requests, that doesn’t mean that they expect the same treatment from their renters, as demonstrated in a recent video from TikTok user Nelly (@kattmirikitani).
In a video with over 200,000 views, Nelly says her landlord requested that she move her plants. Nelly counters by showing the many issues that linger in her apartment that her landlord has not handled. Her video shows rotting wood, structural damage, mold, and more.
@kattmirikitani for the rent going up, nothing is being done. I'm broke and frustrated and scared about the mold. 😞 #rentingproblems ♬ original sound – mysmileisweak
“For the rent going up, nothing is being done,” she writes in the caption. “I’m broke and frustrated and scared about the mold.”
In the comments section, many users chided the landlord for making such a request.
“Wants to get rid of your free potted landscaping for them,” wrote a user. “Dumb.”
“It would be so ugly without your plants,” said another.
Nelly later posted a follow-up, showing that the visual appeal of the walkway had in fact decreased since removing the plants.
@kattmirikitani Replying to @gnarlzly ♬ original sound – mysmileisweak
Others in the comments section simply told Nelly to escalate, as best she could, the issues she noted in her apartment.
“Tell them ur contacting tenants rights groups,” suggested a commenter. “That might get them to shape up.”
“A quick call to the city & health department & your rent will be discounted & everything must be repaired & they can’t charge u more it’s retaliation,” stated a second.
“Local News would love to cover that story. Who owns the property and what company manages property,” offered a third.
“Check the laws in your state,” advised an additional commenter. “you might have a right to withhold rent until these safety and health issues are fixed.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Nelly via Instagram direct message for more information.
