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‘Hoping you didn’t notice’: Renter moves into new apartment after touring it in person. There’s just one major thing he missed

‘Devious work.’

Photo of Ljeonida Mulabazi

Ljeonida Mulabazi

Woman talking(l+r), Hand on light switch(c)

Moving into a new place always has a few surprises, but TikToker Kyle (@cheese.named.kyle) discovered one he wasn’t quite prepared for. His entire apartment is missing ceiling lights in every major room.

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In a recent TikTok video, which has garnered 804,100 views so far, he films the moment he made the discovery. 

“How did I tour and sign the lease on this place without realizing it doesn’t have… light bulbs?” he begins. “Literally every bedroom and major room in this house does not have lights.”

It’s not just the bedrooms, either. 

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“This is the second bedroom—nothing,” he says, pointing to another room. 

But he reveals that the closet, ironically, does have lighting. “If you go in the closet, there’s lights in the closet,” he says, baffled.

Even stranger? Each room does have light switches, but the switches only control the outlets. 

“If you turn these on… do you know what that controls?” he asks, pausing. “The outlets. If you want to charge your phone, you gotta turn this on.”

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Kyle then shows that the hallway has not one but two lights. “Greedy hallway,” he jokes.

He then moves to the living room, still in disbelief: “What the…?”

Perhaps the wildest part for Kyle, who says he lives in the Deep South, is the absence of a ceiling fan. 

“No ceiling fan in the Deep South is devious work,” he says. “What kind of sick freak built this place?”

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Is it common for apartments to not have lights?

Apparently. A viral thread on Reddit poses the same question: “Any apartment I’ve ever rented and friends apartments I have gone to do not have ceiling mounted fixtures. They only have receptacles that flip with a switch at best. Is it a theft on move out, safety, for lack of maintenance calls to change lightbulbs or something else?”

But why?

It’s about liability and maintenance. As one commenter responded on the Reddit thread: “Builders/owners can save a few bucks between buying the fixture and labor of installing a ceiling mount. Its cheaper to just switch an outlet. Tenants supply their lamps. Its petty but here we are.”

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And apparently this trend is common. In the same Reddit thread a reader explains: “Most homes from the earlier part of the 1900s had a bedroom light, but fast forward to the 1960s and it starts becoming more common that just have lamps on switched receptacles. That trend has continued through the 70s 80s 90s 2000s, it really hasn’t been until the 2010s that recessed lighting has saturated the market.

Depending on what type of rental property you’re looking at is what the norm is, which also may be regional. Class A or B real estate is always going to have more features and amenities in class C or D properties.”

Some possible solutions 

For anyone who might find themselves in a similar situation, there are ways to create a well-lit environment without ceiling lights.

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For example, one blog post suggests combining three main types of lighting: general, task, and accent lighting.

General lighting, like plug-in pendant lights, provides overall brightness; task lighting, such as desk or floor lamps, focuses on specific areas; and accent lighting, like wall sconces or LED strips, adds warmth and style to your home.

Together, these three types of lighting can create a balanced, well-lit space—even without overhead fixtures, the post promises.

Viewers react

In the comments, some users were baffled at the missing overhead lights, while others had some possible explanations. 

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“You’re suppose to use lamps,” remarked one user. “That’s why the switch controls the outlets. To turn all the lamps on or off at once.”

“Lightbulbs? That’s not a big deal just go buy so-….oh,” joked another, pointing out the lack of light fixtures installed.

@cheese.named.kyle Adding “lights” to my future apartment tour checklist #landlordspecial ♬ original sound – Kyle-Tyler

“You defeated big light,” humorously wrote a third. “Congratulations.”

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The Daily Dot has reached out to Kyle via TikTok and Instagram direct message for more information.

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