Tenant paid to repair the dryer after landlord insisted it wasn’t his. At move-out, he sold the appliances — and quoted the landlord’s own email
The landlord even withheld their security deposit but the tenant succeeded in pocketing enough money from the sale
A tenant (u/OzTheMeh) crossed paths with a chiseller landlord who unfairly withheld their security deposit. In a September 3, 2026, Reddit post, they shared an incident when they bought this house years ago and encountered a faulty washer that burned their clothes. The landlord refused to take any ownership of the damaged appliance. Considering the appliance as abandoned and unclaimed, the tenant sold it to recover the money they lost in burned clothes. When the landlord approached them and accused them of selling the item, the tenant genuisly quoted his own email to him. Their post has since racked up over 21,000 upvotes.
Breakdown of agreement
The incident happened several years ago when the tenant rented the new house in a nice neighborhood that came with a laundry room equipped with a premium washer and gas dryer. One day, however, the dryer burned up, leaving their clothes singed in the process. The tenant sent a $300 bill to the landlord requesting him to reimburse the charges for their spoiled clothes and to get the dryer fixed.
The landlord relinquished all responsibility and emailed a curt response: "The lease is clear and does not include a washer or dryer. If those appliances are present, they were left from a previous tenant and are not mine. I am not responsible for anything I do not provide, which would be documented in the lease." About three months later, the author bumped into the previous tenant and came to know that they, in fact, left the house in a better condition than the landlord provided them with. A neighbor confirmed the account and revealed that the landlord was a schmuck and he often withheld tenants’ deposits. They suggested the tenant reread the lease and retrieve their security deposit, however possible.
Checkmate
10 months later, at the end of their lease, the tenant read the email once again. Since the washer was left uncalled-for, the tenant sold it to recover the money for their burnt clothes. Within two hours of the dryer being sold, the landlord sent them an angry voicemail. But by this point, the tables had been turned. The tenant quoted his own words and used them to justify their actions. “I received your voicemail, and I'm not sure which appliances you are referring to. As you stated, the lease clearly states there was not a washer/dryer included, and you confirm that below."
The lease also stated that the "tenant is responsible for all reasonable costs incurred by the landlord to remove, haul, store, or dispose of property left behind." And even though the landlord still refused to reimburse the deposit, the tenant had already pocketed more money from the washer’s sale, plus a tiny portion of $100 as a reward for the troublesome episode.
No deposits back
Many tenants deal with such landlords. According to a survey by JoinRoost, only 35% of the renters receive their security deposits back within a week of moving out. 59% of them don’t even expect to get a full refund. Likewise, another survey by Rapid Eye Inspections revealed that 26% of the renters have lost a deposit and 36% got no explanation from the landlords. 10% got nothing back.
'Sue him'
Readers were relieved to hear that the tenant, at least, got the landlord’s denial of the appliance ownership in writing. u/1happynewyorker said, “Take him to small claims court. These private home landlords are the worst. I lived in one years ago and would never rent in a private house, ever!” u/obscurebookreference said, “This is why you should always subtract your deposit from the last month of rent you pay. You can't trust landlords.”
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