She told her landlord a thief had pried open her son’s window at night — he responded with a $177 bill
The landlord said it was part of 'negligent damage' in the agreement, but the tenant could find no such term
Having a good landlord can make renting stress-free, but a bad one will turn living in their house into a nightmare. A person who goes by u/Smokel_Tokel28 had previously shared on Reddit how their landlord tried to make them pay for damages caused by criminal activity. The author and their family live in a halfway underground apartment, and two of the windowpanes outside their son's room were broken, and the frame was bent by what seemed like a crowbar. Instead of paying for the damages herself, the landlord tried to charge the author instead. The May 27, 2026, post has garnered 1,500 upvotes and 215 comments.
*Update* Landlord wants to charge me for someone trying to break into my window. {ND}
by u/Smokel_Tokel28 in Renters
'This is considered a tenant charge'
The moment the author found out about the attempted break-in, they contacted emergency maintenance and filed a police report. A third-party vendor was sent to repair the windows, but the landlord told the author to pay for the damages, which did not make sense because they did not cause the damage. The landlord's first email read, "This is considered a tenant charge, so you may want to reach out to your renter's insurance and file a claim."
The landlord added that when they receive the charge from the vendor, they would send the author the exact bill. Stunned by the email, the author asked why they should pay for damages caused by someone else. They combed through the lease and handbook to see if they were supposed to pay for such damages, but did not find any rule as such. They reached out to the landlord to ask, and they sent screenshots of a section about "Negligent Damage."
A suspicious chargeback
The author insisted that the damage was not inside the apartment, but outside, meaning it was not caused by them or their family. "Criminal damage does not compare to tenant negligence, nor does it equal tenant negligence. There is also no specific section about criminal damage in the lease or handbook. This should be filed under the building's property insurance and not my personal renters insurance," they fired back.
The landlord completely ignored the author's last email and sent them a "Resident Maintenance Chargeback" bill with a whopping $117 for the damages. The author reached out and requested that it be taken off. Additionally, they could not find the "negligent damage" section and asked the landlord to show them where it was located, to which they replied that it was an addendum. That was when the author thought something was off. They explained, "It does not exist in my lease. So them stating that’s the reason for charging me is a lie." Currently, the landlord is getting in touch with corporate, and the author is waiting for updates.
Landlord problems
These types of landlords are the reason why most people despise their landlords. LendingTree conducted a survey on 2,000 individuals and found that almost three in five tenants did not like their landlords at some point. 25% do not like their current landlord due to maintenance (68%), communication (53%), and lack of respect (42%). 21% reported that they have had legal disputes with their landlords.
'The worst grifters,' netizens say
People were not happy with how the landlord handled the situation and completely sided with the tenant. u/Fit_Instruction_8383 commented, "I would tell them that if they attempt to bill you for damage caused by someone attempting to break into your home, you're going to sue for failing to provide a safe place to live." u/DonkeyCertain5427 advised, "Your assessment is the correct one. This would fall under the owner's property insurance, not to you. Threaten legal action if they assess charges against you."
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