Tenant shares easy hack to save on deposit and keep the property in good condition

Many tenants face the challenge of ensuring their rented homes are in good condition when they move out to avoid additional charges or forfeiting their deposit. Consequently, renters often strive to keep the property well-maintained and minimize the need for repairs. Recently, woman came up with a smart idea to fix a repair that the house needed before leaving it to save on the deposit.

Sydney Franks—who goes by @sydneyfranks7 on TikTok—showed a hack to fix the missing paint patch on the roof. The video begins with an overlay text, "The landlord special = the tenant special."

The resourceful renter demonstrated a clever technique for addressing a repair issue before moving out of a rented home. The video showcased the tenant applying a washable glue to a piece that had come off the roof. With precision and care, she skillfully affixed the loose piece back onto the roof, ensuring it adhered securely. The simplicity of her solution was truly impressive.

The video is captioned, "What they don't know might hurt them!" It went viral with about 1.4 million views and many in the comments section shared their own similar experiences. @mckenziedewese commented, "We colored a bleach stain on our carpet with oil pastels and they didn’t notice." @blob4003 wrote, "I literally broke the whole handle and wood piece off a door and glued and toilet papered it together they didn’t notice."

@melliemoo2222 shared, "I did that!!! I posted it here and a bunch of people told me to go get actual paint. Like I had the money for that." @aislinnthelion said, "Filled all the big holes with toothpaste and acrylic paint at my last place."

People found what Franks did extremely relatable as many renters try to fix the repairs so that they do not have to pay the extra cost. Moreover, the word "the landlord special" that Franks used is a reference to the number of makeshift DIY tricks that the landlords use to prep an apartment for the tenant, according to Dailydot.

Another renter Payton @paytopotatoe also shared a cheap and simple hack that she used to get away with the landlord's move-out charges. She showed the stove burners which have been used for four years. She simply went to a home depot and bought a pack of four burner pans which cost her $28 instead of cleaning them for hours. Then she also bought a pack of cheap lightbulbs and installed them in the house because according to the landlord, every burnt-out lightbulb would cost her family $10 to replace.

Many found the hack helpful but also questioned the legality of the charges and shared their own experiences. @juliahagadorn4 commented, "Lol. To be honest, I’m a house cleaner and I’d rather throw them out and buy new ones. They are cheap and hard to clean. Worth it." @morgan_gruter said, "We were charged $75 because the refrigerator was not cleaned to their liking." @that_wasnt_A_fart wrote, "They can't charge you for normal wear and tear or light bulbs."