Ants were shooting out of the shower head': Furious tenants share their housing horror stories complete with biting insects, angry landlords and exploding sewers as hashtag #ventyourrent sweeps social media
Furious renters have shared their accounts of properties online
They include how much they are paying each month and where they live
Stories vary from spider-infested beds and bizarre roommates
Others include signing contracts that never existed
PUBLISHED: 00:47 EST, 16 May 2016 | UPDATED: 06:28 EST, 16 May 2016
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Ants flying out of the shower, beds overrun by spiders and bathrooms overrun by mold.
For anyone, these problems quickly turn into nightmares.
But for renters, it's even worse when the landlord does nothing about it.
That's why angry tenants have shared their horror stories on social media in a bid to get those who own and run their homes to act on their grievances quickly.
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This woman, who was paying $1,200 for her rent, claimed her landlord set her stove on fire then tried to get her arrested for arson
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This renter vented against the sewer system that exploded in the basement of her property
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This woman - who was renting in Austin, Texas - complained that a Brown Recluse spider bit her roommate in her sleep while she was in a bed
The #ventyourrent campaign was launched by activist group Generation Rent in a bid to highlight the awful conditions faced by people who pay thousands a month to live in sometimes terrible conditions.
It started in London and has now spread to the United States.
People from around the country have taken to various online platforms to share their horrifying stories.
They include shocking behavior of their roommates and even their landlords.
Most included the amount of money they were paying each month and others added the location.
One person said the sewage system below her home had exploded into the basement while another claimed to have been swindled out of a contract that didn't exist.
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This man shared grievances about how he was charged $1700 for a rent that did not even exist
Yes, but there is a duty not to engage in fraud and theft as well.
No, there isn't.
Should people commit crimes? No, of course not--but simply telling them not to is NOT going to work. That has never been a deterrent to crime in the history of mankind.
These stories are bad--but I'm going to bet there's at least as many, or more, stories about bad renters destroying a landlord's property, or not paying rent, or squatting, or any number of other things.
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I'm not arguing, I'm just explaining why I'm right.
Well, I could agree with you--but then we'd both be wrong.
Of course but they should absolutely be prosecuted.
This would all be civil, except maybe the last one - and that's such small potatoes with such a stupid victim, the prosecutor would probably tell him to sue the guy in small claims court, OR it was done over the internet, and the local prosecutor wouldn't even have jurisdiction, and the feds are not getting involved for $1700.
I had someone send me a fraudulent cashier's check for $35,000 and I was told they won't get involved for less than $100,000 and besides, I knew it was a fake, and didn't lose anything on it.
The law expects adults to be responsible for the contracts they make. If you rent a sty, that's what you rent. Inspect it. If it becomes uninhabitable and the landlord won't fix it enough to make it basically inhabitable, that's constructive eviction, and you can move, but it's still not criminal.
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LawyerLady
I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you.
If these people were paying a house payment instead of rent, who would they blame then.
And as an aside, I got to say, with rent like that, you could have a really nice house of your own.
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A flock of flirting flamingos is pure, passionate, pink pandemonium-a frenetic flamingle-mangle-a discordant discotheque of delirious dancing, flamboyant feathers, and flamingo lingo.
If these people were paying a house payment instead of rent, who would they blame then.
And as an aside, I got to say, with rent like that, you could have a really nice house of your own.
Rents for a 2 bdrm townhouse in my area run around $1500, not everyone is in a position to buy plus mortgage, hoa, and taxes, would cost about the same.
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Sometimes you're the windshield, and sometimes you're the bug.
If these people were paying a house payment instead of rent, who would they blame then.
And as an aside, I got to say, with rent like that, you could have a really nice house of your own.
Rents for a 2 bdrm townhouse in my area run around $1500, not everyone is in a position to buy plus mortgage, hoa, and taxes, would cost about the same.
Just one more reason to love where I live.
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A flock of flirting flamingos is pure, passionate, pink pandemonium-a frenetic flamingle-mangle-a discordant discotheque of delirious dancing, flamboyant feathers, and flamingo lingo.
If these people were paying a house payment instead of rent, who would they blame then.
And as an aside, I got to say, with rent like that, you could have a really nice house of your own.
Rents for a 2 bdrm townhouse in my area run around $1500, not everyone is in a position to buy plus mortgage, hoa, and taxes, would cost about the same.
Just one more reason to love where I live.
Well our salary difference are on the same scale as rent difference.
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Sometimes you're the windshield, and sometimes you're the bug.
Renting is higher than mortgages for comparable real estate in this area. I did it for a year to give me time to figure out a location I wanted to buy into. It had been over 5 years since I was a homeowner so I qualified for an FHA, which helped. But during that year of renting, I was fortunate to be able to work a lot of overtime. The rent was killer. $1200 for a tiny one bedroom.
If I was single and had the physical ability, I'd have a tiny house or an RV.
I could totally be happy in one of those.
My fantasy house may be a castle. But I really want a small house.
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A flock of flirting flamingos is pure, passionate, pink pandemonium-a frenetic flamingle-mangle-a discordant discotheque of delirious dancing, flamboyant feathers, and flamingo lingo.
If I was single and had the physical ability, I'd have a tiny house or an RV.
I could totally be happy in one of those.
My fantasy house may be a castle. But I really want a small house.
But where would you keep all your shoes?
The specially made, climate and moisture controlled, cedar lined bedroom turned shoe haven, of course.
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A flock of flirting flamingos is pure, passionate, pink pandemonium-a frenetic flamingle-mangle-a discordant discotheque of delirious dancing, flamboyant feathers, and flamingo lingo.