Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Isn’t it just typical that when you think you’ve got the world figured out, especially the nasty bits, some good-hearted misfits have to come along and mess up your stereotype? I’m talking about landlords. Yes, landlords—the almost mythical creatures that folklore tells us swoop in at night to steal your security deposit and never fix your plumbing. But here’s the twist: a minority of them are actually, hold your gasps, decent human beings. And frankly, it’s throwing me off.
Decency: The Unexpected Anomaly in Real Estate
You’d think a decent landlord would be the norm, not the newsworthy exception. But no, the world loves a villain. So when a landlord comes along who isn’t, it’s like finding a unicorn playing poker in your basement; it’s strange and you don’t know how to handle it.
These benevolent landlords do things that the more demonic ones wouldn’t dream of, like fixing leaky faucets, returning full security deposits, or—get this—actually caring about their tenants. Shocking, I know! This rare breed of good landlords leaves me asking: when did being decent become so… radical?
Maintenance is Coming: The Promise Never Kept, Except by the Good Ones
If maintenance actually shows up to fix that thing you reported six months ago, you might be dealing with one of these “decent” landlords. These irritatingly conscientious folks seem to think that rental agreements aren’t just loose suggestions. Honestly, it’s unsettling. They ruin the thrill of the gamble – will your landlord fix your window or just tell you to avoid getting close to it?
Security Deposits – The Biggest Myth in Housing
You know that urban legend about tenants who get their full security deposit back? Turns out, like all myths, it’s grounded in reality. These decent landlords hand back your deposit without taking a “new management fee” or a charge for “general wear and tear,” which roughly translates to you having used the apartment for its intended purpose – living. It’s absurd, and messes with the time-honored tradition of using that deposit as a secret savings account you’ll never see.
The Warm Fuzzy Feeling of an Annual Rent Increase Notice
And then there’s the unthinkable – landlords who don’t raise the rent? Annually increasing rent is a tradition as cherished as Thanksgiving turkey, but these landlords, with their annoying empathy, decide to skip it. What’s next? Christmas without fruitcake?
Community Gatherings: Because Misery Loves Company
Try explaining to someone that your landlord organizes community potlucks and genuinely cares whether you and your neighbors get along. It sounds like a fairy tale or propaganda from the “Soviet Union of Real Estate.” Where’s the disinterest? The mild disdain? It’s as if these landlords actually view their properties as communities of real people and not just income statements.
The Outrage of Working Appliances
To add to the absurdity, some renters report their appliances all work—like, really work, not just perform their designated functions when Mercury is not in retrograde. It definitely takes the excitement out of the monthly “why is the fridge warm?” lottery. It might be convenient, I’ll give you that, but it’s also dreadfully boring.
Conclusion: The Boring Utopia of Decent Landlord-ship
In a world where you can expect the bare minimum, these landlords who insist on being humane, responsive, and fair are just confusing. They force us to reconsider our expectations and, worst of all, rob us of our right to universally bash the landlord archetype. It’s unsettling, it’s unwelcome, and it’s downright disruptive to our narrative of eternal tenant strife.
These decent landlords… Can you imagine? They must be stopped. Before we know it, tenants might start feeling valued and content. The horror. The absolute horror.
Source: A minority of Landlords insist on ruining it for the rest by being decent
