After seeing another “landlord screwed me over” post, I thought I’d share my own experience. It might not be the most satisfying revenge story since I never found out the full aftermath, but here’s what happened.
I rented a small ensuite attached to my landlady’s house for $150 AUD a week. It was a bedroom, kitchenette, and bathroom—nothing fancy but reasonably priced pre-COVID. My landlady, in her 60s, also had two one-room “sheds” on her property that she rented out as “meditation retreats” for absurd amounts. She even had a community bookshed on her property.
At first, our relationship was great. She’d bring me soup, we’d play table tennis in her shed, and I even helped her with chores like taking green waste to the tip or picking up pet food from my job at a pet store. She was also a regular pot smoker, which I didn’t care about, though it’s still illegal in Australia and not cheap.
Toward the end of my second year renting, she sat me down to discuss increasing the rent. I would’ve been open to a reasonable increase, but she also demanded I stop claiming government rent assistance and pay her in cash, undeclared, so she could maximize her pension. She wanted an extra $50 a week, which I couldn’t afford, especially with COVID wreaking havoc on my finances.
We eventually compromised on $350 a fortnight, but the relationship soured. She became distant, stopped bringing soup, and no longer accepted my help with chores. I realized something was off when she started playing table tennis with other friends and barely spoke to me.
Things escalated when she began entering my space while I wasn’t there, taking photos of my “mess.” I struggle with ADHD and depression, so keeping tidy wasn’t easy, but it wasn’t unmanageable or unhygienic. She accused me of attracting rodents, even though she kept chickens and left their food out. She also claimed neighbors complained about me, but when I asked them, they denied ever saying anything.
Her complaints grew pettier—criticizing me for leaving lights on for a couple of hours, accusing me of having two heaters (I only had one; the other was an air purifier). It became clear she was harassing me to force me out so she could rent the space to someone willing to pay more.
She eventually gave me a month’s notice, claiming her sister was moving in. I knew it was a lie but didn’t have the energy to fight it. I had to rehome my budgies and scramble to find housing during COVID, which left me seriously depressed.
Luckily, I found a place with friends, and they became my support system. The cheaper rent there allowed me to save for a deposit, and I finally bought my first house last year.
Once I was settled, I decided to get some revenge. Her property was near the beach, where invasive seastars were common. I collected several, washed them in freshwater to kill them quickly, and hid them behind the shelves in her community bookshed. They’d rot and stink horribly, but she’d need to dismantle the entire shed to find them.
I also reported her to the tax department and pension office for fraud and tax evasion. Then, I contacted the council to report her unapproved “meditation retreats.”
I don’t know if she faced any consequences, but I’d like to think she did. I later learned from others that she’d pulled similar stunts before, so karma may catch up to her eventually.
And who knows? Maybe it’s time to refresh those seastars.
Edit: The seastars were humanely killed in freshwater after collection, so their death wasn’t prolonged.