TikTok renter ‘sabotages’ flat viewings after landlord increases price

The Covid pandemic has been a struggle for us all, with successive lockdowns leaving many people struggling to make ends meet.

But when one landlord decided to increase the rent in a run-down basement flat his tenant decided to take action.

The renter, a TikTok user called Katie, wanted to show anyone who might be interested in the apartment exactly what they’d be letting themselves in for.

She therefore decided to “sabotage” viewings of the property by revealing the home’s numerous flaws.

The TikToker, who uses the handle @Cornchipsandcorgis, posted a clip with the caption: "Can u tell I live in a basement apartment with landlords that have the audacity to increase rent next year?"

Read more:

• 20 of the best reactions as Boris Johnson sends Navy to Jersey in France fishing row
• Girl, 14, calls out double-standards after ‘teacher said her outfit was too revealing’‘
• This Tory candidate’s playground campaign video may be the most surreal thing you see today
• People are eating rancid meat to try and get high in disgusting new food trend
• Adam Sandler has hilarious response to viral video of him getting turned away from a restaurant

She then gave a whistlestop tour of the property, saying: "Things I do to sabotage my landlord’s showings that just make sense."

The sequence begins with Katie placing a bottle of drain unblocker next to the shower to indicate her daily struggle to clear the plughole, before moving aside the bathroom bin to reveal the “horrible wall and plaster that’s fallen”.

Katie unveiled the flat in all its natural glory

The rest of the video sees her strategically placing other items to uncover cracks in the wall, and displaying the two dehumidifiers she needs just to make the place less damp.

She then shows off a “scary nail” that she found in the closet.

The clip has racked up more than 400,000 views on the platform in less than a week, with fellow TikTokers in awe of her savvy move.

“This isn’t sabotage, you’re just showing off the features,” one wrote.

Another preemptively jumped to Katie’s defence, saying: "Anyone confused and thinking she’s petty has never rented. Most landlords will never fix a thing, no matter how much you show them."

A third agreed, saying: “If (the landlord) didn’t want people seeing those issues, maybe he should fix them.”

Fellow TikTokers praised Katie for ‘showing off’ the flat’s ‘features’

Meanwhile, other commentators shared similar personal experiences.

One said: “I once went to a walkthrough and the existing tenants taped a piece of paper to the bedroom door that said ‘spider count’ with tallies."

While another reminisced: “One time I went to a showing and when the landlord left the room, the tenant handed me a handwritten note of reasons not to live there."

And another said: “My landlord has a showing tomorrow and this reminded me to reposition the dehumidifier.”

So landlords be warned: your tenants may strike back unless you treat them with decency...