"Secretly Raising Cats and Smoking Indoors"…Landlord Angered by Tenant Damaging the House

'Shocked' by the story of breaking the contract and destroying the house
Received 'abusive and threatening' messages after saying unable to pay the deposit

A landlord's story has been shared about a tenant who secretly kept six cats, damaged the house, and even hurled insults at the landlord.

On the 10th, a post titled "The condition of the house left by a tenant who secretly kept six cats and moved out early" was uploaded to an online community. The writer, Mr. A, who rents out properties near a university, said, "Through a real estate agent, I rented the place to a couple where the man was a graduate student," and added, "Since they were students, I accepted a deposit of 3 million won with good intentions, but it has been really frustrating."

Photos of the interior of the house disclosed by homeowner Mr. A. [Image source=Online community capture]

Mr. A explained, "(The tenant couple) said they didn’t have time, so I never met them face-to-face and only exchanged contracts through the real estate agent," and "I even sent a polite greeting message wishing them well." However, shortly after moving in, the female tenant began sending Mr. A messages repeatedly from 6:30 a.m. for several days.

Mr. A said, "(The tenant’s inquiries) were simple, like replacing the plastic bag in the trash can, but since they didn’t understand well, I explained sincerely," and "Since I hadn’t met them, I offered to visit and explain in person, but they absolutely refused me to come. I thought they were a bit sensitive and just let it go." He added, "Later, when they disposed of recycling waste carelessly, I sent a message asking them to dispose of it properly, but at some point, they started cursing," and "From then on, I blocked them and contacted the male tenant when necessary."

Photos of the interior of the house disclosed by the homeowner Mr. A.
[Image source=Online community capture]

Meanwhile, Mr. A received a sudden notice from the tenants two days before the Chuseok holiday that they would move out early, and the next day they asked for the deposit back, saying they had already moved out. After the holiday, Mr. A received the house password through the real estate agent and visited to check the condition of the house, only to be shocked. The house was filled with cat excrement, there was evidence of indoor smoking, and the walls were damaged, severely deteriorating the property.

Photos shared by Mr. A showed various cat-related items covered with fur stuck all over the hallway, indoor excrement, and cigarette packs and lighters piled on the window sill. Mr. A emphasized, "The contract included clauses prohibiting pet ownership and indoor smoking, but they kept six cats and smoked indoors," and "They didn’t clean the excrement in time, so the whole house smelled so bad it was hard to breathe." He also expressed disbelief, saying, "There was a notice for overdue electricity bills, and when I checked, the unpaid electricity charges exceeded 420,000 won."

Mr. A confronted the tenants, asking, "How can you ask for the deposit after leaving the house like this?" The tenants then reportedly sent insulting messages for seven hours straight until evening. The messages Mr. A captured included curses and verbal abuse such as, "You petty thief trying to get 3 million won by any means. Did your mother teach you that?" and "If you try to pull any tricks to avoid returning even one won, I will drag you by your hair to the police station."

Photos around the house disclosed by homeowner Mr. A. Uncleaned cat feces are piled up. [Image source=Online community capture]

Netizens who saw this advised, "Don’t set the deposit too low. Troublesome tenants often come with it. If they move out like now, it’s one thing, but if they don’t pay rent and just stay, the landlord will have a headache. First, settle utility bills, and if you clean the house or stairway waste yourself, it will be hard to prove later, so hire a company and deduct the cost from the deposit." Other netizens responded with comments like, "You should probably file a lawsuit," "How can anyone sleep in a place like that," and "There are many bad landlords, but tenants don’t always behave as you wish either."

Meanwhile, disputes between landlords and tenants over pets are also rapidly increasing. According to data submitted to Rep. Han Junho of the National Assembly Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee from the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, disputes related to pets between landlords and tenants increased more than ninefold from 3 cases in 2017 to 28 cases in 2022 over five years.

Among a total of 132 disputes over five years, 70.5% (93 cases) involved "disputes over restoration scope such as floor damage and wallpaper contamination caused by animal breeding." This was followed by ▲contract termination and renewal refusal due to violation of pet prohibition clauses (15 cases) ▲others (13 cases) ▲contract termination due to neighbor complaints about noise and odor (8 cases) ▲controversies over unfair pet ownership bans (3 cases).