this post was submitted on 22 Jul 2025
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I feel like my landlord is definitely manipulating me here. (hexbear.net)
submitted 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) by Angel@hexbear.net to c/chat@hexbear.net
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But I'm easy to gaslight, so I need input from others.

My landlord came over today and saw that the wooden cabinet of my sink has endured some water damage. Of course, this means that the wood has broken down a little. However, ultimately, this is a cosmetic issue. The cabinet isn't any more or less functional because of this. That being said, it's still understandable that she wants it to be fixed.

Now, she is saying that she has to get someone to replace the whole sink.

To me, that seems overkill for one portion of a wooden cabinet with some water damage. She says that it can cost $300 USD or more, and she wants to take this out of my security deposit.

A part of me deeply feels like this is a manipulative attempt for her to get more money out of me than actually necessary.

I texted her that I'm seeking DIY solutions because I do not think that a cosmetic issue is so urgent that we need to impulsively seek such a pricey fix like that. So far, she hasn't responded, but I don't know what she'll say.

Is this a bunch of bullshit?

Update: I will not DIY so that I'm not held liable for any fuck-ups I do, but I drafted a text I will send her tomorrow letting her know that, legally, she has no evidence to use this against me in a way that makes her able to charge for it. Therefore, I refuse to take financial responsibility for it. Fuck landlords.

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[–] Speaker@hexbear.net 22 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

Review your rental contract, consult your local tenant's union, consult the housing board. Ask the latter two if they can connect you with any legal resources, and see if you can find a human-readable version of your local housing ordinances. It's very likely

  • she can't take it out of your security deposit unless you're moving out; a deposit is not a savings account she can pull from, it's a way for the leech to make themselves whole at the end of a contract
  • you're not responsible for the damage or the repairs thereof unless you broke something to make it happen or your rental contract specifically states that you are; if the contract does say you are, then she shouldn't be contacting anyone to fix it, anyway, since you would be the party responsible for fixing it (and can therefore find the cheapest contractor in the area to fix it)
  • she may be doing something illegal in all this, which might be in your favor
  • if she does insist the sink be replaced, she's the only one paying unless you sign something saying otherwise

Landlords are also not supposed to be just "dropping by", so check the notice period in your rental contract to see if she's in violation.

Do not perform any DIY, or you will become liable. Do not spend any money or sign anything related to this matter without legal representation. Do not volunteer your resources in any way or admit fault. Do not let your landlord enter the premises without notice, and definitely do not let them poke around the place without notice. Cross-check everything in your rental contract with the tenant rights protected by your local housing ordinances, since leeches love to write an illegal contract.

[–] Angel@hexbear.net 9 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Thanks for the tips!

[–] Speaker@hexbear.net 8 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I made a few other minor additions for resources and things to keep in mind so you may want to reload the comment, but for the most part the advice is the same. Godspeed on this tedious and stressful part of the protracted people's war. 🫡

[–] Angel@hexbear.net 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)

chickpea

[–] Speaker@hexbear.net 5 points 1 week ago

The particular gotcha I've seen commonly in rental contracts (mainly for apartment buildings rather than other constructions) is that the tenant can be on the hook for plumbing issues within whatever the boundary between the space you're renting and the rest of the building is. I got very lucky with a toilet issue in an apartment building I lived in because the problem was like 6 inches past the point in the plumbing where it would have been "my problem", so it was up to the landlord and the management company to sort it out.

Also, if you happen to have pictures from when you moved in, it might be worth checking to see if the issue is older than your tenancy.

[–] Belly_Beanis@hexbear.net 2 points 1 week ago

Landlords are also not supposed to be just "dropping by"

Adding onto this, they can't enter your domicile without first giving notice and getting your permission. AFAIK that's US law, with most states requiring a full 24 hours notice. Unless there are specific situations listed in your contract or explicitly stated in your state's laws, entering your unit is a good way to end up in small claims court, especially if anything is damaged.

Seeing the pictures of the cabinet below makes me think this is a shakedown. I've lived in places with more damage on stuff and my landlord sure as shit wasn't going to bother with it.

[–] Feinsteins_Ghost@hexbear.net 8 points 1 week ago (1 children)

First of all, death to land leeches. Depending upon what the cabinet is made of and what portion is damaged it legitimately might not be fixable. If it's press wood, forget about it. Water makes the fibers swell, destroying the glue binder and then it's cooked. It'll just crumble no matter what you do.

That said, I'd question what the damage is from. Can she prove it was you? Where is the damage? Is it even near the strainer/trap/drain/etc? If you open the cabinet, stop up the sink and then dump it do you see water running out from somewhere? Is it along a back wall, or back splash or something like that? If it isn't actively leaking, I don't see how it can be blamed on you, but that fact doesn't matter if you have fuck-all for tenants rights wherever you are.

Do you have any tenant/renters rights where you are?

Do you want to post photos of the supposed damage?

[–] Angel@hexbear.net 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

The sink is not leaking. However, recently, there was a clog issue, but this problem has since then been solved. The sink itself is entirely functional. The issue is with the right cabinet door, and it's definitely fucked up., but even if it's unfixable, I don't know if this is something that we really need to roll out a $300 sink replacement for.

Here are some pics of it. Pardon it being quite messy on the front.

[–] Feinsteins_Ghost@hexbear.net 9 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

That's not your fault and that's not 300 dollars. A 8th sheet of cabinet grade plywood, a touch up portion of matched paint, a screwdriver and a drill is all it takes to make the right door match the left.

She is trying to use your deposit in a manner that a deposit is not intended for.

If you have the stomach for it, I'd fight over this.

ETA - 150 bucks at Lowe's for a single lavatory vanity, with cultured marble counter and undermount sink pre installed. Pre painted, partially assembled, and of higher quality than what the leech has provided.

Do nothing, except fight that.

[–] Speaker@hexbear.net 5 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

I could see it being 300 with labor, maybe. It looks like whatever water got into the door got into the whole cabinet (you can see the warping and peeling behind the door, as well), so it does seem like the "fix" would be just replacing the whole deal with properly sealed material instead of God's shittiest particle board. Like, did the genius constructing this not know what water was?

The bit about "fuck you, don't fuck with my deposit" is completely correct, though.

[–] Angel@hexbear.net 5 points 1 week ago

Oh, I will. I'm being petty because I know she's being infantilizing and racist, and I refuse to entertain the logic she's arriving at with that mindset.

I also feel like this is a major "correlation does not equal causation" moment. It seems like her mindset is, "The sink was clogged recently, so therefore water must've overflowed and damaged the wood," but she has zero evidence that this has happened. I myself have actually never consciously noticed this until she started making a fuss about it, so I don't know when it exactly happened.

[–] Monstertruckenjoyer@hexbear.net 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

If the sinks leaking thats on her. If something else happened with the cabinet, then yeah that's unfortunately normal

[–] Angel@hexbear.net 4 points 1 week ago

The sink is totally functioning as it should. The issue is with the cabinet door.

[–] SorosFootSoldier@hexbear.net 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

b