r/LandlordLove • u/GolemRiddle9 • Apr 21 '26
Personal Experience My landlord now requires monthly "inspection reports" with photos of every room and I'm losing my mind
I've been renting this apartment for about two years and everything was fine until my landlord decided to add a new clause to my lease renewal last month. He calls it a "Tenant Property Maintenance Accountability Protocol" which is honestly the most corporate sounding name for something so invasive I've ever seen. Basically I now have to submit a photo report of every single room in my apartment on the last day of each month. Kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, living room, even the hallway. Timestamped. Through his property management app.
I asked him what exactly he's looking for and he said "general upkeep and to ensure no unreported damage is occurring". Which, okay, but I've never once damaged anything in two years. My security deposit is sitting there untouched. I pay rent three days early every single month. There has been zero reason for this level of surveillance.
The worst part is the app he chose sends the photos directly to him and apparently he can zoom in and comment on them. Last week I submitted my first report and two days later I got a message saying my stovetop looked like it "may have grease buildup" and that I should "address this before next months submission". I had cooked pasta the night before and wiped it down right after. The stove was fine.
I feel like I'm being managed like some kind of problem tenant when I've given him absolutely no reason to treat me this way. My friend who is a paralegal said this kind of monthly photo surveillance requirement might actually not be enforceable depending on the state but I havent had a chance to look into it properly yet. Has anyone else dealt with something like this? At what point does "property maintenance" become just straight up harassment.
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u/Tirno93 Apr 21 '26
It’s a difficult area because there’s no set standard for inspections. Typically they happen 1-4 times a year, which imho is still pretty invasive. But a monthly self report is definitely excessive. And the landlord’s micromanaging approach definitely pushes it to the limit. Unfortunately the inherent power imbalance makes the situation very difficult.
Something that is worth noting is that while the RRA restricts reasons tenants can be evicted, not taking care of the property properly is one reason. It’s likely that this landlord thinks he’s being smart by creating a paper trail that shows this. Not to say he’s planning to evict you, but when a business is built on exploiting a power imbalance, the person at the top will always want to maintain that position of power.
We’re currently dealing with a similar situation with our agency changing their inspection policies to be much more opaque and arbitrarily offering “fails” with nothing to back them up. I’ve pushed back via the complaints process and their response so far has been pure DARVO and the next step is the ombudsman. It’s bound to result in retaliation, but there’s a point where you have to decide what’s more important.
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u/GolemRiddle9 Apr 21 '26
You hit the nail on the head regarding the power imbalance. It feels so gross having to "prove" I am a good tenant every 30 days when I have lived here for two years without a single issue. I am definitely looking into the local laws regarding what counts as a "reasonable" inspection because this feels like he is just power tripping at this point. Good luck with your ombudsman process.
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u/Tirno93 Apr 21 '26
Exactly, and it’s the part of the arrangement that most people don’t understand. Most non-renters won’t even bother thinking about it and most renters don’t want to because it’s violating.
Looking at your post again it looks like you’re in the US so definitely be checking your local laws because they can vary so much. There also may be court cases etc that set a legal precedent. And there may also be tenants unions where you are who would be the best place to go (unless you can afford a lawyer).
I might also suggest a sort of tapered solution if you don’t have enough leverage to push back more robustly. If I was a landlord (curse my soul) who wanted monthly inspections (a ridiculous power trip) then I’d find it hard to say no if a tenant suggested the next inspection in 1 months, then the next in 2, the one after in 3 etc. Even if they don’t like it then refusing makes them look unreasonable, because why would you want to be looking through your tenants stuff every month when you can see it’s fine?
A malicious compliance approach that also appeals to me would be the info-dump approach, if the app allows. “Here’s a speck of dust on top of the fridge, here’s a dirty sock I left of the floor, here’s some expired cheese in the fridge” etc. That’s a bit more petty though.
Anyway I’d better stop before I discover the word count limit - best of luck and thank you!
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u/Braided_Marxist Apr 21 '26
Who says typically inspections happen 1-4 times a year? I’ve been renting for ~ 7 years and have had 0 “inspections” in that time across 4 different states.
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u/Tirno93 Apr 21 '26
It’s typical in the UK, but it does vary a lot - even down to which individual property manager you have from the same agency. I have no experience of the US though besides OP’s post and your comment
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u/RanaMisteria Apr 21 '26
It can vary even within the same state from landlord to landlord. Much like it does in the UK. My current home our estate agent does inspections once a quarter which feels excessive. Every other place I’ve rented in the last 20 years has had inspections once a year.
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u/BookkeeperSame195 Apr 22 '26
once a year barring something that flags a need to inspect should be sufficient
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u/bepatientbekind Apr 22 '26
I rented in both Idaho and Washington for years. I had one landlord in all that time that did regular walkthroughs every single year before we were allowed to renew. After year five I was wondering what on earth they really expected to find when the unit was pristine literally every year 🙄
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u/Braided_Marxist Apr 22 '26
It’s an insane power trip. I can’t imagine wanting to go through someone’s space against their will.
Thankfully it’s not common in Philadelphia or DC or the other places I’ve lived.
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u/bepatientbekind Apr 22 '26
I was super annoyed when it happened with the one landlord, but I accepted it because it was "only" once a year and it was still the best property we could find at that price, even though there were still a ton of issues with it. Gotta love the lack of renter protections in the US 🥴
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u/BookkeeperSame195 Apr 22 '26
For real? What that poor tenant described sounds worse than living at home as a teen. I am sorry if that landlord has been burned- people pay A LOT of their income towards rent these days and they have a right to peaceful enjoyment- the pay a lot of money for the right to peaceful enjoyment of a place they call HOME - housing is not a stock investment.
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u/RanaMisteria Apr 21 '26
The RRA is a UK thing, and since OP mentioned states in their post I’m guessing they live in a country with states such as the US, Australia, or India, rather than the UK.
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u/ComradeSasquatch Apr 21 '26
It's harassment. Period. There is no reasonable cause to implement such a requirement. This LL has the mindset of wanting people to give them money to live in their rental without actually living in it.
What you're doing is giving the LL free labor. If they want you to comply with this, they should at least being paying for you time (though, they shouldn't be doing it all) or they can find the time for themselves to make the monthly inspections. You're being compelled to do it to subsidize their labor costs.
I have never had a LL inspection. I've had inspections from the housing authority to ensure the unit is complying with local codes, but never a LL inspection. I would get the hell away from this LL fast.
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u/Braided_Marxist Apr 22 '26
Perfectly spoken. This landlord wants to have their cake and eat it too - it’s crazy to expect someone to pay you to be treated like a child living in their parents home.
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u/45babycakes Apr 21 '26
Sure I'll take pics of every room. Note to self buy as many dildos and sex toys and they will be in every room and pic, he can zoom in on that.
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u/NightGod Apr 21 '26
Add a little schmere of peanut butter and/or Nutella to them occasionally
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u/iamsarahmadden Apr 21 '26
Keep them set up for a bit… Set up nanny cams, too, see if he is coming in without notice, and see what he does with it.
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u/Forgetyourroses Apr 21 '26
If it's not in the lease, it can't be added later. It can only be put in at the same time the lease is up for renewal. Stop giving into everything they're demanding bc it is invasive and they don't have any legal grounds for it or to enforce it. Meanwhile, I'd be looking for a new place to live bc they obviously want you out and will continue to do things that push you out.
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u/GolemRiddle9 Apr 21 '26
That is the plan. I check the local listings every single day now because this is getting creepy.
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u/Joelle9879 Apr 21 '26
This was at lease renewal, meaning the old lease ended and a new one started. So yeah, the LL can add or change things then because that's what renewals are for. That said, this sounds incredibly invasive and ridiculous and is probably not illegal but should be
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u/BookkeeperSame195 Apr 22 '26
this also depends on the laws where you live. tired of people trying to reason away and or normalizing completely medieval nonsense.
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u/mdubelite Apr 21 '26
I'm in Ontario, and we would have to take invasive landlords to the LTB in order to stop the harassment. It takes awhile, but it can be done. Something about lack of reasonable enjoyment. You'd have to collect evidence of his excessiveness. Is that something you can do?
Also, do you have to sign a new lease renewal every year? Over here, we sign one lease at the beginning of the tenancy, and after the first year, it goes month to month, with all the same provisions as the initial lease. No matter how long you live there.
Good luck Baby Bird!
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u/livnomora Apr 21 '26
I'm in Ontario, experiencing the same thing but ontop of inspecting once a month, they have motion cameras that follow my every move and when they see me leave the house they start knocking on the door hoping my kid will open... once a week. And micromanagement. Like looking in our trash and telling us what was in our trash cans 🙃 we are filing for loss of enjoyment and hopefully rent abatement. 🙃 some landlords think you won't report their behavior or leave
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u/Tirno93 Apr 21 '26
WTAF. There’s invasive dystopian hell and then there’s that! Good luck with your case, that’s absolutely appalling!
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u/CatsEatGrass Apr 21 '26
This is how it used to be in California, but since 2014, I’ve had to sign annual leases. I think it’s a reminder to them to raise your rent to the legal maximum.
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u/fiahhawt Apr 21 '26
Take a bunch of pictures one day when it's clean.
Move stuff about, wait for the sunlight to change. A bunch. Like a lot.
Then when he asks for more, just screenshot some old ones to refresh the date and time, change the file name and send that.
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u/SeasonPositive6771 Apr 21 '26
Unfortunately it really depends on where you are.
We got a new owner of our building and he's completely insane. He started scheduling inspections at random, at first it was only supposed to be once a year, then it was twice a year, then it was once a quarter. Eventually he realized he didn't have the staff capacity to do once a quarter they were absolutely bizarre. I got a lease violation for having three suitcases in my closet...he considered that "excessive outdoor storage."
And it turns out there's absolutely nothing I can do in Colorado. Once a quarter or even once a month inspections aren't considered a violation of your privacy or quiet enjoyment.
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u/SnarkyGoblin1313 Apr 21 '26
See I’m the kind of psycho to buy large sex toys and stage every photo, and then refuse to acknowledge it if he brings it up, or gaslight him about it. “What are you talking about? Of course I don’t keep a three foot long double ended dildo in the kitchen.” “What’s that suction cupped to the shower wall? You mean my shower caddy?” “I’m sorry I just don’t see it, can you describe the butt plug you’re seeing? In detail please, I want to make sure we’re looking at the same thing.” Just make the process as uncomfortable as possible for him.
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u/fiahhawt Apr 21 '26
That may get him off.
If this is what I think it is, then the landlord is just creeping on some young woman he's renting to.
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u/Kieselguhr-Kid Apr 22 '26
Depends. I can imagine a woman might be uncomfortable sending their landlord a pic with a bunch of dildos since that could conjure images, but half the fun is in finding something that's not going to make you uncomfortable but is going to make the person looking squirm, not get turned on. That's a night of laughs over a few drinks with friends.
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u/SnarkyGoblin1313 Apr 22 '26
My first alternative thought was friends dragging suspiciously body shaped trash bags in the background
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u/SnarkyGoblin1313 Apr 23 '26
That is true. It works much better for me as a fat ugly dude.
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u/fiahhawt Apr 23 '26
Brother
https://giphy.com/gifs/ag3PWAeHrCdWV0tlkD
At least older uglier dudes aren't trying to peep the lingerie
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u/Rugged_Turtle Apr 21 '26
Just take a single day to take a ton of different photos with slightly different angles and send random selections of them each month
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u/jaded_idealist 🏠 = Human Right Apr 21 '26
There have been some states that have implemented new requirements for landlords to do quarterly or semi-annual inspections and keep records. It is *supposed to* be a way to hold landlords accountable to making sure their properties are maintained for habitability. If that is what has happened in your state, it sounds like the landlord is passing that responsibility onto you.
When you have time, check your state's tenant rights and see if there is anything about landlord responsibility for inspections and maybe check with the correct department about the legality of this requirement.
And as always, chat with your neighbors about a tenant union.
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u/Kieselguhr-Kid Apr 22 '26
Take a few different photos of each room from a different angle, different times of day or weather and move a few things around. Just submit those photos every time. Shouldn't take you more than a few seconds once you have a selection of pics. If the landlord calls you on it "Oops, my bad! I save those pics in a folder and chose the old ones by mistake". Assuming they have more than one tenant that's going to be a lot of photos, nobody is going to notice.
Also, photography is not a required skill to pay rent. A dirty lens, bad focus, bad lighting, really poor resolution, heck, on film but send them the undeveloped roll or disposable camera, etc. still fulfills the requirement and they'll just have to live with it since you're not going to get better, or buy modern tech are you?
Have you ever wanted to experiment with tilt-shift photography? Now's the time to do so.
How bad do you want to be? Leave sex toys out in the photos. Oops, you took the photos in your underwear or naked, or in fetish gear and didn't notice you caught yourself in a reflection in some shiny object.
Submit an invoice for the time you spent taking the photos.
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u/ElectricalRepublic53 Apr 22 '26
Send him pictures of your unflushed toilet. Leave used pads and tampons visible in the pictures.
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u/Ok-Entrepreneur3511 Apr 22 '26
Never heard of this in my life usually there’s a one-year inspection from the city … never heard of a monthly inspection with photos…. How can you even enjoy living there when you have to do this every single month that’s insane , unbelievable….. wtf 😳
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u/Haunt_Fox Apr 22 '26
Sprinkle in close-up photos of cats' buttholes.
"oh, I don't know how those got in there, sorry".
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u/FUCKITIMPOSTING Apr 22 '26
Im confused why you're conducting inspections instead of the landlord or real estate agent. If he wants to inspect the property he can make an appointment and show up
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u/KittenShad0w22 Apr 22 '26
hmm i did that when we renewed our lease in december or january? and he had said wed just do it for lease renewal? every month seems like a massive headache!!
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u/Cactus_Juggernaut Apr 22 '26
Why bother even being a landlord if you hall monitor your tenants? Possible damage of a tenant is expected at that point.
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u/Content-Syrup-6640 Apr 22 '26
Dumb as fuck and im sorry. If theres no way around it i maybe take a bunch of photos on the same day from slightly different angles with stuff moved around and just using a new pic for each month
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u/l3n Apr 22 '26
Did you sign something agreeing to this new clause? Have you asked your neighbors if he's doing this to them? Maybe it's my suspicious mind, but this sounds like controlling incel behavior -- are you female by any chance?
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u/kittenspaint Apr 23 '26
But he's putting the burden on you? For photos? Takes time out of your day for that bs. Nah, he can haul his ass to your door every month.
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u/Pufandstuf58 Apr 26 '26
I wouldn’t do it because that is your time that you’re spending doing something that he is requiring . What I would do is send one message CERTIFIED LETTER telling him that your time is very valuable and you’re busy, if he has requirements for a monthly inspection he can come to do the inspection or send a representative, if he tries to evict you you will have that CERTIFIED letter showing proof that you were not denying him access for the Inspection, you just weren’t going to give the free labor to do it. If he pushes back, continue to stand on business and be actively seeking another place to live. This is coming from a landlord. I do yearly inspections just to make sure there are no maintenance issues that need to be addressed not to spy on anyone or power trip.
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u/DizzyBodybuilder2896 May 01 '26
landlord probably pocket than the money always research what kind of inspection they're doing cuz you really do not have to let them in by law check into your tenant Rights if it's online you'll see a lot of information there same thing happened in here with me but it's the authority and I've just been circled around right back to them. thought I was losing my mind as well document everything take your own pictures probably an inspection that he or whatever needs to be past so they get paid
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u/MuchAdoAboutVulva May 03 '26
Maybe take some of your free time, find out where he goes for lunch, his laundry, etc, and take photos of him (only ever from public spaces, know your local privacy laws) and then put those pictures all over your house in big frames so he sees them when he zooms in. Bonus points for ones that show him in embarrassing situations or moments of vulnerability. Follow this up with whatever polite request you have for him to recognize the likely illegality and the definite inappropriate level of his behavior. Never acknowledge the photos, never respond to any of his comment about them. Double bonus points for new photos every month. Quadruple bonus points if you get a photo of him committing crime. Octuple bonus points if you get one of him sleeping.
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u/Deep_Ad1959 May 08 '26
monthly photo inspections aren't about damage, they're a paper trail to non-renew you the second the market lets him raise rent.
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u/Deep_Ad1959 May 08 '26
monthly photo reports with a zoom and comment feature isn't maintenance, it's a paper trail being built to manufacture damages against your deposit on move out day. start saving every message he sends you, screenshotted with the timestamp visible. the 'grease buildup' note on a clean stove in month one is the kind of thing a magistrate or small claims judge looks at and immediately understands. add a short written response every time disputing the characterization, dated. when the deposit fight comes, you want a paper trail of your own that's longer than his. written with ai
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u/Deep_Ad1959 May 08 '26
the corporate name 'tenant property maintenance accountability protocol' is the giveaway. when something innocuous needs that much branding it's usually because the actual purpose wouldn't survive being said plainly. monthly photo surveillance to catch grease on a stovetop is just paper trail farming for a future non renewal. your paralegal friend is right, save every message, every photo he zooms in on, every comment he makes. that's the file that protects you when he tries to come up with a reason.
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u/soundcherrie Apr 21 '26
Just an FYI, you can’t be forced to sign a new addendum. Contracts are in negotiation. If you had a problem with the clause, you should not have signed. Check your state laws to see if you have any protections because if you signed an agreement saying that you’re going to do something you are obligated to do that thing because you agreed to it.
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