Many people have chosen to rent out their lovely homes. According to the market data at 'Statista', around 44 million homes were rented out, making up about 34% of all U.S. households. And diving into U.S. Census stats, the average household usually has around 2.6 people. We find that a whopping 114.4 million people, or roughly 35% of the whole U.S. population, were renting homes in 2021.

While renting provides flexibility and less responsibility compared to homeownership, there are definitely challenges. It costs a lot, landlords make the rules, leases might be shorter than you'd like, you can't change much, you don't own it, some landlords are horrible, and over time it might get too expensive. Plus, you miss out on homeowner perks.

You should always sign a lease or rental agreement, as verbal agreements aren't as reliable in disputes. According to marketing manager Abhishek Singh, "The terms and conditions regarding the stay, the rules to be obeyed by the tenants, the guidelines for the landlords and the charges included/excluded from the rent should be clearly laid down in the agreement. This protects both the landlords and tenants as well."

But let's say you've got everything sorted. You discovered a comfy rental at a fair cost, sealed the deal with a lease, and were all set to enjoy a peaceful couple of years there. Then, enter the nightmare landlord. Suddenly, you stumble upon a hidden camera, silently capturing every move you make. You're hit with absurd house rules, the rent shoots up, or pesky roaches start appearing, with the landlord showing no interest in addressing the issue. Landlords can also be lazy and greedy, these issues can result in uncomfortable living situations and potential legal complications for renters.

People who are generally happy and well-adjusted usually act kindly. But we also need to deal with unkind behavior in society to stop it from getting worse. We looked into human psychology to understand why people can be mean to each other sometimes.

Ignorance often plays a bigger role than we realize. We might underestimate its impact on various unfortunate situations. Imagine this: if I were to withhold part of your rent due to a misunderstanding, would it be genuinely disrespectful or even a breach of contract? Could it be a simple case of confusion that needs clarifying?

Many times, we unintentionally hurt others due to ignorance. We would make better choices if we were better informed. But what about those who understand right from wrong and still make poor decisions?

The most harmful types of "othering" come from a mix of ignorance (lack of familiarity with different races, religions, or social groups) and damaged self-esteem due to emotional hurt from relationships. Studies show that people displaying racist or hateful actions often have low self-esteem and experience feelings of isolation.

Let's aim to be kinder to each other, starting with ourselves. Who knows, maybe in a long run it might help us avoid difficult landlords. Keep reading to discover rental nightmares and explore our previous stories on this topic (here and here) that will surely raise your eyebrows.