A frustrated landlady in Selangor, Malaysia has taken to Facebook to warn others about a male tenant who allegedly “ran away” after leaving her property in a filthy state and unpaid for months.
In her post on 14 Sept, user Nik Zai Md Noor alleged that the man had turned her house into a “rubbish dump”.
Source: Nik Zai Md Noor on Facebook
She claimed one of the bedrooms was littered with cat faeces and food waste, while trash was strewn across the rest of the unit.
Images she uploaded showed walls and ceilings layered with dust and cobwebs, and the floor buried under plastic bottles and bags.
Source: Nik Zai Md Noor on Facebook
Furniture and appliances were also left in poor condition, with a stained headboard, a ceiling fan caked in grime, and torn window blinds.
On top of the mess, Ms Nik alleged that the tenant had failed to pay six months’ worth of rent, as well as water and electricity bills.
She added that he abandoned the property without settling the arrears, leaving all the trash behind.
Source: Nik Zai Md Noor on Facebook
In the comments, she said she was already on the way to the police station to file a report about the incident.
She also appealed in her post: “If you see him, please catch him and send him to the police station.”
Several landlords empathised with Ms Nik and shared their own experiences with untidy tenants or those who did not pay their dues.
“This tenant from hell must have never taken out the trash the entire time he was renting. Hard to believe he could actually live in all that rubbish,” one commenter wrote.
Source: Facebook
Others felt Ms Nik should have acted much sooner.
Translation: How can you let it go for six months without paying? If the tenant fails to pay for one month, by the second month you should already be padlocking the gate and locking the doors.
Source: Facebook
Meanwhile, another speculated that the tenant might be struggling with mental health issues.
Translation: Looking at the tenant’s photos, it seems like he may have a mental illness: hoarding disorder, the habit of collecting rubbish in the house.
Source: Facebook
According to Chia, Lee & Associates, landlords in Malaysia cannot legally evict a tenant without first securing a court order, typically through a Writ of Possession.
For breaches of tenancy, they may instead apply for a Writ of Distress.
This is a faster process that allows the court’s bailiff or sheriff to seize a tenant’s movable property — such as furniture and appliances — to recover up to 12 months of unpaid rent via auction.
Beyond rent, landlords or tenants may also claim damages in civil court for unpaid bills, repair costs, or unauthorised alterations, though actual losses must be proven or supported by clauses in the tenancy agreement.
Also read: Homeowner in M’sia faces S$91K power bill after former tenant used house for cryptocurrency mining
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Featured image adapted from Nik Zai Md Noor on Facebook.