Landlord in Malaysia exposes tenant who left rented apartment in disarray and allegedly took lights with them
On Saturday (9 May), a landlord in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia, took to Facebook to expose a former tenant, who had left his apartment grimy and in complete disarray.
The landlord, Mr Tan, said he initially had no intention of renewing the tenant’s lease but decided to show “goodwill” after empathising with the family, which included two young children.
However, after struggling to collect unpaid rent, Mr Tan found himself facing a property in shambles when the tenants finally moved out.
Source: Mr Tan on Facebook
Apartment left filthy, light fixtures stolen
Mr Tan shared that he had just evicted the tenant three days ago after they had accumulated two months’ worth of unpaid rent.
When he inspected the apartment, he was shocked by what he found.
Source: Mr Tan on Facebook
Photos and videos shared by Mr Tan showed the kitchen, bathroom, and balcony covered in grime and cluttered with rubbish.
Even the refrigerator was left in an appalling state, covered in dead flies and their faeces due to food left inside.
Source: Mr Tan on Facebook
The tenant also removed light fixtures, a wall switch, and even cut the electrical wires.
In addition, the locks had been broken, and at least one door’s latch bolt was missing, leaving the rest of the doorknobs intact.
Tenant has two months’ unpaid arrears
Mr Tan told Seehua that he had just taken over the property in Dec 2025.
Initially, he did not intend to renew the said tenant’s lease, but after the family pleaded with him, he decided to let them continue renting there.
Despite this, collecting rent remained a persistent issue, with the tenant reportedly paying only after repeated reminders.
The rent for March and April was unpaid, prompting Mr Tan to decide against renewing the lease for May.
He ordered the tenants to move out, but they initially refused and even threatened to call the police.
They eventually agreed to leave and claimed on 7 May that they had left the keys at the front door.
However, when Mr Tan went to collect them at around 2pm, he found the apartment in a terrible condition.
Source: Mr Tan on Facebook
Landlord forced to spend large sum on repairs
“This unit not only has extremely poor sanitation, but some of the floor tiles and walls also need to be renovated,” Mr Tan told Seehua.
Due to the damage the tenants had left, he estimates that it would cost him around RM10,000 (S$3,000) to clean, repaint, and redo the floor tiles to get it ready for the next tenant.
Source: Mr Tan on Facebook
Mr Tan said he had “learned a lesson” from this experience and shared the incident as a reminder to other homeowners who rent out their properties.
“My advice to other homeowners is not to be too soft-hearted. We pity others, but they may not necessarily appreciate it,” he said.
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Featured image adapted from Mr Tan on Facebook.
