The end indeed does justify the means in one or two special situations. Sometimes, what the law states may not always serve you best, and there are landlords who don't always do the right thing.
When we say harmless landlord lies, we don't mean you claim to have a job and can afford the rent when you actually don't. We mean telling your landlord that you have seen "a couple of mice" lately to signal a sense of urgency so the landlord can swiftly act to eliminate your uninvited roommates ASAP.
Here are 4 harmless landlord lies that can save you money according to Trulia:
"Someone tried to break in"
If for some reason one of your apartment's windows got broken (next time, ask your party visitors to tone it down a little bit), you can either give your landlord the money to have it replaced, or you can say that someone tried to break in so they can do the repair at their expense.
We are not saying that you get used to using these kinds of lies, but there could be a justified scenario to do this: when there is an issue of security. If your windows never locked, and this is of course your landlord's responsibility, use this harmless lie to get all the windows fixed to prevent future break-ins.
"The toilet is backed up"
Your toiled is indeed backed up; however, you just omit one important fact: kids' toys maybe in there. The justified situation for doing this is when you have always had a running toilet that is not only annoyingly noisy, but is hurting your water bill as well. That's 200 gallons of wasted water every day. You have told your landlord about it one too many times but never looked at it. When the landlord finally acts on it, what you need to do next is teach the kids of things that don't really need to be flushed in the toilet.
"I'm living here full time"
You are not really lying here. It was really your intention until an awesome job offer requires you to move to another state for the next six months. Thankfully, you have a friend who is looking for a place to stay and are willing to sublet the place.
But does your lease allow it? States vary to their laws when it comes to subletting; "a tenant has the right to sublet the property unless that right is specifically excluded in the lease," says Drew E. Nordgren, a Louisiana attorney.
If you are a hundred percent sure that your friend is not a deadbeat tenant but your lease has no sub-letting clause, have a talk to your landlord and it could be a no foul, no harm situation for him.
"I'm going to move"
Your lease is about to end and your landlord is offering a renewal but for a much higher rent. You love the place and don't want to let it go but you are not at all excited about the rent increase.
Call it a lie or negotiation tactic, but you can tell your landlord about how much you are enjoying the place but are not renewing since there is one just as good that you can rent for less.
Landlords value tenants who pay their rent on time and maintain the unit well. And if you are that kind of tenant, this trick could make the landlord exempt you from the increase or give you a much lower one.
