Yahoo Finance We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we believe in. Pricing and availability are subject to change.
Landlord thinks tenants should tip him for his ‘service,’ and TikTok is irate
The rise of tipping screens sparked a ton of debate online about when these kinds of requests are warranted and when they’re not.
But what if your landlord started asking for a tip? How would you react?
One recent TikTok poses that possibility — and people are pretty fired up.
“When you’re paying your landlord the rent and a tipping screen appears,” the post caption reads.
Then a mock scene plays out in which a landlord flips around an iPad, leaving the tenant to decide whether or not they should tip.
“A tip!” the tenant says. “I’m not tipping my landlord!”
“So you’ll tip a barista who pours overpriced coffee into a cup, but not the guy who’s on call 24/7 to make sure you have a safe home,” the landlord replies.
“I’m not tipping you!” the tenant repeats. “This isn’t a restaurant.”
“Okay, so you’ll tip an extra 25% for somebody to carry you a basket of chicken wings, but you won’t tip someone who responds to after hours emergency calls?”
That last one stumps the tenant, who isn’t sure how to reply. But the cherry on top comes when the landlord doubles down on his request.
“Yep. Well I guess when it’s time for your lease renewal I’m gonna make sure gratuity’s included in your rent,” he snaps back. “It’s a little tip I learned from Two Guys Take on Real Estate.”
User @twoguystakeonrealestate, the very account it plugs, shared the clip. But if the creators expected their advice to be popular with viewers, they were sorely mistaken.
“Absolutely not,” one TikToker wrote.
“This is an easy way to make sure people don’t do business with you,” someone else said.
Some people wondered if the whole thing was satire. But it was, very few were actually laughing.
“And when will I receive my tip for paying the mortgage off?” one person asked.
“gratuity for a landlord doing his legal obligation is frankly obsurd and likely illegal,” someone else said.
Others simply called out how ridiculously unfair the whole concept was, particularly when you run the numbers.
“Tipping 15% on $1,800 rent is close to $300,” one commenter pointed out. “Versus a $1 tip on a $7 coffee. And that tip goes to the barista, not the property owner. Greedy.”
“I’ll tip $5 to someone making $7 an hour instead of tipping any amount of money to someone making $1000+ just off of me,” another person wrote.
Considering the current state of the economy, the high cost of rent and the shifting housing market, it’s no wonder people are getting mad at the suggestion of paying even more just to have a roof over their heads. And, as some users pointed out, many landlords aren’t exactly known for their stellar commitment to the job.
“the server/barista actually works,” one person shot back.
“I’ve NEVER had a landlord available 24/7… EVER,” said someone else.
“I have needed three repairs on my apartment in three years, every time my landlord has fought tooth and nail to not do it till I threatened to sue,” another person added.
And then were those who claimed they technically already pay a “tip” — and they’re not going to add on another.
“the tip is my deposit that you keep because i hung a painting,” one person offered.
In The Know is now available on Apple News — follow us here!
The post Landlord thinks tenants should tip him for his ‘service,’ and TikTok is irate appeared first on In The Know.
More from In The Know:
Museum employee brought to tears over 'sweet' dollhouse antiques
You can wrap yourself up like a human burrito with this cozy tortilla blanket
I went down a TikTok rabbit hole on this easy-to-use latte art pen, and I'm convinced I need it
