Tenant calls out landlord over their outlandishly expensive lawn care routine: 'They know exactly what they're doing'

A frustrated renter recently posted on Reddit about their astronomical water bill and the heavy overwatering that caused it.

As the world gets warmer, some areas are experiencing high temperatures and drought, with accompanying increases in water costs. To save money and conserve water, many homeowners and even state governments have been looking into alternatives to traditional lawns. 

But some landlords and HOAs are doing the opposite by demanding lush, heavily-watered lawns — and passing the bill onto residents.

That's what this Redditor's landlord seems to want. In the post, the user shares a screenshot of their landlord's texts claiming that 15,000 gallons a month is "average" for their Hawaiian home, which they say is 1,300 square feet with a "very small yard." 

The tenant disagrees. 

"It's just my wife and I," they say. "[We've averaged] 2,500 gallons a month for the last five or more years."

The problem? Sprinklers. The Redditor claims the landlord has the system set to run for an hour every day, rain or shine, and thanks to the locked controls, they can't change the settings without the landlord's permission. 

"Our lease even states that the tenants are solely responsible for watering the lawn," the user says, but that hasn't stopped the landlord from running up the bill.

Commenters are quick to offer practical advice, identifying the exact key the original poster would need to open the sprinkler controls. 

"One day a week run in the winter," one user recommends. "After the time change, set it to two days a week, no more than 20 minutes on spray and 45 on rotors. Also, make sure a rain sensor is installed." 

Another user points out that overwatering isn't even healthy for the grass. 

"Our landlord tried to pull this s*** too," they write. "If there's too much moisture, we get stuck with fungus throughout the yard."

"They know exactly what they are doing," says a third commenter. "Why do you think they have it in the lease you signed?"

 In that case, the original poster may need outside help to make a change, like the Redditor whose landlord refused to address a dangerous gas leak.

Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more, waste less, and help yourself while helping the planet.