I had to urgently rent a place for work, so I took the first one I found. The landlord seemed a little off, but I didn’t have time to be picky. Two days in, I started noticing cockroaches everywhere, including in the kitchen. I was furious and disgusted. I called the landlord, who calmly said, “I won’t harm living creatures; they have a right to live too.”

At first, I tried to stay calm and think of my options. I wasn’t going to share meals with the cockroaches, and I certainly wasn’t going to let this slide. I started planning quietly, figuring out a way to make my point without putting myself at risk.

When the landlord came to collect the rent, I made sure he could see just how bad things were. I placed a cockroach nearby, close enough for him to spot. His face went pale as he noticed it. “Guess they’re not so easy to ignore in your space,” I said lightly.

Flustered, he quickly acknowledged the problem, and from that moment on, he never dismissed my complaints again. I documented everything, took photos, and negotiated a partial refund for the first month, making it clear I wouldn’t continue renting if the infestation wasn’t addressed. Has anyone else dealt with a landlord ignoring pests? How would you handle a situation like this?