Tenant Catches 17 Mice as Proof After Landlord Refuses to Act on Mouse Problem | “Time for Malicious Compliance”

Tenant Catches 17 Mice as Proof After Landlord Refuses to Act on Mouse Problem | “Time for Malicious Compliance”
Cover Image Source: Reddit | u/pokemonprofessor121

If you had to be a part of Tom and Jerry daily, would you enjoy it as much as you enjoy watching the cartoon? We certainly won't because the cartoon Jerry is cute but actual mice are troublesome—they steal food and spread diseases. These tenants were faced with 17 mice. 

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A tenant, u/pokemonprofessor121 shared a mouse story on Reddit's 'Malicious Compliance' community. A cat caught a mouse one day so they clicked its picture immediately and reported it to the landlord. They assumed there could be more mice around and requested a professional exterminator but the landlord seemed disinterested. The anonymous tenant said, "They check out the apartment, see no poop, set a trap and tell us to let them know if it happens again." And voila, a few nights later, they got another mouse and two more the night next. The tenants' troubles increased, and they contacted maintenance for help. However, they, too, failed to get to the root cause.  

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The tenant reported, "They [maintenance people] claim to have found the issue behind the stove. They "patch it" and leave. We get another mouse—they claim an issue with our washer and dryer and they patch that, too. But then there are more mice."Uff!! For the OP, the problem did not seem to die down because eventually, even the maintenance got sick of their calls. OP then turned to get the help of a professional exterminator but the landlord kept refusing due to a lack of "proofs." OP recalled, "We've never got a mouse in our trap and there's no mouse poop. The only evidence of mice is our pictures of sixteen mice with our cat over time." 

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If only their cat Athena could speak and reveal the mouse's address, the tenant's problem could have been solved. Nonetheless, the maintenance guy gave a suggestion and the tenant took it because nothing else was working out. "He said next time we get a mouse, we should keep it and bring it to the main office. They can study and figure out where it's coming from," shared OP. By then, they were assured the landlord was doing it on purpose because the problem wasn't as big for him. 

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The tenants then took matters into their hands and decided it was time for some 'malicious compliance.' The OP said, "A night or two later, we get a mouse. We put it in a garbage can in the tub until morning. Unfortunately, the little guy doesn't make it through the night." Now was the time for a twist as the OP caught 17 mice and they had the proof that the landlord had demanded. The tenant added, "We explained to our landlord about the now 17 mice and how we would personally deliver each mouse to her. She looked at my husband horrified, grabbed her cell phone and headed to a back room." The mission was accomplished. The OP's landlord returned with news that they would hire a professional exterminator to take a look at the building. The OP concluded, "The exterminator found hundreds of entry points which had to be taken care of. That was the last mouse we ever had in that apartment."

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 Tenant caught 17 mice as proof for landlord