A video circulating on X has put a stark face on a problem many landlords say they face too often: tenants who stop paying rent, drag out the eviction process for months, and then deliberately trash the unit on the way out.
The clip, shared by user DesireeAmerica4, opens with the landlord or property manager entering after the sheriff has arrived following six months of nonpayment. Subtitles describe the scene as a “nice surprise.” The camera moves through the unit, showing a bathtub with the faucet left running and water overflowing, then heads to the basement stairs. Below, murky water fills the space. The accompanying text notes that the taps were left on “on purpose.” One reply under the original post captured a common landlord reaction: tenants do this because “nothing ever happens to them.”
The footage matches accounts landlords have shared for years of spite damage timed to an eviction. Leaving water running to flood a basement or unit is a recurring example that goes beyond ordinary wear and tear into intentional destruction.
Nonpayment Is Common; Evictions Follow, Often After Long Delays
Data shows rent nonpayment is widespread, and most formal evictions start there. Research analyzing lease-level records in high-eviction markets found that roughly half of tenants missed at least one payment, while landlords typically waited two or three months before filing. In one sample, about 9 percent of rent due went unpaid overall, with higher rates among unsubsidized tenants who owed nearly two months’ rent on average at move-out. Nationally, an estimated 2.7 million households face an eviction filing in a typical year, roughly 5 to 6 percent of renter households, with the large majority of cases driven by nonpayment of rent. Pre-pandemic figures put annual filings around 3.6 million in some periods.
More recent figures point to ongoing pressure. Urban Institute research indicated that one in five renter households paid late or missed a payment in 2025, up from 16.5 percent the prior year, with middle-income renters seeing a notable increase in reported difficulties. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau analysis of payment data showed late-fee incidence fluctuating in the mid-teens to low-20s percent range in recent years among active renters.
Landlords often absorb some nonpayment before acting, weighing eviction costs estimated in research at two to three months of rent against the chance a tenant will resume paying. That forbearance, combined with court backlogs and required notice periods in many jurisdictions, can stretch the process for months, exactly the window described in the video.
The Bill Comes Due in Lost Rent, Legal Fees, and Repair Costs
The financial hit is substantial. Industry estimates put the average total cost of an eviction in the $3,500 to $10,000 range (higher in contested or high-cost cases), covering attorney fees, court and sheriff costs, lost rent during the process, turnover expenses, and property damage. Damage and repair costs commonly run hundreds to several thousand dollars and can exceed $5,000 in severe cases; they often consume or surpass the security deposit. One breakdown attributes roughly 20 percent of total eviction costs to property damage repairs, with another large share from months of uncollected rent.
Extreme or malicious damage, holes in walls, destroyed appliances and cabinets, or deliberate flooding, pushes costs higher and can delay re-renting while insurance claims or major remediation are handled. Landlords can pursue money judgments for unpaid rent and excess damage, but collection is often difficult. In the video’s scenario of six months of nonpayment plus flooding, the combination of lost income and remediation easily reaches the higher end of these ranges or beyond.
Such incidents also raise questions about when damage crosses from a civil matter into criminal territory. Intentional, malicious destruction of property can support vandalism or criminal mischief charges in many jurisdictions, particularly when it creates safety hazards or involves substantial dollar amounts. Leaving taps running to flood a unit is frequently cited by property owners and managers as a classic example of spiteful sabotage timed to eviction.
Broader Effects on Housing
These costs do not stay with individual landlords. Higher risk of nonpayment and damage contributes to tighter screening, higher security deposits or rents, reduced investment in certain markets, and fewer available units, pressures that affect the broader rental supply. Property owners argue that lengthy processes allow more damage and lost income, while tenant advocates focus on the economic hardship that leads to nonpayment and the downstream effects of eviction on families.
The video and the data around it illustrate one side of a persistent tension in the rental market: the practical reality that nonpayment is frequent, eviction is the primary legal remedy for persistent nonpayment, and the combination of delayed recovery and intentional property destruction can erase months of income and require extensive repairs. For landlords watching the clip, the flooded basement is a concrete example of why many say stronger enforcement of property rights and faster resolution of nonpayment cases would reduce both the frequency and the severity of these outcomes.
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