Kiwi tenant’s infuriating text exchange with landlord about a leaky roof: ‘Are you serious?’

A tenant was furious after being blamed for a leak in the roof of their rental property. 

After contacting the landlord, who failed to show any sympathy, the tenant from New Zealand was questioned over the cause of the leak. 

The text message exchange was shared on live radio by host Hayley Sproull, who created an amusing song from the messages. 

Rather than providing a solution, the landlord asked for proof of the issue and the conversation itself seemed awkward. 

‘What did you do to cause a leak in the roof?’ the landlord asked, to which the tenant said: ‘Us? Nothing. There’s just a wet spot on the ceiling.’ 

‘Have you been on the roof? Have you been in the roof?’ the landlord asked. The tenant replied: ‘No’. 

‘It hasn’t rained at my house so it can’t be rain,’ the landlord responded. 

The tenant pointed out how it had rained ‘all day’ in Auckland before the landlord snapped back that he lives in Hamilton – 130km south. 

To avoid further confusion, the tenant said: ‘The house you own that we rent is in Auckland.’ 

The landlord awkwardly replied: ‘Ah yes, the one with the leak. Can you send me proof?’ 

The tenant tried sending photo evidence but the message failed to deliver. 

‘Do you think the leak will dry?’ the landlord asked. 

‘Maybe ’til it rains again?’ the tenant said. The conversation continued until the tenant requested a roofer come inspect the issue. 

‘That sounds expensive. Are you sure that you haven’t been in the roof?’ the landlord replied.

The landlord was slammed and mocked online and on radio, as the message exchange shocked others.  

‘It’s almost like chatting with bot customer service the way the landlord is conversing,’ one wrote on TikTok. 

‘The fact we pay landlords thousands of dollars a year and they couldn’t care less,’ another said.  

‘Happy to take the rent payments but always pulling teeth for repairs,’ a third added.