Tenant dumbfounded by landlord’s baffling bathroom modeling decision: ‘Looks like a health and safety hazard’

One tenant had no idea what to do when their landlord replaced the tile in their bathroom shower with a material that made no sense: plastic siding.

The r/LandlordLove subreddit is full of landlords making choices that cost their tenants money while damaging the environment. Some have created fire hazards by failing to clean lint traps; some have destroyed renters’ gardens; others have failed to correctly repair gas appliances; and many have driven up tenants’ water bills with unrealistic landscaping requirements.

While all those choices are frustrating, they at least make a certain sense. But this Redditor’s situation was just baffling.

“Landlord installs plastic siding in bathroom,” said the post. “This is what my landlord put in my shower instead of tile. It’s so hard to clean.”

The attached photo shows a layer of what appears to be molded vinyl house siding. The deep wood grain pattern and the overlapping siding segments create many crevices where moisture and grime can hide.

That design is likely to be a death sentence for the shower. According to American Way Exteriors, one of the most common problems with vinyl siding is mold growth. Any time the surface gets wet, it will be vulnerable to mold — and inside a shower, it will get wet every day. Siding simply wasn’t designed to be used this way.

Not only that, but scrubbing the siding to get rid of the mold could create a new problem. When plastic products break down, they shed tiny particles called microplastics, which pollute water. They have now been found inside the human bloodstream and have been linked to cancer.

Before long, this improperly remodeled shower could become a health hazard and a source of pollution.

“I’m sure he’ll also charge for mold damage out of your deposit,” remarked one commenter.

“I had a landlord I had who did similar,” replied another user. “He installed wood counter tops, improperly sealed them, and then blamed us when they got water damage.”

“That just looks like a health and safety hazard waiting to happen,” said a third Redditor.

“It is likely a hazard already,” another user replied. “Dollars to donuts the landlord installed the cheap plastic crap to cover up mold and broken tiles.”

To try to change a landlord or HOA’s rules to be more budget- and eco-friendly, check out this guide.

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