Landlord “content creators” Two Guys Take on Real Estate made a TikTok about tipping your landlord and a small corner of the internet is inflamed. “So you’ll tip an extra 25 percent for somebody to carry you a basket of chicken wings,” one of the two guys taking on real estate asks, “but you won’t tip someone who responds for after-hours emergency calls?”
The two guys taking on real estate later claimed in the comments that the post is “trolling,” but did you know that the question of whether you should tip your landlord periodically pops up on Reddit and Quora? People (at least 20 people) seem to wonder. One such post: “I just moved into an apartment for the first time by myself and my landlord got mad at me after my first payment because I didn’t tip. I never knew you were supposed to so I tipped 10% next time and he’s still mad at me.” On the forum Wall Street Oasis, someone asked “what other PE/finance guys are tipping their landlord this year,” saying they were thinking of 20 percent on their $5,600 one-bedroom.
In each case, everyone points out that tipping your landlord is simply not a thing. (Even the finance guys know better, with one advising, “Bro my landlord better tip my ass.”) And yet the question lives on. Personally, I’ve never met anyone who tips their landlord, and also personally, I never hope to.
