"It Looks Like I Put It There": This Person Is Feuding With Their Landlord Over A Trump Sign In Front Of Their Rental

As someone whose first reaction to any kind of upset is always, "Am I overreacting???" I'm a huge fan of the r/AmIOverreacting subreddit where people chat through their reactions to sticky situations. Recently, a tenant wrote in about a dispute with their landlord over political signs in front of their rental, and it led to a really interesting debate. Here's what happened:

They wrote, "My landlord and I live right next to each other and share a driveway. He and I knew each other before he bought both houses from a mutual friend, and he gives me a really good deal on rent. A couple weeks or so ago, he put up a Trump sign in the shared driveway, but it’s in front of my house, far enough away from his that it looks like I put it there."

"About a week ago, I asked him in person if he could move it. I told him that I’ve always made a point not to display political things because I’m not comfortable doing so, and it looks like I’m the one who put it there. I don’t remember EXACTLY what he said but it was something to the effect of he’d consider it."

It’s been around a week and the sign is still there, so I texted him about it, and this is his response (so far). Am I overreacting?

In response, some people shared similar tales of landlords plastering their rentals with political signs, like this person who wrote, "I shit you, not my old landlord did this exact thing — but they NAILED IT TO MY DECK while I was at work. It was about a 6’x4’ wood sign. If there was any karma in the situation, it was that during a wind storm, it ripped off and smashed into their car windshields, LOL."

Another person shared, "Oh god, I had a landlord do this years ago. And the sign was HUGE. It was like 12 feet across. I called my landlord and cursed her out. Told her to call those people asap to remove it or I was going to destroy the sign. They came back but left two deep, wide holes in the yard. I was so mad. I told her if she did it again, I wouldn’t even give a courtesy heads up."

Some people chimed in to say they're on the landlord's side in this debate. This person commented, "Not trying to be an asshole here, but yeah, you are overreacting. First thing, it’s just a sign. Even if it’s not the candidate that you support, it’s just a sign. Second reason, it’s not your house. You’re renting. If you don’t like the sign, then buy your own place, and you can put up whatever signs you want or not put any up at all."

And some people felt that the tenant should avoid rocking the boat with their landlord, like this person who wrote, "Your rent is good? Leave it. I wouldn't like it either. I'd be embarrassed, and it would be torn down in my neighborhood, but I'd leave it. I wouldn't piss off the landlord if I had reasonable rent, especially today. Or, if you have big balls and don't care, you could put up your party sign next to it 😂. I'd pick my battles wisely; is it worth the repercussions?"

But most people agreed that the tenant is not overreacting, like this person who wrote, "NOR [Not overreacting]. I have rented from landlords of various political persuasions, and none have imposed their beliefs on us as their tenants. Any political signage can put a target on your rental for vandalism or side-eye glances from neighbors as you leave your home. You were respectful in your delivery. I hope your landlord chooses to concede."

And some people noted that depending on the tenant's profession, the sign could even get them into trouble at work, like this commenter who wrote, "Not overreacting at all. Question: Does your landlord know what you do for a living? The reason I ask is that there are sensitive government jobs where you are required NOT to display political material on your home or vehicle. If there’s a way to tell your landlord that the sign will cause problems for you at work, maybe that would help?"

Others advised the tenant to look into renters laws in their area. One person wrote, "Most states have a right to 'full use and enjoyment' of any property you rent, and you could make an argument that having a political sign, especially one you may not be affiliated with, violates that right. You could further state that due to upticks in violence towards those displaying political signs from one side or the other, as seen in the news, you feel unsafe in your home by having that displayed in your yard."

"If he refuses, I would just keep taking it in the middle of the night and disposing of it very far away from my house and then denying any knowledge of what happened to it, hint that maybe a disgruntled neighbor is doing it and that it validates your need to not have it in your yard. Any way you go with it, I think that would be a hard no on my part. I'm renting the property from them, and while I do such, as long as I'm paying my bills and keeping up with the property as stated in the lease, they can shove off. By law, it's considered MY 'home' as long as the lease is in force."

Others proposed even pettier solutions, like this commenter, who said, "You could always put your landlord's phone number with a sign that says call if you have any questions about his position right above or below his sign. Or a sign that says, 'I don’t want political signs on my property but my landlord made me leave that there. I don’t share or endorse his or anyone else’s opinions. Have a nice day.'"

Who do you think is in the right in this situation? Have you ever been in a similar situation involving political signage? And what would you do in the tenant's shoes? Tell me what you think in the comments!