A group of stunned tenants have vented about their ‘ridiculous’ landlord after she demanded they keep her broken fridge inside their already cramped apartment.

The four renters, who share a unit, explained that their landlord had insisted on moving an extra refrigerator into their home against their wishes.

Posting a photo and a text exchange screengrab to a popular real estate thread, one of the tenants asked: ‘Can she legally do this?’

The situation began when the landlord announced that a downstairs refrigerator had broken.

Instead of storing or repairing it herself, she decided to relocate it upstairs into the tenants’ unit – even though they have nowhere to put it.

‘I have decided to purchase a new refrigerator for the basement unit and bring the existing new basement refrigerator up to your unit so that you have a second fridge/freezer,’ the landlord wrote in a text.

‘It needs to be repaired but is under warranty and when this gets resolved you will have two fridge/freezers.’

She then informed the group they’d need to be home all day to let movers and repair techs in, giving a vague time slot between 9am to 7pm, on a Thursday.

The landlord even suggested storing the fridge in their hallway closet, writing:

‘I am thinking that it may make sense to put the second refrigerator in the hall closet since there is a coat rail in the back closet.

‘Also need to know if there is a power outlet nearby.’

But the tenants pushed back, saying their hallway is full and there’s no room in the kitchen.

The landlord’s response was firm and non-negotiable, stating that they had no option but to comply with her demands.

When the tenants suggested she store the appliance in her own garage, they were flatly denied.

‘No. Fridge is going upstairs,’ she wrote back.

The renters even cited tenancy laws, saying they have the right to refuse unnecessary appliances that would disrupt their living situation and increase utilities.

But the landlord stood firm, threatening ‘if you do this expect the same in return’.

She also proposed ripping out part of the kitchen to make space.

The tenants reiterated that there’s simply no room, explaining that they use those counters for storage and that placing the fridge near a bedroom would disturb one of the housemates at night.

‘The fridge needs to be removed… this is going to significantly impact our living situation,’ they added in the text exchange.

‘There is also no soundproofing to (roommate’s) room where the door is and he does not want to listen to the fridge when he tries to sleep.’

When they refused to switch to a phone call to discuss the issue, the landlord accused them of being uncooperative, but the tenants said they wanted everything in writing for documentation.

Others in the thread were quick to rally behind the tenants, branding the landlord’s behaviour ‘completely unacceptable’.

‘It sounds like they are just pawning off the whole warranty process on you, and chances are they won’t have the parts for months,’ one wrote.

‘Landlords are not allowed to use rented out spaces as personal storage,’ another said.

‘You are entitled to full use of the space you are paying for, they need to remove the fridge.’

A third added bluntly: ‘It’s going outside, you don’t pay rent to be a storage shed.’

While tenancy laws differ around the world, many pointed out that landlords generally can’t force tenants to store unwanted appliances in their rented space.

The bizarre standoff has since gone viral on the platform, with thousands of users expressing disbelief that the situation had escalated this far over one fridge.

And judging by the landlord’s texts – and the tenants’ determination to hold their ground – this chilly dispute looks far from over.