A word of caution: Never rent from a friend. Trust me, it will end badly.

I’m currently renting a house from someone I thought was a good friend, but after five months, it’s become clear that this “friend” has really taken advantage of me. Here’s how it all started:

I was offered the house for $500 a month, which seemed like a great deal at the time. I was told that an account would be set up for easy rent payments and that select furniture would be distributed around the house. The rest was to be stored in the attic, the landlord’s bedroom, and the basement. The neighbors’ landscaper was supposed to mow the yard, but that idea was scrapped by the landlord’s father just before I moved in. Unfortunately, none of these things were ever done.

While the house itself has potential—good basement, lots of storage space, and a generally warm feel—it was completely cluttered with what my landlord claims are antiques. Maybe they once were, but now they’re just broken-down, filthy items that should’ve been tossed. The so-called silver collection he’s so proud of? Tarnished, silver-plated junk that no one would pay more than $40 for.

When I moved in, the house was filthy. There was mold everywhere, rotten food dating back to 2000 in the fridge and pantry, and it took me days to clean it all up. The bathroom floor in the spare bathroom had dried cat litter, and the whole house smelled stale, like old lady perfume. I had to air the place out for three days and use a ton of air freshener to get rid of the smell.

Now that I’ve finally cleaned up the house, my so-called landlord/friend has decided to complain about it. I was told tonight that I’m not a renter, but a “house sitter,” and I’m only allowed to use my room, the guest room, and the kitchen. I’m not supposed to decorate anything except my room.

A few weeks ago, I had some friends over after redecorating the house (which I was told I could do) to show it off. Everyone was amazed by how great it looked and how nice the house smelled. It actually felt like my home—which, by the way, is what a rental property should feel like for the renter.

But now, my landlord wants it to look exactly as it did when he left it, cluttered and messy. So, I’ll be putting everything back as it was and won’t be cleaning any more. Let him come back to his pigsty of a house.

I understand now why no one knew who he was or where he lived—no one wants to deal with his crazy behavior. I’ll stick to my designated areas in the house until I’m done with my "house sitting" duties. Once that’s over, I’m cutting ties with everyone involved. Good riddance to filth and trash.