How to Evict a Housemate (What I Did — and What I'd Skip)
My roommate Mark hadn't paid rent in 6 weeks. Here's what I actually did in my Chicago 2b1b apartment — and the one step I would have skipped if I could go back.
Renter-friendly DIY projects that won't cost your security deposit. Removable, reversible, and landlord-approved.
38 articles
5,396 reads
3 Promises Every Renter Needs
No wall damage · Landlord-approved · 100% reversible.
No-drill mounting, no nails, no holes. Walk out with your deposit.
How to Hang Curtain Rods Without Drilling: 7 Renter Methods →Peel, patch, restore. Move out without leaving traces.
How to Evict a Housemate (What I Did — and What I'd Skip) →Improvements your landlord would actually thank you for.
How Much It Costs to Break a Lease (4 Real Numbers Compared) →
How Much It Costs to Break a Lease (4 Real Numbers Compared)
My friend Alex in Boston paid $3,400 to break his lease in 2022. Two years later he ran the math and realized the real cost was almost 4x that. Here are the 4 exit strategies.
How to Find a Ceiling Joist: 4 Renter-Tested Methods
Most studs and joists hide behind drywall. Here are four renter-tested ways to find a ceiling joist without drilling, ranked by what actually works in an apartment.
Featured
How to Hang Curtain Rods Without Drilling: 7 Renter Methods
How to hang curtain rods in an apartment without losing your security deposit. I tested 7 methods across six rentals, ranked by what holds up and what fails at 3 AM.
How to Hang Things on Walls Without Nails: 7 Damage-Free Methods
I lost parts of two security deposits to nail holes. Here are seven renter-tested ways to hang things on walls without nails, ranked by what holds up vs what fails after week three.
Featured
Super Glue as Wood Filler: 5 Repairs That Actually Held
I gave up on wood filler after five tubes. Then I tried super glue for cracks, holes, and stripped screws. Five repairs later, I had not bought a sixth tube. Here is what worked.
No-Drill Curtains That Survived 4 Leases
I drilled zero holes in four apartments and got curtains that looked like the landlord paid someone. Three no-drill tricks that lasted, plus the two that ripped paint off the wall.
Featured
How I Kept My Cat Off the Counters (Without Spraying Water)
I turned around mid-recipe and my cat was licking the cutting board. Six renter-tested ways to keep a cat off the kitchen counter. No renovation, no spray bottle, no yelling.
Featured
I Have One Cat. My Apartment Looked Like a Fur Factory
Cat hair was winning my apartment. Seven renter-tested fixes for clothes, bedsheets, couches, walls, curtains, and carpet corners. No new furniture, no ruined fabric.
Featured
My Kitchen Drain Smelled Like Sewer: Two Products Compared
I tested a silicone drain stopper and a liquid drain deodorizer in my rental kitchen for 3 months. One actually killed the smell. The other just covered it up. Here's which one is worth the money.
Featured
Cube Bin Storage Hacks: 9 Ideas That Fit Small Apartments
I owned four cube bins before I owned a real bookshelf. That ratio tells you everything about living in 480 square feet. Here are the nine setups that actually worked — and the one mistake everyone makes on the first try.
Featured
Apply Removable Wallpaper (No Bubbles, No Peeling)
I applied my first roll of removable wallpaper in 2018 and watched it sag off the wall within six months. The third roll held for four years. Here's what I did differently — the 20-minute adhesion test, the plumb line, and the smoothing technique that prevents bubbles.