The tenant/landlord relationship is one of the most fraught relationships there is in this life. It's a power imbalance that often goes out of whack. There's a @calebsaysthings tweet that stays with me that stays:
"first email to landlord: hey dave l'm sure you're busy and I hate to be a bother but we noticed..."
third email to landlord: "Mr. Whittington- trust that you're familiar with all local, state, and federal ordinances regarding the rights and expectations of tenants pursuant"
This perfectly sums up what it's like to communicate with a landlord. You try to be nice, but you ultimately have to become a housing rights attorney to get what you want from them. But a Redditor on r/pettyrevenge had a better, more conniving way to handle a bad landlord that requires a bit of a green thumb. What ensues is the perfect long-con, ecology style.