Rent isn’t cheap, especially in Hawaii, but some landlords are still finding ways to squeeze extra money out of tenants.
Whether it’s unwelcome surprises, extreme rent increases, or refusal of basic amenities, renters know all too well how things can shift after they’ve already signed the lease.
That’s exactly what happened to TikTok user Haley Jacobs (@haybae808), a student in Hawaii who went viral after posting a video showing an unexpected change to her living situation.
She has to feed coins into a washing machine inside her own apartment in order to wash her clothes.
“I’ve never seen a landlord so greedy holy this is my house bro,” she wrote in the caption.
Her video took off, racking up 11.2 million views, and after seeing the response, she posted a follow-up video explaining the situation.
Is this an example of landlord ‘greed’?
Jacobs explained that she had been living in her apartment for about a month, and when she signed the lease, she was told utilities—electricity, water, and everything else—were included in her rent.
For weeks, she used the washer like normal. Then, out of nowhere, her landlord installed a coin box.
“She knocks on my door every freaking day, bro, every freaking day,” Jacobs said. “And she told me a couple of days ago, ‘Oh, we’re getting a coin machine for the washer, but I’m gonna give you the key to it. Don’t tell anybody.’”
At first, she thought this meant she wouldn’t actually have to pay. But when it came time to do laundry, things changed.
“I call her and I’m like, ‘Hey, like, are you bringing the keys? I don’t have any coins, all I have is my credit card,’” she recalled.
Instead of helping, her landlord shut her down.
“She’s like, ‘No, you complain too much. You’re calling me too late at night,’” Jacobs said.
She explained she needed to wash her clothes for school the next day, but her landlord told her to go down the street and get coins instead.
“My friend ended up having coins,” Jacobs said. “But like… that was not there when I signed the lease.”
She never got a key, and now, despite paying for what was supposed to be an “all-inclusive” unit, she’s stuck paying almost $2 per load of laundry.
Is this common?
While coin-operated laundry machines in rentals aren’t unusual, they usually come with the deal—not as a surprise later on.
If a lease says laundry is included, a landlord isn’t allowed to switch to a pay-per-use system without both parties agreeing to it.
If a landlord tries to sneak in extra fees like this, tenants in Hawaii have options.
The state’s landlord-tenant laws protect renters from sudden changes that weren’t in the lease. If a landlord breaks the lease terms, tenants can file a complaint with the Office of Consumer Protection, take legal action, or argue that they don’t have to pay the new fees based on their lease.
Commenters are appalled
In the comments, users were furious, calling the situation predatory and offering creative solutions.
One person suggested getting around the coin system entirely, writing, “Girl, buy a replacement key off Amazon and take your coins afterwards.”
Another recommended ditching the landlord’s washer altogether. “I don’t know if they’re any good, but you’d save more money on one of those portable washer and dryer sets.” they wrote. “I’ve heard good things but not too sure.”
And of course, someone had to crack a joke: “Is your landlord Mr. Krabs?”
@haybae808 ♬ original sound – haybae 
The Daily Dot has reached out to Jacobs via email for comment.
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