I haven't done much renting, but when I did I found even well meaning 'amateur' landlords can be a total PITA. Professional landlords were better because they left you alone. Amateur landlords seem to have too much emotion invested in their properties and thus go over the top with check ins and expectations and so on.

My most recent rental experience my landlord was a super nice guy but very manipulative in getting me to do things for him. It was a new building and there were really small issues he was picky about (landlord didn't like how one board of the hardwood flooring was 'faded') and he would make ME make the appointments with the builder to get the issues fixed. He also promised me a yard (grass/fence) because it was a new build and needed landscaping. It was one of the only reasons I rented from him (because the price was really high) so my kids could have a yard to play in. I was there for 2.5 years and he never put grass or a fence in (one neighbor was totally pissed because he offered to put the fence up AT SHARED COST OF MATERIALS ONLY because he works in construction and could get materials at cost and had experience putting up fences himself and would do labor for free - and my landlord thought THAT was too expensive ) Also, because there was no grass, the property got cited for weeds and my landlord begged ME to take care of it, so my kids and I spent a week pulling weeds and weed whacking. ugh. When I told him I didn't know if I could do it, he hinted that he was giving me a bargain on my rent and that not many people rent out to single parents, so I felt like I had to. My landlord also would invite his parents over once in awhile so they could do a 'blessing' on the house which at first I thought was sweet, but then it was like man, does he have to bring his parents over too? And I always had to remind him that the tenant act meant I needed 24 hours notice (he tried to 'drop in' more than once).

And as I said, he was super nice and loved me as a tenant (because I'm a good one) but it was just a PITA to have to deal with the expectations. I felt like it wasn't MY place at all. Thankfully I was able to buy a smaller place for lower monthly payment than that rental (and my kids got a yard...and a puppy! lol) I finally feel like I have a HOME.

and glad you found a home.

and asked the landlady if I could paint, at my expense. she was happy to say yes, I even showed her the colors ( mostly light greens with white trim) before hand, she approved.
so, painted the walls, the trim, the doors on both sides, decorated the place. She popped in, said it was great, really liked what I did with the place, etc.
a year later, I got a great job opportunity, had to move, left the place clean, etc. and she refused to give back the security deposit
( 250.00)
because she said .....she had to re-paint the inside in a "better" color. ( shit muckle dun, as it turns out).
Since I was now one state away, not much I could do that would be worth the hassle....

There is a bad tenant.

My Dad used to fix up houses, and rent them out.
He evicted guys who would have 6-8 (or more!) large dogs, druggie friends of the tenants who would move in on the couch, damage fixtures, walls and floors.

I've lived in my apartment now for 22 years.

Had lazy landlords and good ones.

Downside:
-- they entered the apartment whenever they wanted, with the only courtesy being that they knocked first to make sure I wasn't home (after awhile I did convince them that it was better to let me know the night before, but that took a couple of years)
--they watched who came into my apartment and when they left, especially guests of the overnight variety but also people they didn't think fit in, like gay couples or persons of color. I know because they'd ask me about them the next time we had a "chat."
--they didn't trust me to have a pet but they had small dogs who scampered over the bare floors at all hours and grumpy big dogs who barked every single time they saw me in the window. Ugh.

Upside:
--they rarely raised the rent even though the place was in a very desirable location. When I moved out they listed the unit for more than double what I was paying. They explained to me early on that they'd rather have a reliable tenant than make top dollar for it.
--they genuinely cared about me and my safety as a "girl" living alone. Since I was new to the city I really appreciated knowing that someone was watching out for me, even if it was sometimes in really infuriating ways.

I've had problems living in professionally managed housing too though -- mostly of the "we'll fix that" variety but it's never really fixed, just bandaged.

All told though, if I were renting again I'd go with a professionally managed place. More documentation of the expectations and often more management training on tenant law.

I don't know where you are but, here in Chicago, we have some pretty good tenant protections that require the landlord to pay fees if they lose. A lot of big cities have pretty good tenants rights laws on the books.

My buddy just retired as a public defender and has been having fun and making money suing assholes like you just described.

which is wrong in itself but then posting it in public for others to view .

what a piece of shit.

and it was awful. The first house was practically falling down on one side and he wouldn't do anything about it. We had the water shut off because he forgot to pay the utility company. After a year there we found what initially we thought was a better house. The owners were a Greek guy and his Tunisian wife. She had divorced her first husband, gotten some money and they bought this house to rent. Allegedly the husband was a contractor. It turned out he wasn't licensed, but that's another story. We were there for 3 years and lost possessions due to their incompetence. The roof leaked in several spots including the living room and our bed room. We tried to get them to fix it, but they decided to do it cheaply and the 2 day laborers messed it up badly. We complained in writing and they told us that they wouldn't continue to rent to us. Unfortunately for them, I had a series of e-mails that confirmed our renewal for another year. Luckily we were able to find something better and in the same school district so our daughter's education wasn't disrupted again. Oh, and they would "stop by" to see us without calling ahead. Several times we had plans and they would stay and stay, not taking the hints. We would finally have to basically walk out and get into the car. Once they even followed us as if to make sure we did I. Fact have something to do. We were going to the Ren Faire and since you had to.pay to get in they didn't follow us onto the grounds. They were awful.

Our new landlord has several properties in the area and runs renting them like a business. When things go wrong, like finding the basement flooded after a nasty fall storm because the old cheaply installed sump pump had died, he immediately got,a plumber to,the house on a Sunday and came over himself to see the repairs. Other than that, we rarely see him. It's so much better to be renting from a non-amateur. I truly hope your friend gets better, continues to enjoy the love and companionship of his dog and that the amateur who made his life hell gets some pay back.

Wow, following you is a bit extreme by any standard.