A Shanghai man was shocked to find the apartment he had rented out two years ago had been turned into a chicken coop and damaged beyond repair.

Imagine putting all of your savings into buying and renovating an apartment, and then renting it out for a small profit only to find out that the tenant has been using it to raise chickens. It sounds like a joke, but it’s the true story of a Chinese man who was recently alerted by his neighbors that there were strange noises and a foul smell emanating from the apartment he had rented out to a tenant two years ago. Content to receive the monthly rent on time, the man hadn’t checked the flat until last month when he was shocked to find it full of chickens roaming and flying around the place.

“It stinks,” the infuriated homeowner told Dianshi News. “Both the floor and the wall are badly destroyed. It needs an overhaul and should be decorated completely, otherwise, no one can live there.”

The landlord, whose name was not revealed by Chinese media, complained that the rent he received from the tenant over the last two years wasn’t nearly enough to cover the cost of the required renovation, and he is currently asking for advice online on how to deal with the situation.

One of the man’s neighbors, a woman surnamed Wu, told reporters that she and other neighbors had complained to the building’s administration about the stench coming out of the apartment, but all the tenant did was close the windows of the property. Meanwhile, the damage to the floor and walls of the apartment continued.

“I am very sad that the house that I worked so hard to decorate was ruined like this for the first time I rented it out,” the owner complained, adding that he called the police after discovering the situation.

Legally, the landlord can take the tenant to court and demand compensation for the extensive damage to his property, but there is no guarantee that they will be able to provide compensation.