Landlord Trespassing?
December 28th, 2005 by aptsherpaImagine: you come home to your apartment after a hard day’s work, ready to kick off your shoes and relax with a beer (or your beverage of choice) and put your feet up on the coffee table. But wait–what’s this? As your turning your key you notice that the door wasn’t locked. Weird–you must have just forgotten to lock it on the way out. You kick off those shoes, drop your briefcase, and head for the fridge. On your way there you notice that half the linoleum tiles are missing from your kitchen floor. Tools and linoleum dust are scattered around your kitchen counter, and your cat is interestedly licking the linoleum dust. "Get out of that!" you yell. The cat obediently jumps off the counter and trots away. You wonder if maintenance is still somewhere in the apartment. That would explain the unlocked door. "Ummm, hellooo?" you call several times, wandering around your apartment and peeping into various rooms for evidence of someone responsible for the destruction in your kitchen (maybe the cat did it–not likely, though). You feel like an intruder on your own home. After determining that no one is in the apartment with you, you look for a notice of entry from maintenance but there is nothing to be found. You call the apartment management and leave a message about the situation. Bewildered, you decide to sweep up the dust and move on with your life.
Now imagine something like this happening week after week, with no acknowledgment made or corrective action taken by the management of your apartment. Small items like CDs have been stolen (though sometimes returned) from your home, and your friendly (?) visitor has been eating your food. Either maintenance is entering haphazardly, without notice without actually fixing anything, or a crazed home-remodeling enthusiast has somehow gotten a copy of the key to your apartment. Regardless of the situation, something needs to be done. But what?
Clarify maintenance procedures
This situation may seem a little far-fetched, but the issue of apartment maintenance or management workers entering your apartment is definitely a serious one. For this reason, most apartment lease agreements contain a clause clarifying the procedure for maintenance entry into your apartment. These agreements usually specify the hours when maintenance can enter your apartment or the type of advance notice (usually between 24 and 48 hours) they need to provide. Examine your lease agreement carefully to figure out what kind of notification the maintenance is required to offer, and contact apartment management if unannounced or un-requested maintenance visits have been made. Management should be able to clarify the maintenance procedure for you and straighten out the times and methods of entry you prefer.
If you put in a service order, most apartment complexes allow maintenance to enter your apartment at a “reasonable hour,” which sometimes roughly correlates with business hours, If entry is necessary for a reason other than an existing problem to which you alerted the maintenance department, the management should (unless it’s an emergency) provide you with advance notice, specifying the date or even time when you can expect a maintenance worker to enter your abode. You’re usually not required to be at home for maintenance work to be done, and it’s often most convenient for all parties involved if you’re not around during maintenance visits. 
Here’s a sample lease agreement clause (from CS Property Management) dealing with maintenance entry issues: “Lessee hereby agrees to allow access to the Premises to the Lessor or its agents, during reasonable hours, for the purpose of inspecting and protecting same, to show the premises to prospective buyers or renters, to make such repairs, additions, or alterations thereto as may be deemed necessary or for pest control treatment.”
An apartment advice columnist cites the following plethora of reasons justifying entry into your apartment with prior or subsequent notice: “responding to request for repairs, making repairs, estimating repairs, performing pest control, doing preventative maintenance, checking for water leaks, changing filters, testing smoke-detectors, retrieving unreturned tools, equipment or appliances, preventing waste of utilities, exercising contractual lien, leaving notices, delivery, installing, reconnecting or replacing appliances, furniture, equipment, or security devices, removing unauthorized security devices, removing unauthorized window coverings, stopping excessive noise, removing health/ safety hazards, allowing entry by a law enforcement officer, showing the home to future prospects after move out notice has been given, showing to lenders, insurance inspectors, prospective buyers, appraisers and contractors.”
Showing off
At times, your landlord or apartment management may want to enter your apartment to show it to prospective tenants. You should always be given advance notice of such showings. If your landlord repeatedly shows your apartment with reckless abandon and without notification, address the issue with the landlord directly, making sure to document some evidence of your complaint. If his or her behavior continues despite your request, you may be entitled to move out or sue your landlord for invasion of privacy. If you vacated the premises, you’d be trying to pass off the consistent entrances into your apartment as a “constructive eviction” that broke the terms of your lease by denying you the reasonable enjoyment of your rented space. If you sued your landlord, you’d be trying to recover the damages of living in a state susceptible to unexpected intrusions. Either way, always make sure to seek legal advice from a tenants’ rights organization or a lawyer before taking significant action like moving out of your apartment. After all, you don’t want to be stuck paying rent for an apartment your landlord has driven you to leave.
Lock it up
Some apartment maintenance teams suggest putting your chain or deadbolt on the door while you’re sleeping to avoid maintenance intruding at a “reasonable” (to them) hour that’s not so reasonable for you. Beyond preventing awkward, unwanted encounters with maintenance workers looking to fix the shower you happen to be using at the moment (oops!), this is also a good general safety policy. If you don’t have a chain or deadbolt, request one—and ensure that maintenance enters at a reasonable time without disturbing your belongings. This would be a good test to see whether it’s your apartment maintenance or some other party making inept and unwanted entries into your home.
Keeping records
In general, management and maintenance should endeavor to be as unobtrusive as possible, and it’s to everyone’s benefit to get maintenance issues addressed quickly, before they develop into more significant issues. When dealing with obtrusive maintenance practices or strange entry patterns, as with all issues with the potential for legal action, keep meticulous records of everything that occurs and all the actions you take. Pictures of the state your apartment is in following the unknown intrusions may help; copies of certified letters sent to notify the management of the situation will definitely be important. If the management and maintenance teams claim to know nothing of the situation, you may want to get the police involved. A lock change request is also reasonable; if a former tenant or employee of the apartment complex has a copy of your key, this is a quick way to fix the situation.
Police involvement
If the mystery intruders seem to have no connection to your apartment management or maintenance team, and the unexplained entries persist, you’ll want to get the police involved as soon as possible. As always, records are important when involving officials, as is not disturbing the condition of the apartment as you found it after the break-in. Work as closely as possible with your local police department to report the crime and prevent further instances, or catch the perpetrator of the break-ins. The more you cooperate with police, the more inclined they’ll be to help you out.
Having individuals—whether apartment maintenance workers or mysterious strangers—enter your apartment without notice can be a troubling experience. However, there are ways to address and rectify the situation, with the help of apartment management or perhaps the police. Acting quickly and not putting up with unusual or unwarranted apartment maintenance practices is key in preventing a one-time freak incident from becoming habitual. Protect yourself by being assertive but not confrontational; keep careful records of the actions you take, and clarify what you feel is acceptable maintenance behavior. If you follow all these suggestions, you should be able to resolve any issues you’re having in a timely manner and go back to living the good life undisturbed.
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September 12th, 2006 at 11:34 pm
My landlord came knocking at my door at 10 PM, at that time i was already in bed. I heard a hard knock on my door, now i don’t have friends who would come knocking at my door at this time, therefore i ignore the knock. A few minutes later he open the front door and started yelling out my name and saying “How come u did not answer, u hear me knocking the plumber is on it’s way up to turn the water on”, I was so sick that i thought it was a burgler at first, now it’s 10 pm and i thought to myself God what is going on here. So i answer him “well this is your house do as you please, since you already open the door,” His excuse was that he did not have my cell phone to call…i had to remind him that the other day i call his wife and i left my cell number on the answering machine. That’s when the story get better he went back to his apartment and call me talking about it’s my responsibility to give them my new number….oh don’t try to make me a bad person, well whatever i’m coming upstairs anyway that’s all….I’m on my bed thinking what is this God, i don’t understand these people at 10pm a plumber have to turn a water on, that could have waited until the morning,
What should i do?….I’m scared out of my mind thinking that the landlord could come in at anytime i’m in the apartment unannounced.
September 26th, 2006 at 12:24 am
Hi,
Since few months ago my manager has never put up a notice of when the pest control will be performed. Usually he put it up on the front door 1 day before, but i didnt see any posters when i exit and enter the night before. Is that considered tresspassing?
September 26th, 2006 at 9:09 am
I do have an issue with maintenance personnel (I think) coming into my apartment to watch DVDs, TV while I’m at work. Everytime I ask whether maintenance was done in my apartment they have said no.
I believe the personnel involve makes an effort to cover his tracks but attempting to watch a DVD on a disconnected DVD player and watching a channel that I never watch are mistakes that he/them have made.
How would you suggest that I ‘clarify what is acceptable maintenance behaviour’ when I’m not sure that management knows about it?
October 6th, 2006 at 9:20 am
I’am a 21 years old guy and I keep on getting! harnment buy my landloard and i don’t even do anything i let my cat out side when i’m home I don’t undearstand why am the only renter that gets a three day notice to quit can she really do these aftear i payed my rent if anyone can help i be very thank ful shawn
November 11th, 2006 at 3:50 am
One question - Do you live alone? Often maintenance/management are wrongly accussed of unauthorized entrance whenever there is another tenant OR someone w/a key that visits frequently. Often that person will do what they feel is ‘normal’ and fail to tell you.
November 11th, 2006 at 3:56 am
If you had a plumming problem and called it in, then it was considered an emergency. Especially since the water was off. MOST people (about 90%) consider no water an emergency. If this is a one-time incident, then your landlord was concerned that you have continuous water service. ESPECIALLY if you were the one to call it in.
November 21st, 2006 at 11:43 am
how often can a land lord come to inspect your apt
November 28th, 2006 at 8:33 am
I’ve taken a quick look at your postings, which are very interesting. Lots of material and ideas! Congrats on being so focused!
February 5th, 2007 at 2:15 pm
Basically, I was in my bathroom and when I came out, I saw a maintenance worker coming through my front door. I am a single female, and I had no idea who this guy was. There was a work order, but I completely forgot about it. I live in a security building, and I’m thinking that he could have at least rang the buzzer to let me know that he was coming up, let alone coming INTO my unit. After I asked him what did he want, he said that he knocked on the door. I said, “Yea, well I’m not obligated to let you in. Who are you?” Then, he proceeded to tell me that he was maintenance, and he had a work order. I was so scared and upset that I told him to leave. I called the property management company, and the managers of my building and now they are telling me that I will be charged for them sending him out. Can they do that? Another reason that I am so cautious is because about two years ago, two men who claimed to be from my building’s management company just let themselves in here, looked around, and then left. I stood at the door and looked at them through my peephole and yelled repeatedly who is it? They kept talking to each other, but never answered me, then they decided to let themselves in while I was standing at the door. I don’t know how many people have a key to my unit door and it bothers me that they can come in, anytime that they want, or can they? Oh yea, when I described the two men to the managers over my building, they had NO idea who they were.
February 19th, 2007 at 2:42 pm
I NEED HELP PLEASE SOMEBODY HELP ME. I LIVE IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA. I RENTED A APT THAT WAS A 3 BEDRROM. THERE IS 2 BEDROOMS UPSTAIRS AND ONE BEDROOOM DOWNSTAIRS WITH A KITCHEN AND LIVING ROOM N BATH. MY LANDLORD SAID I CAN PUT UP A DOOR TO HAVE AND MAKE A SEPARATE ENTRANCE TO HAVE FOR ME N MY FAMILY. I PUT UP A DOOR I PURCHASED IT. HE RENTED THE 2 BEDROOMS UPSTAIRS TO OTHER PEOPLE. I HAVE BEEN LIVING THERE FOR 3 MONTHS. TODAY HE CAME OVER AND TOLD ME HE NEEDS TO TAKE THE DOOR DOWN. HE SAID IT AGAINST THE CODE INFORCEMENT. WHAT CAN I DO PLEASE HELP ME.
February 28th, 2007 at 4:08 pm
How long is a reasonable time for a Landlord to list and show the house we are renting? He wants to list it for four months before our year lease is up. We think one month is more reasonable. Is there a standard to this?
thanks.
April 1st, 2007 at 9:14 pm
We need help we live in illinois and we just moved into our new duplex and the landlord said he is going to sell it but we were not told this until now. But anyways he says that our lease saves us from moving but my questions is the people that are looking at the duplex don’t even look like they are going to rent it is there something that we should of been told before the landlord put the duplex for sale?
April 24th, 2007 at 4:47 pm
You should have more than one deadbolt lock you should have a keyless deadbolt that locks and unlocks from the inside only. So this applies to everyone that has a problem with some one coming in to your apartment You should have a locking door knob a deadbolt with key and a keyless deadbolt if you use them all you will not have any problem
April 30th, 2007 at 5:40 pm
I live in florida and I have been notified by my landlord that he has been driving by the house we rent on a daily basis. He has also been walking around th property and looking over the fence. Is this legal? He also has a proble with the way we upkeep the yard. Because of a draught we are unable to water the lawn as well as mow it on a weekly basis. Obviously the grass does not grow fast when there is no rain so we have been mowing it aprox every 3 1/2 weeks. He feels this is not enough. He dropped off a letter today telling me that I will now have to include a payment of $80.00 per month for a lawn service to do our yard. In our lease there was a clause that we could pay the landlord $50.00 per month for lawn service if we did not want to do it ourselves. Is he in the right?
May 17th, 2007 at 11:26 pm
Gonna give you a different take. Last week I served a tenant with a 30 day notice. She was quite upset, yelling and screaming at me she tore the notice in half and threw it at me, saying “you think your going to throw me out out you S.O.B. (along with a few other colorful explictives) Just you wait, I’m going to f*ck you.” Ok, so nothing to do now but wait to see what she does. I’m thinking either she’ll move, or I’ll have to evict her. Tonight, I get a call from the police. I’m being charged with trespassing. Tenant says I walked into her Apt while she was nude. Never happened. I’ve never walked into any tenants apt.,and won’t even scheduled maintance unless someone is going to be there as I wouldn’t want someone in my home If I wasn’t there. Tomorrow I have to go down to the police station and turn myself in. I will then be finger printed, photographed and booked. I’m sure I’ll have to hire an lawyer and when all is said and done it’ll cost lots of $$. Now I have to wonder, where are my rights!
This tenant has been in the upper unit for almost 2 years. In that same time I’ve had 2 tenants in the lower unit and it is currantly empty; the reason being, that upper tenant can’t seem to get along with anyone. She is a Fetal Alcohol Syndrome baby and as an adult they have some mental/emotional problems which is why I’ve been willing to tolerate her for as long as I have. However, I have major plumbing work to do and I need her unit empty to do it.
ANY SUGGESTIONS ON HOW TO HANDLE THIS?
July 3rd, 2007 at 4:34 pm
things are missing from my apartment no one has a key but me and my roomate of 3 yrs we fill that it is mantinence what can we do
July 3rd, 2007 at 11:58 pm
As a service manager for a large apartment management company I require my maintenance team to abide by a few simple rules.
1.Although the resident does not “own” the apartment,It IS their home. TREAT IT AS SUCH!
2.Knock loudly on the door at least 3 times while announcing that you are with the maint. team.
3.In the event that it is an inopprotune time for the resident we advise them that we will come back later….HOWEVER…. we cannot make an appointment because we too have a schedule to keep.
4.Under no circumstance is a member of maintenance to be alone in an apartment with a minor child, boy or girl. An adult must be there or no one at all for the service request to be done,if not it will be rescheduled.
5.Lastly …ALWAYS. ALWAYS. ALWAYS leave a notice that maintenance was in the unit,for what purpose and the name of the worker.
While it is my goal,duty and responsability to protect the saftey and privacy of the resident , it is also my job to protect my workers and myself.
These 5 rules have done both for the last 13 years.
July 6th, 2007 at 10:49 pm
What if the person (or people) coming into your apartment aren’t management, landlord, maint. types personnel but an unidentified person who apparently has a key, or some other non-damaging mode of entry, to your apartment?
I’ve called the office to make sure that maint. nor mgt. was in the apartment every single time. In the middle of the night, it couldn’t possibly be maint. or mgt. because there is no emergency and the overnight people I know and trust. Knowing it wasn’t them nor anyone else with a right to be there.. I told them someone had been in there that was not allowed to be in there. They do weird things like look through my things, move my belongings, rifle through my garbage, drink my coffee. I’ve requested my locks be changed. I’ve called the police. The office is not interested in my problem and the police have no match for what they’ve found. They also don’t understand why the office won’t just change my locks and see if that ends the problem. What am I supposed to do?
July 18th, 2007 at 1:59 pm
i live in Wi. i got a 28 day notice to vacate the premises and 2 weeks b4 i had to be out i stopped by the place to grab some things and the landlord was in the apt.cleaning the place. now he is charging me for the cleaning. he gave me no time to clean it. what should i do
July 26th, 2007 at 9:29 am
This is very strange. I seem to be having a similar problem, although the “intruder” doesn’t do things like drink my coffee, etc. What happens is, I get bitten by their fleas! Or, at any rate, by the fleas off an animal they own. This makes me think that the intruder is the woman who lives just downstairs (in the apt. directly under me) with two cats. We know each other and she’s basically the tricky type I know for a fact. (She’s pulled some pranks around the building, such as setting a “mooning dwarf” statue out in the hall.)
I’m guessing she may have tricked the maintenance guy (who is, shall we say, one linoleum tile shy of a kitchen floor) out of my key some time ago and made a copy. Occasionally, a small item will be missing but it’s the fleas that really get me angry. I will be asleep and all of a sudden feel a severe itching somewhere. Flea bites are really nasty and hang around for weeks — that’s how I can definitely tell what they are. Since I have no pets and don’t generally hang around with people who do, they can’t be coming from somewhere else.
Since I can’t really “prove” anything, I’ve been reluctant to tell my landlady. Plus, every time I complain to her about something like this, instead of addressing the issue, she finds something to complain about ME! I’m also reluctant to involve the police, since this is a small town and I seriously doubt they’d accomplish anything except to make life more of a hassle for me.
One idea that’s occurred to me is to buy a small surveillance camera and set it just inside the door in an upper corner. If the intruder is who I think it is, I’ll definitely recognize her. Then a little threat to go to the police should be sufficient to stop the intrusions, I would think.
July 27th, 2007 at 1:50 pm
It was my first experience living on my own and away from my parents. Being a single female, I thought I was being extra conscience of the area of town I chose to live in. Well, within a few months of me living by myself, I woke up and looked over at my hamper in the closet to see that things looked moved around. I couldn’t find a bra I wore just 2 days before. So, I tore apart every inch of my apartment, nothing. I had not stayed anywhere or done laundry anywhere, so nothing. Well, I called my mom a little worried about it, she asked me to see if there was anything else missing. I dumped out my hamper, thought back, and found I was missing multiple pairs of underwear too! Some creep with a key got into my apartment! I think it was someone who worked there whether it was maintenance, or landlord, or they just do not keep track of their keys there. It was a huge mess…I didn’t have anywhere to live for a month because I packed to leave the next day, I had just paid rent too! I had to leave, I broke the lease. Now I’m paranoid to a ridiculous point. I really urge females living by themselves to pay attention to stuff like that, it could seriously save your life to do so.
August 12th, 2007 at 1:38 pm
he owns the apt as long as he pays the rent on time and he shall own said apt that rent is being paid on until such terms cease
August 12th, 2007 at 1:46 pm
i have a suggestion how about letting the lady live…and do u care if tenants move in or out because at the end of the day there are some people that probably couldn’t live with you, is that their problem or yours. my dad owns land and he really sucks, he’s very devious with his lawyers if things don’t go his way or a situation like your comes up. control freaks, manipulators, discriminators are not prosperious in the end. take a more human approach and stop with the superiorty complex
August 12th, 2007 at 1:57 pm
landlord took the land that was rented to us made a side deal with the neighbors ignoring that fact we lived here3 years until moving into the new unit downstairs. i reported this to Human Relations as the neighbor called the police on me over the line(neighbor 2years never crossed the line) landlord created dispute. now the land lord wants to send in an appraiser, i think its for harassment purposes. in the new unit fore 4 months. any comments welcomed
August 12th, 2007 at 2:37 pm
hi well our apt building is beeing overtaken by a cpl of thieves they rob your grocerys laundrychange any thing that aint bolted down we have had two incidences. one of wich the cops came to talk to us about it but we at the time thought it was a singel incedence but and had no proof so didnt press charges the second time they brook in we phoned the police but the police never responded the land loards were aware of the situation and are not acting on it we have no proof but a good idea of who it is and its not only us that have been robed four other teneants that we know of brooken into as well we are in desperate need of help we feel traped in our own home and its not fair if some one has an idea of how too catch these crooks pls let me know
August 25th, 2007 at 9:16 am
I live in New York city. My unique situation is this: I’m a month-to-month tenant. I have rent receipts. My landlord told my mother that he was thinking of selling the building we’re living in in July. The “prospective buyers” came.
And the funny thing about that was that our current landlord wanted both my mother and myself out of the way. Was that so he could show the building as “vacant”? The assessor came.
We heard nothing form either our landlord or the “prospective buyers” for nearly two months.
I was doing some house hold chores yesterday, and I saw two young gentlemen go up our front stairs.
They were clearly not from my neighborhood, so I went outside to investigate.
They were from a land surveying company.
They wanted to measure the building, “to make sure we’re not encroaching on property lines.”
I took their business card.
I called the number, and was referred to another number.
Turns out that the building I live in WAS sold, without anyone telling us, and closing is in two weeks.
What happens now? I have no family, no money and I’m temporarily on public assistance. I’m on the “waiting list” for public housing, but the list is 3 years long.
HELP! I don’t want to be homeless and no one seems to know the answer:
What if I’m paying my rent, but the landlord sells the building? What are my rights? What can the “new Landlord” to us, or/and with us?
August 30th, 2007 at 8:07 pm
If the property management changed your locks it would in a way admit legally that some one was in fact in your apartment and can bring legal liabilities they don’t want. The problem could be cure by your writing a letter to request locks changed along with a police report stating the evidence of the entry by unknown person not authorized by you or them. Also ask for a keyless lock that can only be locked and unlock by the occupant only.
Meaning while you are in the apartment this lock can only be unlock by you from the inside. Im a maintenance man with 15 years experience here in texas and state law requires it. Ive learned several things but one lesson is always true LOCKS KEEP HONEST PEOPLE HONEST.
Lesson learned with in the US ARMY.
September 3rd, 2007 at 7:29 pm
doesn’t sound like they were the one to call it in…
September 23rd, 2007 at 2:31 am
if you look closely the word own is in quotation marks. legally he does not own it he rents it.
September 30th, 2007 at 11:50 am
Ok, so here’s the deal: I live in a house with 2 other guys in NJ, on one consolidated lease that was originally three separate leases.
the landlady comes over without notifying me, and is continuously working on the outside of the property, without ever notifying me as such. Yesterday (9/28/07), she came over,and started paving the driveway, blocking me in. I was not given enough time to get my car out, and today, she has done the same thing.
Furthermore, every time she comes over, she brings her dog. In our lease, there is a “no pet” clause, and when I politely asked her about the dog’s barking, she told me to “go inside, close the door, and wear earplugs.” I’m a college student, and need peace and quiet to study, I find this sort of response completely unacceptable.
She has also decided to try to tell us how to organize the pantry and refrigerator, has placed a locked cover over our thermostat, and has told me that I cannot put anything else in the living room (I have 2 bookshelves, and wanted to put in a free-standing coat rack, as the house has no closets).
I feel uncomfortable being here, and have been actively trying to find somewhere else to live, but in the meantime, she has refused, essentially, to even give me copies of my lease. What should I do about this?
October 12th, 2007 at 10:44 am
I’m moving into an apartment Saturday, last weekend i went over to paint, the colors were horrible!! Neon orange, and purple!! I asked the landlord if he would help pay, and he said no. Anyways, while I’m painting i notice a room i hadn’t seen before, so i decided to go take a look. I open the door, and its a cement room FULL of mold! Its a fairly small room, and I can block it off, but still! So i mentioned it to him, and he said I signed the lease, and I should have searched the place better before signing any papers, and there’s nothing he could do. Also, on the lease, it says NOTHING about no pets. Somehow he found out I have a dog, and he’s telling me I’m not allowed to have her, not only that but it’s a basement apartment, and every time I run into the guy that rents upstairs he tells me the same thing.
I don’t even know what to do… seems like I notice things wrong with the place, I tell him, and he doesn’t care. But I signed a lease, and now I’m stuck with this crappy place for a year! =(
November 2nd, 2007 at 9:44 am
Unless some provision in your lease permits termination upon sale of the property, the lease is still in effect. The lease is typically assumed by the new property owner.
November 3rd, 2007 at 11:56 pm
you can get a fairly inexpensive servalience camera from a shop, if you can LAN it to a computer in another location, so if they jack that your not out…or find a hidden place for it…also you can leagally move out, (in texas anyways, youll want to look it up in other states…) if you feel afraid for your safety of yourself and your property.
November 4th, 2007 at 12:12 am
go out and buy a new lock and change them yourself…its probley against your lease, but it should also be in your lease that you have a right to have your locks changed, but you probley have to pay for it….also if you dont want to do that, ask the police if they can have the manager do it….
November 4th, 2007 at 1:59 am
i agree with the keyless deadbolt thing. thats actually a rental law here in texas. but if your gone, then you cant lock the keyless one. (if you wanted to you could then just climb out your window or something….lol) i would sugest a hidden camera somewhere that you can see who comes in and such…. if you can afford it then id recomend 2 or even 3…. good luck!
November 16th, 2007 at 10:58 pm
There’s probably nothing you can do about the mold except take lots of photos and report it to the EPA and the BBB. Check the lease you signed for a pet clause. You should have received a copy of it (by law, management must give you a copy). If you don’t have one, go to the management and request a copy. Read the lease very carefully. If there is a pet clause and you signed it, then the doggy will have to go. If there isn’t a pet clause, then inform the management that there’s nothing in your lease that prevents you from having a pet.
November 16th, 2007 at 11:11 pm
Legally, she can’t refuse to give you a copy of your lease. Check out your state’s Renter’s or Tenant’s Rights, copy it down, and then politely inform her of the law.
You probably can’t do anything about her dog since technically she owns the property. YOU signed the lease about not having any pets, not her. As long as she doesn’t bring the dog in the house, you’re probably ok. If the animal does physical damage to the property, inform her as soon as possible. Take pictures and document everything with date and time, so she can’t come back later and say it was your friend’s dog and not hers, etc.
I’m not sure about the driveway, except ask her that next time she’d like to do maintenance, to please inform you at least 24 hours ahead of time so that you can arrange to have things moved out of her way. If it’s just basic property maintenance, like fixing sprinkler heads or mowing the lawn, then I wouldn’t complain. Paving the driveway is pretty major. Make it look like you’re doing it for her convenience and not yours, and she may be more amenable to notifying you in advance.
December 12th, 2007 at 5:39 am
You have tenant rights! Keep those receipts honey. The new landlord basically steps into the shoes of the old landlord when they take over the building. make sure you find out who the new landlord is…and ask to see some sort of documentation of this proof. If you feel uncomfortable, and the new person has not provided you with satisfactory evidence, place your rent in an escrow account with a trusted attorney until the transition is complete. You’d be surprised, but the last people to usually find out about a new landlord, or management is the tenants themselves. At least in NY that is!
December 13th, 2007 at 5:41 pm
I thought I was CRAZY. For a long time I couldn’t figure out who or why someone was illegaly entering my apartment. The reason I haven’t installed cameras is I think she is already watching me and I don’t know what I would do if I caught whoever. I felt so violated it drove me to meds and disiability. Today I came home to find my x-mas tree cut down for the second year in a row, things in disaray, not how I left it. I feel violated & want to do SOMETHING. I’ve decided to let her answer to God for what she’s doing. I have God’s peace. U can’t stop that. Michelle u will fall in the ditch your digging for me.
December 28th, 2007 at 10:20 pm
my landlord has been working on his house for over a year. I get home from long hard day at work and he is hammering away. I try to have some consideration, I try to be quiet, shouldn’t this go both ways?
January 14th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
I’m sorry you guys all have crappy maintenance personnel, I’ve never heard of them coming in and rummaging through your apt. or entering w/o permission…Husband is the sole maintenance personnel at our apartment complex and I can tell you we’ve had more problems with tenants than they’ve ever complained of from the maintenance. Tenants will knock on our front door, day and night with ridiculous problems (”I don’t know how to change the temp. on my heater”???) If your maintenance man actually works hard and lives within the complex - feel sorry for him, just think, if YOU don’t know how to fix it…and HE DOES, you’re not above him. Flooring, plumbing, installing lights/fans, electricity….these are not “easy” jobs and if you think they are, you’ve probably hardly tried them and been quite spoiled all your life. I know there’s crappy maintenance workers out there, my husbands worked with a few, but there’s also good one’s and they are by no means beneath you.
January 14th, 2008 at 12:46 pm
Imagine: You come home after working an 8 hour day. Sounds normal right? But what if that 8 hour day was spent poking around behind people’s toilets and under their leaky bathroom abd kitchen sinks. Taking apart broken garbage disposals, full of old, disgusting food. And on top if, these tenants requested a work order and needed help, but they didn’t even have the common courtesy to clean off their toilet or make enough space under their leaky sink for you to even poke your head under with a flashlight. Imagine part of your day consists of fixing a leaky shower that’s full of disgusting mold and mildew because the tenant doesn’t bother to do a basic cleaning on their tub once in a while. Imagine that a tenant moves out of their apartment and complains that they didn’t get all their deposit back and don’t understand why. Imagine that you’re the maintenance man and you go into that empty apartment and begin to re-paint the walls and they continually have reappearing brown streaks and drips, because the past tenant smoked indoors. Imagine you have to spend two full days washing the walls down by hand, with a special nicotine residue remover. Then you can begin to re-paint all over again. Imagine you just came home, after your long day…sat down for the first time, maybe got something to eat for the first time- all day. And you hear a knock on your door…”Are you home??? I need help! My garbage disposal is backed up!” The maintenance man dutifully replies and goes to her apt. to take a look and proceeds to first clean it out. What does he find? Shrimp shells and chicken bones. “Well I didn’t know I couldn’t put those down there?!” …Says the lady. All these things have really happened, try to take another persons perspective once in a while. And do your maintenance man a favor…and quite frankly, what he deserves and what you SHOULD do…CLEAN BEFORE HE HAS TO ENTER YOUR APARTMENT. Yuck.
February 20th, 2008 at 4:44 am
Hi,
I live in a apartment complex in San Antonio, TX. Anyways a lady from the management unlocked my door with a key and walked right in the apartment without any notification. I am now moving out, and I am just wondering what I can do? I was home and my girlfriend was there so I have a witness.
I appreciate it.
March 4th, 2008 at 8:43 am
mold is a health hazard. If you can prove by going to the doctor that you are say…coughing more, having difficulty breathing, headaches associated with mold allergies..etc, then it is a health hazard that the landlord needs to take care of. I would recommend finding out what the local laws states about mold and then follow up with a certified letter (yes certified-even if he lives in the same house) so there is a record, stating that you want it fixed or it is a breech of contract to maintina non harful living conditions for his renters. I would also see what the local laws states about unwrtten conditions (verbal) regarding the contract and pets. If you want to keep the pet, then you have to make absolutely sure there are no loop holes in the contract. Then you state you are keeping the pet. His choice is to let you stay or ask you to leave. If you stay, he cannot evict you for that reason. If he asks you to leave, you have (by law) 30 days and you get back you security deposit and you do not have to pay rent for the remning months since he breeched the contract. I hope this helps.
March 21st, 2008 at 4:57 pm
.Somebody is breaking in to my apartment.
Here’s what has been happening
1)
The day after I got the key to the apartment when I was moving in my furniture with the help of a friend I noticed that somebody had forced the doorknob and the area around it was a bunch of shredded wooden splinters like somebody had pulled real hard on the side of it and pulled it into the wood. There is now a centimeter gap in my door where anybody can bend down and gaze into my bedroom.
The apartment smelled bad and we found a discolored puddle in the kitchen that might have been HUMAN URINE. My friend was convinced it was some sort of leak but to this day it has not returned and a leak would have kept leaking.
2)
I come home from work and sometimes find that my belongings have been rummaged through. Bills are in different places, paperwork has been disorganized. My DVDs and CDs have been moved or are occassionally missing. I have noticed this about four times since I have moved in here six months ago.
3))
One day I found my social security card on my bedroom floor. I keep this in a portfolio of important documents and I almost never take it out. Everything else was moved around too. All my mail and bills were opened. Somebody is probably stealing my identity and I will probably get screwed by it six months down the road.
4))
My kitchen floor is now torn up by somebody’s kleated shoes. I don’t own any shoes like that and there was no damage to the floor when I moved in.
I am pretty sure it is the maintenance guy. I get really bad vibes when I am around him. He always gives me these really shifty eyed looks and smirks and shouts stuff like “what’s up!!!!” at me when he sees me around the complex.
This guy entered my apartment one day when I was home. He said he was checking for leaks and then left really quick. I don’t think he expected me to be home because I work nights and people are normally at work during the day.
He spends an awfully large amont of time hanging out in the hallway outside of my apartment, sometimes with a dude who looks homeless. Whenever I leave he will wave or say hi to me while smirking. I think he is messing with me. He is acknowledging the fact that I am leaving and will not be home to stop him from trespassing. He’s waiting out there to watch me leave.
I know this guy lives in my apartment complex somewhere but there is absolutely no reason for him to be chillin outside my door at 11 at night. It totally creeps me out.
One night somebody was pounding on my door and pulling really hard at the doorknob. It was the burnt out hippy dude the maintenance giuy chills with outside of my apartment. When I opened the door he was very surprised and took off. I have talked to the manager about this and he says the man is not a tenant. The old woman who lives next door to me approached me three days later and told me he tried to break into her apartment as well.
I don’t know what to do. This guy is the apartment manager’s friend. He is shady too. I’ve asked to install my own locks but have been told they “need to be able access the apartment at any time, in case of an emergency” My doorknob hasn’t been fixed. It would have to be fixed by the same guy I think is messing with my stuff.
I feel totally violated.
I want to get the hell out of here but can’t because I am in a lease.
Its horrible.
and I don’t know what to do.
March 31st, 2008 at 9:33 pm
I will add to this, because I think it is very important in many regards and I cannot agree more with your post.
Imagine, if you will, a maintenance tech calling you from your workplace, at midnight of all hours, complaining, screaming and yelling about something that could of been taken care of while you were home laying on your couch all day watching TV.
With that in mind, imagine you having to get out of bed, half asleep, jumping into your car in the dead of winter and rushing back to your job that you left only 6 hours ago, to “fix” what ailed this person.
Imagine now arriving back at your workplace only to find that this “emergency” was nothing more than user error, plain stupidity and complete laziness on his/her part. You hold back your anger, your feelings of being awaken in the middle of the night to oblige this boligerant person and try to appease and please this person beyond the normal scope of customer service. After all, years and years of your patience has been tried. You have seen the most abusive, most lazy, most skillfully and gainfully drunken unemployed tenants to date, but yet through it all, you swallowed your pride, bit your tongue and were never rewarded for it. In fact, you feel that you have been penalized if anything. You cannot plan anything due to the fact you are on call. Your holidays are nothing more than a standby solution waiting by a pager and a phone while your family celebrates without you. The amount of relationships with the opposite sex have exasporated quickly and easily due to those same issues, as well as broken promises that were made before you realized the next “emergency” crossed in your pager’s view during a quiet dinner out on the town.
But yet, it still is not enough. This person decides that early in the morning, they are going to complain to management about your “attitude” while you fixed this non emergency item at an hour that was actually an inconvenience to you. After all, most people actually change their own lightbulbs, but not this person. They are “owed” and “entitled” to your services because they pay rent. That means that they basically own you and rent their apartment. This also means that eventhough you may think you have a life, you really do not. You are nothing more than a pawn between the office and tenant, especially when rent is due. You notice quite frequently the rise and influx of work orders and emergency calls that take place when the office and tenant are battling over who really owes who, and they wont pay unless this or that is fixed. In their world, they believe that a broken piece of wall trim that was broken by themselves, is justifiable means to skip paying rent. It is the companies view that you fix this item so there is no controversy and not charge them for breaking this item so skillfully. This will usually resolve the situation right up until the next month’s rent is due, and of course, something else happens to “break”.
You try your best during the normal work hours, during the normal work week, to do as many maintenance requests as you can. In fact, you are way above average in this regard, and you feel that your work is appreciated. As time goes on, you realize this is nothing more than a falicy of good faith. You see that the only real time somebody wants to talk to you, is when they need something fixed. You see and view some residents at times, as ungrateful because they have this beautiful living space in which they gladly destroy within days and then complain about their living conditions. You are accused every now and then by one of these same residents of taking something or leaving something open, when the reality is it is their kids, friends, or 1 of the other 5 people they handed unauthorized keys to.
These same people, without any forethought to your hard work, character or reputation, spread those same falicies around your own workplace, causing mistrust by all. The fact that you have never had a mark on your record, nor the fact you have cleared every known privacy robbing background test just to obtain this job is never mentioned. Years without instance or accusation, and now your career hangs in the balance. Just like normal media, when the truth is finally discovered, long after your reputation has taken a toll and you had absolutely NOTHING to do with any instance of accusations, you are merely forced now to still service this same person’s apartment against your will without so much as an apology from the accuser. This by any tactical measure by this same resident, could be a set up to even more serious accusations later in time whenever they feel. You feel defeated, you feel unappreciated, and worse of all, you feel abused.
You now go home, to a place that you pay rent for from the same company you work for at the same rate of rent that everybody else does, and you wonder to yourself if it is even worth it in the end? You look back at the failed marriage. You look back at the failed relationships with significant others. You look back at all the failed friendships and the overall sense you are alone and will die alone in this job simply because your time is everybody else’s. They are entitled to your life and your time right?
You want to eat at 6:00? Forget it. You need to get your ass over here and fix my garbage disposal NOW, eventhough I was home all day playing video games. You can eat later. In fact, I may just call again at around 10:00 because all of a sudden, my toilet is backed up with all sorts of things I know I should not be trying to flush.
In the end, the reason we do this job is because once in a great while, there are a few residents that make it all worth while. They are usually the ones who smile and say thank you! They are the ones who even during the most severe inconveniences to them, still ask you to come over “whenever you get the time”.
They demand nothing and ask politely. They are not owed anything but our kind service and respect. They wave at you while leaving the property or offer to help when they see you may need some. They know you by name and not by your page number, and they always make you feel that the asshole to nice people ratio, will someday come in full alignment with the moon and the stars.
In the end, all I can say to this blatant maintenance bashing of many here, is if you dont like it, move. You dont own a rental unit nor the people who work there. Your rights are clearly stipulated on the lease you ignored to read before you signed and if you honestly feel violated, call the police or set up your own surveillance methods using a video camera, web cam on a computer, or just common and small tests such as taping your door, putting a paper clip in the door…etc..
When and if you ever buy a home, you may just appreciate or realize the importance of maintenance of your former rental complex. You will realize that calling ANYBODYto fix anything past normal business hours, will get you charged double. Calling ANYBODY to fix something on a holiday, is going to get you in triple digits per hour real fast.
You will then realize not only the cost of these repairs, but the cost of the parts and or complete appliance replacement. My guess is, the drunken fist holes in your doors will cease to occur. I am quite positive that flushing tampons and potatoes down your toilet will immediately cease after the first plumbing bill you get. I am pretty sure, that if your air conditioning quits on a 60 degree day, you wont be so fast to call a HVAC tech out at 9:00 p.m. to have it fixed. And..more than likely, your pool (if you can even afford one) is going to look like shit compared to the one you constantly complained about here.
There are bad people in this world regardless of the job or profession. Yes, there are bad maintenance and bad management companies out there, but you cannot group maintenance personnel as one, just like maintenance personnel try not to do with residents.
In the end, treat others how you would like to be treated, and we will all get along just fine.
April 7th, 2008 at 3:15 pm
THE SOLUTION TO PEOPLE TRESSPASSING and home security tips and ideas..
Wireless Cameras. Cameras are cheap and unobtrusive. The camera will transmit to a reciever which is usually quite small. The reciever connects to your DVR or VCR via a/v cables. A/V wires are just standard red, yellow, and white wires.
All of this stuff is really simple. I recommend buying an eight hour video cassette if you go down the VCR route. The only drawback to using a wireless camera is that if the persons trespassing were smart enough, they would in theory just buy their own reciever and see if the camera was on.
Document security:
Keep your documents under lock and key. Backpacks can be used or metal or wood boxes. Latches and locks are very cheap and easy to install. Since someone trespassing would not want a trail, a weak box would work nicely. Also, a combination lock I believe would be more secure than a key lock.
April 9th, 2008 at 7:00 am
I definitely agree with this last post! They are many kinds of camera’s out there now and are very easy to use.
Buying a camera last summer and using every time I leave my home came in handy not to long ago! My story is a bit long but here is the link.
homeswthome.blogspot.com
Home Sweet Home
April 9th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
If you don’t like your job and EVERYTHING that comes with it, GET ANOTHER JOB!!!
April 22nd, 2008 at 11:26 am
what if your landlord is entering your apt. and stealing and poisoning your food in an attempt to get you to move out?
April 29th, 2008 at 9:49 pm
Your comments are ignorant and unfounded. You sound paranoid.
April 29th, 2008 at 9:51 pm
Poisoning you? Come on! That is so stupid. You need some mental help, FAST!
May 7th, 2008 at 6:00 pm
I invite you to come over and ingest to your heart’s content, any gourmet food items you find in my refrigerator. Here in California, that’s what they do to get you out of your rent controlled apartment if they can’t do it legally. My attorney prevented their illegal eviction so they instituted Plan B. Wherever you live you better stay since you obviously don’t know the sharks!.
May 16th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
Hey Guys, I have a question for you. Please tell me if this qualifies as a breech of lease (in my favor).
I rented a room at a house with the landlady. It was on a month-by-month basis.
I gave her verbal notice several months in advance that I planned to leave late May to take a medical licensing exam, and asked if it was okay to leave my belongings in the garage in storage until June 20. She agreed to that, although, I didn’t put it in writing (big mistake!).
Throughout the 2 years I paid for this room, she has done unauthorized entries, used my room as a shortcut to get to the garage, and even let her family and DRUNK FRIEND sleep in my bed (this was without my knowledge, I found out through that friend of hers, that she slept in my bed while I was away).
Recently, in the past 2 weeks, she began forcing herself into my room. I told her that I am in the middle of studying for final exams and to please give me privacy. She has been verbally abusive and bullied me into letting her paint my room, while I was studying (and asked her not to), and of course, this being a health issue. Not only that, my belongings have been tampered with and everything.
So, I decided after more disagreement and more fees she began to stick me with, I gave her a written notice that since she has continually harassed me, trespassed, allowed her friends and family members to SLEEP in my room while I was out of town without my consent, I have decided to take my belongings with me on May 27th, and to not leave them here until June 20. In addition, I refused to pay her for rent in June.
She has now been swearing at me, calling me names, and leaving me threatening notices on my door saying that she is going to sue me because I gave her 2 weeks written noticed instead of 30 days, etc etc (even though she acknowledged in writing that I did give her verbal notice).
Do I have grounds to break my lease with her? I think I have every right to feel threatened and uncomfortable when I am being harassed, invaded, and people that are not maintenance people coming in and sleeping in my room.
May 16th, 2008 at 6:46 pm
Read your lease agree agreement. Know your rights. Put all conversation with manager in writing and keep a copies
sample letter:
your name
address (including apt #)
phone number
date
Landlord name/company
address
Landlord name/Company,
I am requesting that you immediately repair my door and change my locks as this interferes with my safety and well being. I am requesting that this repair/change be taken care of in __hours and I will be present for this. I request that you immediately respond in writing as to when this will take place. I also request that management be present, or another maintenance person preform the work.
On (approximate if you don’t remember)_____ , 2008, your maintenance person came to my apartment unannounced, when he saw that I was there, he dismissed himself quickly-this activity caused me to be very concerned as the lease states: page ___, paragraph ___, section _____ that maintenance personnel:(write where it may pertain to you and when they must notify you). Then state that you were not notified by written notice of a leak check, nor a phone call or knock on the door. This individual is found loitering outside my door prior to my departure for work and this activity is very suspicious. He often loiters with a suspicious looking individual. This activity make me feel _________________. From now on if I feel threatened by this individual or if unlawful entry into my apartment dwelling is made I will call the police department for my own safety. To employ such an individual is not right and you should consider your options as an individual of this nature could cause your apartment housing considerable liability issue.
Sincerely,
your name ( you could include pictures as an attachment)
0BVIOUSLY, IT’s NOT BE PERFECT, JUST TWEEK IT UP, GIVE THEM A CHANCE TO RESPOND-IT MAY TAKE A DAY. IF THEY DO NOT RESPOND: contact a real estate attorney who can help with landlord/tenant issues. Some give free advise and will let you know if you have a case-I’m sure you would if your landlord doesn’t respond. This should give you plenty of right to leave that apartment complex without oweing a penny! The attorney may write a letter to threaten to allow you to break lease because of above issue-and send it to them. At that point you would give notice and run!!
Good luck, and keep all copies to/from landlord
June 6th, 2008 at 11:17 am
Here’s the thing: My landlord LOVES to recycle. The problem is, they recycle my stuff too. In order to do so, they go through my trashcan and my recycling can. I don’t know about most other people, but it gives me a creepy feeling. I know it’s garbage,I don’t want it any more, but there are other things in those cans I don’t want people to see, much less my landlord. Since he lives immediately next door, he’s constantly in my yard, watering the plants, and of course rummaging through the garbage. I hold on to certain things just because I don’t want him seeing them. By the way, they do this NOT when the trash is on the curb, but when it is still in my yard. I’ve walked out and found him waist-deep in my trash can. No shame to his game though. They used to do it only when I was at work, now it’s anyitme. HELP ME!
June 11th, 2008 at 8:13 pm
I’m going to keep it simple. My girl friend was locked out of the rental home we have because she locked the door with the keys in the house. We called the landlord to she if she can come over with the spare key to let us in . Don’t you know she said that oh don’t worry the people next door have a spare key to you guys place. I live in Va is this a void lease
June 13th, 2008 at 11:59 am
Was this situation ever resolved? I would love to hear how this situation ended.
June 15th, 2008 at 12:24 pm
You don’t specify what state you live in, so please verify the following for your own cirsumstances:
I live in Florida, our state statutes stipulate that a lessee on a month-to-month lease may give 15 days written notice and that is an acceptable and legally up-held time-frame of notice for the landlord.
June 27th, 2008 at 3:10 pm
This is horrible and I feel for you! I have lived in several different apartments during my life and have never had anyone enter my apartment without prior consent or notification. What this guy is doing to you is against the law and he should be arrested for it! As for the creepy homeless guy trying to break in, I would get a gun or at least some pepper spray if I were you. Next time he tries to break in he’ll get a nasty surprise! I hope for your sake that you can move out of there soon if you haven’t already done so. Please leave a reply for us on here so we know everything turned out alright for you. Best of luck to you!
June 27th, 2008 at 3:25 pm
This same thing happened to be about 10 years ago. I was living in a very nice duplex and had great neighbors. The owner hadn’t been paying his property taxes so he was forced to sell the property. He came and told all of us what was happening. Everyone had to move out because the duplexes wouldn’t be rented out anymore. Instead they were going to be bought and privately owned. I ended up having to move to an apartment complex because it was the only place I could find on such short notice. If I hadn’t moved out of there on time, I probably would have been put out in the street. This wasn’t fair because I’m a good tenant and my rent was always paid on time. Some landlords are such douchebags and they don’t care about the tenants at all. They only care about making money!
July 31st, 2008 at 9:33 am
I am a resident of an apartment in Va and my retal manangement company just places a notice on my door Wedsday evening stating that my apartment door would be painted by a contractor on Friday and my door would be left open and unlock until the door dried. Is this legal for the landlord to do this when the apartment resident is not home? I have no problem with the maintence being done only that it need to be done when I am home so I can ensure the safety of my pet and belongings
September 5th, 2008 at 8:27 pm
WE HAVE RIGHTS TOO AS TENANTS. WE RENT A HOUSE FROM OUR FORMER BOSS. WE SIGNED A LEASE AGREEMENT FOR 1 YEAR. THEN HE BREAKS IT BY GIVING US A LETTER SAYING WE HAVE 90 AS OF MAY. THAT GIVES US A MONTH SHY OF THE FULL YEAR. I HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH THAT. THE PROBLEM IS THAT HE DONT CALL WHEN HE COMES OVER. HE JUST SHOWS UP. AND THEN WHEN I LET HIM IN (TAKE IT THAT ALL OF THE DOORS TO THE BEDROOMS ARE CLOSE) HE WALKS RIGHT IN THOSE DOORS WITHOUT MY CONCENT). HE SAID THAT THE REASON HE DONT CALL IS BECAUSE HE THINKS I’M HIDING SOMETHING. I’M NOT. WHERE DOES IT STOP THAT WE AS TENANTS HAVE RIGHTS TOO PRIVACY? WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF MOVING (PAINTING, CLEANING THE CARPET, AND REPAIRING IT BEFORE WE LEAVE, AND THE GROUT FOR THE COUNTERS, WE ARE DOING EVERYTHING TO MAKE IT NEW.) OUT SO OUR BED IS IN THE LIVING ROOM BECAUSE WE PAINTED THE WHOLE HOUSE. AND THEN HE COMES IN TELLING US WE LIVE DIRTY. HE GIVES US ABOUT 4 HOURS TO CLEAN UP AND HE IS GOING TO COME BACK TO CHECK THE HOUSE. WE PAID HE FOR THE WHOLE MONTH BUT WE WILL ONLY BE HERE FOR 12 DAYS. HE IS NOTY GOING TO RETRO PAY US FOR THE TIME THAT WE WERE NOT HERE. HE’S BEING A JERK. I TAKE PICTURES BEFORE AND AFTER. WHAT CAN I DO? PLEASE HELP.
September 8th, 2008 at 9:50 pm
Quote from
New Jersey Department of Community Affairs Division of Codes and Standards Landlord-Tenant Information Service
……..
…..
Providing the landlord with a key
If there is no lease provision or written rental rule requiring a key to be given to the landlord, a tenant is not required to provide a key for the landlord. In New Jersey there is no law that requires a tenant to give a landlord a key to the rental unit. There is also no law that prohibits a landlord from keeping a key to a rental unit. A tenant disputing the landlord’s right to a key can simply refuse to provide the landlord with a key. The landlord may then seek an action for eviction based on the tenant’s refusal to comply with reasonable lease provisions. The judge would then decide if it is reasonable for the tenant to supply the landlord with a key.
Forcible or unlawful entry and detainer A landlord shall be guilty of an unlawful entry and detainer, if the landlord enters the rental premises peaceably or forcibly and then detains (keeps or takes possession of) the property by force or the threat of force or if the landlord enters the rental unit and removes the tenant’s personal property without the consent of the tenant or a judgment from the Superior Court of New Jersey. If a landlord enters a tenant’s unit while the tenant is not home, this is considered forcible entry.
…….
November 18th, 2008 at 5:07 pm
Yes, it is legal. In most places the law simply states that a landlord can enter the premises during reasonable hours (ie. business hours), whether or not the tenant is home, as long as appropriate notice has been given 24 to 48 hours in advance.
The exceptions that do not require notice are emergency situations, and any regular maintenance specified in the lease agreement.
November 21st, 2008 at 3:47 pm
Landlord Denying Chain:
I live in an apartment in North Dakota in which maintenance has almost walked in on me being almost naked 3 times in the last year!
The 1st encounter, I was laying in bed taking a nap after class when I heard my front door unlocking, I had just enough time to jump out of bed and put a towel on to open the door when maintenance then tried telling me my dryer was broken and tried forcing himself into my apartment to double check (at the time I was actually using the dryer), my landlord gave the guy the wrong apartment number and said that the tenant wont be there!
2nd Encounter, again I was sleeping and maintenance knocked and then I heard the unlocking of my door, once again I had just enough time to wrap myself up and got to the door as he was opening it! Maintenance took so long to get around to the repair that I found a way to repair it myself!
3rd Encounter! I was home sick, taking a bath when I pop my head out of the water to hear maintenance walking into my apartment! They did knock, but how am I supposed to hear them with my head underwater!
The next day I approached my landlord and requested a chain be put on my door to protect my personal privacy while I am in my apartment. My landlord told me that having a chain put on my door was against fire code and they wouldn’t do it. If I did it myself they would charge me for a new door and frame when I move out! Is it illegal for my landlord to deny me a chain on my door?
For each of these encounters I had no prior notice to them coming to the apartment until they either they unlocked the door or knocked. The second encounter was requested maintenance, but it was more than a week after the request was made.
November 24th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
Get a kee-block for your door- it fits over your door knob so that a person with a key maybe able unlock the lockbolr but won’t be able to have access to your doorknob - the device is metal you cannot open the bottom door as the device is larger than the knob & will just turn (not the door knob lock)
Get a surveillance camera & hope to catch an image of the offender.
my Perv is the maintaince man
December 29th, 2008 at 1:03 pm
Here is a situation that I’ve been having for almost 4 months!!! My roommate had a restraining order against her ex boyfriend for abusive reasons. Yet, she being young minded and immature, she decided to let this mentally unstable young man into our house. I repeatedly told her if he wasn’t removed I was calling the police to file a report of truspassing without my consent. He continues to live in our apartment and is even home when she is not. My question is…why is my apartment complex not doing anything about him staying there? He is not on the lease, and in our lease agreement it states no visior shall stay over 3 days. Which it’s been…4 months. And he is the reason for bills being paid late, for the house being a wreck, and for continuous verbal harrassment. I am now removing her from the lease, once she sings her name off the lease I explained he is no longer aloud in the apartment due to the fact it will no longer be half her apartment. Will the cops actually come and be helpful for once if he comes on to my property after her name is off the lease?! Especially because i’m patite and afraid for my safety. Any answers??
February 13th, 2009 at 1:32 am
Where I live they want to not give notice either and boy is it infuriatiing. The thing I see over and over again with this simular problem for so many is that we are told: catch them, call police , get % off rent till lease over or break the lease. The thing is I or even anyone else doesn’t want to move. I/they want to renew and live where they are dispite and sinply want this to stop. I threatened the last time we ‘could;’ sue and it was hell that year from the employee group bonding glaring at me, not letting me drive out the parking lot blocking my car with themselves and banging on my windows. The hostility is huge from this back against them and their fake behavior to scapegoat someone for standing up for their rights made it even more infuriating. We are crap to them, actually just money, not people. I find it ridiculous for anyone to have to just ‘move’ because of their illegal behavior of entering. Calling the police to charge them would be justifiable but then I’m sure most people feel as though they won’t be let to renew their lease the next year because you got them in trouble. I know this happens and angers alot of people here and no one does anything because of this. I think laws must be more harshly enforced. If u are going to rent to tenants and have a complex then u must abide by those rules and if it doesn’t fit your schedule to make your millions off us Get Out of the Business. I want to know there would be protection if you charge them not that we shold just let them get away w/it and pack up and move. Moving is hard and exhasting.
March 15th, 2009 at 6:15 pm
here is my story me and my Boyfriend just moved into a new place a couple weeks a going. my landlord have walked in to the houses without knocking over 10 time when am home alone and am not sure with to do. Am not sure how more times he have being in the houses when am at work.
he once walk into the houses with i was in the shower when i walk out he was standing at the front door. he never knocks or call a head of time and am not sure with to do.. can someone help me please is there something i can do or say to him??
March 26th, 2009 at 12:34 pm
(Can I do this?)
I only have but a few items to mention in this posting,
1- Check the news online, you will see how one tenant ( in San Antonio, TX) found a camera in her ac vent after she just moved in her apartment.
2- I want to rescind my permission to my landlord forbidding them to enter our apartment when we are not at home. Unless it is an emergency and police or fire department representative is present.
3- In that notice I am also stating they notify me of future maintenance prior to them entering so we may be home.
Reason for the 2nd & 3rd is at the moment they saw me leave my home was less then 5 mins prior to my husband returning home from work. When he started to undress in our bedroom, he found a strange man in our back bathroom. He found out it was the plumber and manager gave him permission and the key when we were out. But did not again notify us of him coming. This seems to be an on going thing with our manager and maintenance here at our apartment complex. I would like to know what I can do. What are my legal rights here in San Antonio, TX. In our last apartment complex in another state. We have noticed that everything we spoke of privately in our home was back in the office. So we decided to check the apartment, low and behold we were being bugged. So we moved out of there right away. I want privacy, I feel I pay rent to live somewhere for my privacy and feel I deserve it.
August 11th, 2009 at 11:20 am
I CONSTANTLY HAVE MY LANDLORD ENTERING MY APARTMENT WITH OUT MY PERMISSION,,,ONE DAY I WAS WALKING OUT OF MY WASH ROOM FROM HAVING A SHOWER AND BOTH OF MY LANDLORDS WALKED RIGHT IN I DID NOT GIVE THEM ANY AUTHORITY TO ENTER MY APARTMENT AND WHEN I DO ITS THE DAY I SAY SO THEY FIGURE THEY CAN ENTER MY PLACE WHEN EVER THEY FEEL LIKE IT NOW,,,,I IF THEY KNOCK AND I DONT ANSWER THE DOOR THEY WALK RIGHT IN ,,,,I WANT TO KNOW WHAT I CAN DO ABOUT THIS,,,CAN SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME OUT>?
CINDY
August 18th, 2009 at 8:36 am
I have a landlord that is a paranoid/psycho. Hew would call me at all hours of the day and night and if I did not answer the phone he would put a note on my car. The final incident with this creep ishe showed up at my apartment and because my car was in the driveway he assumed I was in the apartment not answering, so he gets on his tip toes and starts looking through the window. This was the last straw with this psycho. I called a lawyer and I moved out of the place as soon as I can. I also talked to the Sherriff’s Office and I am filing criminal charges against this man. I never felt safe living there after these incidents it was like having a stalker.
Renters have rights, we are renting the property and have the right to expect privacy and no one has the right to violate that. As for my landlord criminal charges will end his career, should have thought of that before he stalked.