DOES YOUR LANDLORD HAVE THE RIGHT TO HARASS YOU?

Question

I rented a place outside of the city to get some peace and quiet,but low and behold...i think my landlord is crazy.I got five certified letters in the mail,a few weeks ago.Well she has had someone to spy on my family and take pictures of my trash outside,bagged up beside the house.I didn't start getting these letters until i called her phone and left a message about a pest problem"ants"that where coming in from outside.The whole house is infested,upstairs and downstairs.Remember i just moved here in the middle of March and i got the five letters from her around the end of April.She had someone come on the property and take pictures of my bagged trash and open the bags poured them out and took more pictures...then she sent them to me via e-mail saying i was causing the pest problem and if i didn't move the trash right away,she would charge me for pest control.When i saw my trash throwed out,i didn't think much of it...because i'm in the country and i thought a racoon might have done it! No big deal rebag it! Then another problem happened shortly there after,the ceiling started leaking in the kitchen above my head,well i ran upstairs and looked but there was nothing.The bathtub is above me...well then again i called her in CA.and again it's my fault,she got a plummer to come out..and there was no leak! But the plummer told me since there is no tile in the bathtub or a backsplash installed then when you get any kind of water on the wall,it will leak into the sheetrock into the ceiling...which if you look up at it in the kitchen you can clearly see ,where they have patched it before.So in another one of her letters she tried to blame me for that and told me to use the two bathrooms downstairs and not use the 1 upstairs"which is my boys bathroom".I pay on time and alot of money for this house..i should be able to use all of the bathrooms...that's why i rented it!! DUH! What should i do and what are my rights? As well shortly after those letters were mailed my code to my garage was changed,it was not the battery or power source...it had been changed!! So now i'm afraid of what this woman might do!! Is she crazy? What are my rights and i want to leave here!! Seems to me that she is broke or cheap and don't won't to come off of any money to fix theses problems!!! And the reason i said,maybe she's broke is because shortly after i moved in,i got her check book in the mail...i didn't open it,i actually called her and told her it was here and wasn't forwarded to her new address...she said please mail it because she only had five dollars left to her name and needed the money out of the account,but the funny part of that is that the bank on the front is the one that i deposit the rent/security deposit into!! I did mail her the checks.Which really was not my problem either! I'm tired of being nice,what can i do and what are my renter's rights? I live in Atoka,TN. Thks for any help on this matter!!!

Answer 1

This is really bad. Your best bet is to see an attorney. Document your EVERY INTERACTION with the landlord (and her minions) in detail, include entries like "7/1/09 I mailed rent check # 8790 in the amount of $2500 copy attached." Then later "7/10/09 Rent check #8790 cleared my bank."



I know it sounds wacky, but so does she.



Telling you not to use a bathroom you rented??????



Call a lawyer. Sorry.

Answer 2

You shouldn't have had bags of trash on the side of the house, whether you live in the country or the city. That CAN cause ants, rats, mice and other vermin or pests to invade your house. That one was on you, and really, if you had ants, there are many ways you could have eradicated them with baits or boric acid around the house (outside) etc. It wouldn't have been inexpensive and you wouldn't have started this chain of events of her acting nutty.



Probably whomever came and took pictures of trash changed the garage code, and has a door opener, as that is the only way you can change it unless you know the code. This is probably the same person who is going to be keeping a lookout on how you are treating the property and reporting it back to this woman.



She does need to fix the things that are not in working order such as plumbing etc. You do have a right to use whatever bathroom is included in the house and in your rent! If she doesn't fix things, all you can do after mailing her certified letters or having proof that you have tried to contact her to rectify things is move.



When she tries to take you to court for breaking the lease, you would have proof that the place had certain issues that were being ignored by the landlord.

Answer 3

You may be having problems with someone other than the owner. It is highly unlikely that she would travel from California to Tennessee to reprogram the garage door opener. Why would she have someone open and dump out your trash.



If you are faithfully paying rent as you indicate, it would seem unlikely that she would harass you.



There may someone that does not like you or wants the property. Maybe she wants to rent to someone else.



Talk with her and see if you can make arrangements for breaking the lease, if there is one.

Answer 4

You have a reason, to break the lease as she is making things unlivable. be sure to document everything. Copy e-mails, have other people over hear conversations that you have with her, Everything. Putting garbage by the house, is a minor thing, and could of been resolved better. If she doesn't the security, you are going to have to sue her for it. Just be sure to take photographs of everything, before you leave.

Answer 5

Move.



Find a better place for you & your kids to live.



Landlord should not be harassing you.