What can I do about the landlord?
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Anonymous
| I'm a college student and I'm renting in a house off campus. The landlord is areau overbearing woman. I went home this weekend and I received a phone call from her lettinge know that my room is messy and she expects it to be cleaned properly. She cited the fact that I had clothes on the floor and a stack of papers in a corner. There is not food or dishes in the room. The clothes are not smelly and the room does not have a bad smell. The other student renting the house agrees with me that the landlady is pretty intense. She shows up randomly and checks around the house. She has imposed random rules such as "no guests upstairs" and "no food outside of the kitchen". None of these things were in the lease. Am I wrong to feel that my privacy is being violated? |
Anonymous
| Do you share living space with her? There should be s clause in your contract that says she's not allowed to barge in like that |
Anonymous
| I am a landlord in DC. By law, she cannot enter the residence without giving 24 hours notice unless there is an emergency (pipe burst, fire, etc.). She also cannot make or enforce any rules not laid out in the lease. Go to the DC tenants rights website and do some reading. You can also contact the DC government office that controls this and make a formal complaint. They should follow up with her. |
Anonymous
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Was this your "mom's" post?
http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/444826.page |
Anonymous
I was just thinking the same thing. |
Anonymous
Nope. She doesn't live here with us. And I've never seen that post before (to the other pp). |
Anonymous
| What city is this? That makes all the difference. There are laws about this kind of thing |
Anonymous
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I don't think she can make rules like this, but it doesn't sound to me like you'll want to rent from her very long. I do understand wanting to protect your investment and make sure that renters aren't doing things that would attract pests (bugs, rats) but she seems to be overstepping her boundaries, unless you signed anything that would say you agreed to these terms.
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Anonymous
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What does your lease say regarding cleanliness and her access to your living quarters? I'm a landlord and can't access my unit unless I give 24 hours notice (or in case of emergency). I do not have requirements in the lease regarding the level of cleanliness your landlord has required.
What are the terms of your lease - month to month, until the end of the school year? Does your university have an office that handles off-campus housing affairs? Perhaps they could help draft a strong reply to your landlady officially telling her not to enter your space without notice and cause and telling her that your room organization is not her concern and further communication regarding your private affairs is unwelcome and would be considered harrassment. (This is assuming your lease requires notice and cause for her to be on the property.) |
Anonymous
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Op here,
Nothing is in the lease about cleaning at all. I will be leaving at the end of the term. She is often coming into the house just to check on things. |
Anonymous
If she's been doing it since fall when I assume you moved in, you kind of may be stuck for the next month and a half if you never addressed it. You shouldn't be, I think if you didn't address it she doesn't get how wrong she is. But since you have only a month left, I'd suggest emailing her. "Dear LL, The mates and I have been talking and we're concerned that you're not following the rules set forth in the lease we signed... We'd like to ask you to stop with the daily check ins." |
Anonymous
| There's got to be more to this story... |
Anonymous
+1 And there's no way this post is unrelated to the one linked above. |
Anonymous
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No you are not wrong to feel that way.
You are paying her rent + if there was no mutual agreement regarding cleanliness, etc., then you are doing nothing wrong. I am not sure about laws and such, but is it legal for her to go into your bedroom when you are not there?? |
Anonymous
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Here's a suggestion, too - you could always move the clothes from the floor to a laundry basket and the papers to a desk and not just piled in the corner. Random papers and clothes on the floor = mess (and possible bug attractor or fire hazard), and that's bugging your landlord.
I'm not saying she isn't out of bounds, but maybe you could use this as a reason to be a little neater? I can guarantee you that at some point, this will drive another roommate or spouse crazy. Seriously, you have what, 3 months left? Just go along to get along and look for a new place for next year. |