Unique Living Situation, Nasty New Neighbors

[Anonymous]

House is not in DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:How many times has this mail thing happened? I opened a package addressed to my neighbors the other day by genuine accident. I ordered something from the Gap, and there were two Gap boxes on my porch. One of them was actually for the neighbors. I ran it over - no big deal.

Accidents happen.

OP here and see that's part of my problem. How many times do you give someone the benefit of the doubt? Did you suggest to your neighbors that they shouldn't have their mail delivered to their own address because of your carelessness?

BS. Call the Postmaster General. File a complaint. What they are doing is illegal.

Yes, but so is what the OP is doing. The housing situation is not legal either.

You don't know if it legal. Depending on the jurisdiction it could be legal, or illegal, based on random factors such as # of unrelated residents living together, # of kitchens, etc.

The upstairs unit controlling the heat and A/C for the entire house is completely illegal. A legal separate unit must be separately metered in DC. That's the law.

Really? Maybe they are all roommates? I lived with roommates until I got married and there was only 1 AC/Heat control. We all had our own leases and paid the landlord separately. I think this is pretty typical and legal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are they illegal aliens?

Are you illiterate?

[Anonymous]

OP here and sorry I stepped away for a bit. Again, house is not in DC. Lots of useful information here and while I realize some of you are right I guess I'm just outraged and pissed that I should have to inconvenience myself due to a practical stranger's bad behavior. To clarify, the downstairs people have a separate entrance from the upstairs people. There are no indoor shared spaces and the only outside spaces that could be considered shared is the front porch and that is for mail delivery purposes only. And to be esoteric I can't figure out why people would act this way. This was a nice place to live for a long time and now it's just a lot of negativity. I suppose one of the new tenants is mentally ill and I have empathy for that but how much should I put up with? BTW, does anyone know exactly how to report mail tampering? The USPS website is pretty vague on this particular issue (i.e. neighbors opening and moving packages).

[Anonymous]

Don't know if anyone remembers this thread but updating-turns out landlord does not have a license to operate a multifamily housing unit. Not sure if this invalidates the lease. Anyway the temp in my unit is 61 degrees. Again, the upstairs people control the heat (there is a separate thermostat for the downstairs meaning that they can set the heat at a different temp for themselves). It is 61 degrees in my unit. I have mentioned this to the landlord several times and the landlord basically claims that they cannot control the behaviors of the upstairs tenants. If I report this to Maryland Housing Authority, would we all be kicked out? How soon? There is a third party living here that I am concerned about.

[Anonymous]

It's county level not state level in MD. Here it is for MoCo: http://montgomerycountymd.gov/DHCA/housing/landlordtenant/complaint.html

I think they would seek not to kick people out (only if the property is condemned.. unlikely) if the landlord can rectify the situation in a reasonable time.

On top of that, I assume they really won't kick someone out if it's cold outside. I know they aren't allowed to evict in MoCo when the temp is below a certain number (I'm a landlord and had to evict once).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's county level not state level in MD. Here it is for MoCo: http://montgomerycountymd.gov/DHCA/housing/landlordtenant/complaint.html

I think they would seek not to kick people out (only if the property is condemned.. unlikely) if the landlord can rectify the situation in a reasonable time.

On top of that, I assume they really won't kick someone out if it's cold outside. I know they aren't allowed to evict in MoCo when the temp is below a certain number (I'm a landlord and had to evict once).

OP here and thanks for responding. I'm not trying to get the landlord in trouble but h/she claims that they can do nothing about the situation because they are afraid that the upstairs people will try to sue if asked to leave before the lease is up. I am planning to move once I find a workable solution but that may take time and I am worried about the low temperatures as well as all the people involved. If I threaten to discount the rent everyday the heat is below 68 degrees can my landlord move to evict me?

[Anonymous]

Here is what the slum lord can do to fix this FIXABLE situation:


https://nest.com/thermostat/meet-nest-thermostat/

[Anonymous]

OP-if the house is safe to be inhabited, then it's really a licensing issue. Where you can complain to depends on the number of kitchens (rooms with cooking facilities) in the home, and the jurdisdiction you are in (county or city or rockville, city of baltimore etc)

I might consider letting the landlord know that you are planning on going to court and establishing a rent escrow account. If you did that, it should hopefully incentivize the landlord to move a little quicker to find a better solution for you. The nights are only going to get colder over the next few months, and you need them to be a little better to you, the long-paying presumably good-standing tenant(s) over just throwing up their hands and telling you to wait out their lease. Worst case, they need to get a license that they don't have - and they either will, or they won't. If they won't, you'll maybe consider asking the court for your rent escrow money back - and I'll just say to do a quick consult with a lawyer for the rest of what I might say here

[Anonymous]

I would get a safe space heater. Not a kerosene or huge one, just an electric one. Put it on a non flammable surface and set it on a timer. A small one should take care of taking the chill out of the air. I will leave the experts to weigh in on the legalities of the mess. But at least in the meantime you will be more comfortable.

[Anonymous]

Send yourself a giant dildo and studded clothes. They won't open your packages again.

[Anonymous]

And since you signed up to live in this "unique" living situation, you also signed up to deal with the "unique" issues that go along with it.

Is it a legal set-up wherever you are (not DC)?

[Anonymous]

Op I remember this and was thinking about it the other day. I also responded previously about living in a similar situation and having a PO box. Anyway what I'd do in your situation is biy a space heater of some kind, radiant heater or whatever and then deduct it from my next rent. Problem solved.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Space heater causes the fuses for the entire house to blow and cannot be run during the night. Believe me I already tried it. But thanks for the suggestion. I need the affordable apartment fairy to sprinkle some dust on my head

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Send yourself a giant dildo and studded clothes. They won't open your packages again.

Too expensive and they never carry my size.