Landlord’s right to employment updates?

By a palmful of stars

I live in the first-floor apartment of a two-family house in a city in CT with my boyfriend.  The lease is solely in my name.  The owner lives on-site in the upstairs apartment.  When I signed the lease, I had just started a new job in the city.  Prior to my signing of the lease, the owner (I’ll call her Sally) did a full background and credit check, and verified my employment and income.  The lease was effective October 1.

Sally is nice enough, but she is extremely nosy. Even before we were fully moved in she asked us constantly about our comings and goings.  We share common entrances to the house and I see her face-to-face almost daily.  Her apartment overlooks my parking space and she is home a lot, so it is hard to leave or return without her noticing. 

Here’s the complication – I lost my new job last week.  The good news is I have qualified for unemployment, my company is looking to transfer me to another department, and my boyfriend is also gainfully employed; therefore I’m optimistic I’ll be able to honor the lease and pay the rent.  However, I also have to deal with Sally’s increased prying.  Since she can tell when I’m home because of the presence of my car, she asks daily if I have the day off, if I’m on vacation, etc.  She also has been asking my boyfriend about his work schedule and his modes of transportation.

My question is: Does my landlord have the right to know about my recent lay-off?  Can she use that knowledge to demand I get a co-signer?  I know she has the right to do a background and income check before a lease signing, but does that imply that she is entitled to ongoing updates about my employment situation?  It seems that since she hasn’t entered my apartment there is no grounds here for a breach of privacy complaint, but am I within my rights to tell Sally (respectfully and graciously) to back off? 

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.  Thank you!

-C

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