Landlady Issues- need advice

By Tenant

I’ve been living in my 2 bedroom apartment for 15 months.  I have signed a lease to go through the end of December, 2009.  About 2 weeks ago, my landlady sent a letter to me and my boyfriend (who doesn’t live with me… we’re not sure how she got his name and address) saying there have been multiple complaints against him damaging property and disturbing other tenants here.  She has had it out for him ever since we started dating in August- she used to tell him he wasn’t allowed to dump dirty water down the sewer drain in the parking lot (where else would it go?), and she accused him of blocking the fire lane in the parking lot (when her husband’s friends park there for hours on end and she’s OK with that), and is now saying he’s too loud going in and out of my apartment.  She cited a sentence in the lease that says any guest staying in the apartment for 14 days or more has to get written consent from the landlady.  She says that because he’s been here more than 14 days in a calendar year, he has to fill out an application to live here and my rent will go up $500 per month.  I asked her husband about it when I moved in because i had a friend who used to visit me for 2 or 3 days, once a month, so that would be more than 14 days in a calendar year, and he said no, that meant "14 days in a row" that a guest is staying with me.  My boyfriend has his own apartment that he is living in about 20 mniutes away, and he’s only here to visit late Fri night through dinner on Sunday.  (definitely not more than 48 hours at a time)  I tried to get ahold of her to ask her some questions about this and she is so passive aggressive that she won’t answer the phone when I’m trying to call and only calls back when I tell her I won’t be around.  (I live across the hall from her so I know when she’s there, which is when I typically call)  The last time she called, she told me that she’s just looking out for the other residents here, and he is prohibited from setting foot on this property until he gets the approval from her… and that I better watch out because the property owners wanted to evict me for his behavior.  I understand that I can be evicted because of my guest’s behavior, that’s not the issue.  It’s the fact that she twists words and interprets things differently than any other landlord I’ve dealt with.

 I have done what I can to talk civilly to her about this, but now she won’t return my phone calls.  Her husband told me to talk to "headquarters" (the property owners) about it, but they won’t return my calls or letters either.  (I sent them 2 letters and left a message on their machine)  I think she’s twisting the words in the lease agreement to suit her needs because she doesn’t like him, but am not sure what else to do about this.  I dont’ want to spend the next 10 months either working or at my boyfriend’s apartment.  He lives in low income housing and it’s a very small, cramped area.  I pay $540 a month, which is a lot to spend if all I’m doing is sleeping here now.  I was thinking of telling my landlady to put an ad in the paper to rent out my apartment, and when she finds someone she should let me know and I’ll move out.  That way I have a place to stay for now, but I’m not locked in for another 10 god-awful months.  Is that an option or is it a stupid idea?  Any other thoughts about what I could do?

Edited on: Tuesday, March 10th, 2009 12:52 pm

One Response to “Landlady Issues- need advice”

My response: (We welcome stories, examples, explanations, answers and a touch of your personality)
 

anonymous

March 10th, 2009 7:28 pm

As a tenant your boyfriend can cause you lots of problems as you have now noticed. The nasty truth is that the apartment manager or landlord can prohibit him from being there.
Here is what you can do:
A) Stop the Boy friend sleep overs immediately. Don’t allow your boy friend to sleep over any more. By allowing him to sleep over you are opening yourself up for additional charges. These fees can’t be charged if the guest never sleeps over. (Remember to have him leave at decent hours)
B) Have your boy friend fill out the application. However, send it to the manager via certified letter so that you have proof of delivery. Also, include a letter inside the envelope that states that your boy friend will not be staying more than 14 nights within a calendar year of your lease. The letter should explain that the application is being filled out only as per request by landlord and not for application of tenancy. And finally, the third thing within the letter you will want to state is a response notice. Provide management with 3 days to respond from receipt of the letter, the lack of response will imply the right for your boy friend to visit the property, otherwise management must provide a written statement for denial as per fair credit reporting guidelines.
C) After the response period, you should be able to invite your boy friend back to visit you. (Just don’t allow him to stay the night) Also, make sure he is a perfect little guest that is nice and courteas to everyone.


Close


Yes, the RPA® Can Help You!

Filing an official complaint is the nation's fastest way to solve tenant problems.

Not Ready? Learn more...

Virginia Complaint Filling Deadline  Tips/Suggestion

Need Help Filing Your Complaint?

Agents Available Mon- Fri 10am to 10pm

Recently Resolved Complaints:

See how the Nation's Rental Authority has helped thousands of tenants already!

Ask Question:

Post a new question to the RPA Tenants rights forum.

You Have Tenant Rights.
Recently Posted Questions:

Over 4,000 questions have been asked by tenants including these new posts:

Tenant Rights Categories

Popular categories about renters rights.