Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Neighbors

[MoonCat]

So if a tenant had illegal drugs inside, where the landlord would have no way of finding them (due to tenants' rights, can't go on "fishing expeditions"), and the cops are called in due to a domestic disturbance and see them, the landlord loses his property and tenants in other units lose their homes? Sounds to me like "responsibility without authority" - landlord is held accountable for a situation outside his control.

I think it depends on the circumstances. If complaints have been made to the landlord and he/she hasn't addressed them, it can be argued that they were negligent at best, or aiding and abetting at worst. A lot of leases specify that there is to be no illegal activity on the property on pain of eviction; then the landlord has to pay attention to what's going on around the property and take action if he/she has reason to believe something is not right. Of course, with tenants' rights laws on the books, they also have to be careful about HOW they go about it. This is one of the reasons I made up my mind to never become a landlord when I bought my house!

[BlaqueKatt]

Sounds to me like "responsibility without authority" - landlord is held accountable for a situation outside his control.

if your friend has illegal drugs in your car without your knowledge, guess what, your vehicle, your responsibility. Your friend doesn't fess up who's charged? It's just a larger scale.

Background checks are allowed, the law was passed due to several "slumlords" renting to known dealers, and doing nothing after repeated drug busts.

As far as "finding drugs during a domestic", it's not normal to have narcotics lying around in the open(sans drug search warrant, they'd have to be), and there has likely been prior police contact.(marijuana is a fine, not considered "criminal", thus not subject to forfeiture, unless distributing)

[Mr. Anubite]

marijuana is a fine, not considered "criminal", thus not subject to forfeiture, unless distributing

That God-awful stench is certainly disturbing me.

I went to pay my rent today, and the landlady knew I was going to talk to her about the new neighbor. Apparently J called in a few hours before I got to the property company's office. We had a long talk about the neighbor, and they said they're going to do everything they can to evict her. They're not exactly thrilled about the situation, considering the legal and PR implications of owning a drug den.

The landlady told me she was going to call the new neighbor after I left. I drove home, and shortly after, heard her screaming very loudly. I was wearing headphones, in the room farthest from the wall I share with her, and I could still hear her clearly.

So it sounds like this eviction's not going to go very smoothly. New neighbor is getting Mommy involved, which I find amusing, for a woman of her age.

I looked up her Facebook profile, since she's made some concerning comments about us. Turns out, she thinks she's being watched by one of the neighbors (almost certainly me, since I was there the longest.) She posted an update a few minutes ago saying that her health problems are due to the anxiety of being watched, and that she wants to be compensated.

So I'm guessing this is going to get worse for me, before it gets better.

[MoonCat]

Hmmm, I wonder why she thinks she's being watched. Could it be the illegal activity....??? Naaah, couldn't be that...

[ADeMartino]

if the new neighbor is on probation she must submit to a tox screen if her probation officer orders it . if she fails, she's probably going to have to serve some time. she is also required to stay away from others who use.

[Mr. Anubite]

I was sitting on the porch about three hours ago, talking to and playing with a cat that lives in the area. I hear from inside her apartment, very loudly, "QUIT TALKING IN FRONT OF MY DOOR, FAGGOT!" Followed by, "I WOULDN'T BE MEAN IF YOU WEREN'T HARASSING ME, PERVERT!"

This really shook me up, as a gay person, and it put something in context. One of her Facebook posts threatens to "get that child molester kicked out." I'm guessing she means me?

I went to the leasing office, and they promised me that if she's not out by the Sunday after next, the police will take her out, and the locks will be changed.

I know it's silly to be so shaken up by a word, but it's really made me scared. A lot of people in this country have had the F-word yelled at them before they were beaten or murdered, and that's all I can think about now.

[Gizmo]

Can understand the fear mate - it is justified. Hugs.

[Seshat]

If the police don't already know, tell them. Tell them now.

Give them documentation. If you need to, summarise this thread and use your posts' timestamps to help you remember the dates.

Give them printouts of the screenshots of every concerning facebook post.


Your LIFE has now been threatened. There is NO reason to avoid seeking help.

The only possible reason I can think of to avoid getting help from the police, is that in some places, the police are terribly bigoted and themselves a danger. I hope, desperately, that that's not the case where you are. If it's not .. go to them!

If it is; and you don't have other reasonable recourse, pack up and leave temporarily while you work out what the hell you're going to do next.

Please let us know what you've chosen to do, and give us status updates - but your safety is your top priority. Keeping us notified comes later.

[taxguykarl]

Seshat is right: Document, DOCUMENT, DOCUMENT!!

Get the authorities onboard, if you haven't yet. OTOH, how does a drug user get a law-abiding gay person evicted?

[violiavampyr]

If the subletting was done correctly then the lady that moved out should be not liable at all, because she would have been removed completely from the lease and the two new people would be help liable. UNLESS she just added them to the lease, which is not a bright idea on her part.

[Mr. Anubite]

If the subletting was done correctly then the lady that moved out should be not liable at all, because she would have been removed completely from the lease and the two new people would be help liable. UNLESS she just added them to the lease, which is not a bright idea on her part.

I certainly agree that it isn't a bright idea, but that was her only option. The only options the management company give tenants is to:

1. Break the lease, and pay all the fees and forfeit the security deposit, or
2. Sublet to someone and have them pay, but you're still the principal person on the lease.

She didn't threaten my life, exactly, Seshat. She threatened to report me for a crime I didn't commit, but so far, the physical threats have been directed at other people, who are monitoring the situation.

I did buy mace, just in case though.

[violiavampyr]

She should probably get with the local Apartment Association, they might be able to find some way were doesn't have liability.
Around here roommate changes are fairly frequent (college town), in fact at the complex a friend works at there hasn't been an actual "make-ready" in years. People just keep swapping out in the middle of the lease term.

[fireheart]

She didn't threaten my life, exactly, Seshat. She threatened to report me for a crime I didn't commit, but so far, the physical threats have been directed at other people, who are monitoring the situation.

I did buy mace, just in case though.

I dunno....even if the police do jack shit, it's a very good way to turn the rest of your apartment block against you.

[Seshat]

If she's making physical threats ....

Well, I'd probably send the police an FYI. At least in my experience, police seem to appreciate the occasional heads-up on who's being trouble and making threats.

They need evidence; in this case the facebook page. It might not - yet - be something they can act on. And I let them know that I know and understand that they might not yet be able to act.

But I hope that it's helpful for them to have that evidence on hand; and have some pre-warning of a situation that's been developing; so that if/when they get that emergency call to the location, they're not walking in completely blind.

[MoonCat]

Second Seshat's advice, and also: Think of it like a complaint to HR - who are they going to believe? More likely, the first person to make a report. If you report her threats against you, the cops are much less likely to believe her if she ever does try to accuse you of something you didn't do. They'll have her on record as a trouble-maker.