Ok, Org legal beagles, pranksters, ointment flies and troublemakers...how do I keep this from happening?

I have three more weeks in this schmuck's building and I've been his tenant for six years. I think I deserve the dignity of three uninterrupted weeks.

PLUS, he informed me that he would be showing the apartment with no advance notice. YES, he actually said it in so many words.

I don't know about the legality of all this. I'm sure he has the right to give me a Dirty Sanchez if he wants, since he's a landlord and landlords have the God-given right to violate their tenants as they see fit.

But I can always make it REALLY unpleasant for him, and I'm more than willing to burn a bridge or two if he gets out of hand with this nonsense.

Has anyone else been through this? Any advice?

Anxiety said:

Are you moving in with your boy friend?

Hold on for two seconds.

Lothan said:

TotalANXiousNESS said:

and he's gonna be staying at my place quite a bit over the next few weeks.

if you know what i mean.

Lothan said:

Is there someone at the door?

As a landlord, I can tell you that he has to give you advance warning.
It's a state law in Michigan, I'm not sure about Il.
Check your lease and see if anything is spelled out there.

If all else fails, call a locksmith and tell them that you want to "re-key" your locks. Basically, they just make an adjustment to the lock itself but give you a new key.

The below is the law in Illinois. Your landlord has to give you 24 hours notice before he enters your apartment. Why he would want to show the apartment and bear the risk of some asshole trying to swipe your stuff is beyond me. Tell that motherfucker you know your rights. You two should be able to reach an agreement that you will be present when he shows the place or give you the goddamn respect to give you notice.

http://www.chicityclerk.c...er5_12.pdf

I'm tempted to write on all my moving boxes in thick black marker, "DON'T RENT THIS UNIT"

im sure he wont walk in unannounced again

if he comes in and some guys taking it up the ass.



.
[Edited 8/15/07 10:56am]

Slave2daGroove said:

Yes, read your lease and the bastard, by law, should have given you a copy of your tenants rights.

Lothan said:

wow Ivy you are a Goddess amongst orgers.

or just leave your porn scattered all over the place.

In the kitchen on the living room floor.

ehuffnsd said:

I actually had to go to court with a landlord when my kids were small. I couldn't afford a lawyer so I learned a bunch of stuff on my own. I represented myself and won.

ehuffnsd said:

I've been saying that for years

Anxiety said:

Next thing yanno, yous'll be creating org babies too.

24 hour notice is the law in Minnesota too.
Make him stick to it!

Lothan said:

Caifornia has the same law but it goes bbeyond that in other areas... He has the right to enter with 24 hour notice to see the premises but not repeatedly and not for the purposes of showing the joint. ( leasee has the right to quiet enjoyment of premises blah blah blah...) I completed a lot of law on real estate and may not know the particulars of Illinois codes but I got 5 that says it is not much different. Id place a quick call to the housing authority and put a stop to this right away... Its just not acceptable. ( For that matter even easier may be to just call the city.)
[Edited 8/15/07 11:00am]

Lothan said:

I'll be damned! Thanks for that!

All I know is, I'm dealing with a lot of family crisis (as always), trying to handle a move, I'm going to be hosting people in my apartment over the next weeks and I have a cat who I don't trust strangers around. Plus, there are so many repairs he needs to make to that apartment, he shouldn't WANT to show it.

I'm gonna look at this info and look at my lease. If there's no weaselly clause in the lease, I'm going to put a copy of this PDF under his door and give him a very polite, but very stern, call.

horatio said:

yeah, i have some ideas along those lines.

Anxiety said:

A song for you.

http://www.youtube.com/wa...UDg53ypBcA

if anything happens to my pet during a showing - if, for example, my cat gets out or goes missing - is my landlord liable? does anyone know if that at least counts as theft or negligence?

Muse2NOPharaoh said:

it looks to be the same in illinois, according to what ivy posted.

of course, i'm sure he has some stupid language in the lease that makes my rights null and void.

though if he can't do that, it looks like he'll owe me at least one month's rent for showing the place unannounced if i feel like he violated my rights as a tenant.

Anxiety said:

Email Ed Sacks at the Chicago Sun-Times. He is an expert at this stuff and usually replies immediately.

apartmentwatch@earthlink.net

Lothan said:

thank you. the deed is done.

Since I've never had an apartment, or a landlord before.

I always picture them being like the land lord on Coming to America.

Is this Poor Enough For Ya?? HAHAHAH

TotalANXiousNESS said:

i think that was kind of a warm-hearted portrayal of landlords. basically, all the movie/TV cliches of landlords being money-hungry, heartless scum are pretty dead-on.

He has the right to show your Apt within the months notice you gave him. Seeing as you haven't been in the unit for more than 3 years...if I am remembering correctly, he doesn't have to have any down time for painting and whatnot. It's also a pretty busy area and I am sure he's got people clamoring for your unit.

Slave2daGroove said:

I thought for repairs and other things he does. Not to show the apt. He should call you first or at least tell you so he's not walking in on you.

Lothan said:

I'd rather NOT be in the Apt when it's being shown, cuz I'd rather not be judged by any cleanliness factors. Plus I'd just plain feel weird with other people looking through my home.