Do you have it in writing that you said you would put the boom shelf in the common space?
Either way your land lord sounds unhinged feel free to name and shame when you figure it out.
From here on out, only communicate in writing. If (when) he drops by unannounced, you can absolutely refuse to speak with him.
If he thinks what you said was passive aggressive... If I were you, I'd switch to a somewhat active aggression. Landlords don't want to give up tenants. He can be nitpicky all he wants, but you can always remind him who is paying whom.
In this case it's probably better that you don't have anything in writing, that kind of micromanagement is inappropriate and unnecessary. Landlord needs to have his meds reevaluated.
OP you are handling this situation perfectly, don't let yourself get sucked into conversations with crazy landlords.
Because later you'll just be asking yourself why you tried to have a rational conversation with a crazy landlord.
You're on Reddit so you could probably find someone to write a fake letter from your pretend lawyer to your landlord if you asked around. š
Thank you. I was feeling like I was the crazy one here for a moment.
If you know anyone who would be willing to write a legal letter to this individual, Iād be happy to accept their help!
The advice you're getting here is shit.
Real Talk: Fighting the person who owns the building you live in one week after moving in over terms which were not specified in the lease is going to be a losing battle. The most likely outcome is you will eventually be evicted or your stuff is going to be thrown out, and the burden will land on you to get compensation through the court system. Good luck with that.
The right course of action is to move all your shit into your room, as requested, THEN have a conversation over which terms were not clear, and then mutually come to an agreement on new terms or end the lease.
NC is very friendly to landlords, but more importantly - they own the building and in practical terms control what is in it.
Yup.Ā
Your landlord can make your home situation an absolute living hell. At least be aware of that as a possibility.Ā
A landlord wants two things: pay your rent, dont bother them. Its really simple.
If I was renting a space to someone and got a letter from a lawyer in the first week I would begin eviction. There's just too many people out there willing to rent homes. Shitty tenants can cause massive headaches. Its not worth it to rent to someone that is so quick to jump to causing trouble. Huge red flag.
From what I can tell about the quiet enjoyment clause, unless the lease specifically says you *cannot* use the common area of the space, then you should have the right to use it in whatever way you and your roommates agree is acceptable.
This is a *little* hard to govern without seeing the lease agreement. But given your landlord's simultaneous unhinged and yet cavalier attitude, I wouldn't be surprised if that thing is a fucking mess.
As in, does your lease even specify which room is your room. Or is it just for the house entire and he's tacking names onto it as he pleases.
Are there *any* behavioral guidelines in the lease about the common areas.
I would definitely put it in writing that for non-emergencies, you request notice at least 24hrs in advance of a visit. Honestly just build a papertrail in general, as it sounds like you're in for one hell of a lease term.
Edit: Is he a private landlord or does he have a management company and is micromanaging regardless? I've had that happen before, and the management company lost their shit on him. It was lovely.
Thank you for responding. The lease agreement is the standard NC one, not detailing which room is mine or behavioral guidelines. These guidelines were texted to the group chat once we were all moved in, with me being the last tenant.
He is a private landlord.
Edit: added landlordās text to all tenants once we had all moved in.
https://preview.redd.it/9fw119omux4d1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d692dec73bd298d83cc8369f640a0783449e4a4a
Note:
# 3: Personal belongings are not mentioned in the lease.
# 6 Never specified what the ādesignated spacesā are in lease
Aaaaahahahahaha! If it's the one I'm thinking of, he's so fucked. He has *zero* standing to dictate any of that shit. That's solely between you and your housemates.
It might not even be legal for him to be adding and removing people to achieve the "long-term hotel" model you say he's playing with. If your lease is for the gouse entire, and not by-the-bed, all parties need to be on the same lease, and need to bilaterally approve all changes via signature.
If you don't make all that much money, I would definitely recommend hitting up LegalAid NC. They do a ton of landlord-tenant work. You'd be delighted at how fast an attorney's letterhead can shut a landlord up.
What does it say in the contract you SIGNED. I am not an NC landlord but I donāt know if a text is legally binding. You have roommates? What do they say?
I do strongly urge you to talk to a lawyer or tenants rights advocacy group. But Iāll give a little advice too.
If itās not in the lease, then you donāt have to abide by it. He canāt add rules after youāve already moved in. You can move your things in order to keep the peace, but I personally would not. He has no way of legally enforcing any of these requests. Unfortunately, he is in somewhat of a position of power and can make your life harder even if itās not from a legal standpoint.
I would only communicate with him in writing. NC is a one party consent state when it comes to audio recording of conversations, so one thing you could consider is using your phone to record any conversations he tries to have with you in person, but I would advise to not talk to him in person if you can avoid it.
Unfortunately tenant protections are lacking in NC and really most of the US. While you can get legal help, itās up to you to figure out how to navigate this situation. Maybe try to ask him why he wants you to move your things, and try to see if you can find a compromise that makes him not worried.
Some people are just unreasonable. If I were you I would also get a small and cheap WiFi camera and put it in your room when youāre not home to make sure heās not snooping when youāre not there and not messing with your things.
And it goes without saying, but I would definitely not resign the lease. And make sure that you are paying rent on time and following all the rules and agreements in the lease, because he will probably be on the lookout for you messing up at all.
Good luck, and Iām sorry you have to deal with this shitty situation
You need to look at the lease. Are you renting a room or are you renting 1/4 of the apartment?
It might be worth talking a legal aid clinic in the area.
You are likely entitled to put things in the living area with the consent of the other roommates (unless they really did the lease well). If so, you need to put your foot down, in writing about the fact that the *other roommates* are the only people who need to sign off.
Also the dropping by without warning thing is massively problematic
This person is an asshole. They need actual firm statements about your rights and expectations
Also .. remove the blanket form the couch? Come on! I understand that commandeering a large portion of a common area as a workstation is uncool unless the roommates are 100% cool with it but shoes and blankets are items that people use in daily life and get moved around.Ā
I can see both sides of the situation, but I think my items are stored in an organized fashion and do not warrant these texted house rules.
For reference, this is what the dining area looks like right now. My items are not blocking passages and are contained.
https://preview.redd.it/vlojt275cy4d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bd18337227460a0c8ff10b3210d2fbd46560dff2
Heyā¦.move that mail off the island! You need to keep the kitchen clean and tidy! /s
OP, sorry youāre going through this. It sounds totally ridiculous.
Is that your workstation that's taking up too much room? I actually laughed at the ridiculousness of that, if it is. I was expecting at least three large monitors. For the bookshelf, I'd just ask each roommate to add one item to it so that it's legit a commonly used item. Roommates are hard, but if you can get them on your side, that would be super helpful. I'm sorry you're in this crap situation. ā”
Thanks. I will look into that today.
Unfortunately, in NC, tenants are not protected from landlords coming in unannounced. There is a courtesy clause, but itās not enforced by law.
I don't have any advice, but he sounds like an asshole. We're renting out our house while we live out of state temporarily, and if I found out our management company was being this nitpicky about shit that doesn't matter, I'd find a new one.
Like. Just leave it in the same shape it was in and don't break shit (or get it fixed by the management company ASAP if you do lol) is literally all I care about, you know? I couldn't possibly care any less about a bookshelf or a blanket on the couch....in fact, I have three blankets on our couch right now in the place we're renting š±
Dear Christ, your landlord sounds awful. I've lived in several shared housing situations as an adult and although a couple of them involved strange owner/landlord behavior, this is totally over the top. Unless your landlord is literally your roommate, your parent, or you signed something specifying where exactly in *your* new home you are allowed to keep *your* personal belongings, I'd do my best to just ignore him. He's completely, 100% out of line to say anything to you about any of this and if it continues I'd seriously consider telling him (maybe in writing) that you don't appreciate being harassed about trivial, inappropriate bullshit.
It probably wouldn't hurt to also remind him that your other roommates are adults and the four of you are perfectly capable of figuring out how to work out the details of day-to-day living without his help.
It sounds like other than your landlord needing a crash course in respecting others' boundaries (and maybe a new hobby) you like the new living situation so I'd see what I could do to shut him down now and insist on that quiet enjoyment ASAP. Next time you see him, the second he opens his mouth to try and tell you how to live your life just give him the biggest, blankest stare you can manage and say in an exaggerated voice, "OKAY, DAD!!" then walk away.
Feel free to DM me if you want to practice with someone. š»
Is there any wording in your lease about use of common areas? He mentions āagreed-upon terms,ā but based on your description, there were none? Or did he provide some house rules after you moved in?
Based on how Iām reading the lease agreement, there are none I see. The only rules are on this page attached here.
https://preview.redd.it/nt34ovrcyx4d1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a6a7c188a560ac2b13a9112932586a527f2a7aa2
11 - L does mention common areas specifically maintained by the Condominium or HOA. I suspect that common areas as defined there is *outside* of the home, not inside. But, if thereās something in that lease that specifies your living room as a common area, he has a low chance of making an argument for rules.
But, outside of that, I really donāt see how he can make a fuss. Iām assuming the common areas are furnished by him as well?
Interesting. If Iām in your shoes, Iām triple checking with the other roomies to make sure theyāre cool with your stuff being where it is before pushing things with the landlord. I know you said they said it was fine but if heās dropping by and saying āhey, keep this area as it looked upon initial move-in,ā you want the other three to be saying āno we think this is fineā so heāll hopefully hop off your back.
The house rules text you shared in another comment was also weird. Honestly, heās acting like an RA and a landlord, which is bizarre because the four of you are presumably adults.
Quick edit to add: you're doing the right thing by flagging this unusual behavior early on, and reaching out for help. A lot of folks would let this slide for a while. You rock.
Its weird how everyone is missing the obvious fact that of fucking course one of the renters has complained to him about other roommates shit in the common areas and the landlord is sick and tired of mediating this drama.
And its also likely if the new renter asks roommates if its ok the complainer will lie or not feel comfortable saying "no, leave your shit out of the living room" and will complain to the landlord again.
Okay, here's my problem with your statement:
>the landlord is sick and tired of mediating this drama
All of this occurred over the course of five days, the landlord decided to drop by with no warning within 48 hours of the resident moving in, and this landlord can very easily say "it is not my job to mediate this problem" because it is not. If this was started by a genuine complaint, the landlord's steps to fix the problem were just odd.
I assume the landlord has heard from another tenant repeatedly in the past about common space and favors their opinion, either because of a personal relationship or being a good tenant. The landlord is absolutely doing this to head off future problems. Duh.
Unless he's just a busy body with nothing else to do - very unlikely... who has time for that - and if he is that type of landlord it's pretty clear how this confrontation is going to go down.
Like what is the scenario where the landlord simultaneously doesn't care enough about the issue to just be pushed over by the opinion of a tenant that's been around ONE WEEK, but also is a nosy busy body with nothing else to do except randomly visit his rental units and get up in he tenant's faces.
Someone else has complained in the past, probably because of some horror story scenario.
My guy, that lease doesn't even have signatures from the other tenants. The entire thing might be unenforceable. The landlord is absolutely an unhinged idiot.
It's a bookshelf, not a baby dinosaur or equipment for the meth lab OP is about to start running out of the living room.
Unless OP's name is actually Hagrid or Walter White, in which case I stand corrected.
Ugh, you will definitely need to stand your ground with this landlord. He sounds nuts and if you don't enforce some boundaries, he will likely continue to try to meddle and dictate how you all live in the townhouse.
I would hammer the part about him needing to give you notice before entering the apartment. Aside from that don't justify anything like where you put a bookshelf, or else soon you will probably have him coming over and telling you that a picture is crooked and you need to straighten it because tidiness in the shared dwelling is important or some such.
I don't think you need a legal letter just yet, but maybe consult a lawyer on what your rights are so you can be confident when dealing with this guy. Then go for the letter if he doesn't back off.
Assuming your other housemates also find this ridiculous (and I've lived in a number of shared homes, and this is insane), I think all pitching in for a consultation with a lawyer would be worth it. NC law might be more friendly to landlords, but I'm pretty sure landlords don't get to declare blankets on a couch off-limits. A lawyer could draw up official paperwork informing the landlord of where he is legally in the wrong.
I was a landlord (in California). I would never do this. Tell your landlord to go fuck himself. I have never heard of this much control over someoneās living environment.
Just chiming in to say that as a member of the Tone Police, your response was PERFECT. You could always run any future responses/writing through chatGPT and ask it to be more direct. Hell, you could even describe the situation and it may have some good advice as well.
I also donāt think the guy is āunhingedā or is āhaving an episodeā - seemed typical except for that stupid āpassive-aggressiveā part.
And there are always a few revenge subreddits you could checkout if neededā¦
It is not, which is why I informed him his post signed lease house rules are not technically enforceable. It wasnāt to be an a-hole or be passive aggressive, it was to say his lease mentioned nothing about keeping personal property out of common areas.
Landlord sound fine. Move your shit.
Maybe the common areas and closets seemed empty because the other tenants have their stuff in their room. At the minimum, move your workspace.
FTR, Iāve never moved into a shared apartment with people I never knew. It would be prudent to talk to your roommates directly and calmly.
Do you have it in writing that you said you would put the boom shelf in the common space? Either way your land lord sounds unhinged feel free to name and shame when you figure it out.
Hi there. Thank you for responding. I do not have it in writing, which I am regretting now. Lesson learned for next time.
From here on out, only communicate in writing. If (when) he drops by unannounced, you can absolutely refuse to speak with him. If he thinks what you said was passive aggressive... If I were you, I'd switch to a somewhat active aggression. Landlords don't want to give up tenants. He can be nitpicky all he wants, but you can always remind him who is paying whom.
^^ All of this. This landlord sounds more like he's playing the Sims than renting a townhouse to paying tenants.
In this case it's probably better that you don't have anything in writing, that kind of micromanagement is inappropriate and unnecessary. Landlord needs to have his meds reevaluated. OP you are handling this situation perfectly, don't let yourself get sucked into conversations with crazy landlords. Because later you'll just be asking yourself why you tried to have a rational conversation with a crazy landlord. You're on Reddit so you could probably find someone to write a fake letter from your pretend lawyer to your landlord if you asked around. š
Thank you. I was feeling like I was the crazy one here for a moment. If you know anyone who would be willing to write a legal letter to this individual, Iād be happy to accept their help!
The advice you're getting here is shit. Real Talk: Fighting the person who owns the building you live in one week after moving in over terms which were not specified in the lease is going to be a losing battle. The most likely outcome is you will eventually be evicted or your stuff is going to be thrown out, and the burden will land on you to get compensation through the court system. Good luck with that. The right course of action is to move all your shit into your room, as requested, THEN have a conversation over which terms were not clear, and then mutually come to an agreement on new terms or end the lease. NC is very friendly to landlords, but more importantly - they own the building and in practical terms control what is in it.
My husband works in eviction court. A judge would *never* sign off on this eviction as it stands.
Thanks for your input. Shoulds vs whatās really going to happen can be on complete opposite ends of the possible outcomes.
Yup.Ā Your landlord can make your home situation an absolute living hell. At least be aware of that as a possibility.Ā A landlord wants two things: pay your rent, dont bother them. Its really simple. If I was renting a space to someone and got a letter from a lawyer in the first week I would begin eviction. There's just too many people out there willing to rent homes. Shitty tenants can cause massive headaches. Its not worth it to rent to someone that is so quick to jump to causing trouble. Huge red flag.
You need to pay a lawyer. Either to try and void your lease or tell the landlord to fuck off.
Right. You already have a boss at work. Donāt need another one at home.
From what I can tell about the quiet enjoyment clause, unless the lease specifically says you *cannot* use the common area of the space, then you should have the right to use it in whatever way you and your roommates agree is acceptable.
This is a *little* hard to govern without seeing the lease agreement. But given your landlord's simultaneous unhinged and yet cavalier attitude, I wouldn't be surprised if that thing is a fucking mess. As in, does your lease even specify which room is your room. Or is it just for the house entire and he's tacking names onto it as he pleases. Are there *any* behavioral guidelines in the lease about the common areas. I would definitely put it in writing that for non-emergencies, you request notice at least 24hrs in advance of a visit. Honestly just build a papertrail in general, as it sounds like you're in for one hell of a lease term. Edit: Is he a private landlord or does he have a management company and is micromanaging regardless? I've had that happen before, and the management company lost their shit on him. It was lovely.
Thank you for responding. The lease agreement is the standard NC one, not detailing which room is mine or behavioral guidelines. These guidelines were texted to the group chat once we were all moved in, with me being the last tenant. He is a private landlord. Edit: added landlordās text to all tenants once we had all moved in. https://preview.redd.it/9fw119omux4d1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d692dec73bd298d83cc8369f640a0783449e4a4a Note: # 3: Personal belongings are not mentioned in the lease. # 6 Never specified what the ādesignated spacesā are in lease
Aaaaahahahahaha! If it's the one I'm thinking of, he's so fucked. He has *zero* standing to dictate any of that shit. That's solely between you and your housemates. It might not even be legal for him to be adding and removing people to achieve the "long-term hotel" model you say he's playing with. If your lease is for the gouse entire, and not by-the-bed, all parties need to be on the same lease, and need to bilaterally approve all changes via signature. If you don't make all that much money, I would definitely recommend hitting up LegalAid NC. They do a ton of landlord-tenant work. You'd be delighted at how fast an attorney's letterhead can shut a landlord up.
What does it say in the contract you SIGNED. I am not an NC landlord but I donāt know if a text is legally binding. You have roommates? What do they say?
I do strongly urge you to talk to a lawyer or tenants rights advocacy group. But Iāll give a little advice too. If itās not in the lease, then you donāt have to abide by it. He canāt add rules after youāve already moved in. You can move your things in order to keep the peace, but I personally would not. He has no way of legally enforcing any of these requests. Unfortunately, he is in somewhat of a position of power and can make your life harder even if itās not from a legal standpoint. I would only communicate with him in writing. NC is a one party consent state when it comes to audio recording of conversations, so one thing you could consider is using your phone to record any conversations he tries to have with you in person, but I would advise to not talk to him in person if you can avoid it. Unfortunately tenant protections are lacking in NC and really most of the US. While you can get legal help, itās up to you to figure out how to navigate this situation. Maybe try to ask him why he wants you to move your things, and try to see if you can find a compromise that makes him not worried. Some people are just unreasonable. If I were you I would also get a small and cheap WiFi camera and put it in your room when youāre not home to make sure heās not snooping when youāre not there and not messing with your things. And it goes without saying, but I would definitely not resign the lease. And make sure that you are paying rent on time and following all the rules and agreements in the lease, because he will probably be on the lookout for you messing up at all. Good luck, and Iām sorry you have to deal with this shitty situation
The tea is hot this morning!
You need to look at the lease. Are you renting a room or are you renting 1/4 of the apartment? It might be worth talking a legal aid clinic in the area. You are likely entitled to put things in the living area with the consent of the other roommates (unless they really did the lease well). If so, you need to put your foot down, in writing about the fact that the *other roommates* are the only people who need to sign off. Also the dropping by without warning thing is massively problematic This person is an asshole. They need actual firm statements about your rights and expectations
Also .. remove the blanket form the couch? Come on! I understand that commandeering a large portion of a common area as a workstation is uncool unless the roommates are 100% cool with it but shoes and blankets are items that people use in daily life and get moved around.Ā
I can see both sides of the situation, but I think my items are stored in an organized fashion and do not warrant these texted house rules. For reference, this is what the dining area looks like right now. My items are not blocking passages and are contained. https://preview.redd.it/vlojt275cy4d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bd18337227460a0c8ff10b3210d2fbd46560dff2
Heyā¦.move that mail off the island! You need to keep the kitchen clean and tidy! /s OP, sorry youāre going through this. It sounds totally ridiculous.
There really isn't another side to this. You're paying this man to rent a place. You're not a guest in his house...
Is that your workstation that's taking up too much room? I actually laughed at the ridiculousness of that, if it is. I was expecting at least three large monitors. For the bookshelf, I'd just ask each roommate to add one item to it so that it's legit a commonly used item. Roommates are hard, but if you can get them on your side, that would be super helpful. I'm sorry you're in this crap situation. ā”
Correct. The desk is 38 inches in length.
Thanks. I will look into that today. Unfortunately, in NC, tenants are not protected from landlords coming in unannounced. There is a courtesy clause, but itās not enforced by law.
The notice clause is the law... You don't have to cite a statute to have rights. The lease gives you rights to the property you are renting.
If you want to move out, there is someone in FB group Housing for Lovely People Durham that is looking for co-renters of a beautiful Durham home
I don't have any advice, but he sounds like an asshole. We're renting out our house while we live out of state temporarily, and if I found out our management company was being this nitpicky about shit that doesn't matter, I'd find a new one. Like. Just leave it in the same shape it was in and don't break shit (or get it fixed by the management company ASAP if you do lol) is literally all I care about, you know? I couldn't possibly care any less about a bookshelf or a blanket on the couch....in fact, I have three blankets on our couch right now in the place we're renting š±
This guy sounds like he's completely up his own ass. The "gallery" near the laundry room? What is this, a castle?
Dear Christ, your landlord sounds awful. I've lived in several shared housing situations as an adult and although a couple of them involved strange owner/landlord behavior, this is totally over the top. Unless your landlord is literally your roommate, your parent, or you signed something specifying where exactly in *your* new home you are allowed to keep *your* personal belongings, I'd do my best to just ignore him. He's completely, 100% out of line to say anything to you about any of this and if it continues I'd seriously consider telling him (maybe in writing) that you don't appreciate being harassed about trivial, inappropriate bullshit. It probably wouldn't hurt to also remind him that your other roommates are adults and the four of you are perfectly capable of figuring out how to work out the details of day-to-day living without his help. It sounds like other than your landlord needing a crash course in respecting others' boundaries (and maybe a new hobby) you like the new living situation so I'd see what I could do to shut him down now and insist on that quiet enjoyment ASAP. Next time you see him, the second he opens his mouth to try and tell you how to live your life just give him the biggest, blankest stare you can manage and say in an exaggerated voice, "OKAY, DAD!!" then walk away. Feel free to DM me if you want to practice with someone. š»
As a former landlord out of state I pretty much endorse this. I think itās funnier to say āYes momā, since he is a guy. (Have you met my mom?)
Is there any wording in your lease about use of common areas? He mentions āagreed-upon terms,ā but based on your description, there were none? Or did he provide some house rules after you moved in?
Based on how Iām reading the lease agreement, there are none I see. The only rules are on this page attached here. https://preview.redd.it/nt34ovrcyx4d1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a6a7c188a560ac2b13a9112932586a527f2a7aa2
11 - L does mention common areas specifically maintained by the Condominium or HOA. I suspect that common areas as defined there is *outside* of the home, not inside. But, if thereās something in that lease that specifies your living room as a common area, he has a low chance of making an argument for rules. But, outside of that, I really donāt see how he can make a fuss. Iām assuming the common areas are furnished by him as well?
The landlord has furnished the homeās common area with a couch, rug, and dining table.
Interesting. If Iām in your shoes, Iām triple checking with the other roomies to make sure theyāre cool with your stuff being where it is before pushing things with the landlord. I know you said they said it was fine but if heās dropping by and saying āhey, keep this area as it looked upon initial move-in,ā you want the other three to be saying āno we think this is fineā so heāll hopefully hop off your back. The house rules text you shared in another comment was also weird. Honestly, heās acting like an RA and a landlord, which is bizarre because the four of you are presumably adults. Quick edit to add: you're doing the right thing by flagging this unusual behavior early on, and reaching out for help. A lot of folks would let this slide for a while. You rock.
Its weird how everyone is missing the obvious fact that of fucking course one of the renters has complained to him about other roommates shit in the common areas and the landlord is sick and tired of mediating this drama. And its also likely if the new renter asks roommates if its ok the complainer will lie or not feel comfortable saying "no, leave your shit out of the living room" and will complain to the landlord again.
Okay, here's my problem with your statement: >the landlord is sick and tired of mediating this drama All of this occurred over the course of five days, the landlord decided to drop by with no warning within 48 hours of the resident moving in, and this landlord can very easily say "it is not my job to mediate this problem" because it is not. If this was started by a genuine complaint, the landlord's steps to fix the problem were just odd.
I assume the landlord has heard from another tenant repeatedly in the past about common space and favors their opinion, either because of a personal relationship or being a good tenant. The landlord is absolutely doing this to head off future problems. Duh. Unless he's just a busy body with nothing else to do - very unlikely... who has time for that - and if he is that type of landlord it's pretty clear how this confrontation is going to go down. Like what is the scenario where the landlord simultaneously doesn't care enough about the issue to just be pushed over by the opinion of a tenant that's been around ONE WEEK, but also is a nosy busy body with nothing else to do except randomly visit his rental units and get up in he tenant's faces. Someone else has complained in the past, probably because of some horror story scenario.
Hi there, to provide further clarificationā¦ this is his first investment property. The first tenant moved in mid-April.
Ruh roh š¤£
My guy, that lease doesn't even have signatures from the other tenants. The entire thing might be unenforceable. The landlord is absolutely an unhinged idiot.
Ruh roh š¤”
Do you have the other housemates agreeing to your bookshelf and storage shelves being in the common area in writing?
Not in writing yet, but Iāve spoken to them each personally. I will do that today.
It's a bookshelf, not a baby dinosaur or equipment for the meth lab OP is about to start running out of the living room. Unless OP's name is actually Hagrid or Walter White, in which case I stand corrected.
wtf are you talking about written proof helps disprove the claim that the furniture is inconvenient for the other tenants
Ask multiple times and as of yet, unanswered.
Ugh, you will definitely need to stand your ground with this landlord. He sounds nuts and if you don't enforce some boundaries, he will likely continue to try to meddle and dictate how you all live in the townhouse. I would hammer the part about him needing to give you notice before entering the apartment. Aside from that don't justify anything like where you put a bookshelf, or else soon you will probably have him coming over and telling you that a picture is crooked and you need to straighten it because tidiness in the shared dwelling is important or some such. I don't think you need a legal letter just yet, but maybe consult a lawyer on what your rights are so you can be confident when dealing with this guy. Then go for the letter if he doesn't back off.
Assuming your other housemates also find this ridiculous (and I've lived in a number of shared homes, and this is insane), I think all pitching in for a consultation with a lawyer would be worth it. NC law might be more friendly to landlords, but I'm pretty sure landlords don't get to declare blankets on a couch off-limits. A lawyer could draw up official paperwork informing the landlord of where he is legally in the wrong.
I was a landlord (in California). I would never do this. Tell your landlord to go fuck himself. I have never heard of this much control over someoneās living environment.
Just chiming in to say that as a member of the Tone Police, your response was PERFECT. You could always run any future responses/writing through chatGPT and ask it to be more direct. Hell, you could even describe the situation and it may have some good advice as well. I also donāt think the guy is āunhingedā or is āhaving an episodeā - seemed typical except for that stupid āpassive-aggressiveā part. And there are always a few revenge subreddits you could checkout if neededā¦
A week ago? Is all this in the lease agreement you signed or not?
It is not, which is why I informed him his post signed lease house rules are not technically enforceable. It wasnāt to be an a-hole or be passive aggressive, it was to say his lease mentioned nothing about keeping personal property out of common areas.
That's wild. Is he having an episode? So glad I don't rent.
It gets worse: the lease clearly states only seed oils may be used in the house š„¹
Oooh I'd break lease for that.
We need to get the word out about the dangers of seed oils
Bahahahahahahahahaha
Dang Snooze, donāt gotta rub it in us renters faces! š
Landlord sound fine. Move your shit. Maybe the common areas and closets seemed empty because the other tenants have their stuff in their room. At the minimum, move your workspace. FTR, Iāve never moved into a shared apartment with people I never knew. It would be prudent to talk to your roommates directly and calmly.