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Can anyone help me out with this? so our landlord (it's a 7 bedroom home in new brunswick, nj) ever since I've moved in, has been showing up, completely unannounced, literally coming inside the apartment, going to our basement, attic, garage, etc. (which is where we have our laundry machine, so we go there semi often), and doing house work, or whatever he has to do.
What should I do about this? have a sit down with him, along with my roommates, about how this is completely unacceptable?
Outside of your private spaces, iow what are called the "common areas"... all bets are off.
He owns it and he has the right to be there.
Inside your private spaces... should require 24hrs notice to enter for reasonable purposes.
Many LL's will try to push the definition of 'reasonable" but if it isn't flooding or on fire the 24hrs should still apply.
Research your state (and county) LL/Tenant laws.
You can be sure that this has come up before but HOW the law gets written will vary.
If you did not agree to his "visits" in your lease, and if he is not providing reasonable notice to enter as required by your local tenant laws and/or as written in the lease, then he is trespassing. Discuss this with him as unacceptable and illegal behavior, and if he persists, tell him you will call the police next time he enters without proper notice.
Outside of your private spaces, iow what are called the "common areas"... all bets are off.
He owns it and he has the right to be there.
Inside your private spaces... should require 24hrs notice to enter for reasonable purposes.
Many LL's will try to push the definition of 'reasonable" but if it isn't flooding or on fire the 24hrs should still apply.
Research your state (and county) LL/Tenant laws.
You can be sure that this has come up before but HOW the law gets written will vary.
hth
The op is talking about a SFH. In this structure there is no such thing as a "common area"
he's supposed to give you prior notice that he's coming into the dwelling, at least 24 or 48hrs. Check the LL tenant laws for your state.
Is this a rooming house where you share the common areas like kitchen and living room?
Yes, need more information on your situation. You said this is an apartment, but then said it is a house. Which is it? It makes a difference. If it is a house, did you rent the entire house, or only a room? That makes a difference too.
What does your lease say about access? Normally, 24 hours notice to come inside any part of the dwelling is required. The landlord can drive by without notice. Going in the yard is a gray area. If they do your yard work, then no notice is probably required. If not, then it depends on what you agreed to. We do not give notice to our tenants when someone is going to be in the yard, unless they specifically request it (only 1 tenant out of 104 currently has asked for it). But actually going inside the house without notice is not usually allowed, unless you agreed to it in the lease.
If this is a house that you have exclusive use of, and the lease doesn't give him the right to enter without notice, then let him know, calmly, that you are uncomfortable with that, and require that he follow the lease and give reasonable (usually 24 hours in a non-emergency) notice before entering, and only enter for necessary reasons.
Outside of your private spaces,.....
Inside your private spaces...
That is the key, you need to identify BY THE LEASE the space that is being rented. If the LL must enter your Private Rented Space to access the attic or basement, they must (unless an emergency) provide proper notice.
As for the garage, check the lease to see if the garage is mentioned in anyway that gives the LL rights to enter. If the LL must enter your private space to access the garage, they still need to give notice.
NJ has some specifics regarding LL access, times, what is reasonable, what you must do if you feel the LL is violating your space, etc. so read the NJ laws and understand your rights and the LL rights.
When I was in college I spent one semester in a house, where the landlord rented out the rooms separately - so our only real private space was in our rooms - and the landlord came over whenever he wanted, since the rest of the house was considered common space. He lived next door - so he was in and out often.
I actually kind of liked it! When one of the roommates would leave dishes in the sink, the landlord would get after him - that part worked for me!
When I was in college I spent one semester in a house, where the landlord rented out the rooms separately - so our only real private space was in our rooms - and the landlord came over whenever he wanted, since the rest of the house was considered common space. He lived next door - so he was in and out often....
That's fine if specified in the lease. Again, it's not clear if this is the OP's situation. Even so, he should not be going into anyone's private space as the OP seemed to indicate was happening ("...literally coming inside the apartment...").
That's fine if specified in the lease. Again, it's not clear if this is the OP's situation.
Exactly! I was just sharing my experience, in case the OP is in a similar situation, and didn't realize it. If she's not, and if what I wrote doesn't apply to her situation, then she can just ignore my post!
Quote:
Originally Posted by rjrcm
Even so, he should not be going into anyone's private space as the OP seemed to indicate was happening ("...literally coming inside the apartment...").
Well our landlord "literally came inside the house" and it was fine! All perfectly legal. Our only real private space was in our individual rooms. The lease or rental agreement should spell out what is private and what is considered common space, and it's very possible that all the areas she listed above are indeed common space.
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