Landlord Caught Entering House Without Permission, Claims They Can “Come Whenever They Want”
By Mustafa GatollariPublished Jan. 9 2023, 12:21 p.m. ET
Disputes between landlords and tenants aren't uncommon. This is understandable, given how valuable a commodity properties are, especially in competitive markets with astronomically high rent and home costs. And in many instances, it's difficult, as a tenant, to look at the act of renting without a certain bit of disdain.
Paying thousands of dollars a month/tens of thousands of dollars a year into a place you're not getting any long-term equity can be a big-time bummer, but there can be an upside. If property taxes in the area you're living in are super high, and your landlord/property management company does a good job of maintaining your unit and premises, it might work to your benefit.
As a homeowner, it's not like you get your money back on those property taxes, so by renting you get overall home maintenance/insurance costs fronted by a building. And if it's one that packs some built-in utilities, it could be worth your while.
But if your landlord makes you feel unsafe and barges into your place whenever they feel like it, well all of those upsides go out the window.
#question from @alphawolfyykai #illegalentry#slumlandlord
♬ Spooky, quiet, scary atmosphere piano songs - Skittlegirl Sound Source: TikTok | @alphawolfyykaiTikToker Marc James (@alphawolfyykai) went viral on the popular social media platform after accusing the property owner they were renting from of doing just that. In what looks like security camera footage from the apartment building Marc resides in, a woman can be seen entering the front door of a building.
They walk around for a bit and then leave the property with the door wide open. Shortly after, another door opens, presumably one that leads to another part of the residence. The tenants aren't shown on camera, just the "landlady" in question.
Marc writes in the clip: "Landlady trying to enter my place without a 24-hour notice, and doesn't have permission to enter the premises. Says it is her property and she can enter whenever she wants. She can come in the middle of the night if she wants to."
"We tell her she cannot come here without notice. Then she leaves."
In a follow up video, Marc said that they called the cops and asked if their landlord had the authority to enter their property whenever they felt like it and the police said that this wasn't the case. In a text overlay in the second clip, they wrote that the property owner came back to their house for a second time to "threaten" them.
#duet with @Cody Reece639
♬ Spooky, quiet, scary atmosphere piano songs - Skittlegirl Sound Source: TikTok | @alphawolfyykaiMarc added that after his conversation with the police, the landlord threatened to evict them from the premises. And then in a third video in what appears to be video footage of the cops' discussion with the landlord, Marc writes in a text overlay, "We called the cops and they told her she needs to follow the law or she can be sued. She told the cops she will damage our stuff if we do not leave."
Judging from Marc's replies to other TikTokers in the comments section of his third video, it appears that the root of the issue has to do with a disagreement over rent.
Replying to @Tiffany L Woods
♬ Police Siren - Police Siren Source: TikTok | @alphawolfyykaiTikToker user @julesdee0 asked, "Why is she evicting you though? Are you not paying her? Getting complaints or damaging her property? Generally some kind of reason to get evicted"
To which Marc responded with, "She wanted to up the rent, we have been here for 4 month and we pay 3k and she is asking to go another 2k. We told her she is only about to go up 2%"
While there were tons of folks giving Marc advice on how to handle the situation, with some recommending Marc change the locks and getting a cease and desist order, the TikToker said that he ultimately decided to just move out.
Some agreed with his decision, stating that renting property from a landlord like that will only ever end in heartache and it's probably for the best that they just get out of there.
What do you think? Would you have tried to stay and get the landlord in further trouble with the law? Or would you rather just bounce from a place you aren't wanted in?
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