Landlord is banging at the door, my rights if any??? :(

[SportsMom]

Hi,a newbie here so pls be nice. I am fresh out of an abusive relationship (days) I just rented a house, left my husband to do so, come to find out the deposit check I gave landlord is not good. My horrific husband somehow got account closed now landlord is banging at my door for the past 10 hours, every hour on the hour.I just left an abusive relationship,I don't open doors to people that don't call and proceed to bang. I literally hide when I hear that door being pounded on, crazy I know. I am in the initial phase of recovery from years of abuse, I do not deal well with large men screaming at me! What are my rights,I am afraid to open the door.Can the police or him force their way in? Help!I know it is ultimately my fault but does this landlord have the right to bang on every window and door, peering into my bedrooms etc. I am a nervous wreck, pls help!:uhoh:

[Cat_Doc]

Call your local police at their non-emergency number. They will be familiar with the landlord/tenant laws in your area.

[SportsMom]

This is a tiny town, the cops know all about my ex. I think they told my new landlord "watch out for her crazy ex" and that prompted this tonight. I just moved in and had my ex thrown off the property last night and poof the landlord is here banging away, I know the "old boys club" called him. Does he have the right to bang all night? Doesn't he have to go thru the "channels" versus harassing me on a weekend? I am scared to death I am here all alone hiding in a closet, how pathetic is that! I am afraid to talk to cops, they are all related here.:uhoh:

[Cat_Doc]

Look, I am not trying to be pugnacious, but your issues cannot be addressed via a police forum. If you don't want to call your local police there is not a damn thing any of us can do for you.

If you think you are in danger of immediate harm, dial 9-1-1. The cops, related or not, will not allow someone to physically harm you.

[Cat_Doc]

ps, it cannot be too distressing or you wouldn't be sitting in front of a computer screen right now. My two cents worth.

[Roger Dat]

Your landlord has the right to try and collect payment which he obviously not received. Find a way to contact your landlord and arrange for payment.

[SportsMom]

I am on a wireless laptop in my closet, same as having a cell phone in today's technology. Thank you for your response, I know I am in the wrong, I never said that I wasn't. I just asked if they had the right to open the door or harass thru the night. I can sense you have little empathy for an abused woman, I pray that you never know one personally. Our perspective is a bit "off", maybe it is from the punches to my head over the years. Have a nice night, thank you.:uhoh:

[retdetsgt]

You need to talk to the landlord. He's not going to go away and he has a right to talk to you. If you will be upfront with him, you might have a chance of working something out. If you do not, he has the legal right to evict you.

But hiding from the problem will only intensify it. At some point, you're going to have to face the world.

Contact an abused women's shelter if you have to. If nothing else, they can give you advice, but do something.

[Cat_Doc]

I can sense you have little empathy for an abused woman

How you came to this conclusion is beyond me. But, since you want to play that game, go speak to a counselor if you want foo-foo hugging, head nodding and copious amounts of tissue.

I suggested you call your local law enforcement because you described an angry large man harassing you. You chose not too and think your problems are going to be solved by hiding in a closet and typing on a laptop, while at the same time disparaging my integrity and sense of duty to protect those who require protection.

Sam's CLICK.

[Piggy]

Put yourself in the landlords shoes. You have a new tenant whom you place trust, and the very first thing that happens is you get screwed over. The landlord as a deadbeat tenant who can't meet their financial obligations, and in the meantime the person won't answer the door. The landlord has bills to pay, even if you don't pay yours.

[scott715us]

I didn't realize someone attempting to collect their rent is "harassing."

You've already said you're in the wrong and you know for a fact that the guy banging on the door every hour is the landlord attempting to collect his money. He's not there to beat you. As already stated, he has bills to pay! I sympathize with the abusive relationship issue and you did the right thing by getting out of it, but don't use it as an excuse to attempt to make the landlord look bad by trying to collect his money. Answer the door, tell him your situation, and see if a deal can be worked out. Otherwise, move out and find someone to stay with until you can get your feet on the ground.

[smcc360]

At the risk of sounding less than empathetic, it strikes me as somewhat odd that the first thought of someone hiding in a closet from a persistent landlord and an abusive ex-husband would be 'I'd better fire up the wireless and join the first police discussion forum I can find, so I can get some advice on how to handle this situation'.

And how did RP come to be selected? Not that I'm complaining- we love to see new members.

Putting myself in the OP's shoes, I can see myself coming up with one or two ideas that might have more immediate effect than message board postings.

Oh, well. I guess I wasn't put on this Earth to 'get it'. I hope it works out for you, SportsMom.

[Legoate]

Remind me to never rent to a woman from an abusive relationship because she may be scared to actually pay me.

[SnapShawt]

I do understand that you are afraid of men screaming at you and that your relationship has affected you. However, it seems you are USING that as an excuse to not meet your obligations. Do you think your landlord should just go away and not attempt to collect the deposit and rent that you OWE him?

Pay it, or he'll be there with law enforcement without you having to call them, and it will be with a writ of possession to allow them to forcefully enter if necessary and toss you and whatever you own out. Being in an abusive relationship does not justify you financially screwing the guy over, which is exactly what you did.

[BP348]

I can understand the bad relationship causing problems but if the landlord knocking on the door scares you so much you have to hide in the closet, then I think you need some really good counseling and need to contact the local womens shelter.

2+ days since a response. I think everyone yelling at her on the internet scared her away.