Harassment by tennants

[stephen1946]

Hi, What can one do if he/she is totally being harassed by all the other tennants/neighbors? My feeling is I'm singled out due to the fact I'm from here (only person born in U.S.A.) and have lived here the longest and therefore have the cheapest rent.

[stephen1946]

Yes, I'm new here and if anyone can help that would be wonderful. Thanx, steve

[cntryboy0531]

Depends on the type of harrasment.

[marinepilot]

Steve, Welcome to RP from the Florida Panhandle! I'm moving your thread to the regular Ask-A-Cop section because it doesn't appear you're asking this as a writer trying to move their story/screenplay/novel along.

As for what you can do, I guess you can either speak with them about the situation, ignore them, or move.

[scott715us]

As one of my counterparts already mentioned, it depends on what type of "harassment" it is. If it is a significant safety issue, there are landlord/tenant laws in most states where the landlord is obligated (by law) to make the common areas safe. If he fails to, the tenant is not obligated to pay rent until it's corrected. Don't go running with this advice and stop paying your rent. You need to lay out specifically in writing what the "harassment" entails, notify the landlord of the problem and what you expect him to do about it, and consult with a property attorney.

[stephen1946]

Steve, Welcome to RP from the Florida Panhandle! I'm moving your thread to the regular Ask-A-Cop section because it doesn't appear you're asking this as a writer trying to move their story/screenplay/novel along.

As for what you can do, I guess you can either speak with them about the situation, ignore them, or move.

Thankyou for writing......where do i find this 'thread' you are moving me to? Any advise is great and I thank all of you! Do you really feel I should buy a gun? I'm always nice to everyone here and live a block away from the l.a.p.d. and they have always been and are still very helpfull but have told me if there are no verbal or physical threats then i can't do anything. Although I did call the 'Senior Lead Officer' and left him a detailed message. stephen

[stephen1946]

I understand what you're saying but can't believe how much these illegal hispanics have suddenly come against me when I've been totally cool with all of them. I live in Van Nuys, CA. and I'm not a prejudice kinda dude and I'm now the only white person in this area. The l.a.p.d. is always around and I feel so secure when I see them come down my street. I'm just worried things could escalate since things are just very weird at this point with light objects hitting my windows/doors and I've heard a few bad spanish words when I come home. I do not want to leave because I believe I'm in the right and should not be the one who should have to move.

[stephen1946]

I have written the landlady (who seems to rent to hispanics only) who often tells people to see me about an available apt. and I've always opened my door to them and showed them my place. I actually had a wonderful couple (male was african american and was drafted by the Sacramento Kings and female was asian) who were very interested in one of the units yet for some unknown reason didn't get the apartment. There is some kind of 'Housing Association' in the area.......should I talk to them about what's going on? Thanx, stephen

[scott715us]

The HOA has nothing to do with the leasing/renting of the apartments. It is the responsibility of the "landlady" or property management company. As I mentioned before, the issue is what type of "harassment" it is and if it causes safety issues to you and/or any of the other tenants. If not, then I don't think there's much of a case for you. Again, write a letter about the harassment to whomever is on your lease agreement about it. If it's significant enough, consult with a property attorney.

[stephen1946]

so, what you're saying is that these certain people can keep 'hitting' , banging on my doors, and windows and i gotta deal with it because it's not a safety issue?????? Well, what happens when one of them brings their 'gang banger' friends over to kill me????

[scott715us]

so, what you're saying is that these certain people can keep 'hitting' , banging on my doors, and windows and i gotta deal with it because it's not a safety issue?????? Well, what happens when one of them brings their 'gang banger' friends over to kill me????

I didn't say that at all. Tenants who are committing crimes or allowing others to commit crimes on the property are in breach of their lease. You're barking up the wrong tree. All of these incidents should be documented and brought to the landlord's attention. Video evidence would be even better, but the situation cannot be remedied if the landlord doesn't know about it. Document it, record it, and send the information to property management along with a letter of what you want done about it. If they fail to act, they are normally in violation of most states' landlord/tenant laws and you're not obligated to pay rent or you can break the lease early without any penalties. That is why I'm telling you (for the third time) to consult with a property attorney. If you want my personal opinion, find somewhere else to live. It's not worth the money or the hassle.

[stephen1946]

gotcha bro. Thankyou!

[stephen1946]

when I go to 'Ask a Cop' area I can see my original post and it says that I have a lot of replies but how can I get to those or is this the area where they would all be?

[stephen1946]

and what kind of a leader was Reagan besides being a moderate to fair( and that's being nice on my part ) actor ?

[stephen1946]

sorry man....just not a big fan of Reagan; but who really has all the answers to the worlds problems.....things just seem to be gettin' worse by the day