BiggerPockets

Someone with experience, or any words of advice...please help. I just had another confrontation with my landlord, leaving me shaking all over and wanting to break my lease.

You see, I live in the same house as my landlord, who I found out, (unfortunately, after I signed the lease) is senile and emotionally unstable. It has been only three weeks since I have moved in, but I have already witnessed her explosions and irrational temper tantrums numerous times, and today really was the last straw.

The power went out in a portion of my apartment. This was the second time. I know how to fix the problem, since it is simple: go downstairs and turn the switch back on in the fuse box. But she has absolutely forBIDDEN me to go down there. So I have no choice: go upstairs and tell her what has happened.

After hearing that the power went out, she immediately begins to accuse my husband and me that we must be doing something strange in our apartment because the electrician did a thorough revamping three years ago. He could not have made a mistake. She would not accept that there was a problem with the house. She also kept yelling that she does not have time to deal with these problems, nor is she feeling well enough to walk up and down the stairs to look at the fuse box in the basement. She says there is a chance of her falling down the stairs and hurting herself, making her go to the hospital, blah blah blah. But she doesn't let me go down there alone. WTF.

She called down the other tenant who has been living here for a few years now (but moving out tomorrow) and kept telling her we messed up the electricity in our apt. The landlord asks that tenant if SHE is having problems, and since she is not, the landlord looks at me and says, "SEE? She's okay. What's wrong with you?"

With the help of the other tenant, it takes an hour and a half to get my landlord to accompany us downstairs to switch the power back on. Meanwhile she talks to the other tenant about how I don't even speak English well and don't understand her, even though I have lived here all my life.

After the fiasco, she knocks on my door three more times to nag me about something. Once, even to get me to take out her garbage. Every time she comes down, it takes a MINIMUM of 20 minutes listening to her talk, talk, talk...mostly about her aching shoulders.

These fits have happened before, and it will happen again. How do I deal with this for another eleven months?? :( :( :( The lady is really old and any attempts of talking to her logically do not take.

Get a release written up before you go to ask her, so that it can be signed on the spot; otherwise, you're at the mercy of ... the uncooperative landlord.

You could get the release form ready and the next time you have the power issue and she start griping at you, you whip it out. Or, if the not electric, whenever she starts ranting at you. If you and your hubby just carry signed copies of the release with you all the time, you'll be prepared.

thanks for the laugh Mike

You don't say where you are. Too bad because someone here might have some area-specific advice.

Go online and study your particular state's landlord/tenant statutes. Do the same with your municipal codes. IF your landlord is in violation of any statutes or codes she deserves what she gets for giving the rest of us a bad name. If you go this route you had better be perfect yourself.

You could try finding another tenant to take your place (maybe even subsidise them). You can also try being extra nice and beg to be let out of the lease. You could try hiding her meds.

If this situation is really intolerable spend a buck for a RE attorney's advice.

Good luck and keep us posted. Most all of us here are decent LLs and try to do right. However if your LL sneaks into your bedroom with a butcher knife please let us know first!.......

Tracey

I will assume your talking about reporting her. While I might agree if this situation were different but if the electrical is continually going out then it could mean a problem with the electrical work that was done three years ago. And if she isn't made to deal with it, and the apartment burns in an electrical fire then where are you at. Especially since it sounds like this apartment is attached to the landlords own property.

Wouldn't you agree we are actually saving her possible tens if not hundreds of thousands of dollars?

Thanks guys for all of your insights.

There doesn't seem to be a clear cut answer to my situation since the LL is not technically breaking any law or code. I don't think I can report her about concrete. She is just extremely difficult to deal with and makes me miserable in my own home.

Well the LL's electrician came by the other day and he explained that b/c the house is old, this particular circuit cannot handle anything more than one kitchen appliance with a heat element at a time. For example, I cannot use the microwave with the toaster; though the microwave with the blender is okay. This is even though the fridge is connected to a different circuit. By rule of thumb, he just said to only plug one thing in at a time. I love to cook a lot, so a bit of an inconvenience. But I do not want to make it a big deal.

Another thing we found out was that the public hallway light and outside front door light is on my meter. The electrician says it's a nominal amount of energy and that it would be very costly for the LL to re-wire this, since tearing into the walls now would mean he would have to bring everything else related to it up to code. I agreed to have her cut $5 dollars from my rent to compensate for this. I wonder if this compromise was a wise thing to do?

So I am going to get the lease release ready just in case of another attack from her. However, for the time being I am going to try to make things work since I do not have the time/$ to go through apt hunting and moving again. The landlord has not apologized, but she has expressed her regret by offering to lend me her fan, a potted plant, etc... :roll: Still, another fit from her, I know, will be unavoidable in the future.

Today I found out that the LL is 80+ years old. Her niece who lives in Cape Cod (we are in Cambridge) helps with the property management once in a while, but the LL doesn't see to like to ask for it very often. I'm not an ageist or anything, but these days I really wonder if she is at the age to be allowed to take care of such large operations (and things that affect people's livelihood). When I first met her, she seemed so competent and sweet. Next time I will definitely be doing a more thorough check of the LL before signing the lease.

Originally posted by dc599

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Another thing we found out was that the public hallway light and outside front door light is on my meter. The electrician says it's a nominal amount of energy and that it would be very costly for the LL to re-wire this, since tearing into the walls now would mean he would have to bring everything else related to it up to code. I agreed to have her cut $5 dollars from my rent to compensate for this. I wonder if this compromise was a wise thing to do?

...

In some locations, such a situation would make the landlord liable for the ENTIRE electric bill on that meter. Even if it only consumes a puny amount of electric power for the items not within your unit.

Originally posted by P NW

Wish her a good day and politely close the door, even if she is still talking.

laffing.. horrified... I don't know. I get what your saying.. but the poor old lady standing there talking as the the door is shutting in her face gave me twinge of sadness. I wonder if her niece would be more inclined to intervene a little more if she knew how bad off her aunt is. Sounds like she could use a hand around the place. I understand the frustration this puts on her tenants - unfortunately I think it can only get worse as time goes on.