Going Down Swinging
This just happened this week. I’ve had some pretty rough ones, but this lady…So, I represent a landlord who is trying to evict a tenant for multiple lease violations. In the midst of these disputes, the tenant sends my clients a cease-and-desist letter for harassment. Her reasons are outrageous. She apparently didn’t like that they told her she had to keep the house clean.
Another “claim” was that she refused to permit them entry to the premises for repair work, because that’s harassment. She’s told them on several occasions that they “have to fix” this or that, and it has to be fixed yesterday, but then has every excuse in the book why they can’t do it with reasonable notice that the landlord is coming (24 hours or more).
She even went so far as to call the authorities on my client when he comes out at the prescribed period of time. Anyway, my client gets tired of the crabby lady and sends me in to read the lease to figure out how to get rid of her once and for all. Well, she’s a nuisance to the neighborhood, she has officers come to the house weekly, she has a dirty house, she hasn’t paid her utilities in months (the lease says it’s her responsibility), etc.
I count eight violations in total, and some have multiple occasions. No problem, I tell him, I can do this. So I send her the notice that her lease is terminated and she needs to vacate by a certain date. She went down swinging. She ignores the termination letter and informs me that utilities are being cut off and I need to grant her permission to get an extension to pay the city utility bills.
I ask her when the cut-off is, because if it’s past the date we told her to leave, it won’t matter. The tenant proceeds to tell me she’s sure that I’m “aware of the law” and statutes in my state, with my license to practice, and that she’s done with my nonsense. Her water was cut off that very day. My clients, concerned that children, including a diabetic, are without water, call city to have it reconnected and put it in their name.
I inform the tenant that she will have water that night, but that this does not mean the lease is still active. I reiterate that we have terminated the lease, and she must move out. She proceeds to tell me that I’m harassing her, that I could lose my license, and that I need to stop harassing her immediately. She also insinuates that I don’t understand English, or the law.
She may not be a lawyer, but she knows her rights, and I’m violating her rights, which is discrimination. I’ve learned only two things from this: The tenant does not, in fact, know her rights, and the tenant does not, in fact, understand my state’s laws, or the English language. I filed the eviction proceedings a handful of days ago, and we’re just waiting for our summons to get her to court, so we can get her out at long last.
I can’t understand why this lady thinks she’s so smart.
Story credit: Reddit / reaper621