NEED ADVISE - Landlord blackmailing me so I don't turn him into housing dept.

[nuvola09]

These traps aren't enough for the ant problem you describe. That is not sufficent for control. Go to a hardware store or a big box store and buy a bag of ant granules (I believe Terro is the brand name). Open the bag and sprinkle around the perimeter of the house. This kills them. Those baits aren't going to do the job.

First of all, why would it be my responsibility to do this when the problem, as you acknowledge, is so serious? Secondly, the landlord/roommate said explicitly he wanted NO drugs or pesticides used to control the problem. He kept promising he would use some type of chalk, but he never even did that much.

In answer to the previous question, I share a house with him. There are no separate entrances. We each have a private bedroom, but all other spaces are shared.

 

[Alaska landlord]

well then, it looks like your LL can stipulate no overnight guest.

 

[OHlandlord]

I didn't say it was your responsibility. But it is obvious from your posts that you don't believe the LL is taking care of the problem. It is also obvious that you don't think you can live with this problem. If you could fix this problem yourself by spending 10 bucks and 10 minutes of your time, why wouldn't you do it? It will cost you much more than that to either break your lease and move or fight the LL in court. If you have already notified him in writing of this problem (and can prove that you have) then why not do it yourself & just repair & deduct for it? A pretty easy and cheap solution. Of course, if you'd rather sit among the ants and vent by posting here, it is your perogative.

 

[nuvola09]

I didn't say it was your responsibility. But it is obvious from your posts that you don't believe the LL is taking care of the problem. It is also obvious that you don't think you can live with this problem. If you could fix this problem yourself by spending 10 bucks and 10 minutes of your time, why wouldn't you do it? It will cost you much more than that to either break your lease and move or fight the LL in court. If you have already notified him in writing of this problem (and can prove that you have) then why not do it yourself & just repair & deduct for it? A pretty easy and cheap solution. Of course, if you'd rather sit among the ants and vent by posting here, it is your perogative.

I originally came here for advice regarding the bribe. Then you all decided to talk about why the ant problem was mine to fix. And now you say I'm just sitting here and venting? I came here for ADVICE. I thought I might find someone more knowledgeable about California law than myself. Looks like you guys just pass judgment all day and don't have anything actually useful to contribute.

I can't deduct from the rent because I pre-paid my last month, this being my last month.

Seriously, how many times do I have to explain this?

Once AGAIN, if the landlord refuses to fix the problem and also tells me he is **not going to allow me to use drugs or pesticides,** what other option do I have other than moving? You don't seem to reading my entire posts. He wouldn't allow me to use traps (or any other bug control methods which used chemicals) outside of my bedroom. I did put two in the kitchen to try to control it, and he removed them strait away.

Also, there is no law that allows roommates or landlords to make rules about guests. There ARE laws that protect tenants and allow them to bring in guests. Whether he is my roommate or my landlord or both, he is not legally allowed to make rules about guests which are not previously outlined in a lease agreement. He just isn't. He lied about it before I moved in, then changed his story after I paid him and began sleeping there. Period, the end.

 

[Alaska landlord]

Also, there is no law that allows roommates or landlords to make rules about guests. There ARE laws that protect tenants and allow them to bring in guests. Whether he is my roommate or my landlord or both, he is not legally allowed to make rules about guests which are not previously outlined in a lease agreement. He just isn't. He lied about it before I moved in, then changed his story after I paid him and began sleeping there. Period, the end.

OK, just read your initial post again. From what I can tell, you are giving less than a 30 day notice and have no habitability problems, but your landlord is too stupid to know that he can take you to court and sue you for a least one months rent. That is your only advantage.
With regards to having an overnight guest. You are a lodger and as such your landlord can give you a thirty day notice to vacate. If you refuse to leave he can have you removed as a trespasser. clear, simple and expedient.

 

[OHlandlord]

I did read where the LL said you couldn't use chemicals. But once you sprinkle this stuff on the ground just before it rains, what's he going to do? Go out with tweezers and pick up each little granule? Once down, he really couldn't do anything about it but complain! I'd have just gone ahead and taken care of the problem when I had notified the LL and he didn't do anything. I certainly wouldn't have sat by and allowed ants to crawl all over!

As for the "bribe", what bribe? Those cats don't belong to you. You have no rights to them whatsoever. They aren't yours. He can do what he wants to with them. He can offer them to you, or take them to the pound if he likes. Not your problem.

You are living in his house, not in a seperate apartment. He's not your roommate, you are a renter in his home. As a lodger in his house, he can limit guests and who comes in. He can limit who he rents to in ways that someone renting out an apartment could never do. Your rights are different than if you were renting a entire seperate unit. Laws are different for lodgers / room rentals in an owner's house, seperate rental units, and motel rooms. Each has its own set of rules. What applies to one does not apply to another. He has given you notice to vacate. You need to do so.

 

[nuvola09]

I'm only replying to show you guys that you're not reading posts and just like to spout off about issues you consider yourselves "experts" in.

He did not give me notice to vacate. I gave him notice. I did not want to stay there, he wanted me to stay. He also knew he f'ed up by lying to me before I gave him money and by not maintaining the property. That is why he bribed me, because I told him that this entire issue of him not being truthful with me beforehand has cost me lots of money, not to mention the inconvenience of moving all over again.

And of course its a bribe. Its a bribe exactly because the cats are not my property. He's offering me something I want in exchange for me not turning him into the housing department or environmental health, and not to sue him. He thinks I can and will sue him, that is why he's offering me a bribe. I could sue him (because him lying and them neglecting the house has cost me money) but probably won't because the amount is trivial compared to the amount of time I would have to take off of school and work. He could also sue me, but I would submit letters and voicemails from him wanting to cut a deal regarding the health department and me seeking restitution, and also photos of the bugs. He didn't fix the problems which he needed to, and he prevented me from fixing them as well.

You guys need to get educated in basic reading. You also need to consider that if your tenant was unable to keep food in your property because ants were so widespread, whether or not they would consider that a "habitability" issue. Of course they would, and of course they would sue you. You guys are proof that landlords are jerks.

I asked for a safe and comfortable place to live that was free of vermin. I didn't get it. The law says I'm entitled to it. Therefore, I have cause to end my lease prematurely. It's not complicated.

 

[lauras2u]

ants i know ants

but sorry i dont know the law.

I rented a house with a major ant problem i couldnt solve with all the solutions posted above until i finally notices the board under my backdoor was rotten and had ants living in it. I called the landlord i told him we had carpenter ants living in the west wall of the house...the exterminator had to punch holes in the wall every 16 inches and spray in there but poof after a year of fighting no more ants. look for carpenter ant problem...carpenter ants like to eat sugar.

 

[nuvola09]

I appreciate the help with fixing the ant problem, but I've already moved.

My problems may be over now, unless this guy still wants me to sign a waiver that releases him of all responsibility (regarding the ants, the visitors, my moving expenses). I won't sign it, even if I don't plan on suing him. If I sign it and he decides to sue me for another month's rent, I'll have no defense.

 

[Alaska landlord]

You have no defense now. Besides, it was your eating habits that were bringing in the ants, and you were willing to risk poisoning his cats to offset the damage your ants were causing. I’m sure he is happy to see you go and have a responsible tenant take your place.
Btw, you ought to open up your computer and get rid of your ants. They can fry a computer in no time if left unchecked.

 

[nuvola09]

You have no defense now. Besides, it was your eating habits that were bringing in the ants, and you were willing to risk poisoning his cats to offset the damage your ants were causing. I’m sure he is happy to see you go and have a responsible tenant take your place.

Ya know, you're the only one here saying that it was my doings that brought the ants. I've made it very clear that it was a pre-existing problem that he never told me about and I had to find out about on my own when I watched the ants begin to attack the cat food. Honey and syrup are not items that are meant to be refrigerated, they should be able to be kept in cabinets. The problem was so bad, that they were not able to be left out, even in sealed bottles. He couldn't even leave dry cat food out, which you absolutely should be able to. I left a to-go cup with a teaspoon of Sprite in the garbage can, and several hundred of them came and began living in my things. This is not negligent on my part, and it is not normal for this to happen in a normal household.

I alerted him of the problem, and he didn't take care of it in a reasonable amount of time. That's when I'm aloud to leave.

He was not happy to see me go, that is why he asked me to stay. He wanted me to continue to pay the rent he owed his parents and he was, quite honestly, trying to get me into bed. I never mentioned that part on this board because it really has no validity in regards to this ant/visitor/space problem. And I chose to ignore his advances as an issue until the ants made my life in that house miserable. Now I'm just throwing in that complaint for good measure.

By the way, he was willing to poison the cats by giving them baths in dog flea treatments, and he was feeding them dog food. They have no shots and I think one of them has worms. I placed traps behind doors, under the fridge and lodged underneath my bed where they would not be able to be reached by the cats. I did not spray anything that would potentially harm them. Their best interest was in my heart, which is why I didn't go spraying the house with chemicals (that, and I was afraid of retaliation by this guy because he explicitly expressed wanting to not use chemicals, not because of the cats, but because he's a pot-smoking hippie from Venice).

You're just pissed because I said you proved that landlords are jerks. That's why you're attacking me and saying it was all my fault. Obviously, this is what you would say to your tenants, which makes you a negligent landlord. Thanks for all your accusations, but you're wrong.

Btw, you ought to open up your computer and get rid of your ants. They can fry a computer in no time if left unchecked.

Already did that. I don't live in filth, as you assume, so I did what I could to get them out of my belongings, ASAP.