Hi,
I am a tenant in a building in the city of Scranton Pennsylvania, where I've lived for a few years, and then was purchased by a new landlord.
This landlord has entered without notice or consent, and has had complaints filed against him because of it. I believe he continues entering without notice or consent.
Now he's drawn up a new lease to say we can't install locks for which he doesn't have a key. I understand the landlord needs key access for emergencies when we're not home. But a couple of us were going to install a chain or dead bolt to prevent him, like he has before, entering without knowledge while we're sleeping. This man has shown signs of violence, has made threats, and we are concerned about him doing something unbalanced.
We've caught him in numerous lies, as serious as having to do with the utilities in the building, to as bizarre as where he was born & raised - he tells different stories to each tenants, then changes the stories later.
He regularly criticizes tenants for our "housekeeping" - this is on the order of the psychopath husband in "Sleeping with the Enemy". I have been insulted and yelled at for having an unmade bed, glasses in my sink, toiletries on the counter in the bathroom, papers & books on my coffee table, and laundry hung on a drying rack in my bedroom. As far as I can see these things have absolutely no impact on the property. Now he's drawn up a new lease to include that our apartments must be kept "orderly" (in order to enforce his idea of the perfect household), and has a fine schedule of $50 for incursions. Is this legal? Can he demand our housekeeping is up to the standards he likely imposes on his stay-at-home wife?
He's clearly a chauvanist, since when he bought the building, he openly showed disgust that there were single women as tenants in the building. And since that time has, on several occasions, told me that I should get married, and made remarks about us women living alone.
He's also put in the new lease that tenants are responsible for all plumbing repairs, and any damage incurred by clogs or leaks in the plumbing. Is this legal in a lease?
He's also been trying for months now to get the tenants to pay the water/sewer bill even though the pipes are connected and the water company cannot seperate the apartments into seperate metered accounts.
I also heard that he refused to repair some type of hole in the outside of the building that's causing rain leaks into one of the apartments. When the tenant demanded he do something, he sent a repairman, who then told the tenant that he would not touch this hole as there are wet exposed electrical wires in this hole. So this hole, to my knowledge, still exists unrepaired.
I had 2 cats when this landlord purchased the building. I understood that he could not force us to remove our pets under the law. But now he's demanding more money, on top of the 2 rent increases he's already ordered, for our pets. Is this normal?
Also, in the new lease, he is demanding an extra security deposit now, for half the last month's rent. Can he tack that on at this point?
He's also demanding that we sign that we are responsible for all accidents taking place on the premisis. This is probably because he doesn't clear walkways in winter, barely does any yard work, creating a dangerous situation.
Is there any recourse I can take while I'm forced to live here until I get together the money to move and find a new apartment I can afford?
Can he really evict me if I don't agree to his unreasonable demands and sign this lease as it is? He included a letter saying if this lease isn't signed, he will evict.
(In the past, he raised the rent the day before the 1st when it was due, after checks were already in the mail.)
Oh, and he also put in the lease that if he evicts, the tenant is responsible for all court fees involved. I thought it was accepted that's the landlord's responsibility. Can he really include that in a lease?
Thank you.
I am a tenant in a building in the city of Scranton Pennsylvania, where I've lived for a few years, and then was purchased by a new landlord.
This landlord has entered without notice or consent, and has had complaints filed against him because of it. I believe he continues entering without notice or consent.
Now he's drawn up a new lease to say we can't install locks for which he doesn't have a key. I understand the landlord needs key access for emergencies when we're not home. But a couple of us were going to install a chain or dead bolt to prevent him, like he has before, entering without knowledge while we're sleeping. This man has shown signs of violence, has made threats, and we are concerned about him doing something unbalanced.
We've caught him in numerous lies, as serious as having to do with the utilities in the building, to as bizarre as where he was born & raised - he tells different stories to each tenants, then changes the stories later.
He regularly criticizes tenants for our "housekeeping" - this is on the order of the psychopath husband in "Sleeping with the Enemy". I have been insulted and yelled at for having an unmade bed, glasses in my sink, toiletries on the counter in the bathroom, papers & books on my coffee table, and laundry hung on a drying rack in my bedroom. As far as I can see these things have absolutely no impact on the property. Now he's drawn up a new lease to include that our apartments must be kept "orderly" (in order to enforce his idea of the perfect household), and has a fine schedule of $50 for incursions. Is this legal? Can he demand our housekeeping is up to the standards he likely imposes on his stay-at-home wife?
He's clearly a chauvanist, since when he bought the building, he openly showed disgust that there were single women as tenants in the building. And since that time has, on several occasions, told me that I should get married, and made remarks about us women living alone.
He's also put in the new lease that tenants are responsible for all plumbing repairs, and any damage incurred by clogs or leaks in the plumbing. Is this legal in a lease?
He's also been trying for months now to get the tenants to pay the water/sewer bill even though the pipes are connected and the water company cannot seperate the apartments into seperate metered accounts.
I also heard that he refused to repair some type of hole in the outside of the building that's causing rain leaks into one of the apartments. When the tenant demanded he do something, he sent a repairman, who then told the tenant that he would not touch this hole as there are wet exposed electrical wires in this hole. So this hole, to my knowledge, still exists unrepaired.
I had 2 cats when this landlord purchased the building. I understood that he could not force us to remove our pets under the law. But now he's demanding more money, on top of the 2 rent increases he's already ordered, for our pets. Is this normal?
Also, in the new lease, he is demanding an extra security deposit now, for half the last month's rent. Can he tack that on at this point?
He's also demanding that we sign that we are responsible for all accidents taking place on the premisis. This is probably because he doesn't clear walkways in winter, barely does any yard work, creating a dangerous situation.
Is there any recourse I can take while I'm forced to live here until I get together the money to move and find a new apartment I can afford?
Can he really evict me if I don't agree to his unreasonable demands and sign this lease as it is? He included a letter saying if this lease isn't signed, he will evict.
(In the past, he raised the rent the day before the 1st when it was due, after checks were already in the mail.)
Oh, and he also put in the lease that if he evicts, the tenant is responsible for all court fees involved. I thought it was accepted that's the landlord's responsibility. Can he really include that in a lease?
Thank you.
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