illegal Apt. (apartment, lease, house)

[Bseib828]

My boyfriend and I have been living in an apartment in nassau for 7 months now. Its an illegal basement apt. When we first started renting it it was 700 a month then after 1 month the landlord informed us that the rent would be 900 a month. We decided we were going to pay the rent increase because we didnt have another apt to move into. Right around that time was when our "roommates" started to show themselves. We have a horrible infestation of *camel and cave cricets* these are unlike most cricets because they dont make noise, they do however jump at you when you attempt to kill them. Extremely unplesant to say the least. The landlord has had some rinkydink exterminator come to the apt 3 times and they are still here. They have lessed a bit but they are still very alive in our bathroom. About 3 months ago the town of hempstead came to check out the house because it was reported . He took out our stove and sink for 2 weeks while he waited for the inspecter to come back. We were very cooperative and continued to pay our rent. The tenants upstairs moved out on the 16th of nov. On the 10th of nov we got a message that he would like us to be out by the 1st of dec. When i contacted him about it he said that he wanted to make the house into a "one family dwelling" and basically i was **** out of luck BUT he would let me use the garage for storage if i needed it. 2 days later i was doing the dishes and heard a funny noise coming from the bathroom and it was infact, sewage water coming up from my shower drain and filling our stand up shower. I immdeiately called him and kept calling him but didnt get an answer till the next day. He again had some handyman who calls himself a plumber come in and "fix" it. The problem returned 2 days later. This time i was IN the shower when it happened. So he told me to leave the house and to come back in the evening and it would be fixed. When we returned to the apt we were greated by the horrible smell of sewage and the disappearance of our stove. In addition, a very nasty message on our answering machine saying that we owed him 300 for fixing it and that he wanted us out in 10days and that he was going to report me to cps because He went into our fridge and saw beer and that my nephew ( who i was babysitting during the day up untill about 3 weeks ago) was going to be taken away from my sister. "child endangering" he called it. We decided that was the last staw and We filed a small claim against him for our security. Since he was served with papers, he calls and bangs on the door at least once a day. This morning was really bad. He was banging on our bedroom window and then he proceeded to take out the screen and push the window open screaming my name. Court is a week from tomorrow. I just want to know if you think that the judge will grant us anymore time to find another apt and if so how long. Thanks for reading.

[cottercutie]

Call the police if he is harassing you. It doesn't matter if he owns the property or not, illegal or not he still has to follow the law, including to evict you.

[HappySpring]

For him to evict you it takes time and a lot of money. He's trying to scare you and make you leave on your own accord. What he's doing is not right and I would call the cops if he keeps doing these things. Even though the apartment is illegal, you still have rights. Make sure you go to court prepared. Bring canceled rent checks or if you paid in cash, receipts or bank statements showing you took out the money. And start watching Judge Judy, she's good and it will get your mind ready for whatever questions the judge will ask you.

Good Luck and let us know what happens.

[arangoa79]

What a dushbag, make sure you let the judge know it's an illegal apartment. He deserves a fine.

[xcustrep]

Call the police for the harassment and the health department for the sewer and lack of stove. It being an illegal apartment you can also call the town and let them know about the apartment, they will hit him with a fine. Bring pictures and you rent receipts along with lease if you have one. I would ask for punative damages as well. Good Luck!

[TomMoser]

Originally Posted by Bseib828

This morning was really bad. He was banging on our bedroom window and then he proceeded to take out the screen and push the window open screaming my name.

This could be considered Burglary. I would call the police immediately.

[sirtiger]

Also notify the IRS too to stick it in him.

[dman72]

The truth is that you have more power to hurt him than he does you. If you can show that you have been paying him for months, he will be hit with thousands in back taxes and fines. Get your bank statements or canceled checks, let him know that you have them, and tell him to cut the crap. If he bothers you again call the cops. He doesn't have much of a leg to stand on.

Meanwhile, start looking for another place.