What constitutes landlord harassment?

[MrRational]

Originally Posted by STT Resident

...landlords would have to reword pet clauses in their leases to include "puppies" as well as "dogs".

or as I did... to specifically exclude puppies.

[STT Resident]

Originally Posted by MrRational

or as I did... to specifically exclude puppies.

Seriously? I'm more confused. So you allow dogs but not puppies? Are you a landlord now? Could you share your pet clause for clarification?

Puppies quickly become adult dogs so is it your rationale that adult dogs are, simply by dint of their being grown up, "trained" and thus not a problem to you as a landlord? I'm most curious and thank you for your time.

[MrRational]

Originally Posted by STT Resident

Seriously? Yes.
I'm more confused.
So you allow dogs but not puppies? When/where I allowed dogs at all.

Are you a landlord now? No. Sold out (late '06 into early '07).
Could you share your pet clause for clarification? Long gone.

I'm most curious and thank you for your time. You're welcome

...is it your rationale that adult dogs are, simply by dint of their being grown up, "trained" and thus not a problem to you as a landlord?

Basically, yes. Or at least less of a problem.

Beyond the real basics like the house training and gnawing damage issues that puppies are notorious for (and lonely whining as in the OP)... you have a chance to "interview" an already trained animal and see how it interacts with the owner for personality and behavior, ability to follow (and give) commands and even how well they (both) get along with the other dogs and people in the building or next door etc. All of that.

As to the pet clause the key phrase was "dogs considered subject to interview and approval".
Similar applied to cats vs kittens too.

[VISIONSOFJOHANNA]

Greetings!

Although I basically already know that the behavior I'm about to describe doesn't constitute harassment in a legally actionable sense, I'm looking for some moral support in dealing with an overbearing, annoying landlord, as I'm stuck in my current situation until May 2013, unless someone sees something here that I don't.

I live in a walk-up in Philadelphia that is technically a historical row house in the Rittenhouse Square area. It has been renovated to 3 apartments, plus a museum space for the Romanian Folk Art Museum (takes up what would be 2 other small apartments). The landlord is the building and museum owner.

She recently has been around the building more often than previously since Aug 2012. In fact, she at times spends the night because her museum space also can accommodate a single guest. Nearly every time I leave my apartment and go down the stairs to the first floor, I'm accosted by her and chastised for something I did or didn't do that I should have done or not done.

I ran an errand earlier today and when I returned was informed by her that I let the outside door slam when I come/go and should not do this because it cracks the door. Not intentionally, I guess I just don't hold the door each time so that it gently closes. She claims I'm the first person to ever have lived in the bldg and done this.

Another example from a few months ago is when she asked me about my garbage. She said that she had checked the trashcans outside and saw "mine" was empty and wanted to know why.

We also have a situation of poor communication on her part upon move-in pertaining to initiating cable service. Turns out, I didn't need to start new service, as the building has service for the whole place, maintained by the museum. Just needed to somehow connect to this service (when we tried to hook up the TV to the existing box and cable line, nothing happened) and pay the landlord another $25/month. She provided no move-in instructions about any of this, nor did she respond to an email I sent her asking her what to do after we attempted to connect our TV. Now she wants the back money for the first 5 months I've lived here, and going forward I have to pay her this $25/month, IN ADDITION to my "own" cable bill since there is a $400 early termination fee!! Needless to say, when she communicated all of this to me, it was upon my arrival home from work as I was standing in the hallway, with all my work stuff, and it took a good 30-45 mins.

There are 2 20 somethings that live on the 3rd floor. Supposedly, it got so bad with one of them, that she doesn't even try to speak to the landlord woman anymore. She makes her roommate handle all of the communicating. I know they plan to move out May 2013 as well, and will populate as many renting/tenant websites as possible with their unfavorable remarks/review of their experience living here.

Any thoughts, insights, suggestions, etc. are very welcomed!

[Faworki1947]

in a letter sent from your lawyer you politey say
NO to the cable charges since you have your own
no one said you had to hook up to her system even if it was cheaper ..
your trashcan is empty because you do not leave it where she can go thru it and steal private info when she dumpster dives ..::snickers :: you COULD say you use a shredder and then make papermachie art from the shreds .. LOL
I personally think saying that you use a shedder would be priceless as she trys to figure that out ..
oh and all futher demands will be answered by your lawyer..

[VISIONSOFJOHANNA]

Thanks for the response, Faworki1947. I like the shredder idea! LOL I was considering consulting with my brother the attorney and seeing what he has to say. It definitely FEELS like harassment, whether legal or illegal! I shouldn't have to worry about leaving the building because I don't want to be accosted and micromanaged!

[oregonwoodsmoke]

OP slips it in sideways that there might be an eviction within a month, so I am suspecting that there is more to the story than the tenant's version presented here.

I will sometimes allow dogs and I never allow puppies. All dogs must be over 1 year old and some breeds must be older than 18 months. Puppies piddle, don't sleep through the night, and they chew on everything they can get their teeth around, including kitchen cabinets and carpeting. No dogs until they are old enough to be house trained and past the chewing stage. They must be old enough so that their bladder can last longer than 2 hours so that they won't be forced to mess inside the house while the owner is at work.

[Key Dontfraid]

My family is temporarily living in my in-laws home in Ga. They are out of the country for 6-8 months. My mother-in-law came back to help her disabled son and is in the basement. Every since she came back she has call the police on us making false accusations if she doesn't get what she wants. The last time she call the police and said she's been shot and I'm facing the end of a gun and thrown in handcuffs. My husband didn't even know that his mother did this. Once the 20 cop cars saw that she was lying the let me go only to apologize and say they were not filing a report. I spoke to a family member and they said I should demand the police write a police report. We don't have any money to move yet but this is stressful for my family. WHAT CAN WE DO?

[AZ Manager]

Originally Posted by Key Dontfraid

My family is temporarily living in my in-laws home in Ga. They are out of the country for 6-8 months. My mother-in-law came back to help her disabled son and is in the basement. Every since she came back she has call the police on us making false accusations if she doesn't get what she wants. The last time she call the police and said she's been shot and I'm facing the end of a gun and thrown in handcuffs. My husband didn't even know that his mother did this. Once the 20 cop cars saw that she was lying the let me go only to apologize and say they were not filing a report. I spoke to a family member and they said I should demand the police write a police report. We don't have any money to move yet but this is stressful for my family. WHAT CAN WE DO?

Order of protection would help a tiny bit but you need to move.