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Even if it is in your lease, there is nothing wrong with letting him know that: (1) you or your husband don't mind changing the filter yourselves once a month.
(2) Ask him politely to give you a heads before coming to change the filter. Why can't he phone first? (This is suspicious to me no matter how innocent it seems, he has sense enough to know that people value their privacy). Can't you discuss his coming on a specific day once a month so that you know when to expect him? The lease doesn't say he can pop in any time he feels like it. Nor, does it say he has the right to question you about your guests. It sounds like he is spying on you if notices your comings and goings, what guests you have over, etc. There is no way I would be justifying my guests or anything else to him, he is way out of line.
(3) Like someone posted, I would have my door blocked when I was at home so that if he pushed his way in without calling, the door wouldn't open and you would be able to hear him first, plus, I would scream every time he stepped through the door and throw a pan of cold water on him and explain that I thought it was an intruder.
Personally, I would find another house to rent because I wouldn't want to deal with this situation at all.
I don't know....it sounds like he doesn't mean any harm and you did agree to let him in monthly to change the filter. My guess is that offering to change it yourself will not appeal to him because he probably wants to be sure that it is done. It is also an opportunity for him to do a quick check of the property to see that you aren't trashing the place.
I would talk with him about your concerns and suggest a set time each month for him to come in. Say between 3 and 5 pm on the 3rd day of the month, for example. That way everybody knows when to expect him and he doesn't have to worry about surprising you and entering unannounced.
It's illegal to enter without the renter's permission. I would tell him that I will change the filter from here on out, and if he insists on coming by he must always knock first. I would move, sounds like a real pain.
I don't miss renting.
Permission is not necessarily required. However, it is illegal for a landlord to enter without notice (usually 24 hours).
It's not only abnormal but I think it is shifty. Check your local tenant and landlord act. I believe he needs to give written notice and good cause to use his key and enter your domain.
Are you on a lease? I know it will be difficult but I think you should just pick up and leave. It's not worth the stress to stay and fight it out with him.
It's not only abnormal but I think it is shifty. Check your local tenant and landlord act. I believe he needs to give written notice and good cause to use his key and enter your domain. Are you on a lease? I know it will be difficult but I think you should just pick up and leave. It's not worth the stress to stay and fight it out with him.
if you read the OP, it states there is a lease and it SPECIFICALLY states that the landlord can come over ..... and OP signed away his privacy rights.
The issue is that the landlord visits our home a bit too much... At least, we think he does. In the lease it states that once a month he (the husband landlord) will enter the house and change the filter. Initially I thought this was a bit odd.
Okay, I'm going to let you in on a little landlord secret.
The reason why a landlord wants to enter your unit "to change a filter" (which may or may not need changing) is he wants to see if you're damaging the place. Or if, heaven forfend, you're a hoarder.
Usually landlords will want quarterly inspections, so this once-every-month thing is weird.
And as others have said, no, under normal circumstances he can't just let himself in. I wonder if this guy is losing it. You said they were elderly.
Listen to your instincts about this person, OP, whichever way they are leading you. Are your instincts telling you this guy is a weirdo? Or is he just a nosey landlord? If it's the former, move. Immediately. We're talking about your safety, and nothing is more important than that. Not your deposit, not your credit score, not your used furniture. This is especially important because he has round-the-clock access to you and the home and your husband is not always there. Predators come in many forms, (even innocent looking old people), and that "funny feeling in your gut" is often the first signal that we are encountering one. But if he's just being nosey, maybe you should just set boundaries. Tell him, "Mr. Landlord, we said it was OK to change the filter. DH and I would rather change it ourselves, but if you insist on changing it, call 24 hours before you come by to make sure we are available." Good luck.
I never rented a house, only apartments, but the apartments all had a deadbolt that could be locked from inside that couldn't be opened from outside, so that if you were home, you could lock the deadbolt and nobody would walk in on you. I wonder if he would be all right with you adding something to the door, even just a latch like the ones in hotel rooms...tell him that you were uncomfortable when he came in while you were in the shower.
Okay, I'm going to let you in on a little landlord secret.
The reason why a landlord wants to enter your unit "to change a filter" (which may or may not need changing) is he wants to see if you're damaging the place. Or if, heaven forfend, you're a hoarder.
Usually landlords will want quarterly inspections, so this once-every-month thing is weird.
And as others have said, no, under normal circumstances he can't just let himself in. I wonder if this guy is losing it. You said they were elderly.
Fluffy knows.
Those filter changes are nothing more than inspections. The bit about the friend moving in crossed the line from nosy to overbearing and controlling.
As a both a former landlord and renter in my distant past, I fully endorse the property management suggestion earlier in the thread. Too many individual landlords just aren't cut out for the job. They worry about every little thing and can make a tenant's life difficult or flat miserable in their zeal to control everything the tenant does in the rental. The failure to always knock before entering speaks volumes.
Leave as soon as practicable. In fact, the unannounced entries may be grounds for you to terminate the lease without notice. Check with a real estate attorney or your local housing office, if there is one.
I've rented and owned: what your landlord is doing is illegal. If you rent you are paying good money to use the house.
You ought to say to this man: "What you're doing amounts to harassment. I want 'quiet enjoyment' of my property and you cannot come in without my permission. Ever."
"Quiet enjoyment" is an actual thing that you're paying for. Just Google the term. It's your house. They own the property, but they don't get to harass you. And walk in when you're in the shower?! That is totally illegal. Even if it's in the lease that he can come in when you're in the shower, the court will not enforce such silliness. (And, no, you didn't dig your own grave by agreeing to it. That's not how the court would see it. You can't put any old thing into a contract, get somebody to sign it, and call it legal. Think about all the could happen in that scenario.)
Replacing a filter every six months is fine. Every month? Not at all. Totally over the line. (I was in an apartment for two years where they came in every six months to do the filter. We all knew what they were really doing: checking for problems which is fine.)
You could sue in small claims court for what he's doing. And it's great that he put it into the lease that he's invading your space b/c you can prove it in court.
I agree with jrsydevil82: I'd move. This is too weird. But, I rent now, and we have the sweetest landlord who never bothers us. He knows the neighbors who probably report in, but that's fine. Nobody bothers us.
Alley
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