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Nobody expects to wake up from a nap and find strangers standing inside the house.
That’s exactly what happened after this tenant dozed off one afternoon.
Earlier that day, the landscaper had contacted the landlord about a problem with the sprinkler system, but the tenant had no idea anyone planned to stop by.
But rather than knock on the door and wait for someone to answer, the landlord unlocked the door and walked inside with the landscaper. The tenant woke up to find both of them standing in the living room.
After they left, the tenant checked email and found a message that had been sent less than an hour before they arrived. Needless to say, that didn’t feel like much of a warning.
Read on to see how it all played out.
Landlord let himself in my house
My family rents a house in New York.
Our sprinkler system hadn’t been working right, and the landscaper contacted my landlord about it (he pays for their services).
I was taking a mid afternoon nap, and was woken up by the landlord and the landscaper standing in my living room.
Now, she feels pretty violated.
He said he sent an email letting me know he was coming, which I didn’t see, as I was asleep.
After he left, I checked my email and he had given us less than 1-hour notice, and then let himself in.
I feel like this is illegal, and honestly feel like my privacy was violated. What would you do in this situation?
Wow! Most people would be left feeling like that.
Trending and Popular
Let’s see what the people over at Reddit know about New York Tenant’s rights.
This is so wrong.
Here’s the law according to a NY landlord.
This person offers a way to solve it.
According to this reader, the legality depends on a few things.
Even if they do own the property, landlords still have to respect people’s privacy.
Yes, the sprinkler system needed attention, but nothing about this situation sounds like an emergency. Taking a few extra minutes to make sure someone saw the email or answered the door would’ve solved the whole problem.
And less than an hour’s notice simply isn’t enough. People take naps, showers, and step away from their phones all the time, so expecting someone to see an email that quickly just isn’t realistic.
Hopefully, this was a lapse in judgment and nothing more. If it ever happens again, though, the tenant has every right to speak up because everyone deserves to feel comfortable in their own home.
