Imagine renting a bedroom from a homeowner, and you notice multiple problems after you’ve already moved in and signed a lease. What would you do if your landlord refused to fix any of the problems and actually tried to intimidate you and annoy you when you complained about the issues?

In this story, one elderly woman is in this situation. She already knows enough that she plans to move out, but in the meantime, her living situation sounds miserable thanks to her awful landlord.

She’s not sure what she should do about it.

Keep reading for all the details.

Landlord upstairs

This query is about how to handle harassment and very difficult landlords. I am already moving.

I’m an elderly woman in Berkeley CA. I pay $3,300 for a crappy 1 bedroom basement unit with landlords upstairs.

After I moved in I discovered the place needed serious repairs. The place was terribly filthy. It’s also still full of the woman’s stored junk, which she won’t move.

She tried everything she could think of to get help.

I asked the landlords for repairs but they refused.

I asked for mediation, they refused.

So, I called city code enforcement.

After this the male home-owner started ongoing harassment:

Here are some examples of what he’s doing.

4:30am till 6:00am at 30m intervals, loud stomping over my bed.

Slamming trash can lids below my window.

scraping chair legs, often and loudly.

Leaf blower daily all around my unit and blowing dust into open windows.

It gets even worse.

Beating up a body punch bag while angrily yelling (intimidation).

Leaving sharp chicken bones where my service dog goes out (luckily I was watching).

How do I handle these people? I’ve studied how to respond to gaslighting and narcissistic tactics.

It’s scary and so surreal. I feel like a prisoner.

I’m glad she’s already planning on moving. The homeowner sounds crazy!

Let’s see what Reddit suggests.

This person is shocked how much she’s paying for a bedroom.

Another person comments on how expensive her rent is.

Everyone seems caught up on how much she’s paying in rent.

But this person actually addresses her actual question.

It sounds like the law is on her side. She might want to talk to a lawyer.

As far as the rent, I know California is an expensive place to live, but that does seem like a lot of money for one bedroom in a basement. Surely, she can find something better somewhere else.