V asked:


Here’s my living situation: I rent 2 rooms and 1 bath (all located above the garage) in a 5-bdr house. My upstairs space is the only part of the house on the 2nd fl. The rest of the house is on ground level. There are 2 doors that lead to my staircase – a door from the kitchen and another one from the garage. These 2 doors face eachother (East and West) and in between the doors is about a 3×3 ft floor space with my staircase on the South end and pantry doors/cupboards on the North end. With that being said, there’s technically no locking door that I get to close off my staircase to anyone/thing. The only doors are the ones closing off the 2 individual rooms and the bathroom. My landlord and I signed a 6-mo lease in Dec 08 and then another 6-mo lease a couple mos (he lagged) after the first one was over. Since then we have not signed another lease. Shortly after moving in, I was laid off and have had sporadic temp jobs since then along with my year-long Avon business, but have never lagged in paying rent . The landlord lives there occupying one room and originally had his son and son’s gf living in one rm w/their chihuaha. He had his daughter’s room only occupied w/her belongings (she was living nearby w/roommates). The kitchen is shared. Problems with the son and gf resulted in them moving out since the dad (my landlord) found messes in the kitchen regularly which he would approach the 3 of us about separately & they would blame on me. So, they left and the house is peaceful. Another roommate moved in a couple months later (older gentleman, keeps to himself mostly). The landlord’s daughter moves in and her bf is in, then out, then in, then out since the landlord, his daughter and her bf drink together, people can’t handle their liquor and there were a few latenight outdoor verbal fights and almost physical altercations between dad and bf. Drama ensues, then calms. When I do M-F office work, I get up at 4:30am and my Avon business can take me at any reasonable hour after 5pm during the week and on weekends. During the week, the daughter had her friends over partying several times (one Thursday in particular, I remember) until after 2am in the kitchen with the kitchen/pantry area door open with the sound traveling up the stairs and disturbing my sleep. I approached the landlord and asked him if it were possible to keep guests either limited to the weekends or to have the gatherings wind down at a reasonable hour because I wake up so early. He responds by saying we all have different schedules and I told him that when I wake up early, I don’t trample through the house disturbing anyone else. No real cooperation there. Dad and daughter apparently go partying out with her friends one Saturday night and are outside hoot’n and hollaring at 3am (it’s a weekend, but they’re outside and I can hear them clearly through my room windows while having to wake up early for my 2nd job). I call the landlord on his cell and ask him if all the noise is necessary. He responds by saying it’s Saturday = no cooperation. The daughter (20/21 yrs old) and bf decide to take on a baby male rottweiler. The thing obviously grows at a ridiculous rate and is now making his way up to my area, going into my bedroom, dragging belongings (clothes) all over the floor, slobbering on them, drinking out of my toilet while getting toilet water all over my floor and hall/bedroom carpet and destroying my Avon business products. This has happened a few times and I believe that between all of the other nonsense above, enough is enough. Rather than closing the kitchen door and taking responsibility for the dog THEY brought after I moved in (which is not what I signed up for), they purchased a cheap wooden gate that “I” have to move when I want in or out of my rented space. This becomes a nuisance especially because of my busy schedule and the fact that I’m always in a hurry (especially mornings) so it’s just one more thing in the way. Though I don’t have the full-time job/cash that I need to move out, I’d like to know where his responsibility lies and what my rights are if the tension in the household continues. I am about to blow a fuse on my landlord and his daughter for their complete and utter irresponsible and inconsiderate behavior.

Garage Door Motors