Slumlord..oops i mean landlord

Question

i am living in this room for rent situation and have other neighbors here as well.. the guy that is running the house collecting rent and stuff for the home owner is totally violationg laws and doesnt seem to care... we once had a pregnant women who while she was in the hospital giving birth ,he broke down her door at the house and took all her stuff out of the room and when she found out the coops were called and they told him he had violated the law.. now he is getting ready to do it to another person.. he told my neighbor straight out ,quote you have a 1 day notice and then i will move all your stuff out... i advised him to call the police and have them come down and talk to this slumlord before he gets a chance to do this.. so we will see what happens .. but isnt there a lawsuit available against stuff like this... stupid question i know but i want to get other peoples opinions on this.. thanks all..and too boot the guy is hiding from florida officials he is a deadbeat dad... not only have i seen the open letters laying about the home... but he has told me this as well.. and he always works under the table..is there something i can do there.. some how this guy needs to get whats coming to him....thank you

Answer 1

Why don't you just move?

You are hurting your chances of sueing because you apparently are happy there, you are staying.

What to do depends on your state.

RE laws vary by state and boarding houses are very differant then regular rentals.   The 24 hour notice to move can very well be legal.

Answer 2

There must be some good points to this house if you haven't left yet.  If everything else is ok (near your school, near your work, cheap rent) you just keep hanging on.  Mention to him that you won't be happy if your personal door is ever broken down.  /

Answer 3

Catch 22. If you or the other tenants had the money to hire a lawyer, you would no be renting a room - so you are at a disadvantage which he is exploiting. Search on line and find the statues or laws for your state that govern renting so you know what your rights are. You can contact the police each time he does something wrong.

As for the deadbeat part - nothing! State agencies get all excited about information, but then want YOU to bring proof like check stubs etc. It is small potatoes to them.  Sorry. You can only hope for Karma.