I need help

Status
Not open for further replies.
M

Minute

New Member
I moved into an apartment with the bathrom window leading right into the hallway. I knew it was a mistake but i needed a place to live and had limited time to move.

While my sister and i are in the shower tenants frequently hover outside of this window.

We shower as little as possible due to the fact that poeple hang around the window most often when our bathroom is in use.

I have obsessive compulsive disorder and my showers last 2 hours and up. I dont shower as often as i should thanks to this but i shower even less frequently now that ive moved into this apartment building. If something were to happen i wouldnt be able to get out fast enough.

Last time i showered 2 people ( not the landlords) were banging on my door and i couldnt answer. I never answer the door if im in the shower. They turned my hot water off to get me to come out, i dont even know how they managed to do that. I could see them putting their faces up to my bathroom window and my sister was frightened and watched them through our door hole. I dont know what you call those but its meant to see whos at your door. She saw them looking in our window herself and might be able to identify them, as i only saw shadows.

After about 30 minutes of them banging and trying to see into my bathroom i responded, and they said the water leaked into the store downstairs. It turns out over the 6 months ive been here ive caused some water damage from water getting onto the floor.

I am willing to pay for the damages but they had no right to look into my bathroom window and turn off my hot water. They threatened to call the police if we use the shower for too long and my sister and i are too afraid to shower now. We dont know what to do.

I REALLY need legal advice. Please tell me everything you know, even if im at fault i need to know what i should do.
 
We Have No Electricity

I've been living in this apartment for 6 months. The lease is in my mothers name since she is paying the rent at present. When we moved in the elctricity was already on, but we kept receiving the previous tenants' bills. I told my mother about this and she told me to wait and see what happens. I returned some of the bills to the post office and in the end of August the electricity was turned off due to no payment being received by PSE&G. I went to PSE&G to change the bill over to my name and to pay whatever i owed from living there but the representative said i couldn't anyway because there was no proof that the previous tenants had moved out. Neither the old tenants nor the landlords reported the move to PSE&G. So now i CAN'T get my electricity turned back on. They stated that the bill would have to go into my mother's name since her name is on the lease, and mine isn't. They told me if i want it in my name they'd need a notarized letter from the landlords stating who the new tenants are and when we moved in. I requested this letter by phone and my landlord said that might be difficult for him to get. I asked my mother to put the bill in her name, and she refuses, so i asked HER to get the landlords to provide us with a notarized letter. She told me she asked for one and the landlord told her he didn't think we needed it. He's right to a certain degree, we have the option of putting the bill in my mothers name, but she won't do that. And i don't blame her, but i still have no electricity, and can do nothing about it at present.

What should i do? I'm almost on a month without electricity, and it's affecting my health and my sister's, both physically and emotionally. PLEASE HELP
 
Last edited:
I suspect there may be more to both your threads and/or your being less than honest with your posts. Nothing adds up! If you want our help you need to be upfront and honest. You take two hour showers with a window facing out for others to see. Yet you have no electric for last month! Whose nam eis Gas and water in? Why was that changed, if it was? If not why is that not shut off?
 
jacks Gal you're telling me i'm not liable for the water damages even though i got water on the floor?
 
Water is included in rent. But Gas & electricity is not. We're paying the rent on time, we just can't get the electric bill into my name so we can get it turned back on.
 
If the leak that caused the damage is due to faulty plumbing or any other issue covered by Landlord no your not! However most of everything you say makes no sense I suspect there is something your not telling us
 
I agree with the statement regarding most of these posts making no sense.

Hot water would run out long before a 2+ hour shower was concluded. If you flooded the floor with these rather unbelievable long showers then you would be responsible for damage done to units beneath you.

If I lived below you and your 2 hour shows caused water to come pouring into my place...and you wouldn't answer the door when I came up to report this emergency, I'd probably try to shut off your hot water too, just to get your attention.

Gail
 
This definitely makes no sense. I moved into a place, once, with similar circumstances. I showed the utility company a copy of the lease, showing that new tenants were there and that was the end of it.
 
1. I came here for advice from people who know what they're talking about, which, apparently none of you do.
2. I suspect none of you actually know the law.
3. Who said i didn't have my window covered?
4. Please stop answering questions for people when you don't know what you're talking about, it's an embarassment to this forum.
 
Based on two threads in which you make no sense and give no reasonable explanations for anything. You got answers. If you had covered window then that is not an issue which you clearly say it is. Once more your post make no sense. Yes by all means contact an Attorney, maybe he can make sense out of this since you lack the ability to tell us
 
Last edited:
Minute said:
1. I came here for advice from people who know what they're talking about, which, apparently none of you do.
2. I suspect none of you actually know the law.
3. Who said i didn't have my window covered?
4. Please stop answering questions for people when you don't know what you're talking about, it's an embarassment to this forum.
Click to expand...

I'm sorry to hear about your problem but many people here are asking the right questions. What you've got to acknowledge are the repercussions of your affliction which may not be allowing you to appreciate the totality of the circumstances:

I have obsessive compulsive disorder and my showers last 2 hours and up

I don't have OCD but I am very well acquainted with people who do. Many of them tend to underestimate the effect it has on other people because they have learned to deal with the problem. Let me point out a few things to you:

a) Why don't you have a cover for the window? Perhaps you do but are just sensitive of people nearby. If people are just trying to determine whether you are showering, that itself isn't a violation even though you may not be thrilled about it. Put your ear against the wall and hear into the next apartment, those are the facts. Moreso, you knew the situation of the window when you moved in and you can't complain about it later.

b) If you know your extended showers - far longer than the average - are causing leaks in the building, then you need to do something about it. The shower is not be used in the ordinary manner and that is due to your affliction. What do you expect the landlord and other tenants to do if you repeatedly minimize the problems, e.g. the water damage, and continue on your way? They should all just live with it? What if water was leaking into your apartment damaging your property? Would you be so forgiving?

Unfortunately, your answer is to move out if you don't like the situation. You have the right to find another place and the landlord doesn't have to renew your lease either. If this continues, the landlord would have a right to evict you and keep your deposit to cover damages to the building. While it's not an answer you want to hear, those are the facts. And my best advice to you would be to see someone about the OCD issue. I can't imagine how difficult it must be but you need to manage it effectively so something like this doesn't happen again - and I'm sure you'll also be paying a huge bill for water consumption as prices continue to rise. Best of luck.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Share this page

Get a free case review from a lawyer
Back
Top