austinlutz
New Member
- Jurisdiction
- Virginia
Hello,
I live in an apartment complex run by a large chain. At the beginning of the summer they informed residents they'd be performing maintenance to replace windows and we'd be contacted with a date when each apartment would be entered. I was provided with a paper saying July 27th would be my apartment. I made all the arrangements they requested, including having my dog out of the apartment, and the office called me at the end of the day to tell me they didn't get to my apartment and needed to reschedule. They asked if the week of August 6th would work (this week) and I said, I would be traveling out of town every day and it would be infeasible for me to make arrangements for someone to watch my dog that whole time. I never received any further notice from my complex. Yesterday my neighbor texted me saying someone was in my apartment, the complex gave the contractor access to my apartment after I specifically told them they did not have permission. Not only did they enter without my permission, my dog was not in a cage and they began working right around him, putting him in harms way of their work, and also removing windows that he could have easily jumped out of. From reading Virginia's law, it looks to me like any landlord has to give 24 hours notice to enter your apartment unless in an emergency. This was not an emergency. Is this worth trying to sue or take legal action against the apartment complex for harassment, violation of privacy, trespassing, and animal endangerment? What could I expect to receive in return? Would the cost of hiring a lawyer outweigh any possible return?
Thank you for any advice. I've lost sleep over this and no longer feel safe in my apartment knowing my complex will just hand out a key to anyone that wants it.
I live in an apartment complex run by a large chain. At the beginning of the summer they informed residents they'd be performing maintenance to replace windows and we'd be contacted with a date when each apartment would be entered. I was provided with a paper saying July 27th would be my apartment. I made all the arrangements they requested, including having my dog out of the apartment, and the office called me at the end of the day to tell me they didn't get to my apartment and needed to reschedule. They asked if the week of August 6th would work (this week) and I said, I would be traveling out of town every day and it would be infeasible for me to make arrangements for someone to watch my dog that whole time. I never received any further notice from my complex. Yesterday my neighbor texted me saying someone was in my apartment, the complex gave the contractor access to my apartment after I specifically told them they did not have permission. Not only did they enter without my permission, my dog was not in a cage and they began working right around him, putting him in harms way of their work, and also removing windows that he could have easily jumped out of. From reading Virginia's law, it looks to me like any landlord has to give 24 hours notice to enter your apartment unless in an emergency. This was not an emergency. Is this worth trying to sue or take legal action against the apartment complex for harassment, violation of privacy, trespassing, and animal endangerment? What could I expect to receive in return? Would the cost of hiring a lawyer outweigh any possible return?
Thank you for any advice. I've lost sleep over this and no longer feel safe in my apartment knowing my complex will just hand out a key to anyone that wants it.