Landlord Tapping phone.

[Cher1972]

Hi,

Need help, Long story short, after several months of not having any phone service, and having Techs coming to check the inside wiring and outside, on numerous occassions, I finally found out the problem one tech told me and he showed me, that my landlord (who just ran a line into the basement in the summer) Was tapping into my phone and I was also paying his bill. This all blew up because i was even charged an outstanding bill of charges that were applied while my service was out. The phone company credited my account, but I would still like to confront him on this! The service tech unhooked the jack and gave it to me but how am i to know he doesn't install another?

I mean what's next? a hidden camera as well somewhere in my apt? CREEP! What are my rights? And someone please tell me how i Should approach this. HE knows i am in no situation to move, being i am a single mother with two children, and a dog, I have never missed the rent or gave him any trouble. PLease tell me my first course of action.

Thanks.

 

[NYClex]

This is a serious charge. Depending on your state's wiretapping laws you might bring criminal charges against the landlord. You might bring civil claims for invasion of privacy and for the money you paid for his bill. Of course, as always in law, you need proof. If you have it and want to confront the landlord, you might want to consult with a lawyer first.

Now, how to approach this? Hard to say. It could even be that he was not doing this intentionally, may be he had no clue about wiring and did something wrong when he installed the basement line. Or may be he has sinister motives. Then you would probably not want to live there anymore.

A decision you alone must make: if you confront him about it, or even file charges, you will probably have poisoned the landlord-tenant relationship for good. If you stay and he goes on doing stuff...

Your call to make. Possible way out of the phone problem: Get a cellphone and cancel the landline. But if he intentionally spied on you, this is not a real solution.

 

[Cvillecpm]

Landlord Tapping Phone

The cel phone and no land line is the way to go....as for any attempt to "confront" that will only get you more grief OR evicted. The situation could have been a SNAFU of the phone installer and not as you suspect.

Unless you want to move, get a cel phone and leave it at that since you are not out any monies for the use of the line without your permission.