A friend of mine has a crazy neighbor who calls the cops and cuts off her utilities?
According to my friend, she has a neighbor who calls the cops at least 3 times a month because of noise complaints, like the TV is up too loud at 7pm or there's suspicious banging going on (she has a 2 year old). She doesn't keep her TV loud and tries to keep her son as quiet as possible but the neighbor keeps calling.
He's also constantly messing with the water heaters and electricity boxes. He's not a super or anything, just a tenant. She called the landlord and the police because when she went on vacation he cut the electrical wires to her apartment and turned off the water valve and hot water to her apartment, saying she didn't need it because she wasn't there. Her boyfriend had been visiting to take care of the dog, and the neighbor also said she had someone living there while she was gone, that's why he shut off the utilities. The police told her nothing could be done because she wasn't home so it caused no harm, and her landlord said she didn't have time to babysit the tenants
Answers:
First of all what the other tenant is doing is illegal under federal and state law. We call this harassment and trespassing. Even though the other tenant never entered your friends home, he has knowingly interferred with her ability to live there. In addition to harassment and trespassing if your friend is "reasonably afraid and uncomfortable with the situation" she may also be able to charge him with assault provided that she is alarmed by his actions and concerned for her or her child's welfare.
The police generally try to stay out of domestic situations and since there has been no battery their reaction does not surprise me. HOWEVER, if your landlord does not want to deal with the situation you can speak to an attorney (some will take this on pro bono) OR more importantly call the District Attorney's office and report the situation - DA's have a way of making the police do their job quickly and efficiently.
Document everything! Dates, times, what was happening because when the DA or your attorney files charges you will need the evidence.
If you live in Wisconsin we have state agencies that also regulate and oversee your landlord. Always report the landlord to the Better Business Bureau in your state.
1. persuade the landlord to evict the neighbor, or to not renew the neighbor's lease.
2. Move
The landlord will decide based on profits --- based on which one is more likely to be pain in the neck and which one is most likely to stay for a long time and keep paying rent with any increases.
If I were her I believe I would move. ASAP
If he cut off her power, then her fridge and freezer would be off, and her food would spoil (besides making a mess).
I would take them to small claims court and make them pay for spoiled food, and cost of cleaning up the mess.
Actually, I would take them out behind the apartment complex and break their f'ing fingers with a hammer, but I digress.
I'm fortunate to be 6'3" 200#, so I've never had anyone at any of the apartments that I lived at mess with me or my stuff.
Why take all this sh** when you can easily move out. It's going to take a lot of you to keep up with this thing, if you decide to continue staying there.
If it's an apartment, duplex, townhome, twinhome or any type of adjoing residence than the crazy neighbor might be doing it on purpose in the "hopes" that your friend will move.
It might have nothing to do with your friend and everything to do with the neighbor not wanting anyone living in said adjoining space.
Just a thought though...
yeah she could move .
but she would also be letting the neighbour win.
if she gathers anough evidence.. written accounts, and maybe photographs and films, you can show it to the police.
i dont know what country your from, but in britain, it usually can be done pretty easily. Evidence is an Essense.
Still, if it dont work. then move!
Talk to a lawyer about harassment and report the landlord to the tenants rights association. The landlord is OBLIGATED to "babysit the tenants". It's their duty to make sure that nothing of this nature is going on in the building.
If no one else is complaining about your friend, then chances are that the guy who is doing these things to her is either old and a little crazy, or stalking her. There is no excuse for him to be cutting her utilities (for that she needs to call the utility company and report him) and no reason at all that he needs to be hiding in the basement when she's alone.
She should definitely look into a restraining order of some kind and speak to a lawyer.
Notify the landlord in writing about all of the instances of this guy being creepy, cutting lines and hiding in the basement.
The landlord is responsible -- or at least liable for damages if he knows about it and doesn't do anything. If he doesn't want to "baby-sit," he can evict the guy before he gets sued.
And the police aren't the ones who should be making the "he's not doing any harm" argument -- your friend needs to TELL them she wants to file a complaint for harassment, and if the police refuse to come out and do anything, your friend needs to go to the police station and sit there till someone files a report.
He sounds pretty scary. I'd look into getting a restraining order. In the meantime, I hope she starts looking for a new place to live. This neighbor of hers is NOT in his right mind.
Also have her consider contacting the owner of the building. They should be made a ware of what the building manager is (and is not) doing.
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