A Tenant's Nightmare: My Landlord Attacked Me and My Boyfriend

Tenants and landlords are typically to agree to terms and conditions when it comes to living or renting. Though I myself have been a landlord and a tenant, never did I realize that I would be living in a nightmare as a tenant. It all began over a year ago when I had been looking to find a new place for myself and my children. I had been introduced to someone, who at that time, was looking to rent his four bedroom mobile home. After being introduced and talking it over, it was a steal I couldn't pass up. I immediately was able to move in with no problems at all. For the first several months of living it was great. The landlord took care of everything as one should and if anything went wrong, I just called him. My children and other few friends loved the place as much as I did.

Very spacious, which was to my liking. After some time, I allowed my boyfriend to move in, with the permission of the landlord. Several months had gone by and I had noticed a dramatic change in my landlord. He wasn't talking to me as a friend though he was my landlord too. I thought something was wrong and started asking questions. For the longest time, he had confessed to me things I really didn't want to know about his life or problems. I had enough of my own to deal with, going through a bitter divorce and other legal matters, but I was a true friend. Ten months into living in the residence, my boyfriend and the landlord were not getting along. Some days it was so bad, I would have to break them up. They both knew how I felt about arguing or fighting and I didn't approve of it around me, or my children. Things went well after, when the landlord apologized for his actions and to my boyfriend as well. The landlord was rarely around at all.

Though it was his home, he had failed to maintain the home as a landlord should. The water heater was not working mostly, next to we had discovered the heating in the home wasn't well either. Though these were mentioned to him numerous times nothing had been done. The landlord traveled a lot and sometimes was gone out of state for weeks to months on end. If something went wrong, it laid on me and the boyfriend. Though there was no written lease between me and the landlord, there was no discussion about me fixing things around the house if everything failed and he was out of town. I didn't know I would be responsible for it. The landlord had been gone for two months and I had noticed he wasn't being himself a lot.

Everytime I had asked what was wrong I got a cold shoulder. I knew something was wrong, and it finally happened within weeks. My boyfriend and the landlord had a big blow out, in which the landlord threatened to physcially harm my boyfriend once he returned in a few days if he didn't leave the home. My boyfriend didn't want any problems, let alone confrontation, and ended up leaving, while I stayed. It hurt me more than anything. The landlord didn't care, though the rent was always on time, with no questions asked, I started to wonder what was really going on. Two weeks had gone by, after my boyfriend had moved out. We were still together, and the landlord threatened me that if my boyfriend was on his property, in the home and so forth, he would hurt him. I didn't understand what was going on at this time, until one night, my landlord went off on me for no reason. He had stopped in to check on the home and was watching a movie, while I was working online minding my own business. Out of nowhere, my landlord got up and starting yelling at me, threatening me and even frightened me to no end. I had been through a rough divorce years ago which I was the victim of domestic violence and I sure didn't want to go through this nightmare again! Pretty scared as I was, I ended up walking away from my landlord.

As I returned to my work station, he came around the corner all angry and with the look of satan in his eyes and demanded me to get off the computer. When I looked at him, he ripped the modem out, grabbed the landline phone and had ripped it from the wall. At this point in my life, I returned back to my bedroom and locked the door, to call the local authorities. We didn't talk for 2 days and then my landlord apologized to me, but stated how he wanted to physically harm me. That set big red flags up and once again I notified the authorities again. During which time, my landlord told me I had two days to move out or he would physically move me out of his home along with my belongings. Once I had notified the authorities, I had discovered some disturbing news about my landlord that I was totally unaware of. He had been diagnosed as Bipolar, which didn't surprise me at first for his reactions and mood swings. My exhusband is bipolar and I had lived with that for several years myself. The authorities did a background check on my landlord and to my horror, I had discovered he was a sex offender.

I was horrified and threatened by staying in that home anymore. Though the authorities told me by law I had a right to live there for thirty days, I didn't want to be in the home period anymore after the news. I was at a loss for words when I never knew this man as a friend and landlord had a criminal history that was never discovered, let alone told to me. Once I had found out what was the truth, I wanted out and I sure didn't waste time to start packing. The landlord had threatened me so many times, it was scary enough to make me go into panic attacks a lot. He had locked me out of the home , which was illegal by law, to scaring me too death and again calling the local authorities. By this point I had no choice to file harrassement charges against him for his actions towards me . Though the Sheriff's were on my side and out to protect, I never expected a landlord to turn on his tenant. The next time anyone wants to rent as myself, my suggestion is to make sure you do a thorough background check on what you are getting yourself into. No one deserves that kind of treatment, to being locked in your room where you are not allowed to roam the home you are renting. I wasn't allowed to cook, clean my laundry or make local calls to family or friends, and so forth. As far as I'm concerned, I will never rent again after this experience.