u/xindierockx7114
How do I get over this anxiety and dread about my neighbors?
I just moved in February and am very aware that I'm the new kid in town. I am surrounded by run down duplexes but I honestly don't know who in these duplexes rent vs own. The state of a lot of these houses make me assume rent but ultimately I don't know.
I knew from the first nice weather day that I was going to be going across the street a lot to ask for music to be turned down. I was somewhat neutral to this- less than ideal, but I was willing to have an adult conversation with my neighbors and work together so nothing escalated. I even told them that earlier in the day before The Incident- I want to be neighbors having a conversation before anything escalates. The people who actually live there have been understanding- I've had to go over once or twice a day to ask them to turn down their Bluetooth speaker, but usually once I ask, it's not a huge problem the rest of the day. Again, I'm very aware that I'm new and was shaking up the way they've been doing things for probably years.
I can't imagine I'm the only one on the block with an issue (in fact, I know I'm not, other neighbors have admitted they're a problem), but I guess I'm the first to actually say something to them.
I went over for the second time yesterday and a neighbor who doesn't actually live AT the party house, but a few buildings down, was right off the bat dismissive and so rude. Completely ignoring me at first, then when I went up to try to talk to her face to face, called me a bitch and turned the music louder and disengaged. Even other neighbors who have encouraged her behavior were telling her to have some common courtesy but she completely blocked everyone and everything out and the music kept getting louder. I disengaged and went back inside. Windows and doors were all closed up and the music was so loud my walls were shaking. I ended up calling the nonemergency police line, which I felt so shitty about but I'd done my best to handle it like an adult and there was literally nothing left for me to do. Cops came out, they didn't come to talk to me but I could hear the neighbor giving them the same attitude she gave me and the music stayed down, then was eventually shut off after the cops left. The lady's husband and several of the neighbors got into screaming matches before, during, and after the cops were there, too. They've all fought over her disrespecting people before, and the fight seemed to be about a mixture of not just that incident and everyone wanting the music quieter, but other things that had been brewing. So these people have been an issue for awhile, but I don't see the rest of the neighborhood actually taking this as an opportunity to keep things quiet from now on.
Now I'm filled with anxiety and dread about the next time this inevitably happens. I love this house, and this street is the shittier street in a pretty nice neighborhood, so it's an outlier in the area but it's what I'm stuck with. I'll continue to try to handle it like an adult before getting the cops involved again, but now I'm worried about my safety (she sure seems like the type to retaliate) and the inherent difficulty of being allowed to enjoy both the inside and outside of my own property. I haven't even sat outside while it's nice out because the music has always been a problem, but now I'm afraid she's going to instigate more problems just to show she doesn't give a shit. When she did deign to speak to me during the problem, she just kept saying she lives here and she can do whatever she wants and she doesn't give a shit if I complain because they do this every summer.
I hate that I'm filled with dread and anxiety inside and outside my own home now. I only just moved in in February, I love this house and wanted it to be my forever spot, but after this happened I started reading up on how long I had to live here before I could sell without capital gains. I know I'm not the first person to move in to discover a shitty neighbor, but this fucking sucks.
u/xindierockx7114 — 6 days ago
▲ 1 r/Albany
Native plant sales
I skipped the one at Thacher today in favor of the Westmere FD flea market. What else is coming up that's strictly native species?
u/xindierockx7114 — 6 days ago
▲ 74 r/beaniebabies
Hoppity, Decade?, Divalectable?, Kookie??, Congo, Robuchon, Wrinkles, Bones
u/xindierockx7114 — 9 days ago
Grabbed this absolutely massive stained glass cross today, despite being neither Irish nor Christian
$24! The base is made with marble, too.
u/xindierockx7114 — 13 days ago
▲ 24 r/Albany
Here's the entirety of today's Nixle email about road closures and bus reroutes. You've been warned!
u/xindierockx7114 — 16 days ago
▲ 340 r/shittyfoodporn
u/xindierockx7114 — 22 days ago
▲ 36 r/Albany
TL;DR: your landlord has to offer you, in writing, an inspection between 1 and 2 weeks before the end of your lease, regardless of what your lease says, because New York state law. They then have to offer you, in writing, a receipt for what they will be charging you for, and have to offer you, in writing, the opportunity to fix these pending charges. If they skip one or any of these steps, you are due your full security deposit. Period. See the state Senate website on tenancy laws: https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/GOB/7-108
Hi friends! I am going to try not to dump my rant in here, that could easily be another post all on its own. I recently ended my lease with everyone's favorite slumlords, Redburn/Stratus/whatever they'll call themselves next when their reputation continues to follow them no matter what they call themselves. Surprising no one, I had to fight them on getting my full security deposit back. My charges included a single line "bathroom" for over $100, despite the bathroom being in pristine condition, and other things. I was there for 3 years, but absolutely left the unit in clean condition, besides normal wear and tear.
I knew this would happen, and I came prepared. Please enjoy the fruits of my labor.
One month prior to the end of my lease, I did a deep dive into the New York state Senate website on tenancy rights in NYS (which of course differ from tenancy rights in NYC). What I found was, per the NYS Senate website, because of how long I had lived in that unit (timeline may vary if you're there for less than 3 years), I was due the following:
-Within 90 days before end of lease, property manager needs to alert tenant, in writing, of their intention to either extend lease or terminate at the end of the current lease (they did not do this)
-Within 60 days before end of lease, tenant needs to alert property manager of their intention to either extend lease or terminate at the end of the current lease (this is a whole other post, but I logged into the portal to do just this at day 61, and saw that they had automatically renewed my lease with no notice, and I did not sign anything)
-After tenant alerts PM to intention to end lease, between 7 and 14 days before end of lease, PM must offer, in writing, opportunity to tenant to do an inspection with tenant attending (the inspection must be scheduled 7 to 14 days before end of lease; notice must be given in writing within 48 hours of the inspection of exactly when it will be) (they did not do this)
-After inspection, PM must offer, in writing, a list of intended charges and give tenant opportunity to fix pending charges prior to move out (they did not do this)
-Within 14 days AFTER end of lease, PM must have a check in the mail for security deposit (they did not reach out until the 11th to get an address, and a statement was not received until the 21st)
Since they didn't do any of these required steps, I reached out to them on day 10 post-lease and informed them I was now due my full security deposit. I sent them an email with the screenshots attached to this post showing them the tenancy laws. They pushed back and said that the lease states while it's nice to have the tenant there for the inspection, per the lease, it's not required. I once again pointed them to the website that states that state law supercedes any lease, and if I didn't receive my full deposit within 14 days of my original email stating as much, I would take them to small claims court.
2 days later, I received an email that the manager would send me another check for the full deposit amount.
Technically, after I received a check for less than my full amount, that was mailed prior to the 14th but without any of the steps that legally had to be completed before then, I could have pursued in small claims court. I gave them a grace period that they were not entitled to. YMMV. Also, my apartment was in great shape. If it went to court, it is the burden of the landlord to prove what shape it was in the moment that you moved out.
I hope the website and the screenshots help others. Just about all landlords will do their best to do the bare minimum and get away with whatever they can. I hope this is simple enough to follow if you're going through the same thing any time soon.
u/xindierockx7114 — 24 days ago