Dealing with intrusive landlord while camming

[Kessievao]

This didn't start happening until a week after I started camming, and it's making it impossible for me to broadcast and work.

My landlord comes over every day to give tours of the apartment, and doesn't give me notice when he is coming. He waits until the day of to email me, and sometimes doesn't email me until he is 15 minutes away, so I don't even get the email on my phone until after he is here. I'm still going to be living here for two months.

Has anyone else dealt with camming while not being given any privacy as a renter? I'm terrified that I'll be filming something with my boyfriend and have a tour walk in on us.

My plan is to tell him that I have to be in a video conference for work. But with how he hasn't kept to the boundaries laid out, such as what times tours are going to be at, I'm worried that he'll bring people over anyways. From what I've looked into there's no limit on how often a landlord can bring tours.

 

[yummybrownfox]

He doesn't have an empty apartment in the building (or a model apartment that's shown to every prospective tenant) that he could use for the tour? That's pretty fucked up that he's giving someone a tour of YOUR apartment (that you're not planning to move out of). The only time I've had to make my apartment available was the few times I've called maintenance, and the one time when they were going around doing really quick apartment inspections. But for the inspections, they had put up a flyer ahead of time on the bulletin board/mailbox area to give everyone a heads up that they'd be entering the apartments for that reason...and to make sure any pets are restrained for when they come in.

 

[SMuser69]

This didn't start happening until a week after I started camming, and it's making it impossible for me to broadcast and work.

My landlord comes over every day to give tours of the apartment, and doesn't give me notice when he is coming. He waits until the day of to email me, and sometimes doesn't email me until he is 15 minutes away, so I don't even get the email on my phone until after he is here. I'm still going to be living here for two months.

Has anyone else dealt with camming while not being given any privacy as a renter? I'm terrified that I'll be filming something with my boyfriend and have a tour walk in on us.

My plan is to tell him that I have to be in a video conference for work. But with how he hasn't kept to the boundaries laid out, such as what times tours are going to be at, I'm worried that he'll bring people over anyways. From what I've looked into there's no limit on how often a landlord can bring tours.

Can you explain this situation a little more? Does the landlord live in the apartment with you? Is this a case where you aren't on the lease and the leaseholder has consented to this? Otherwise it's hard to understand how this would be legal in the first place if you're the leaseholder in good standing the landlord can't 'tour' your apartment with random people it's usually for emergency or planned business like an inspection.

 

[ThePrincessLuxy]

Did you agree to live in a model apt? If not they have to give you like 24 hr notice before entering and at what times.

 

[Lintilla]

Your rights in this situation depend a lot on where you live. Wherever it is, there's usually a tenants rights group of some sort that can help. Search your location and tenants rights and see if there's an organization that can give you local advice.

In Chicago, things were very much on the tenant's side, and we could demand 48 hour notice. When I was about to move and had the same problem I sent a letter setting my boundaries (and the fact that I'd corrected related parts of the original lease), citing the law, and suddenly it wasn't an issue. That's not the how it works everywhere, but 15 minutes is unreasonable, especially if they actually want to rent the place. Personally, that's when I'd start answering the door in various states of undress, dildos everywhere, and hopefully my landlord would learn a lesson... I wouldn't be going out of my way at all, certainly not if I already had a new place to live lined up.

 

[Spacecadet_]

Hmm where I live the landlord legally has to give 24 hours notice. Try to work out times with him that tours can go on, and times that you dont want him scheduling any. If that doesnt work, figure out your rights and inform him politely that you work at home and him coming by without notice is violating your rights. That being said not all landlords abide by the law. I had a landlord who didn't care and gave tours with like an hour notice and without me even responding to the email/text to give my permission.
Well, one day he walked in about 10am with a few prospective tenants to discover me and my bf naked in the living room smoking a big bong surrounded by clouds of smoke. And I was pretty much like "whooops awkward, thats what happens when you didnt give me notice." Really just goes to show the prospective tenants the amount of privacy they can plan on having.
I got out of that place asap. Good thing you only have 2 months!

 

[Rose]

In Nashville and where I'm at now (nearby area), they have to legally give 24 hours notice or you can lock the door and refuse to answer. This is DEFINITELY something worth looking into. If not, find a way to make his actions get some good karma.

Maybe leave a sticky coat of petroleum jelly on the doorknob or push a big chair in front of the door while you're camming so even if he comes over, he can't get it. You can always say you were moving furniture or in the shower and didn't hear it. His behavior definitely sounds sketchy though and I'd recommend getting help or finding a safety buddy asap. Weird landlords aren't something to fuck around with.

Edit: definitely do the naked thing (not the bong thing) if you're comfortable! At the very least, a good door answer in a towel or very sloppy pjs could go a long ways in scaring off your intrusive landlord. I have no shame and have pulled the naked/no pants things many times to my avail. It's never not worked and since I have no shame, the intruder is always way too humiliated to come back without advance notice. Granted, I ALWAYS make sure someone else is home first or knows. You never know when poor planning could backfire.

 

[nzhere]

Change the locks

 

[AudriTwo]

No don't change the locks.

Here in Florida we need a 12 hour notice and the landlord is allowed to show the property if that specific lot/building/apt is for rent or sale.

You need to talk to him, but in writing. Verbally discuss it, but also send a follow-up letter. Worse case senerio, move out. Some states have laws protecting tennants right to privacy and can get you out of your lease. Or you can sue if he keeps invading your privacy. Look up your right to privacy laws in your state. Know your rights.

Does your landlord not have an open apartment? Can't he show that? Why does it have to be a lived in one?

 

[MojitosJourney]

It’s unreasonable the amount of notice he is giving you. If it was me, I would say in writing (via email) that you need X amount of hours of notice and that his constantly dropping by is ruining your sex life and personal life with your boyfriend. You pay for the place and have the legal right to privacy. It’s close enough to the truth without saying you’re a cam model. When you email him, be direct and non-emotional - state your point strongly but with as few words as possible - it will come off as a more serious request.

If he doesn’t give you privacy after that, I second the note about going about your business during these showings. He’ll realise he can’t continue like this, if he wants to impress buyers he is showing the unit to and you’re running around in your bra with a messy house.

 

[EmptyKins]

I was living in South Florida in a two bedroom house. There was an enclosed backyard so I was doing an "outdoor" show when suddenly my landlord burst in. I had zero notice despite our lease agreement. And he was in the house for ten minutes snooping about before I realized he was there.

I walked inside in a towel covering my bathing suit to find him in the kitchen holding a bong that had been tucked away in my closet.

I didn't know my rights at the time and he kicked me out within a few hours as I desperately tried to pack my things in the rain. Eventually my uhaul arrived and I left the house with him standing in the doorway cursing me out for being a drug addict.

Granted, this was in South Florida. I'm sure the previous tenants he mentioned were the reason for him feeling entitled to invade my privacy. I lost two months of rent paid in advance as well as the $500 security deposit. I know now I could have sued or at least called the cops to have 24 hours to vacate.

My advice would be to carefully explain via email or printed documents that your rights are being violated by his showing up with only 15min notice. I do not know your entire situation though, and landlords with non-Lease binding documents tend to take full advantage of your privacy.

I hope you can find a tenant group as mentioned above to learn what exactly your rights are. It is fucking stressful to say the least when a landlord abuses their power and your naivete.

 

[SaffronBurke]

Change the locks

Most places, you're not allowed to change the locks. While the landlord's not supposed to barge in unannounced either, playing with fire like that isn't a good idea. I'd just answer the door in my underwear or put a couch up against it, depending on how irritated I was with the landlord.

If you've ever heard people discuss ways to scare off Jehovah's Witnesses, some of those are also good tactics for nosey landlords:

- My grandpa stripped to his underwear, took a swig of whiskey, then threw the door open and yelled "waddaya want?" so they'd smell his whiskey breath
- Same grandpa also sat out front of an apartment building with other tenants, all looking through Playboys. A couple of the women were examining the centerfold and debating whether various parts were natural or airbrushed
- Witchy friends will answer the door wearing every pentacle and crystal they own, holding ritual items, or in robes
- Answering the door wrapped in a sheet and obviously naked under it is also a great one, especially if a similarly-clad partner comes up behind you encouraging you to come back to bed.
- My mom would look as white-trash as possible, ratty bathrobe and nightgown, curlers in her hair, smeared mascara and lipstick, and answer the door while smoking a cigarette.

I also know folks who've hung out dressed as Jesus so that when asked "have you found Jesus/have you heard the word of the Lord", the person at the door can open it further, point, and say, "yeah, he's here on the couch!" That's less likely to be effective in this circumstance, though.

 

[Kiki Jane]

Most places, you're not allowed to change the locks. While the landlord's not supposed to barge in unannounced either, playing with fire like that isn't a good idea. I'd just answer the door in my underwear or put a couch up against it, depending on how irritated I was with the landlord.

If you've ever heard people discuss ways to scare off Jehovah's Witnesses, some of those are also good tactics for nosey landlords:

- My grandpa stripped to his underwear, took a swig of whiskey, then threw the door open and yelled "waddaya want?" so they'd smell his whiskey breath
- Same grandpa also sat out front of an apartment building with other tenants, all looking through Playboys. A couple of the women were examining the centerfold and debating whether various parts were natural or airbrushed
- Witchy friends will answer the door wearing every pentacle and crystal they own, holding ritual items, or in robes
- Answering the door wrapped in a sheet and obviously naked under it is also a great one, especially if a similarly-clad partner comes up behind you encouraging you to come back to bed.
- My mom would look as white-trash as possible, ratty bathrobe and nightgown, curlers in her hair, smeared mascara and lipstick, and answer the door while smoking a cigarette.

I also know folks who've hung out dressed as Jesus so that when asked "have you found Jesus/have you heard the word of the Lord", the person at the door can open it further, point, and say, "yeah, he's here on the couch!" That's less likely to be effective in this circumstance, though.

Your Grandpa sounds fun!

Reminds me of one time, when I was living in Korea, some JW's came to the door and apropos of nothing, they thought I was a Russian hooker LOL (white chick with big boobs living in Korea, it happened...)

EDIT- I don't mean that comment to be whoreophobic, it was kinda flattering when strangers thought I was pretty enough to be a Russian hooker, and not just a dorky Canadian English teacher...

 

[HiGirlsRHot]

First step is to know your rights as a tenant.
https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/chart-notice-requirements-enter-rental-29033.html
There are a surprising number of place where there aren't any laws

Second read your lease. Your lease can give you additional rights that state laws don't, but can't take away right. So if your lease says they can show your property to prospective tenants anytime after you've given notice but the state law say they need 24 hour notice, then they have to give you 24 hours.

If you have any legal rights insist on them, but if you don't I like the plan of telling them about video conference and asking him to give you as much time as possible. Explaining why this is hurting your business should help. For most people having their place shown is hassle but doesn't cost money.
The danger of escalation is you are risking your security plus getting a bad reference from your current landlord , making it harder to find a new place.

As a landlord, I'd ask for a little empathy. The difference making a profit and losing money is keeping places rented. The security/cleaning deposit is virtually never enough to cover the cost of a tenant move out, you pretty much have to either replace the carpet and/or repaint ever tenant and that's more than a month rent, even if they tenants leave the place clean you still need to bring in a cleaning crew.

If it is a condo or townhouse that you're in the landlord may not have any other units. Even in an apartment building, it is a rare prospective tenant that will rent an apartment by looking at model. Most people want to see the exact unit, because they want check out the view, noise, location with respect to their parking/laundry etc. Finally a lot of folks will make an appointment to look at specific place be disappointed and then use Zillow or similar app to see if anything else is available in the neighborhood. They'll call up an say I'll be there in fifteen minutes. Asking them to come back in a couple of days risks losing the prospective tenant.

 

[nzhere]

I would put a chain type , bolt lock on the inside. To hell with mrsnoop landlord!

 

[briandf255]

If nothing else works, I would let every prospective renter the landlord brings with him know the same thing you wrote here about how he brings around people on such short notice (leaving out the camming part) and that he's most likely going to do the same thing to them when they are living there and their lease is up and therefore they should look for another place with a landlord that is going to respect their space while they are still paying for it.

 

[JerryBoBerry]

Simple advice.

Answer the door this way: "Oh Thank God you're finally here to spray. These cockroaches are driving me nuts. They're EVERYWHERE!!!"

Every single time he brings someone over on short notice.

 

[Lelo1]

Telling your landlord there are cockroaches, gives him a good legal excuse to keep showing up.
It might also give him a good legal excuse for other actions.

Just find out what the laws are in your area.

 

[JerryBoBerry]

 

[Dan Epstein]

My landlord always invites to give an opinion over his medicinal weed, however as with all landlords, I still have some hatred towards him for raising the rent every year. The prices here in TLV are crazy expensive by the way.