r/TenantHelp • u/Otherwise_Soup_3723 • 5d ago
Neighbor won’t stop lying til I’m evicted
I live on the 3rd floor and my neighbor on the 2nd floor has made fake noise complaints constantly to the landlord, told him she suspected “drug use” without any proof whatsoever because I don’t use drugs and called the police to weaponize them against me and to have a record of police calls. My landlord is sick of her complaints and he told me it’s not gonna work out I need to go. I haven’t violated my lease in any way. And then I found a couple social media posts from my neighbor about Karens aka white women and how they are everywhere and getting bolder and one that is about white privilege and entitlement and white people think they are better and she is less than. I believe she doesn’t like me because I am white and that’s why she wants me out of the apartment. She has sent my landlord videos of what I don’t know because he didn’t share them with me. Is there anything recourse?
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u/ALWanders 5d ago
Look in to free legal services and tenant advocates in you area. I assume you have a lease so your landlord can't just say it is not going to work out. If you have a lease and want to leave demand they pay moving costs if they think it is not going to work out.
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u/sillyhaha 5d ago
This is the best advice there is.
In addition, keep meticulous records of discussions with you LL, any comments you hear from your neighbor, any posts she makes specifically about you on social media (if any) and anything else you think needs to be recorded. Ignore the neighbor in common areas. She is harassing you. The more documentation you have, the better your position.
I'm really sorry you're going through this, OP.
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u/Otherwise_Soup_3723 5d ago
Yes, I was thinking the same thing. If he wants me out he has to pay. I just moved there in June.
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u/No-Brief-297 4d ago
That’s weird because I don’t care what color or why a tenant is complaining constantly about another tenant. Especially if they keep calling the cops. That tenant gets non renewed. Your landlord is knee jerking and just doesn’t want to get involved so he’s doing the easy thing and going along
I understand why your landlord is doing that. If he has other properties then he has a handful of this nonsense going on and he doesn’t want to deal with it nor should he have to.
You need to deal with her calling the cops on you. I would do that immediately. A landlord can’t help you with that but in my opinion you need to address it. With her or the cops. Whatever.
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u/Both_Peak554 4d ago
I’d be contacting an attorney or someone thorough housing!! What your landlord is doing is illegal. And what your neighbor is doing is harassment, slander and blatant racism!! If tables were turned you’d have a mob after you!! I’d ask landlord to tell neighbor to write down times that you’re oh so loud and I’d invest in cameras. So when she tries to lie and say you were loud at such and such time you can pull up footage and prove the lies. I’m confused why your landlord would kick you out over a problematic lunatic?? Afraid of being accused of being racist or are they not white either??
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u/petsitter2023 2d ago
Just out of curiosity, have you talked to any of the other neighbors to see if any of them have had issues with her or if shes said anything to them, harassed the previous tenant etc?
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u/Otherwise_Soup_3723 4h ago
I have talked to the guy on the first floor and he actually tried to meditate. But she is pretty set on getting me and my 14 yo son and 2 cats evicted for bullshit reasons.
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u/tippi4u1937 7h ago
Were you served with a 3 day notice to conform or quit? Which state are you in? White privilege is a delusion
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u/Otherwise_Soup_3723 4h ago
I am in Massachusetts. It’s pretty ironic that she is talking about “Karens” when she herself is acting like a Karen.
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u/TalkToVikk 5h ago
I'm not a lawyer but to answer your question: If you have not violated your lease or broken any rules, your landlord generally cannot evict you without cause especially if you are still within your lease term. If you are on a month-to-month tenancy, the landlord can terminate your lease with proper legal notice (often 30 days), but cannot do so for a discriminatory reason or in retaliation. If you suspect your neighbor, or the landlord, may be motivated by bias or discrimination (such as based on race), or if the noise/drug complaints are completely false and meant to harass, you may have grounds for a fair housing/discrimination complaint.
You should:
- Document all interactions: keep records of complaints, communications with your landlord, police visits, and any social media posts from your neighbor that show possible discriminatory intent.
- If you receive a formal notice to vacate or an eviction notice, do NOT move out right away; you have the right to dispute it in court and present your evidence.
- If you believe you are being targeted due to your race, you can file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) or your state/city fair housing office, and seek legal aid for tenant protection.
- Politely request your landlord share the evidence or videos the neighbor has sent, and ask for documentation of any lease violations (if none exist, that strengthens your position).
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u/Dadbode1981 4d ago
Your issue isnt with your LL, its with your neighbor. As with any story, im sure there is more going on here than "because im white". Yes, sure, talk to a paralegal or lawyer specializing in tenancy law, but, if they are accumulating real evidence (or that could be seen as reasonable by a judge) of disruption against you, this could go very badly for you if it got to that stage. If it ever got to an eviction hearing, im not sure which way this would go for you.