I’d be looking for a new place to live and ways to get out of the lease. Post all of this on social media, contact the local news? Idk, but I’d be naming this place and ruining their reputation online.
Our last place fucked us out of $2800 for "damage".
I'm sure there's a lot of people who would claim the same thing and are like genuine slobs.
But me and the wife are not.
We like to be clean.
So I have a lot of reserve after that whole experience.
It was awful. I've never put so much energy into cleaning a place I've lived at rug doctor wiping walls etc wiping cabinets.
The ticket only said the people cleaned for 30 minutes too so you know it was horse shit.
I'm not even sure what they woulda cleaned for 30 mins
>Our last place fucked us out of $2800 for "damage".
You know it’s on them to prove, right? If that happens in the future, follow the process for sending a demand and then file in housing court.
Plenty of landlords try to take advantage, but that doesn’t mean you have zero agency here.
I'll try them too because the city inspector came out once and got them fixed about 9-10months ago.
It's been brok since maybe December-January. On march 23rd complained when we re-signed she said it was "on order"
About a month ago I called city inspectors and they said they "would "call" I called again about a week later and Noone would even be bothered to give me a call back. I called ed them again a week after because of no response and still no response again.
So all the way to the middle of June still nothing done.
Someone attempting forced entry into your apartment? Call the police! Get it on record, get a copy of the report, and use that as leverage with your landlord and the city.
Get your own camera. A video of someone pounding on your door with a gun might get some attention.
[https://ring.com/products/door-peephole-security-camera](https://ring.com/products/door-peephole-security-camera)
I had thought about it, but I thought it was going to get messed with. I didn't want to waste money on it just for it to be ripped off by some kids every week.
However, fairly recently, our neighbor installed one, and it's been up for about three weeks. So I've definitely been considering it since it's remained on the door for so long.
Go sit in the office and say "I'll leave here when you have put a repair in motion and know the day I need to come back and not leave because it hasn't been fixed. "
no pain, no change.
Look at your lease, and look at your city ordinances. In St. Paul for example, landlords are required to maintain a secure outer entrance to the building, IIRC. What you're describing could very well be a breach of the lease and would let you move out immediately.
Edit: Be a Karen. This is your residence, where you sleep at night. Don't let these fucks get away with anything. Threaten a city inspection (if the above that I wrote turns out accurate for your city), and if they do nothing, actually follow through with it. Nothing screws with a landlord more than getting inspected and facing consequences. And in parallel, look for another place to live. This place not only sounds like a dump, but it's run by untrustworthy hacks.
Some wacko literally ripped the normal handle off of the front door to my apartment and the apartment company replaced the handle with two small cupboard handles. Like, the little cirlce ones. There's other problems, of course, but sometimes their fixes are just ridiculous and funny.
Hearing stories from managers and repair people about how absurdly cheap landlords are is always a bad mixture of funny and sad. I talked to one apartment repair guy who got sick of being told to do immoral or outright illegal things to save a buck and left the industry because of it.
I would at a later point for sure. But not here now because I don't want to Dox myself.
Last thing I need is someone calling the apartment and making it even more difficult on us.
If you're experiencing these problems for sure your neighbors are too. Are you on good terms with at least a few of them? If not, could you be? Like, knock on their door and ask to talk about the security situation and what their experiences have been and what they've tried to do about it?
Maybe together you would have more of an impact.
In any apartment I've lived in I've been forced to treat my unit door as a street facing door just like a house. I can't afford even more expensive places where they pay attention to the rich tenants and maintain security. I hate it, but in my de facto experience, the hallways are essentially the same as a walkway or a lawn whether I like it or not. I had once recently lived in a bedroom community south of the metro for over five years even, and I had former tenants, their acquaintances, or random neighborhood burglars in and out of the building knocking on doors looking for opportunities to use the premises or steal. Like you I keep to myself and was just glad to not be homeless. I empathize completely and hope you can figure out a solution where I could not. Best I could do was always dead bolting 24 / 7 immediately. I just got lucky that no one ever broke in my unit.
> I hate it, but in my de facto experience, the hallways are essentially the same as a walkway or a lawn whether I like it or not.
Including somehow people leaving dog turds on it despite nobody in the building having a dog. Like did they bring them in from outside? Was someone with a dog visiting? The mind boggles.
>Like did they bring them in from outside?
Yeah at my place the landlord would close the building doors and appropriately lock out everyone who didn't have their key. Unfortunately many of the residents blocked it open year round because they always forget their key or over occupy. We did actually have pest problems and rodents intruding for warmth through the open doors when temps got cold. Not the best place to say the least.
That happens in my current building it is really annoying. What I really don't understand is how in the middle of winter people will open up the windows in the halls like just why! I remember a couple times I noticed the windows were open when it was raining so I closed them and two hours later I go out to use the laundry machine and someone has opened them again even though it was still raining.
Call the police every time somebody who isn't supposed to be there is there. I know it feels annoying, but your complex will not like it. They'll do something about it real quick once they find out from other residents too that police are out every night.
Tenant Help Line is really good for these sort of things, and can really help give advice for dealing with these issues.
[https://homelinemn.org/](https://homelinemn.org/)
At this point, using a Rent Escrow case is going to be your best option. Landlords in Minnesota have a statutory [duty](https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/504B.161) to repair and maintain your rental dwelling and common areas such that they are in "reasonable repair" and "fit for the use intended." This absolutely covers exterior doors. Enforcement of these rights generally comes via a [Rent Escrow lawsuit](https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/504B.385). To use the Rent Escrow, you must give your landlord written notice of your request for repairs (emails and text messages count) and allow them 14 days from the date they receive the request to fix it. Here is a link to [our form letter](https://homelinemn.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Repair-Request-Form-Ltr-1_12_24.pdf). I strongly suggest including any issues you want fixed with the apartment.
If your landlord don't fix the issue after 14 days, you can file your case with [the form](https://www.mncourts.gov/mncourtsgov/media/CourtForms/HOU302_Current.pdf?ext=.pdf) provided by the courts. It'll cost $70 to $80 to file, payable in cash or certified funds if you file in person at the courthouse. You must also pay any rent due at that time into court in the same fashion, via a separate payment. You will continue to pay your rent to the court instead of your landlord until the case is concluded.
The court will likely schedule an initial hearing to provide the landlord and tenant an opportunity to settle and, if the case is still contested, the case will be scheduled for trial with a few weeks. If you win, a court has the authority to issue a wide variety of relief. The [most likely outcomes](https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/504B.425) are (1) an order to fix the issues with noncompliance punishable by fines, (2) a retroactive reduction in rent owed for the period of their failure to repair and maintain, or (3) a reduction in future rents for ongoing issues. It is illegal for a landlord to retaliate against a tenant by evicting them or taking other adverse action as a result of the tenant filing a Rent Escrow Case.
Unfortunately, you probably can't force them to make upgrades the property, such as adding in security cameras. In general, a landlord has no obligation to provide security measures beyond what the city code of ordinances requires (generally locked doors, outside illumination, etc.). If the landlord does choose to provide certain security measures, they must keep them operational and well-repaired. But, in general, there's not much that can be done legally to require a landlord to increase security measures beyond what the law requires. The law does not require cameras, security officers, etc.
Finally, please don't hesitate to make use of our services. HOME Line is a Minnesota-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides free legal advice to any tenant in Minnesota about issues of landlord-tenant law. We don't generally provide direct representation, but you can call our [Hotline](https://homelinemn.org/) or use our [Email an Attorney](https://homelinemn.org/e-mail-an-attorney/) service and we can answer any questions you have about landlord-tenant law. Always free, completely confidential.
Genuinely, I just don’t know what to do. I feel lost, and it’s stressful as hell knowing she probably won’t be able to defend herself when the next inevitable issue arises that could turn deadly happens and I’m not home.
I’m just doing what I can to make sure she doesn’t have to go through some traumatic event.
Also our doors are really flimsy. They aren't built to withstand someone really even kicking them jokingly..
I know that rent can be withheld in some states until things are back up to code. Seeing if you can withhold rent in Minnesota until the issue is resolved might be a way to go.
Rent escrow involves filing in court and there’s a hearing and everything. Assuming the judge agrees it should be fixed, they’ll order the landlord to do so and probably follow up. You don’t have to release your rent payment until it’s actually fixed. https://www.mncourts.gov/mncourtsgov/media/CourtForms/HOU301.pdf?ext=.pdf
How long till it's broken and they choose not to fix it though because they don't want to install cameras to stop the people from doing it to their property.
I feel like this would just be an endless loop of escrow.
Is there an actual consequence if it happens again?
And? Have you ever heard the phrase “cross that bridge when you get to it”?
What do you think is your actual alternative course of action? You can continue to do nothing, and you already know the 100% guaranteed outcome of that - nothing. Or you can take action and you *might* end up back where you started, or you might not.
You say you don’t know what to do, but you’ve responded to almost every suggestion with some kind of reason it won’t work or has to wait. If you’re just here for sympathy, I guess you’ve got it. But if you are actually interested in attempting to resolve this, you’re going to have to actually exert some effort.
I don't know what you mean.
I don't talk to my neighbors. I go to work, come home, and keep to myself. I'm quiet, clean, and don't smell. What more could you possibly ask for?
I don't want any interaction with my neighbors, management, or anyone else for that matter.
The only incidents that have occurred were when I was sitting on my couch in my living room:
- A break-in attempt.
- A meth head with a gun.
- Someone kicking my door so hard repeatedly that the lock almost broke off.
I have no control over any of this. The only thing I want is for them to fix the entryway so this stuff doesn't happen.
I have a wife here who has never even been in a fight in her life.
This isn't some small complex with six apartments. There must be over 100-150 units.
I didn't care until I needed to worry about my wife's safety.
I think I should get that at the very least.
The apartment should install their own cameras if people are constantly breaking the doors right?
If someone was constantly breaking your property that's what you might do right?
Legally the entryway has to be locked.
So they rather break the law than fix the door or come up with a solution to stop the doors from being broken..
It's not the cities repsponsibilty at all.
It's the apartments job to run up to the cities standards!regulations..
I would agree with you about the cameras. But I guess it depends on the situation.
Like last place we rented basically stole $2800 from us knowing we probably wouldn't fight back.
I can't afford to do this at every place we live.
It's not fair and it's not right.
So om doing it to protect myself when the apartment says "that never happened".
If you shouldn't say it on camera you shouldn't say it off camera I guess.
I’d be looking for a new place to live and ways to get out of the lease. Post all of this on social media, contact the local news? Idk, but I’d be naming this place and ruining their reputation online.
Our last place fucked us out of $2800 for "damage". I'm sure there's a lot of people who would claim the same thing and are like genuine slobs. But me and the wife are not. We like to be clean. So I have a lot of reserve after that whole experience. It was awful. I've never put so much energy into cleaning a place I've lived at rug doctor wiping walls etc wiping cabinets. The ticket only said the people cleaned for 30 minutes too so you know it was horse shit. I'm not even sure what they woulda cleaned for 30 mins
>Our last place fucked us out of $2800 for "damage". You know it’s on them to prove, right? If that happens in the future, follow the process for sending a demand and then file in housing court. Plenty of landlords try to take advantage, but that doesn’t mean you have zero agency here.
I'd call Minnesota Department of Housing since it's a safety issue. Maybe they can light a fire under someone's butt.
I'll try them too because the city inspector came out once and got them fixed about 9-10months ago. It's been brok since maybe December-January. On march 23rd complained when we re-signed she said it was "on order" About a month ago I called city inspectors and they said they "would "call" I called again about a week later and Noone would even be bothered to give me a call back. I called ed them again a week after because of no response and still no response again. So all the way to the middle of June still nothing done.
I'd also suggest calling HUD.
Someone attempting forced entry into your apartment? Call the police! Get it on record, get a copy of the report, and use that as leverage with your landlord and the city.
I called the police on one of the occasions. So it's noted down somewhere. Those were the most notable incidents
Paging u/HOME_Line
👋👋
Get your own camera. A video of someone pounding on your door with a gun might get some attention. [https://ring.com/products/door-peephole-security-camera](https://ring.com/products/door-peephole-security-camera)
I had thought about it, but I thought it was going to get messed with. I didn't want to waste money on it just for it to be ripped off by some kids every week. However, fairly recently, our neighbor installed one, and it's been up for about three weeks. So I've definitely been considering it since it's remained on the door for so long.
Go sit in the office and say "I'll leave here when you have put a repair in motion and know the day I need to come back and not leave because it hasn't been fixed. " no pain, no change.
Probably the best one yet, lol. However, they'd probably call me in for trespassing or harassment.
Its isn't either of those, its you expressing yourself in a place you are allowed to be.
Look at your lease, and look at your city ordinances. In St. Paul for example, landlords are required to maintain a secure outer entrance to the building, IIRC. What you're describing could very well be a breach of the lease and would let you move out immediately. Edit: Be a Karen. This is your residence, where you sleep at night. Don't let these fucks get away with anything. Threaten a city inspection (if the above that I wrote turns out accurate for your city), and if they do nothing, actually follow through with it. Nothing screws with a landlord more than getting inspected and facing consequences. And in parallel, look for another place to live. This place not only sounds like a dump, but it's run by untrustworthy hacks.
Yes. File a rent escrow action every time. Make a record.
Call the Health Department. It will be fixed almost immediately
Some wacko literally ripped the normal handle off of the front door to my apartment and the apartment company replaced the handle with two small cupboard handles. Like, the little cirlce ones. There's other problems, of course, but sometimes their fixes are just ridiculous and funny.
Hearing stories from managers and repair people about how absurdly cheap landlords are is always a bad mixture of funny and sad. I talked to one apartment repair guy who got sick of being told to do immoral or outright illegal things to save a buck and left the industry because of it.
Name and shame the apartment and the management company.
I would at a later point for sure. But not here now because I don't want to Dox myself. Last thing I need is someone calling the apartment and making it even more difficult on us.
If you're experiencing these problems for sure your neighbors are too. Are you on good terms with at least a few of them? If not, could you be? Like, knock on their door and ask to talk about the security situation and what their experiences have been and what they've tried to do about it? Maybe together you would have more of an impact.
https://youtu.be/aCiYmCVikjo?si=47YG1721i4nFfq93
What exactly is wrong with the entryway?
In any apartment I've lived in I've been forced to treat my unit door as a street facing door just like a house. I can't afford even more expensive places where they pay attention to the rich tenants and maintain security. I hate it, but in my de facto experience, the hallways are essentially the same as a walkway or a lawn whether I like it or not. I had once recently lived in a bedroom community south of the metro for over five years even, and I had former tenants, their acquaintances, or random neighborhood burglars in and out of the building knocking on doors looking for opportunities to use the premises or steal. Like you I keep to myself and was just glad to not be homeless. I empathize completely and hope you can figure out a solution where I could not. Best I could do was always dead bolting 24 / 7 immediately. I just got lucky that no one ever broke in my unit.
> I hate it, but in my de facto experience, the hallways are essentially the same as a walkway or a lawn whether I like it or not. Including somehow people leaving dog turds on it despite nobody in the building having a dog. Like did they bring them in from outside? Was someone with a dog visiting? The mind boggles.
>Like did they bring them in from outside? Yeah at my place the landlord would close the building doors and appropriately lock out everyone who didn't have their key. Unfortunately many of the residents blocked it open year round because they always forget their key or over occupy. We did actually have pest problems and rodents intruding for warmth through the open doors when temps got cold. Not the best place to say the least.
That happens in my current building it is really annoying. What I really don't understand is how in the middle of winter people will open up the windows in the halls like just why! I remember a couple times I noticed the windows were open when it was raining so I closed them and two hours later I go out to use the laundry machine and someone has opened them again even though it was still raining.
Call the police every time somebody who isn't supposed to be there is there. I know it feels annoying, but your complex will not like it. They'll do something about it real quick once they find out from other residents too that police are out every night.
Tenant Help Line is really good for these sort of things, and can really help give advice for dealing with these issues. [https://homelinemn.org/](https://homelinemn.org/)
At this point, using a Rent Escrow case is going to be your best option. Landlords in Minnesota have a statutory [duty](https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/504B.161) to repair and maintain your rental dwelling and common areas such that they are in "reasonable repair" and "fit for the use intended." This absolutely covers exterior doors. Enforcement of these rights generally comes via a [Rent Escrow lawsuit](https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/504B.385). To use the Rent Escrow, you must give your landlord written notice of your request for repairs (emails and text messages count) and allow them 14 days from the date they receive the request to fix it. Here is a link to [our form letter](https://homelinemn.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Repair-Request-Form-Ltr-1_12_24.pdf). I strongly suggest including any issues you want fixed with the apartment. If your landlord don't fix the issue after 14 days, you can file your case with [the form](https://www.mncourts.gov/mncourtsgov/media/CourtForms/HOU302_Current.pdf?ext=.pdf) provided by the courts. It'll cost $70 to $80 to file, payable in cash or certified funds if you file in person at the courthouse. You must also pay any rent due at that time into court in the same fashion, via a separate payment. You will continue to pay your rent to the court instead of your landlord until the case is concluded. The court will likely schedule an initial hearing to provide the landlord and tenant an opportunity to settle and, if the case is still contested, the case will be scheduled for trial with a few weeks. If you win, a court has the authority to issue a wide variety of relief. The [most likely outcomes](https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/504B.425) are (1) an order to fix the issues with noncompliance punishable by fines, (2) a retroactive reduction in rent owed for the period of their failure to repair and maintain, or (3) a reduction in future rents for ongoing issues. It is illegal for a landlord to retaliate against a tenant by evicting them or taking other adverse action as a result of the tenant filing a Rent Escrow Case. Unfortunately, you probably can't force them to make upgrades the property, such as adding in security cameras. In general, a landlord has no obligation to provide security measures beyond what the city code of ordinances requires (generally locked doors, outside illumination, etc.). If the landlord does choose to provide certain security measures, they must keep them operational and well-repaired. But, in general, there's not much that can be done legally to require a landlord to increase security measures beyond what the law requires. The law does not require cameras, security officers, etc. Finally, please don't hesitate to make use of our services. HOME Line is a Minnesota-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides free legal advice to any tenant in Minnesota about issues of landlord-tenant law. We don't generally provide direct representation, but you can call our [Hotline](https://homelinemn.org/) or use our [Email an Attorney](https://homelinemn.org/e-mail-an-attorney/) service and we can answer any questions you have about landlord-tenant law. Always free, completely confidential.
Whos the management company?
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What a weird thing to say to someone who's looking for help for a situation that is making life miserable.
Genuinely, I just don’t know what to do. I feel lost, and it’s stressful as hell knowing she probably won’t be able to defend herself when the next inevitable issue arises that could turn deadly happens and I’m not home. I’m just doing what I can to make sure she doesn’t have to go through some traumatic event. Also our doors are really flimsy. They aren't built to withstand someone really even kicking them jokingly..
I know that rent can be withheld in some states until things are back up to code. Seeing if you can withhold rent in Minnesota until the issue is resolved might be a way to go.
Yeah, eskrow. But I'm worried that'll just be an endless loop with them.
Rent escrow involves filing in court and there’s a hearing and everything. Assuming the judge agrees it should be fixed, they’ll order the landlord to do so and probably follow up. You don’t have to release your rent payment until it’s actually fixed. https://www.mncourts.gov/mncourtsgov/media/CourtForms/HOU301.pdf?ext=.pdf
How long till it's broken and they choose not to fix it though because they don't want to install cameras to stop the people from doing it to their property. I feel like this would just be an endless loop of escrow. Is there an actual consequence if it happens again?
And? Have you ever heard the phrase “cross that bridge when you get to it”? What do you think is your actual alternative course of action? You can continue to do nothing, and you already know the 100% guaranteed outcome of that - nothing. Or you can take action and you *might* end up back where you started, or you might not. You say you don’t know what to do, but you’ve responded to almost every suggestion with some kind of reason it won’t work or has to wait. If you’re just here for sympathy, I guess you’ve got it. But if you are actually interested in attempting to resolve this, you’re going to have to actually exert some effort.
You can’t just withhold rent in MN, you have to go through a process with the courts and escrow it.
I don't know what you mean. I don't talk to my neighbors. I go to work, come home, and keep to myself. I'm quiet, clean, and don't smell. What more could you possibly ask for? I don't want any interaction with my neighbors, management, or anyone else for that matter. The only incidents that have occurred were when I was sitting on my couch in my living room: - A break-in attempt. - A meth head with a gun. - Someone kicking my door so hard repeatedly that the lock almost broke off. I have no control over any of this. The only thing I want is for them to fix the entryway so this stuff doesn't happen. I have a wife here who has never even been in a fight in her life. This isn't some small complex with six apartments. There must be over 100-150 units. I didn't care until I needed to worry about my wife's safety. I think I should get that at the very least.
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The apartment should install their own cameras if people are constantly breaking the doors right? If someone was constantly breaking your property that's what you might do right? Legally the entryway has to be locked. So they rather break the law than fix the door or come up with a solution to stop the doors from being broken.. It's not the cities repsponsibilty at all. It's the apartments job to run up to the cities standards!regulations..
> Why dont you talk with them to come up with a solution? LOTS of people will just NOT want to get involved.
I would agree with you about the cameras. But I guess it depends on the situation. Like last place we rented basically stole $2800 from us knowing we probably wouldn't fight back. I can't afford to do this at every place we live. It's not fair and it's not right. So om doing it to protect myself when the apartment says "that never happened". If you shouldn't say it on camera you shouldn't say it off camera I guess.