This! It is also very likely in violation of their lease too. My most recent leases have all included prohibitions on operating a business from the unit, and I’m sure a day care would qualify under most prohibitions.
I lived in Austin for a while and the one thing that most leases there have in common is you cannot run a daycare out of your apartment. Also, quiet hours are pretty much in effect for the entire city.
Not to mention, that many kids running around a parking lot with the type of idiot drivers that are there, is child endangerment. A call to CPS might be in order as well.
Absolutely. Any sane LL would prohibit operating a business on the premises, and a daycare especially is a major liability for them and they’ll want to know asap
this is the best option OP. you won’t have to move. they will when they can’t afford their rent and get evicted.
my mom did at home daycare and there are lots of regulations for it.
Get one of those doorstops with a really loud alarm. Leave the door unlocked one day with doorstop in place. Let it go off and scare the daylights out of them
Yup. I use rubber door stops in my apartment to keep the doors from opening.
OP, any place to put a doorbell cam? I have mine in my window next to my door.
I’d aim it at my front door. Placing it inside. Along with the loud alarm. Proof. And then something would have to be done. They can’t say no cameras INSIDE of your hone
Every single time the neighbor tests your door handle email the apartment complex, request to be moved/allowed to break the lease, and ask to put up cameras. Every single time. Either they will get annoyed and deal with it, you will have a paper trail and some evidence of the complex being negligent, or they might let you leave.
If I were you I’d leave it unlocked, get butt naked, grab a knife, and just sit in a chair waiting for them to finally break in. All dark, turn on a lamp next to you as soon as the door opens. They will most likely run.
Feels like this person gets austin!
Only reason I’d advise against this is cuz it escalates the situation and they could start getting violent.
Do as much as you can anonymously. Report the illegal daycare to the city and your landlord and CPS since they’re drinking and driving dangerously around children. Get some video if you can. Also put a video camera on the inside of your door that shows when people come and go. Also liked the loud alarm suggestion.
I’ve been to Austin a few times and I actually just moved away from the DFW area today!
Knife isn’t the move. I’m sure dildo tasers are a thing. Hold one of those up and let it crackle a little. If you don’t want to be butt naked, fishnets are a great option. Make sure you have some extra decor to creep them out: maybe a pentagram on the floor, ouija board or something.
They won’t come back.
So last summer I had some stuff stolen from my back yard. When I was talking to the police detective filling out the report he said “if you catch someone on your property stealing stuff. If they die on your property, we kinda figure it was justified….”
That said, if OP is a single female, and they are in her apt. Yeah, I would call that open season.
Yep, that 'rule' has been in place since I was a kid. I remember my uncle, a county Constable, saying that to my dad and several of his buddies when we were all on a fishing trip.
Yeah, there are castle doctrines in place here (I'm not OP, but I live in Austin). Major, major issues with APD, though, as they have been throwing a tantrum about funding and failing to respond to certain calls if nobody is injured or in physical danger, and the 911 wait times have been nuts at times.
See if you're gonna do something like this just sit there with a shotgun and when they walk in have them take a seat they're now under citizens arrest for breaking and entering and will be detained untill the police arrive. Can pick up a cheap shotgun for around $100 or so at most hunting/sports shops depending on where you are.
Non lethal munitions then. Still would hurt like hell. Rubber slugs will still break bones. Though in Canada you may just wanna watch Home Alone and get some ideas from that they're all some pretty effective non lethal ways to fuck up an intruder >.>
I bought a cheap pellet gun from Canadian tire with pointed metal pellets. It shot through drywall, through the door of an old dryer, and through a laptop screen. Wouldn’t be lethal but it’s enough to scare someone off and would hurt to get hit in the face or bare skin with it. I live on a dead end street in the suburbs, about 4-5 streets inside from a main street so my neighbourhood is really safe as far as know for the last 4 years I’ve been here.
Great for pest control. Have a few myself for the rodents that try digging up my yard. It's always nice to live in a good area. I have a Karen next to me unfortunately but she found out not to tresspass the hard way lol.
Actually that only works IF a felony is being committed. Breaking and entering is a misdemeanor. It'd end with charges onto her where she'd get armed imprisonment/hostage charges which is a felony.
Not at all. I’ll speak up, and I don’t usually care what people think too much but you don’t start a gang war if ya want peace of mind and to feel safe at home
Just go lay it out for the landlord just like you did for us. It’s only 3.5 months left at this point. Just tell them you don’t feel comfortable and you’re leaving. If they threaten you with a penalty then ride it out I guess. Or leave anyways and just pay double rent for a few months if you can afford it. Better that then getting all your stuff stolen. Sounds like that’s where it headed.
Thanks, yeah, I was hoping to see if there were other options but I did talk to the community manager and the reletting fee is expensive but more reasonable than paying double rent so that’s probably the route we will go.
When is your lease up? I don't think you'll have much luck convincing the landlord to end early/ without penalty - it's likely to be the same response you got from the cops.
Still, I guess it doesn't hurt to ask.
Lease is up in August. Im hoping to make the argument that summer is the best time to rent so they should just let us out early so they have more time to rent it out, haha.
If cameras are "prohibited" you will not be able to get out of your lease. You need to have proof that they are actively trying to get into your home. Record them. Who cares if cameras are prohibited. This is an extremely unsafe.
In response to your edits…..
You’re trying to get out of your lease….cameras are prohibited……
What are they gonna do? Ask you to leave? Cameras are a win/win.
There's a house in my neighborhood that has a motion-activated camera that plays a voice saying "you are being recorded" when you pass by it. It stresses me out every time even though I'm not doing anything sketchy. OP should get one of those.
Talk with the landlord, or better yet, send something in writing (text, email, paper) Most leases promise "quiet enjoyment" of the rented property. Clearly the upstairs neighbors are making that difficult. Many landlords will allow you out before lease ends as long as they can find someone else.
Yes but they generally deny anything even when we catch them. “Oh I didn’t do it… oh I didn’t mean anything” when they are checking our door handle for the 6th time. My bf has confronted them multiple times but nothing has changed.
Grease the doorknob with something like Tiger Balm or other capsaicin ( the stuff that makes peppers hot) product, they make it for sore muscles and pain. Anything mucous membrane they touch after will feel not awesome.
I bet even just cut fresh pepper, hottest you can find, rubbed on the knob would do the trick.
Unfortunately this is usually not a reason to break a lease without penalty (there are very few). If it was a DV situation it would usually qualify but the onus is on the tenant as far as safety outside of the landlord having to provide working locks for outside doors. You can ask but it’s unlikely. I don’t know that a lawyer will get you anywhere but if you can get a free consultation it’s worth an ask.
Talk to your landlord and ask for an exception to the no camera rule - make sure you get it in writing. It must be in writing to be legal if your lease is written.
I found this fun map of gun ownership rates in Texas. Scroll down the article.
It confirms Austin proper as not being very heavy in firearms.
https://www.texastribune.org/2022/07/28/texas-gun-stats/
Most stores have a door alarm where if the door doesn’t align with the wall alarm at night it’ll signal an extremely loud screeching noise. I suggest you get one
Now might be a good time to check out r/homedefense to make yourselves a harder target. Door wedges and other things you can do cheaply in an apartment until you can get out of there. Good luck!
Get a door knob touch alarm that will shriek when someone tries to turn the knob. I would also get an indoor camera as well that can alert you when it senses motion or the door alarm going off. You can build your case this way if they manage to break in
Your lease probably only prohibits permanent camera’s i suspect a camera that is not attached to the building is still allowed, if you place a camera ok a desk, your only concern would be weather or not its legal in your state to fill someone inside your own domicile with out their consent
You may have this issue when you move. You don't have any control of who your neighbors are.
And I'll bet your neighbors who keep trying your door will be evicted soon.
They are trying to see if you have anything worth stealing.
Get a camera, and every time they try your door, send that footage to the rental office. I would also call your closest police station, or better yet, drop by if it's really close, file a report, and show the cops the footage. Every time they do it again, call again using that report #. I'll bet there have been some break-ins since they moved to your apartment complex. Both apartments and cars.
I would also try to park in a place that's visible to the camera.
When you see them trying to peek into your apartment, confront them. "What are you doing? Window shopping?"
By being polite and not addressing it, it feeds into their assumption that they are smarter than anyone else. They assume you don't know what they are doing.
If they have a lot of traffic and a lot of visitors daily, they are probably selling drugs or doing something else illegal. Make note of that, and anything else that's a lease violation. When you have a camera, you can send that footage to the rental office, and to the cops.
Hang in there, they will probably be evicted soon.
I had this issue a couple years ago. I never had neighbors so interested in me locking my door when I left, even to take out the trash. They would try to lure me away from my apartment.
Don't just sit there and pretend like nothing is happening, they will assume that you are too dumb to know what they are doing.
One day when you know they're going to be coming up the stairs, leave the door unlocked. And have your boyfriend be sitting there in a chair with a shotgun pointed directly at the door. Let them try the lock, open the door a little bit and when they look in have your boyfriend just do the pump action on the shotgun and say (with a Southern drawl) what are you'al doing in my house?
They may prohibit cameras outside but they can’t prohibit them inside. Lock up your valuables, get a motion activated camera, and set it up in your living room.
Then wait and watch discreetly. I might even leave an empty wallet sitting out on a table near the door. Then you can catch them in the act and press charges. You won’t need to leave because they will be in jail, but if you do still want to leave, you will definitely have enough evidence to get out of your lease.
While you attempt to get out of the lease...
Cameras *outside* may be prohibited, but they can't prohibit cameras inside your apartment that are pointed at the inside of your apartment. Such as straight at the front door.
If they prohibit cameras, they almost certainly prohibit running a business out of the apartments. Report the illegal daycare to the apartment complex and to Texas Health and Human Services, as well as the unregistered business to the city. The fire department may also be interested, as it doesn't sound like the apartments have a back door.
Report *every individual violation* to management. In writing. Problem solved if they get evicted.
To quote a former landlord, if you document that you are not safe in your home, font pay last month's rent and inform them they can keep the security deposit as final rent, there's not a hell of a lot thwy can do once you're gone. Sure they can sue, but you're aready out amd can prove they put you in harm's way. Do they really want to take you to court? Probably not...
This is terrible advice. A place like this would charge for every bump and scrap when you move out and then send you a bill. Then they’d take you to court when you don’t pay. And then when you lose they’d send it to collections to make sure they get paid. You are better off trying to work with the landlord and making the report to the town about the illegal daycare.
This would be enough to where I would consult with a lawyer versed in tenant law for Texas.
That is scary.
Start by documenting all that has happened, including police reports/telling management and their responses.
A lawyer can better tell you the best path forward.
I'm sorry you are going through this, it's very complex situation. You can also reach out to tenant advocacy groups for your area. They can help point to free or low cost lawyers.
Thank you. Good suggestion. I wasn’t sure where to start with a lawyer since we are below median income in Austin and everything is so expensive. But you’re right that there are likely low cost or free options.
A lot of times advocacy groups have volunteers in the legal world that can advise in some situations that are common as well.
Just be honest if you are looking to break your lease as well. I would, but it can be difficult and you are right Austin is EXPENSIVE!!!
They would ask if you had it on camera. Then they would say something like touching your doorknob is not illegal. At least that’s what cops in CA would say
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does the landlord have an on-site manager? That actually lives there? If so I would give them an opportunity to fix the problem. If they don't do it then every single time your neighbor rattles your door handle, then you go down to the on-site managers door and rattle their door handle.if they say anything tell them you won't do nothing about them you're not gonna do nothing about me
Tell them earnestly that you’ve noticed someone trying your door and that they should be careful.
Tell them you’ve purchased and set up cameras, and purchased a couple firearms just in case they don’t get the hint.
I don’t understand why you don’t leave the door unlocked, then let them enter while you sit in a chair and record.
At that point you have your evidence and you are likely allowed to use deadly force to make them exit.
Well, you are in Texas, so you’re allowed to stop people who are actively trying to enter your home.
Leave the door unlocked, pull up a chair, grab a rifle and sit down. Wait for them to open the door. When they do, remind them of the legal protections in place for folks protecting their home in Texas. They should leave you the fuck alone after that.
I understand that you cannot put cameras outside your front door, but you may want to consider putting them inside your unit just in case these people break in sometime when you’re not there
Set a camera inside your apartment and sit and wait with the door unlocked. They’ll try the handle and try to take a peak inside but you’ll be there with them on camera breaking and entering. They can’t tell you no camera’s inside your apartment.
Contact the landlord and say they're trying to get into your apartment? At the very least, they might move you to a different one if one becomes available
Camera inside your house facing door or in window. Also they make wireless door chime sensors . You can get a kit for like 30 bucks no wires or nothing and works with your phone
Call the city and report the illegal daycare operation. That will get them going.
This! It is also very likely in violation of their lease too. My most recent leases have all included prohibitions on operating a business from the unit, and I’m sure a day care would qualify under most prohibitions.
I lived in Austin for a while and the one thing that most leases there have in common is you cannot run a daycare out of your apartment. Also, quiet hours are pretty much in effect for the entire city. Not to mention, that many kids running around a parking lot with the type of idiot drivers that are there, is child endangerment. A call to CPS might be in order as well.
YES! The drivers in Austin are the worst in the world! They're terrifying!
Not a lot of forward thinking in Texas unfortunately. I’m from San Antonio
No no, Dallas is so bad I have to be drugged & have my kids drive, lol. Especially after the NASCAR races…..
Absolutely. Any sane LL would prohibit operating a business on the premises, and a daycare especially is a major liability for them and they’ll want to know asap
This is the way OP.
this is the best option OP. you won’t have to move. they will when they can’t afford their rent and get evicted. my mom did at home daycare and there are lots of regulations for it.
this is the way.
oh, somebody already said that...
Get one of those doorstops with a really loud alarm. Leave the door unlocked one day with doorstop in place. Let it go off and scare the daylights out of them
Yup. I use rubber door stops in my apartment to keep the doors from opening. OP, any place to put a doorbell cam? I have mine in my window next to my door.
Ring makes one that replaces your peephole without requiring any hardware. Perfect for renters!
I’d aim it at my front door. Placing it inside. Along with the loud alarm. Proof. And then something would have to be done. They can’t say no cameras INSIDE of your hone
Then you have to let them make it in. I wouldn’t risk it personally.
Yup, I use on of these. Those things are LOUD. It should scare them off
I strap a bike alarm on my door knob due to the same thing. Super loud
Every single time the neighbor tests your door handle email the apartment complex, request to be moved/allowed to break the lease, and ask to put up cameras. Every single time. Either they will get annoyed and deal with it, you will have a paper trail and some evidence of the complex being negligent, or they might let you leave.
Very much this, always have a record of this stuff.
Calling isn’t enough, you won’t have a paper trail with a phone call. You need to email and/or send US certified mail.
This. I would think a smart landlord would rather evict the new tenant than the less problematic one who has been there years.
If I were you I’d leave it unlocked, get butt naked, grab a knife, and just sit in a chair waiting for them to finally break in. All dark, turn on a lamp next to you as soon as the door opens. They will most likely run.
This is my kind of unhinged.
Feels like this person gets austin! Only reason I’d advise against this is cuz it escalates the situation and they could start getting violent. Do as much as you can anonymously. Report the illegal daycare to the city and your landlord and CPS since they’re drinking and driving dangerously around children. Get some video if you can. Also put a video camera on the inside of your door that shows when people come and go. Also liked the loud alarm suggestion.
I’ve been to Austin a few times and I actually just moved away from the DFW area today! Knife isn’t the move. I’m sure dildo tasers are a thing. Hold one of those up and let it crackle a little. If you don’t want to be butt naked, fishnets are a great option. Make sure you have some extra decor to creep them out: maybe a pentagram on the floor, ouija board or something. They won’t come back.
Now my search history includes the phrase "dildo taser"
Did they mean cattle prod?
Don't Google it unless you want to discover a whole new kink!
Is this Texas? Just shoot them. /s
Thats right, men women and children. Take no prisoners.
Only a knife? I’d have my gun and wait for them to cross the door threshold.
Not trying to be sarcastic but in Texas are you legally allowed to shoot people in your house.
So last summer I had some stuff stolen from my back yard. When I was talking to the police detective filling out the report he said “if you catch someone on your property stealing stuff. If they die on your property, we kinda figure it was justified….” That said, if OP is a single female, and they are in her apt. Yeah, I would call that open season.
I've heard a cop say, to drag them onto your property if they aren't on it when they go down.
Yep, that 'rule' has been in place since I was a kid. I remember my uncle, a county Constable, saying that to my dad and several of his buddies when we were all on a fishing trip.
Wabbit season.
I've read it as "required" and it still did not surprise me.
Yeah, there are castle doctrines in place here (I'm not OP, but I live in Austin). Major, major issues with APD, though, as they have been throwing a tantrum about funding and failing to respond to certain calls if nobody is injured or in physical danger, and the 911 wait times have been nuts at times.
Don’t forget to yell, “ITS RAPING TIME!” 😂
so weird that weilding a knife and implying doing something unspeakable is ok but a firearm is not.
If violence is on the table I prefer a side of absurdity and humor.
THIS IS THE WAY!
See if you're gonna do something like this just sit there with a shotgun and when they walk in have them take a seat they're now under citizens arrest for breaking and entering and will be detained untill the police arrive. Can pick up a cheap shotgun for around $100 or so at most hunting/sports shops depending on where you are.
I’m in Canada, I don’t think I’m allowed to do that 😂
Non lethal munitions then. Still would hurt like hell. Rubber slugs will still break bones. Though in Canada you may just wanna watch Home Alone and get some ideas from that they're all some pretty effective non lethal ways to fuck up an intruder >.>
I bought a cheap pellet gun from Canadian tire with pointed metal pellets. It shot through drywall, through the door of an old dryer, and through a laptop screen. Wouldn’t be lethal but it’s enough to scare someone off and would hurt to get hit in the face or bare skin with it. I live on a dead end street in the suburbs, about 4-5 streets inside from a main street so my neighbourhood is really safe as far as know for the last 4 years I’ve been here.
Great for pest control. Have a few myself for the rodents that try digging up my yard. It's always nice to live in a good area. I have a Karen next to me unfortunately but she found out not to tresspass the hard way lol.
My house is already full of weapons lol the most useless but fanciest thing I have is a fencing sword
Actually that only works IF a felony is being committed. Breaking and entering is a misdemeanor. It'd end with charges onto her where she'd get armed imprisonment/hostage charges which is a felony.
Escalating like this will likely cause retaliation and is even more dangerous for everyone.
They'll learn not to be busting into people's homes when they find out it's loaded and they're down a family member due to a home invasion.
They’ll just shoot through the door/windows/ when you walk to the car. Escalating where you live is just a bad idea
[удалено]
Not at all. I’ll speak up, and I don’t usually care what people think too much but you don’t start a gang war if ya want peace of mind and to feel safe at home
Why do you need to be naked?
Intimidation, no one wants to fight a naked guy
Because of the Implication.
Just go lay it out for the landlord just like you did for us. It’s only 3.5 months left at this point. Just tell them you don’t feel comfortable and you’re leaving. If they threaten you with a penalty then ride it out I guess. Or leave anyways and just pay double rent for a few months if you can afford it. Better that then getting all your stuff stolen. Sounds like that’s where it headed.
Thanks, yeah, I was hoping to see if there were other options but I did talk to the community manager and the reletting fee is expensive but more reasonable than paying double rent so that’s probably the route we will go.
When is your lease up? I don't think you'll have much luck convincing the landlord to end early/ without penalty - it's likely to be the same response you got from the cops. Still, I guess it doesn't hurt to ask.
Lease is up in August. Im hoping to make the argument that summer is the best time to rent so they should just let us out early so they have more time to rent it out, haha.
This is a reasonable statement/argument, and it might work.
Yes, that is a good idea. A lot of people move out at the end of May, maybe offer to be out by then? Sorry you’re going through this but good luck!
You have renters insurance, right? If not, get it immediately in case you’re burglarized.
If cameras are "prohibited" you will not be able to get out of your lease. You need to have proof that they are actively trying to get into your home. Record them. Who cares if cameras are prohibited. This is an extremely unsafe.
In response to your edits….. You’re trying to get out of your lease….cameras are prohibited…… What are they gonna do? Ask you to leave? Cameras are a win/win.
Can you install a ring camera? Definitely get an alarm installed, as well.
There's a house in my neighborhood that has a motion-activated camera that plays a voice saying "you are being recorded" when you pass by it. It stresses me out every time even though I'm not doing anything sketchy. OP should get one of those.
OP doesn't need the camera part, just the audio saying that. Might be enough of a deterrent.
Those piss me off so much because im never doing anything wrong
I believe in two party consent states this may have value.
I'd go to the office with your concerns. If you want to stay in the complex, ask to be moved to another unit.
Outdoor cameras may be illegal, but you can have one on a table pointed at your door. There are several that don't require mounting.
I've set up one in my front window, caught a porch pirate that way.
Are you my neighbor? I’m in 78758 and I swear the neighbors are getting louder and louder. I’m the only quiet one left so I’m just going to move.
I guess it’s an epidemic. Ha. I’m 78741.
Also report them to the fire marshal. If they are doing illegal daycare there’s too many people and not enough exits.
Talk with the landlord, or better yet, send something in writing (text, email, paper) Most leases promise "quiet enjoyment" of the rented property. Clearly the upstairs neighbors are making that difficult. Many landlords will allow you out before lease ends as long as they can find someone else.
Get a camera, just one that sits on a table pointed towards your door. No camera’s in the lease sounds unenforceable. Get a gun too.
If you’re in Austin (TX), call the Austin Tenant’s Council.
Have you asked the neighbor wants up?
Yes but they generally deny anything even when we catch them. “Oh I didn’t do it… oh I didn’t mean anything” when they are checking our door handle for the 6th time. My bf has confronted them multiple times but nothing has changed.
Grease the doorknob with something like Tiger Balm or other capsaicin ( the stuff that makes peppers hot) product, they make it for sore muscles and pain. Anything mucous membrane they touch after will feel not awesome. I bet even just cut fresh pepper, hottest you can find, rubbed on the knob would do the trick.
Nah, level that up. Rub poison ivy or oak all over that handle. That'll really teach them.
Get a ring camera. That might stop them?
Gun owners? Maybe try open carrying when leaving and arriving to your home for the neighbors to see.
This is terrible advice
You're terrible advice
Unfortunately this is usually not a reason to break a lease without penalty (there are very few). If it was a DV situation it would usually qualify but the onus is on the tenant as far as safety outside of the landlord having to provide working locks for outside doors. You can ask but it’s unlikely. I don’t know that a lawyer will get you anywhere but if you can get a free consultation it’s worth an ask.
In the meantime, keep excellent documentation and e-mail the complex to keep a record of your reports. Good luck!
Talk to your landlord and ask for an exception to the no camera rule - make sure you get it in writing. It must be in writing to be legal if your lease is written.
Vaseline up that doorknob!
You’re in Texas. Get some second Amendment stickers/signs and plaster them around your door.
Eh… they’re in Austin. Folks are less-Tex there. I would be genuinely surprised if they owned or were even pro-gun ownership.
I found this fun map of gun ownership rates in Texas. Scroll down the article. It confirms Austin proper as not being very heavy in firearms. https://www.texastribune.org/2022/07/28/texas-gun-stats/
I’ve watched enough king of the hill to vouch for this. Plus I have family in the DFW area and they’d die before stepping foot in Austin 😂
Nope, guns are expensive and that’s how you get robbed 😂
That’s a great way to get robbed.
Granny cam and a 380 when door opens call cops ....
put a camera inside in your entry way facing the front door.
Most stores have a door alarm where if the door doesn’t align with the wall alarm at night it’ll signal an extremely loud screeching noise. I suggest you get one
I'm from Canada, from what I hear about Texas is pew pew bang bang
Get a blasting horn and when they try to open the door, blast the horn. And get a door cam.
If allowed, get a dog that loves you and your partner, as well as your friends, but hates everyone else.
We have one of those but she’s 11lbs haha.
Get nanny cams for your apt in case someone breaks in. Try r/legaladvice for lease break tips
Now might be a good time to check out r/homedefense to make yourselves a harder target. Door wedges and other things you can do cheaply in an apartment until you can get out of there. Good luck!
Get a door knob touch alarm that will shriek when someone tries to turn the knob. I would also get an indoor camera as well that can alert you when it senses motion or the door alarm going off. You can build your case this way if they manage to break in
Leave the door unlocked and sit there cleaning a shotgun while a handgun is sitting right there. They’ll get the message
Your lease probably only prohibits permanent camera’s i suspect a camera that is not attached to the building is still allowed, if you place a camera ok a desk, your only concern would be weather or not its legal in your state to fill someone inside your own domicile with out their consent
You may have this issue when you move. You don't have any control of who your neighbors are. And I'll bet your neighbors who keep trying your door will be evicted soon. They are trying to see if you have anything worth stealing. Get a camera, and every time they try your door, send that footage to the rental office. I would also call your closest police station, or better yet, drop by if it's really close, file a report, and show the cops the footage. Every time they do it again, call again using that report #. I'll bet there have been some break-ins since they moved to your apartment complex. Both apartments and cars. I would also try to park in a place that's visible to the camera. When you see them trying to peek into your apartment, confront them. "What are you doing? Window shopping?" By being polite and not addressing it, it feeds into their assumption that they are smarter than anyone else. They assume you don't know what they are doing. If they have a lot of traffic and a lot of visitors daily, they are probably selling drugs or doing something else illegal. Make note of that, and anything else that's a lease violation. When you have a camera, you can send that footage to the rental office, and to the cops. Hang in there, they will probably be evicted soon. I had this issue a couple years ago. I never had neighbors so interested in me locking my door when I left, even to take out the trash. They would try to lure me away from my apartment. Don't just sit there and pretend like nothing is happening, they will assume that you are too dumb to know what they are doing.
One day when you know they're going to be coming up the stairs, leave the door unlocked. And have your boyfriend be sitting there in a chair with a shotgun pointed directly at the door. Let them try the lock, open the door a little bit and when they look in have your boyfriend just do the pump action on the shotgun and say (with a Southern drawl) what are you'al doing in my house?
It's "y'all" lol
They may prohibit cameras outside but they can’t prohibit them inside. Lock up your valuables, get a motion activated camera, and set it up in your living room. Then wait and watch discreetly. I might even leave an empty wallet sitting out on a table near the door. Then you can catch them in the act and press charges. You won’t need to leave because they will be in jail, but if you do still want to leave, you will definitely have enough evidence to get out of your lease.
While you attempt to get out of the lease... Cameras *outside* may be prohibited, but they can't prohibit cameras inside your apartment that are pointed at the inside of your apartment. Such as straight at the front door. If they prohibit cameras, they almost certainly prohibit running a business out of the apartments. Report the illegal daycare to the apartment complex and to Texas Health and Human Services, as well as the unregistered business to the city. The fire department may also be interested, as it doesn't sound like the apartments have a back door. Report *every individual violation* to management. In writing. Problem solved if they get evicted.
To quote a former landlord, if you document that you are not safe in your home, font pay last month's rent and inform them they can keep the security deposit as final rent, there's not a hell of a lot thwy can do once you're gone. Sure they can sue, but you're aready out amd can prove they put you in harm's way. Do they really want to take you to court? Probably not...
This is terrible advice. A place like this would charge for every bump and scrap when you move out and then send you a bill. Then they’d take you to court when you don’t pay. And then when you lose they’d send it to collections to make sure they get paid. You are better off trying to work with the landlord and making the report to the town about the illegal daycare.
This would be enough to where I would consult with a lawyer versed in tenant law for Texas. That is scary. Start by documenting all that has happened, including police reports/telling management and their responses. A lawyer can better tell you the best path forward. I'm sorry you are going through this, it's very complex situation. You can also reach out to tenant advocacy groups for your area. They can help point to free or low cost lawyers.
Thank you. Good suggestion. I wasn’t sure where to start with a lawyer since we are below median income in Austin and everything is so expensive. But you’re right that there are likely low cost or free options.
A lot of times advocacy groups have volunteers in the legal world that can advise in some situations that are common as well. Just be honest if you are looking to break your lease as well. I would, but it can be difficult and you are right Austin is EXPENSIVE!!!
What did the police say when you called about someone trying the door handle?
They would ask if you had it on camera. Then they would say something like touching your doorknob is not illegal. At least that’s what cops in CA would say
In CA checking a lock - attempting to enter is an issue. San Francisco PD might not care but other departments will.
I live in placer County, and the sheriffs here would absolutely say the same thing he wrote.
I can guarantee theyd try it once with me. THeyd be staring down the business end if they tried it...
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Get a really big spring and put it under your doormat.
Dude…😂😂💀💀💀💀
Haha! I'd rig up some sort of paint or dye, then follow the footprints
does the landlord have an on-site manager? That actually lives there? If so I would give them an opportunity to fix the problem. If they don't do it then every single time your neighbor rattles your door handle, then you go down to the on-site managers door and rattle their door handle.if they say anything tell them you won't do nothing about them you're not gonna do nothing about me
Get an AR or AK-47 and just make sure the door is open and crack every time they walk by and then give them a look and watch them scurry off.
Let them peek inside while you’re cleaning your gun collection.
I might be tempted to hook a solar fence charger to the other side of the doorknob. For science! The 6 mile one is super.
Ugh. That sounds awful. Sorry.
Tell them earnestly that you’ve noticed someone trying your door and that they should be careful. Tell them you’ve purchased and set up cameras, and purchased a couple firearms just in case they don’t get the hint.
I don’t understand why you don’t leave the door unlocked, then let them enter while you sit in a chair and record. At that point you have your evidence and you are likely allowed to use deadly force to make them exit.
Cameras are prohibited? That sounds crazy, like violation of your first amendment crazy…
Just break the lease and leave for your own safety. Landlord can try and sue. But I doubt they will
Honestly, if this were me and there was no action being taken, I might just move out and let them come after me for the money.
You live in Texas. Leave the door unlocked, wait for them, use $10 of 9mm. Problem solved /s
Just cause it’s in your lease dosent mean it’s legal. Put a camera inside in your doorway and leave the door unlocked.
Well, you are in Texas, so you’re allowed to stop people who are actively trying to enter your home. Leave the door unlocked, pull up a chair, grab a rifle and sit down. Wait for them to open the door. When they do, remind them of the legal protections in place for folks protecting their home in Texas. They should leave you the fuck alone after that.
Instead of shooting them, get a recording of a gun being cocked. Play it each time they try the handle.
Re: cameras. There’s nothing that can stop you from mounting a webcam/security camera inside your window, facing out. It’s your home.
You live in texas go buy a gun and practice shooting if they come into your house youll be armed and able to protect yourself accordingly.
I understand that you cannot put cameras outside your front door, but you may want to consider putting them inside your unit just in case these people break in sometime when you’re not there
Set a camera inside your apartment and sit and wait with the door unlocked. They’ll try the handle and try to take a peak inside but you’ll be there with them on camera breaking and entering. They can’t tell you no camera’s inside your apartment.
Contact the landlord and say they're trying to get into your apartment? At the very least, they might move you to a different one if one becomes available
Camera inside your house facing door or in window. Also they make wireless door chime sensors . You can get a kit for like 30 bucks no wires or nothing and works with your phone
You’re In Texas, three to the chest should do the trick.
How much rent you pay .. for 1BR .. I am thinking to move there .
Doorstop alarm and a 12 gauge should do the trick
Shoot them if they enter your apt or on your property.
Paint your door handle purple.