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-   -   Being Evicted for not getting along with roommate - I PAY RENT ON TIME (https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/showthread.php?t=511107)

  • Sep 26, 2010, 04:10 PM
    tampabayDad
    Being Evicted for not getting along with roommate - I PAY RENT ON TIME
    Pinellas County Florida - I moved in on a Saturday. Sunday I brought my daughter over. Sent her to take a shower before bedtime, she returned immediately refusing to shower in this mildew moldy bathroom. I agreed, it was gross. We went for a swim and called it a bath... yuck, but the bathroom was like the worst you ever saw. Monday I was "caught cleaning the bathroom" I share with my roommate. I very carefully moved the 20+ items from the counter top (in order to put back as I found) but he caught me in the act of cleaning and freaked out about me touching his stuff. I suggested he leave his things that were on the vanity on the shelf I moved them to so I can clean without touching his stuff. BTW I'm talking 4 rows of crap from front to back like cologne, toothpaste, shaving cream, bug spray, deodorant, peroxide... you know stuff that you and I keep hidden in cabinets and drawers. Anyway, he was *outraged and in my face yelling at me (seriously outraged shaking and screaming at the top of his lungs-it was freaky AND he's a 2nd degree blackbelt) like I was his teenage son. I'm 39 and he's like 56. This led to me finding that he has a history of domestic violence and alcoholism which led to his divorce. He's a heavy vodka drinker and gets seriously WASTED daily. This happened again and again... "this" being him yelling in an outrage. Our dog vanished my son jumped on a bmx bike (that turned out to be his daughters) here we go Robert's *outraged again. I thought I was borrowing the landlord's hack saw while fixing a leaky pipe... it was Robert's, here we go he's *outraged again. My daughter knocked a pair of his shoes off the 3rd floor balcony and they landed by the pool. My son's GF put them in the garage so they wouldn't get wet... here we go again this time Robert's *outraged and yelling at all 3 of us. He likes "keep your f---ing hands off my sh-t" and "don't touch my f---ing sh-t." and my favorite "Look if it ain't yours just don't touch it." Meanwhile he and his daughter help themselves to our food and drinks and at one point took my towel hooks from the bathroom. When I asked if he had seen them he says "Oh those were yours, I thought they were here when I moved in so I took them." Homeowner was pissed about his missing fan. Accused me of taking it seeing how Robert has him convinced that I'm the bad guy. BUT like my towel hooks, Robert had the stupid fan.

    SO HERE'S WHERE IT GETS GOOD. I've been screamed at by an outraged alcoholic half dozen times or more, he's yelled at my son (15) and on one occasion yelled at all 3 of us (9 yr old daughter too) for several minutes over the stupid sneaker incident. HIS 9 YR OLD DAUGHTER slams a door in my daughters face. Door hits my daughter in the nose and she's crying. I come out, his daughter runs from me. Out the door she goes onto the 2nd story balcony. By the time I open the door (that she slammed in my face) she's entering another door off the balcony. I'm not outraged my any means but to get her attention I raise my voice to say "Hey" she stops "I don't know what's going on but it needs to stop! You're almost 10 years old, stop acting like you're 3." From there I go out to my balcony and light up. I can hear Robert inside screaming about me yelling at his daughter. He comes down the stairs and kicks in my locked bedroom door. My daughter is on the other side of the door which not only hits her it scrapes layers of skin of the top of her left foot. I wanted to come in and beat him down but stayed outside. My daughter comes out and tells me what happened. I go back into my bedroom with her and instruct her to sit at my desk. I go back out to extinguish my cig on the balcony. Bam! Here's Robert in my face screaming, sweating and totally outraged this time screaming "hit me, come on hit me... who said you could yell at my daughter?!" Dude was seriously wasted. My back was to the wall. He was in the way of both the door and the stairs so I pull my handgun out of my pocket and tell him "last chance to get the f--k out of my face." HE DID. He ran straight to the phone and called 911. When they showed I was treated like a bank robber, cuffed up, roughed up and put in the back seat of the police car for almost 2 hours. ULTIMATELY I was released and NOT taken to jail. He and our female roommate could not pass sobriety tests so me and my kids got a room for the night. In Florida we have a stand your ground law that ultimately would've justified me pulling the trigger. I don't ever want to shoot anyone with my gun. A gun will usually sober up an outraged idiot... or at least stop a fight. Being a single dad with custody of my kids means that I don't risk a trip to jail for anybody. I don't drink, I don't use drugs, I don't fight and rarely ever get mad... just a little irritated now and then which is part of being a dad... right? Had we engaged in a fist fight we BOTH would have received free transportation and overnight accommodations... get it?

    Now this guys ex won't let his daughter sleep here anymore. Is she scared of me or what will happen after he's completely wasted around 6pm? His daughter is here all the time around me so I think she's more worried about him than me. BUT as a result the homeowner/roommate/landlord wants me to move out. WHY? Because I pulled the gun. Not taking into consideration that this guy is a total bully. Whenever I tell the story I hear things like "good for you" and "you did the right thing" and even "you should've shot the guy". I didn't pull a gun the first several times because I wasn't on a balcony with nowhere to go and he hadn't just kicked in my bedroom door and hurt my daughter.

    Then the homeowner/roommate/landlord calls and leaves me a voicemail saying that I don't have to leave if I can work things out with Robert. I tried talking with Robert thinking that if I caught him before noon he'd be sober. No such luck, he's a wake and bake kind of guy. He refused to talk about it. The homeowner/roommate/landlord thinks I'm leaving in a few days and has an ad running to fill my 2 rooms. DO I HAVE TO LEAVE? I know I should. I want to. I can't afford it. My van broke down 2 weeks ago, I just bought an SUV and paid bills and I barely have my rent money much less cash for app fees, security deposits, moving trucks and utilities. I pay my rent. This is a matter of "If I have to choose one of you I choose Robert". Robert the alcoholic ran a home based school for HS dropouts and was homeowner/roommate/landlord daughter's teacher so they have a history.

    Now what? A 3 day notice is to pay rent or move out and this isn't a matter of paying rent. If he takes me to court for an eviction what the heck would a judge say to this? WE aren't trying to live here for several more months or anything WE just don't want to be homeless.
  • Sep 26, 2010, 04:25 PM
    AK lawyer
    Do I really have to read all of that? Essentially what you are saying is that you and your roommate don't get along, right?

    Tell us what the arrangement is. Did you sub-lease from the roommate? Is it in writing? Did he give you the three day notice? But you say you are current?
  • Sep 26, 2010, 04:31 PM
    ScottGem

    I agree with AK, You gave us too much information and neglected the most important piece of info. Do you have a lease and is that lease with the owner of the unit or with one of the roommates?
  • Sep 27, 2010, 10:29 AM
    tampabayDad
    I have an oral lease with the homeowner who also lives here. It's month to month and I pay on time... no late rent here. We actually do get along. I don't hold any grudges so each day is a new day. He just has anger management issues now and then and ultimately the owner is choosing him over me. Silly I pay $1,000 he pays $500. I'm seen as the bad guy because I'm armed.
  • Sep 27, 2010, 11:48 AM
    ScottGem

    So you have nothing in writing and no protection. Your tenancy can be terminated with 14 days notice under Florida law. Start looking for a new place.
  • Sep 27, 2010, 01:32 PM
    Fr_Chuck

    I don't understand why you would "want" to stay there, I would have been asking how do I break my lease, Looks like they are doing you a favor in asking you to leave

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