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Roomate is harassing me help!

Posted by Jaime on February 28, 2001 at 00:30:32:

I live in a 4 unit private house in Westchester county NY. I am in a 1 year lease with my roomate (we both signed it) until June 30th. Since Jan 4th we have had problems. She told me 2 days before rent was due that she thought my boyfriend should contribute b/c he stayed about 4 nights a week. I said no, I will make him leave, he will not stay over anymore except weekends. Little did I know that she wanted rent from my B/F because, she was just trying to get a break on her rent b/c she has a ton of credit card bills. Since I resolved the problem by not letting him stay instead of paying up, she was pissed. Since then it has been one of the worst experiences of my life. She constantly goes out of her way to annoy me. She never leaves the apartment, has taken over the living room, she basically is running me out of the apartment. I could give you 100 examples of what she has done, here's 1 ( I need to be at work before her in the AM, she started getting in the shower when I normally would and taking 45 min. I then re-adjusted my schedule to get in earlier and she started getting in earlier. It's rediculous. She has done tons of strange things and I don't understand how she could be soo mad over nothing. She won't give me phone messages, she double padlocks the door and shuts off the light so it's hard for me to get in. Anyway, I put a lock on my bedroom door because, I was suspicious that she was entering when I was not home. Her weird and irratic behavior has made me very uncomfortable around her. During our last conversation AKA argument(2 months ago), I told her I could not handle it anymore and wanted to leave. She said word for word "You can't go anywhere you signed a lease" Your stuck here! Basically, she knows I can't leave and enjoys harassing me each and every day. I've tried to approach her and be nice to her atlease 10 times over the last 2 months. "Kill her with kindness was my angle" the strangest thing is that, when I would try to be nice she would be even worse. She just gives me a look of death. I'm scared of her. My legs literally shake when I walk towards my apartment every night. I get so nervous even being in the same house with her.
Anyway, I called my landlord last Wednesday and told him what the situation was, he was understanding I guess because I started crying on the phone with him. (This has been a very emotionally draining 2 months for me. I can't eat,sleep, I'm so distracted by her, I a mess. I told him that we were having problems and that I do not feel safe in the house. I also called to let him know that I put a new lock on my door (In case he wanted a key). I told him that I wanted to leave by April 1st that I did not feel safe. He was understanding and basically has been the go between person (between me and her) for the last 7 days. He said he would give her the options of finding another roomate, leaving 3 months early, or he would find one for her. It gives her 5 weeks to find someone (and me through 5 weeks of major stress). She was pissed when she found out that I was leaving April 1, I know she is going to do everything she can do to try to make this hard.

I sent the landlord a certified letter which stated everything we talked about in our conversations ie. (Options for her, when he told her I was definitey leaving, that he said I could use my security deposit as March Rent, etc) I asked for him to sign it verifying that he is letting me out of the lease. I luckily found a new place to live but had to dish out basically everything I have to rent it. I am broke but happy knowing that there will soon be an end to all of this. What I need to know is:
1. What should my next step be. I think I am going to see if I can arrange a meeting wit the Landlord tomorrow to let him know face to face what is going on. I have left out many details in our phone conversations because I didn't really want to get into it. I am worried that he is going to back out of what he said a week ago because of her reaction to me moving out.

2. What am I risking by leaving this lease if the landlord does not sign the letter letting me out.
3. How do I prove the constant harassment that has been going on. She has never threatened me. She is just screwing with my head to get some satisfaction out of it. We are dealing with a girl with a few screws loose here. She is acting like a 2 year old.
4. If she threatens to sue me, what can I do to protect myself here. This is horrible she has basically pushed me out of the apartment through her constant mind games (crazyness). Now I have to worry that she is going to come after me for $. It's not fair, how do I deal with this.

Thanks so much for whoever can help me here! I don't have $ for a Lawyer and I want to cover as many tracks as I can before it's too late.

Thanks,
Jaime

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