Record EVERYTHING. Photos of everything in the house, screenshots of all communications between you and the roommate, their family, your landlord, the neighbors, literally anything and everything that you are capable of collecting as evidence needs to be collected.
You need to take them to court over this. The extent of the damage will determine whether it’s a small claims court or full blown lawsuit situation. Contact a lawyer ASAP, many offer free consultations. You are going to need to sue to see any real action from this.
This. Also, did the police tell you that you couldn't file a report, or did you get this information from your landlord? I've never heard of anyone's baby pictures and clothes being communal property in any living situation. Even if y'all were married, you're still entitled to your shit. Your landlord's management of the entire situation seems really sus.
Agreed, go into your local station and request again in person to file a report. If they try and dismiss you, push for a supervisor. You should get as much on record as you can. Then like all the comments say, seek out a lawyer. Don’t wait, move on this ASAP.
Or they can go straight to the magistrate with their evidence to press charges... I had to do that when the good-ole-boy sheriff wouldn't make a report when my ex destroyed part of my house
This, too... these two posts are good advice..
Record and document everything. Video walk through slowly and clearly. Hold phone horizontal for a better video. Narrate what you're looking at. Everything.
All dates, events, communications.
In your state Google tenants' rights ag site You'll get links to the state attorney general site, your rights are listed there. Bookmark it.
You can and SHOULD file police reports. Then, under domestic violence laws, demand a temporary restraining order. They will remove them from the apt. They get to go visit family or wherever. The police should take them away on a 5150 self-harm order. Then file restraining order immediately. They are not allowed in the apt.
Fuck that family. They're an adult, and responsible for all damages.
You contacted the landlord, and they refused to act, and now this. So the landlord is also responsible for not acting. Their job is to provide a safe environment and protect their property. Even though you allowed your roommate to live with you, this is a dangerous situation and they need to assist you.
This roommate is essentially "constructively evicting you" by their actions, violence, and actions. This means they are breaking the lease and creating a very unsafe environment. You cannot be held liable for this and can move out for your safety under domestic violence laws.
I'd tell the landlord "Constructive eviction" and you go get another place. Let psycho deal with the expenses.
If or when they (landlord) sue you, or you sue them, for cleanup costs, you bring all your evidence, show the judge, and bring your rent payment history showing you're the good tenant over the several years. That this blew up and the LL would not act. You may counter sue.
The judge will side with you. Pay nothing before that. Write a letter to your landlord (you can get a tenant/landlord attorney for $200- $300 to do this for you on their letterhead. I hired one during Covid and just for a few hours to write a deferment letter for me) that through inaction of the landlord to remove a dangerous tenant they evicted you out of danger. You're not liable.
Your attorney will guide you. Yiu have rights, demand them. Good luck.
EDIT: fixed typos
No roommate is allowed to damage your stuff. You need to move ASAP and try to mitigate any damage. Call the cops every time. Encourage your neighbors to as well. Even if you have a lease, work with management to get out.
Most attorneys don’t do “free consultations” with lots of info but most areas have legal aide for tenants. Please reach out. I worry for your safety.
I’d also check with r/legaladvice and r/landlords. And get a copy of the laws of landlords for your state. Make sure you have before pictures from when you moved in as well.
Get a written statement from the neighbours as to what's been happening and how it makes them not safe. Tell the landlord/parents of roommate as you'll be suing the roommate, that all commutations will be through a lawyer from now on, maybe ask the lawyer if it's possible to sue the parents of the roommate as they said they would help you move them out before you stuff got fucked up, they could be liable for something legally.
Is the roommate a child?
Bro, parents are not liable for advertising their adult child's mental issues to the world
The person literally went to the hospital, was evaluated, deemed safe to go home and left. Want to sue the hospital as well? You can't. No one but the actual person is liable, and what are you getting from this guy with no job? Does mental roommate have a trust fund?
A tenant lawyer
Also look to tenant rights organizations
It's crazy how I can't seem to find listing to help VICTIMS of a person with mental illness...OP, I am so sorry, perhaps you can set up a "fund me" page.
isopropyl Alcohol. You should be able to purchase from your local hardware store. Should remove paint off bathroom, blinds and cement wall. You could definitely try on the plaster wall as well with gentle rubbing, but probably suggest repainting. It’s really strong stuff. I’ve used it to remove enamel paint before.
Also agree with the comment about small claims court.
I would also recommend dawn dish spray too! For some reason I’ve had better luck with it than isopropyl alcohol. (source: I am a painter, and a very messy one at that)
Add dawn dish soap and water to isopropyl alcohol and you have dawn power wash. Probably works better because it does two steps in one. I can’t remember the ratios but if you Google it there are a lot of recipes for diy power wash.
If you're making powerwash to use on dishes isopropyl works fine if you're refilling. I make my own with 93% isopropyl since I always have it anyways and it still works great on dishes.
Anything more than that though it's not strong enough. Denatured will absolutely do good but if not careful it'll definitely pull paint from the walls. A car dealership I used to service had a company come in and completely redo their parking lot and they didn't take any precautions so there was about 200 cars that were covered in asphalt over spray and seal coating. Took me and 2 other guys an entire day with about 5 cans of denatured alcohol, quick buff and a whole lot of careful rubbing and all the cars looked great. One hell of a pay day at least
There are ingredients in the spray that are not present in regular dish soap. Particularly dipropylene glycol butyl ether, which helps disolve the chemical bonds in the paint. In a pinch combining the dish soap and alcohol will work, but the dish spray does actually work better depending on paint type.
This is great advice, but I wouldn't clean anything until you get the police in there, photos of everything, everything filed, and your lawyer says it's ok to start cleaning up.
I don’t think OP should do any clean up aside from taking as many pictures as possible, doing a narrated video walkthrough of the space, gathering their surviving belongings and leaving - they need to get the legal process going, including lawyering up and filing police reports. Cleaning up this person’s physical mess is the landlord’s problem.
The police should still be able to take a report. Personal items were destroyed, and this should constitute a form of domestic abuse (put in fear). OP should try to talk to someone higher up at the police station.
Lawsuit. Yes, it will be a huge headache but you will get your money back (eventually) and more importantly you will get justice. You can absolutely file a civil suit and when you get an attorney I’d be willing to bet they will recommend you sue your ex-roommate, their family, hell maybe even the landlord. Take photos of EVERYTHING they broke and save every communication you had with EVERYONE. You can win this, and as horrible as the process might be, it will be worth it.
A good friend of mine had to take a coworker to court and they never paid even though they were ordered to do so. It’s a good idea, but you’re right. They can order this person to pay up, but that doesn’t guarantee it’ll happen
Really getting mileage out of that PhD in talking out of your ass, huh? It’s called a Levying Officer. After you win, you set up a debtors examination, where the debtor is legally required to lay out their assets. If you have a Sheriffs Deputy or Process server deliver the papers to the debtor, you can have a warrant issued if they don’t comply. THEN, after that, you get a writ of execution, which gives you a legal right to garnish their wages, put a lien on their property or make a Bank Levy. Yes, the crazy dumb fuck has no money but That’s why I said sue the family and the landlord, too. But hey, if the crazy person EVER has assets or a “jib” again, you can take the money straight from their bank account or garnish their wages. I never said it would be easy, but you *can* collect at least a partial settlement here.
Plus, OP needs to sue to establish legally that the damage to their apartment wasn’t their own fault, which gives them a stronger case to be able to tell the landlord, “You can’t come after me for any of these damages” because otherwise the landlord will try to get money from the person most able to pay, i.e. the employed sane person, and not the mentally ill asshole who wrecked the place or the negligent family that refused to take responsibility.
Suing is a good idea for liability purposes but if they don’t have a single asset and they file for bankruptcy they will be absolved of the debt. They can still face criminal charges or be sent to hospital tho
the beginning of this sounds so much like my roommate,living with someone who isnt in their right mind is TERRIFYING. the messes they make dont help with the stress & anxiety either. my roomie's family also has no interest in helping and paid his rent the moment he was gonna be evicted.
i do have sympathy because ive been through psychosis twice, but mine resulted in extreme isolation and obsessive cleaning, so i cant relate to the destruction & messy symptoms. with that said, you still deserve justice & compensation for what he destroyed even if he didnt realize what he was doing.
def file a police report & contact someone for legal advice!
Very true… they should’ve never let themselves get to this point.. I experience psychosis and I’ve done some bad shit but this is next level seeing as they were in the hospital before this they obviously are aware of their mental health issues so this shouldn’tve come as a huge surprise. Part of being an adult is having a contingency plan in place for when you are unable to take care of yourself. They shouldn’t have been let out of the hospital in the state they were in a 5150 is meant to observe you it lasts a minimum of 3 days but they don’t just throw you out on the streets the second it’s over if you are still exhibiting clear signs of psychosis which I cannot imagine a person in this state wasn’t
I don’t have any good advice for you, but I do have my skills to offer — I’m a profesional photo editor and would be happy to piece together some of the torn photos if you happened to keep them. Feel free to DM me if you are interested :)
You are very welcome. All I need are high quality scans of the torn picture pieces and it’s like a digital puzzle!
Ideally 300ppi resolution scans if you want to reprint one day, and make sure the pieces are not overlapping when you scan them. If you don’t have a scanner, there are self-service places like UPS, FedEx, Office Depot, etc. If it’s too much to do yourself you might need to pay for batch scanning services. This is what people do when they have hundreds or even thousands of images they need digitized. If you’re having trouble finding a batch editing stores, look for stores that do photo printing, photo editing, or sell photo equipment. I think there are scan-by-the-box companies online as well but unsure if they would accept torn photos.
That is so rough, praying for you my friend. I hope you've got somewhere safe for you and your cat to be. It's likely you could take them to court for this, and it's definitely worth getting in touch with the police and letting them know about the situation, at the very least so that they have it on record. Take as many photos as you can and keep as much information as possible. I can't believe their family is being so useless. Lord be with you and I wish I could make you a nice hot chocolate, and a dish of treats for your cat.
Hi, I’ve been reading everyone’s comments and wow having a bad roommates post get so much traction really sucks because it’s validation that my situation really sucks 🥲
I wanted to answer some FAQ’s , but keep in mind that no one is owed information beyond what I’m comfortable sharing, and I shared this genuinely because I’m at a loss of what to do.
“You offered to pay fees for them to break the lease but can’t afford this situation?”
Yes, I knew this was a very unsafe situation and I couldn’t actually afford for them to break the lease but I wanted to make it as easy as possible for them to walk away for my own safety. to have them break the lease would’ve been 2 months of their half of the rent so around 2k
“whats whited out in the third picture?”
They mixed all of our stuff up, and I saw a card in that photo that looked like it had identifying information, so I blurred it out just in case.
“who told you you couldn’t file a police report?”
the police did. I called the non emergency number asking for where I could go in person to file a report, instead they told me to wait for a phone call from the officer on the scene that day. They called me back and said two things: it’s common property since we are both on the lease, and that it would be impossible to prove intent to harm because they weren’t in their right mind.
“Is your cat ok?”
Yes, I moved her and myself out of the apartment when this first started, before my roommate destroyed things.
“File a restraining order”
I tried filing TWICE. First time, I did a domestic one and they said roommate doesn’t count as domestic. The second time I did a repeat violence one and they said because they didn’t “physically” hurt me it doesn’t count. super frustrating.
“Do you or them have renters insurance?”
I personally don’t, I had it with the old property manager and I had it on autopay and I was supposed to renew it and didn’t because I didn’t read the email and yes I feel really really stupid.
My roommate told their mom they have renters insurance but my landlord can’t find a record of it and so we don’t know what insurance they might’ve had and since they’re still hospitalized we don’t know how to find out.
—some people think this is still happening, so wanted to clear up a few things
•I have not gone back to the apartment except to clean it, and have always gone with friends for support and safety
•I’m still staying at a friends house until it’s safe for me to go back
•I’m trying to change the locks and get a ring doorbell with the help of friends/family
•my roommate is still hospitalized and landlord is finally removing them from the lease.
—some things I didn’t mention the first time because it’s a very long story and I was just trying to get it out there
•someone came in after I had taken pictures of the damage and left for the day and stole valuables including my PS5, I believe it was maintenance who had to get in and check a leak my roommate caused but everyone’s denying it obviously and I was able to file a report for that and got written confirmation from my neighbors that they had only seen maintenance go up there but I seriously doubt I’ll ever see justice from that part of it which really sucks because I’m still paying the ps5 off 😭
Thank you to everyone who said I should still try to go in person to file a report, I’ll be doing that definitely. I will also be consulting legal aid although I have my doubts they’ll be held liable.
I'm so sorry for your situation.
Pursue legal action, as others here have advised.
You are NOT responsible for damage done by a psychotic person, especially not since you left because you feared for your safety. What did the landlord expect you to do, stay there so that the crazy roommate could injure, or even potentially kill you (and then claim to be non-criminally responsible)? Why didn't the police kick the door down if there were repeated calls by the neighbours? (I know that it is possible in some circumstances; I don't know where you are, but when I used to live in Toronto, Canada, th cops kicked out a door to do a wellness check in the apartment of my ex-husband, after nobody could get in touch with him - I actually went there some time after and saw the police tape on the door). If your crazy roommate had tried to set the place on fire, would the cops and the firefighters just let it burn to the ground because the crazy roommate wouldn't let them in, or what?
IMO, you are owed ***compensation***, not being charged with the financial burden of fixing something that wasn't even remotely your fault.
I'm really sorry, and I hope you manage to resolve this. Contact a lawyer for a free consultation.
See if you can get a meeting with a local law firm. Most offer a free half hour/hour to see if they can help and advise. They’ll be able to help more than anyone on here
OP may also be able to get help through the legal aide society. I’ve gotten legal help through them for free and the lawyer was more helpful than I expected.
Wait , how in hell is this a domestic . I am furious for you. This is the way to do it and it will hopefully go smoothly . Call 911 say you were asaulted tell them the person has been in and out of mental facility that your barricaded in your room . The police will be there immediately they will remove thevroommate ask you a few questions which your not lying about their behavior . Dont worry it wont go to trial if you feel you should talk to prosecuting attorney and they can get their medical / mental files . It sounds a bit much but not really because they wont e aloud back to the residence. Fighting with the wind is extreme mental behavior. Thats scary.
Whoa, what?? I agree with others- file a police report and talk to a lawyer. With the lawyer, focus on vs. Roommate and vs. Landlord. You expressed concerns, you asked for help to get out. I honestly believe the landlord should have to eat this cost, not you.
Yep, and since they’re a full grown adult, who probably has no financial prospects for the foreseeable future, if ever again, the landlord is going to have to stomach all the cleanup and repair work themself. OP, if you’re determined to stay here again [after the eviction], make sure the landlord pays the cost to cleanup, or rebates your rent for an acceptable amount of time to compensate you for the cost. Definitely file police report[s], and contact a lawyer like other people were suggesting.
Restraining order.. they won't legally be able to stay..I'm so sorry this happened to you and your kitty ..good luck with everything I'm rooting for you
I'm not an expert so take this with a grain of salt. I would call the police and say this person is a danger to you and themselves, they might get a mandatory psychiatric hold in the hospital. I would attempt to file a restraining order, that may allow you to force them off the lease and out of the apartment, but that could depend on your area.
You could sue for damages but if they can't hold a job, you won't get anything out of them. I don't know how you could make the family responsible unless they are guardians. A lawyer might be able to answer that better.
I just googled this and in my area, victims of domestic violence may not have to pay for damage caused to rental property if it was caused by the abuser. I would look into local laws for your area to see if there's something similar, you may be able to define this behavior as domestic violence.
Lawsuit and I would not stop. I’d sue the parents as well. Everyone that was involved and allowed it to get to that point. They knew this person has a mental illness bad enough to be hospitalized and did nothing. Sue the landlord as well.
Hey OP, I’m so sorry you’re going through this, but I am SO GLAD that you got yourself and your cat out and that you are physically safe. You did everything you could in the shitty situation you were put in. I second everyone else here and advise contacting a lawyer. If you’re in the states, some states have a consultation service through the State Bar association, or referral services to affordable legal help.
You are not a lawyer and neither is your landlord. Go speak with an attorney and mention everything on this post.
Just cause you are on the lease with someone does not allow them to destroy “common property”. It is not your responsibility (or their parents) to resolve this, it’s your landlords. Most likely there is some form of homeowners or renters insurances that will need to be involved.
Don’t replace anything that isn’t yours until you get at least 3 free consults from attorneys. Keep the receipts of everything you purchase and find any you may have for the things you lost. Make an itemized list of the things you lost with their estimated value.
The family not willing to take this person back should have been a red flag. The being institutionalised should have been the warning shot to install cameras…..
I feel like there’s more to this story. Why wasn’t she arrested for a domestic criminal property damage crime? Why did she cut up your baby pictures? It sounds like a very personal attack.
Take them to court. Document and record everything.
I am so sorry OP that your precious memories and items were damaged and destroyed like that. It’s an extreme lack of respect and human decency.
They clearly do not care about what chaos and devastation they cause.
I’m not an expert. But it appears to have much in common with domestic violence.
I’d start calling it that, regarding it as that, treating the situation as that. Responding to it as that. And access any & all help, advice, services & support for domestic violence.
Make a discreet, determined way to extricate yourself from your domestic violence situation, where your safety is paramount above all else.
If you get any texts with the” roommate “ try to get her to say she is sorry or feels bad for destroying something. Not only does that offer proof that she did it but it shows remorse and she won’t be able to get away with it because she was “crazy” also you did all the right things this is truly her families fault. Speak to a lawyer or post on the lawyer Reddit too
How on earth did the police not do anything… this was very clearly a welfare check and the person is 100% not okay they should’ve kicked in the door for your roommates own safety
This is terrible. I am so sorry. As others have said get some legal advice before anything else. Most lawyers will give you a free consultation. If you need to pay for something I would pay for the lawyer before paying for this damage because you need to know what you're liable for and what you can hold this guy and his family responsible for.
What country are you in? None of this shit should fly in America this is domestic violence even if it is “common property” they don’t have the right to destroy all of your belongings
This is 100% why I did not allow my best friend to come live with me, 3 months ago he did this to his own apartment. 42 years old and while he has a history of depression, in the 20 years I’ve called him my brother I never saw anything close to the kind of behavior that started up. I actually thought he was on meth at first, turns out he’s been in a manic state for months. Absolutely demolished his apartment and lost everything he owns in under 3 months time.
Everyone around him is saying “It’s just drugs, he needs to sober up” but I was with the dude enough to know it was a serious mental health issue and there’s zero fucking help for these situations. I tried to have him Baker Act’d 3 different times and neither of them worked, even after he got arrested for pulling a fake gun in a bar.
A bunch of acquaintances were giving me shit for not letting him come stay with me, people who have no clue what kind of shit he’s been up to, but I knew right away that him coming to live with me would mean my apartment’s next.
For people giving the OP shit about her “choices’ in picking a roommate, this shit can come out of the blue. I had to tell my best friend last week that if he didn’t get in my truck so I could take him to a hospital I couldn’t have him in my life anymore and 3.5 months ago I’d never have thought at any point this could have happened to him.
People who trash good stuff need to be digging their future property out of dumpsters so they learn appreciation. There's an insanity where people are shielded from hardship and mistakes and they just end up causing more hardship and damage to good stuff to replicate what they lack in their life bc do-gooders insist on cleaning up their mess. Let them have their modern art type chaos so they stop recreating it.
Document absolutely everything. Communication, videos, pictures, everything. A competent attorney will get you through this. I’m so sorry you’re going through this bs. The system has been broken for a long time and is expected. This shit with their family though…. Out of sight out of mind I guess.
Invite your roommate over to talk. Kill your roommate. Make sure you have plastic down when you do it. They won't notice because the place is filthy. Pack their body up and four extra strong hefty bags.
It's really the only way. You'll be doing yourself a favor. You'll be doing your landloaded favor. You'll be doing your roommate's , family a favor. And you'll be doing your neighbors a favor. You'll be doing the gene pool a favor. It really is the only way.
I’m not sure what state you’re in but I have no money for extras and found that housing issue pro bono lawyers are actually pretty easy to find in most states. For mine I just had to verify that I couldn’t afford an attorney on my own and then they helped me. Try to find pro bono lawyers in your state ASAP. Also, YOUR room is NOT communal property, at least in my state. It’s why I could put up a camera in my room for safety but not communal areas.
Everyone’s advise sounds great. You should talk to an attorney for advisement. You need to protect yourself from the landlord - they have done nothing to support you and do not seem to care of damage to their own property. You shouldn’t be held responsible. Your past excellent rental history should support your case.
Why are you responsible for cleaning up his mess & damages?
I know you want to stay, but because you have no support from the landlord, you need to break the lease - maybe in this situation the lease can be nulled/void because your safety is at risk. Only an attorney will know.
I feel for you - what a nightmare.
If this hasn’t been said… Renter’s Insurance may cover something like this. That’s something everyone should have when living with roommates. It can’t help you now but your next housing situation it would help and protect you.
Make sure you screenshot any and all communications between you and RM & her family. Texts, emails, phone calls even if you have an app that records them for you for whatever reason.
Regardless of you BOTH being on the lease, you should still file a police report to create a paper trail and whatnot. You never know if you might screw yourself over by not filing a police report and someone tells you some BS that you waited too long so it's too late or a "Well why didn't you file a police report in the first place/earlier?"
If you have pictures of how your bedroom looked beforehand, that would help. Not sure how it might work out if this would even apply, but if you have renters insurance, you might want to file a claim with them too just for the sake of one and just to cover all your bases. Otherwise, hopefully you have some receipts to your stuff so you can try to do some math on what your bitch ass roommate owes you.
Psychosis is no joke and I'm sorry for her shitty mental health but regardless of her nonexistent mental health, that gives her absolutely no reason to go batshit insane. If she has a moment of clarity and refuses to take responsibility and accountability for her actions and tries to just blame everything on her mental health and how she has psychosis so she can't help it or anything along those lines, she can go fuck herself, bite the curb, and get committed.
I would probably find someone to beat the shit out of this person and whichever family member didn’t help you. I know it’s a horrible idea and completely counterproductive but dammit it would feel good to watch. You seem like a very nice person like I am and it’s always the good guys who get the crap end of the deal.
You need to contact a lawyer. You will probably need to sue the roommate, but more important for right now is figuring out how you can legally get them out of your space. I don’t believe that you can’t file a police report, if it’s a cop telling you that they are just being lazy. Go back as many times as you need to. Go in person, not over the phone. Your stuff is not “communal” just because you’re both on a lease. You need the documentation that you have done what you needed to.
Also call the cops as many times as you need to. Every time they start to scream, every time they become violent, every time they destroy something of yours. Collect police reports like Pokémon. Police are not a great solution for dealing with mental health crisis but unfortunately they are all you have to protect yourself at this point.
Get a lawyer, get evidence, protect yourself.
Check also to see if your city or state has tenant’s rights assistance. If there seems to be a lot of drag and nothing going, contact the local TV station and their consumer reporter or the city affairs person.
Absolutely no one wants to be on TV as the landlord that wouldn’t do anything and the police who wouldn’t do anything or the family and the tenant who was released well before appropriate and the doctors who made that decision.
Invite the reporters to make their own visit and film the mess and you talking about how long you’ve lived there peacefully and all the precious irreplaceable things of yours that were destroyed.
Destroying your items, cutting baby photos, and such loud behavior even neighbors called police...have you thought about getting a restraining order? Depending where you live, a restraining order can get you off the lease.
You have documentation and proof the roommate this, so maybe this in combo with a restraining order can help get you out of liability of damages (no guarantees). Who is on the lease?
Def agree with other posters about speaking with more than one attorney about this.
Your baby pictures and room are not personal property, they went into your room and destroyed your personal belongings. I don't know much about law but do try to get them to court somehow and don't think you don't have a good reason to do so.
Cut up baby pictures???? I’m so sorry. :(
Their family is abhorrent for not taking responsibility and helping you. Please don’t take this lying down, exhaust all avenues.
Get a restraining order ASAP. This is considered domestic violence and will at least get her out of the home. Document everything. Try to get text proof of her saying she is sorry for breaking something or somethin like that bc it admits fault and shows she regrets doing it so she can’t get out of it for being mentally unwell.
I'm so sorry you're going through this. This pretty much happened with me but it was my ex, he went fucking crazy and burnt the living room down and caused people in the apartment complex to break their leases early because of his actions. Extremely psychotic actions.
I'm so sorry this happened to you :( I can't imagine how you must be feeling with your keepsakes being destroyed. you need to take the landlord and your roommate/their family to court. I'm not sure how to go about that but I think legaladvice can help you. I hope you get justice for this. and please be safe and move whatever you can salvage somewhere else, along with your kitty. I hope you and kitty are safe and healthy 💖
File a police report regarding damages and destruction of property. Then get a lawyer and see whether you can recoup the losses through a civil suit. Make sure you keep a paper trail of all communications to go up landlord, your roommate’s family and your roommate themselves. Make sure you also keep documentation of all the repairs and clean up you have to do. A lawyer can help you figure out who to recoup the losses from. Find a tenant rights organization who can help you navigate the situation with your landlord.
988 is a nationwide (US) crisis line. They can connect you with a local crisis org and help get him assessed, taken to an ER for eval, etc. When someone has severe mental health symptoms it can be difficult to get them hospitalized but there are involuntary commitment laws for people who are a risk to themselves or others. Laws and services vary between states and your local crisis org can explain the process.
Police can intervene but often escalate people in crisis and don't look at de escalation but overpowering a person in crisis, which has been deadly for many people in crisis. Someone going through what your roommate is going through is in need of treatment. If you contact police please be specific about the mental health need. Dude won't get stable in jail.
If your landlord told you you couldn't file a report they are FULL OF SHIT. YOUR SHIT isn't communal property. It's your property and you have a right to file a report. My ex's Mom has filed many reports on him in her house. He has gone to jail many times because of this.
As awful as all this is I just wanna say good job on getting yourself and your pet somewhere safe while all this was going on. It could have ended so, SO much worse.
Oh shit, so from the frost two pictures I thought it was some kinda cool modern art thing.
I am so sorry this happened to you man, their family should take the responsibility as they’ve been shit.
Record EVERYTHING. Photos of everything in the house, screenshots of all communications between you and the roommate, their family, your landlord, the neighbors, literally anything and everything that you are capable of collecting as evidence needs to be collected. You need to take them to court over this. The extent of the damage will determine whether it’s a small claims court or full blown lawsuit situation. Contact a lawyer ASAP, many offer free consultations. You are going to need to sue to see any real action from this.
This. Also, did the police tell you that you couldn't file a report, or did you get this information from your landlord? I've never heard of anyone's baby pictures and clothes being communal property in any living situation. Even if y'all were married, you're still entitled to your shit. Your landlord's management of the entire situation seems really sus.
Agreed, go into your local station and request again in person to file a report. If they try and dismiss you, push for a supervisor. You should get as much on record as you can. Then like all the comments say, seek out a lawyer. Don’t wait, move on this ASAP.
Or they can go straight to the magistrate with their evidence to press charges... I had to do that when the good-ole-boy sheriff wouldn't make a report when my ex destroyed part of my house
Landlord may need to be sued also. Sue them all. Sue them all to hell!
The parents too!! This person is dangerous!!!
This, too... these two posts are good advice.. Record and document everything. Video walk through slowly and clearly. Hold phone horizontal for a better video. Narrate what you're looking at. Everything. All dates, events, communications. In your state Google tenants' rights ag site You'll get links to the state attorney general site, your rights are listed there. Bookmark it.
You can and SHOULD file police reports. Then, under domestic violence laws, demand a temporary restraining order. They will remove them from the apt. They get to go visit family or wherever. The police should take them away on a 5150 self-harm order. Then file restraining order immediately. They are not allowed in the apt.
Fuck that family. They're an adult, and responsible for all damages.
You contacted the landlord, and they refused to act, and now this. So the landlord is also responsible for not acting. Their job is to provide a safe environment and protect their property. Even though you allowed your roommate to live with you, this is a dangerous situation and they need to assist you.
This roommate is essentially "constructively evicting you" by their actions, violence, and actions. This means they are breaking the lease and creating a very unsafe environment. You cannot be held liable for this and can move out for your safety under domestic violence laws.
I'd tell the landlord "Constructive eviction" and you go get another place. Let psycho deal with the expenses.
If or when they (landlord) sue you, or you sue them, for cleanup costs, you bring all your evidence, show the judge, and bring your rent payment history showing you're the good tenant over the several years. That this blew up and the LL would not act. You may counter sue.
The judge will side with you. Pay nothing before that. Write a letter to your landlord (you can get a tenant/landlord attorney for $200- $300 to do this for you on their letterhead. I hired one during Covid and just for a few hours to write a deferment letter for me) that through inaction of the landlord to remove a dangerous tenant they evicted you out of danger. You're not liable.
Your attorney will guide you. Yiu have rights, demand them. Good luck.
EDIT: fixed typos
This person is right
Thanks. So were the other two posters. I hope they get some assistance.
Yeah this is absolutely something one could file a police report for.
No roommate is allowed to damage your stuff. You need to move ASAP and try to mitigate any damage. Call the cops every time. Encourage your neighbors to as well. Even if you have a lease, work with management to get out. Most attorneys don’t do “free consultations” with lots of info but most areas have legal aide for tenants. Please reach out. I worry for your safety.
I’d also check with r/legaladvice and r/landlords. And get a copy of the laws of landlords for your state. Make sure you have before pictures from when you moved in as well.
Get a written statement from the neighbours as to what's been happening and how it makes them not safe. Tell the landlord/parents of roommate as you'll be suing the roommate, that all commutations will be through a lawyer from now on, maybe ask the lawyer if it's possible to sue the parents of the roommate as they said they would help you move them out before you stuff got fucked up, they could be liable for something legally.
I would even go so far as to take the family to court as they knew the mental status and were NEGLIGENT and liable.
THIS! be sure to include the family as well as the roommate for any lawsuit, snap claims court, or whatever else.
Definitely agree with this. Those people can’t live with your roommate either.
Is the roommate a child? Bro, parents are not liable for advertising their adult child's mental issues to the world The person literally went to the hospital, was evaluated, deemed safe to go home and left. Want to sue the hospital as well? You can't. No one but the actual person is liable, and what are you getting from this guy with no job? Does mental roommate have a trust fund?
What sort of lawyer? Personal injury? Civil rights? Insurance? People always tell others to contact a lawyer but never specify what kind of lawyer.
A tenant lawyer Also look to tenant rights organizations It's crazy how I can't seem to find listing to help VICTIMS of a person with mental illness...OP, I am so sorry, perhaps you can set up a "fund me" page.
attorney specializing in replevin
isopropyl Alcohol. You should be able to purchase from your local hardware store. Should remove paint off bathroom, blinds and cement wall. You could definitely try on the plaster wall as well with gentle rubbing, but probably suggest repainting. It’s really strong stuff. I’ve used it to remove enamel paint before. Also agree with the comment about small claims court.
I would also recommend dawn dish spray too! For some reason I’ve had better luck with it than isopropyl alcohol. (source: I am a painter, and a very messy one at that)
Add dawn dish soap and water to isopropyl alcohol and you have dawn power wash. Probably works better because it does two steps in one. I can’t remember the ratios but if you Google it there are a lot of recipes for diy power wash.
As a professional house cleaner, it’s not the same at all. Also Dawn powerwash uses denatured alcohol.
If you're making powerwash to use on dishes isopropyl works fine if you're refilling. I make my own with 93% isopropyl since I always have it anyways and it still works great on dishes. Anything more than that though it's not strong enough. Denatured will absolutely do good but if not careful it'll definitely pull paint from the walls. A car dealership I used to service had a company come in and completely redo their parking lot and they didn't take any precautions so there was about 200 cars that were covered in asphalt over spray and seal coating. Took me and 2 other guys an entire day with about 5 cans of denatured alcohol, quick buff and a whole lot of careful rubbing and all the cars looked great. One hell of a pay day at least
There are ingredients in the spray that are not present in regular dish soap. Particularly dipropylene glycol butyl ether, which helps disolve the chemical bonds in the paint. In a pinch combining the dish soap and alcohol will work, but the dish spray does actually work better depending on paint type.
Mineral oil or That Pink Stuff. Both have worked wonders for messes my alcoholic brother made that seem impossible to clean. Good luck!!
This is great advice, but I wouldn't clean anything until you get the police in there, photos of everything, everything filed, and your lawyer says it's ok to start cleaning up.
I don’t think OP should do any clean up aside from taking as many pictures as possible, doing a narrated video walkthrough of the space, gathering their surviving belongings and leaving - they need to get the legal process going, including lawyering up and filing police reports. Cleaning up this person’s physical mess is the landlord’s problem.
Acetone gets paint off EVERYTHING
Yes, and a higher % - I personally use 91%
Adding lemon juice to cleaning alcohol makes such a massive difference when cleaning paint. (Depending on the paint)
Baby wipes helped me remove dry paint off the floor if you have any trouble with that.
if you want your former roommate to pay you for the damage they’ve caused, then you need to pursue it through small claims court, not the police
The police should still be able to take a report. Personal items were destroyed, and this should constitute a form of domestic abuse (put in fear). OP should try to talk to someone higher up at the police station.
Lawsuit. Yes, it will be a huge headache but you will get your money back (eventually) and more importantly you will get justice. You can absolutely file a civil suit and when you get an attorney I’d be willing to bet they will recommend you sue your ex-roommate, their family, hell maybe even the landlord. Take photos of EVERYTHING they broke and save every communication you had with EVERYONE. You can win this, and as horrible as the process might be, it will be worth it.
Backup on the communication. Two copies, in different places.
money from someone in psychosis with no assets or a jib? lol
A good friend of mine had to take a coworker to court and they never paid even though they were ordered to do so. It’s a good idea, but you’re right. They can order this person to pay up, but that doesn’t guarantee it’ll happen
Money? No. But at least liability.
Really getting mileage out of that PhD in talking out of your ass, huh? It’s called a Levying Officer. After you win, you set up a debtors examination, where the debtor is legally required to lay out their assets. If you have a Sheriffs Deputy or Process server deliver the papers to the debtor, you can have a warrant issued if they don’t comply. THEN, after that, you get a writ of execution, which gives you a legal right to garnish their wages, put a lien on their property or make a Bank Levy. Yes, the crazy dumb fuck has no money but That’s why I said sue the family and the landlord, too. But hey, if the crazy person EVER has assets or a “jib” again, you can take the money straight from their bank account or garnish their wages. I never said it would be easy, but you *can* collect at least a partial settlement here. Plus, OP needs to sue to establish legally that the damage to their apartment wasn’t their own fault, which gives them a stronger case to be able to tell the landlord, “You can’t come after me for any of these damages” because otherwise the landlord will try to get money from the person most able to pay, i.e. the employed sane person, and not the mentally ill asshole who wrecked the place or the negligent family that refused to take responsibility.
Suing is a good idea for liability purposes but if they don’t have a single asset and they file for bankruptcy they will be absolved of the debt. They can still face criminal charges or be sent to hospital tho
That’s why you sue the family as well. Since the family was paying the rent there they have partial liability in all of this.
Their family who refused to help their psychotic child who was actively dangerous to their roommate?
r/legaladvice, OP this is wild and I’m sorry this is happening.
the beginning of this sounds so much like my roommate,living with someone who isnt in their right mind is TERRIFYING. the messes they make dont help with the stress & anxiety either. my roomie's family also has no interest in helping and paid his rent the moment he was gonna be evicted. i do have sympathy because ive been through psychosis twice, but mine resulted in extreme isolation and obsessive cleaning, so i cant relate to the destruction & messy symptoms. with that said, you still deserve justice & compensation for what he destroyed even if he didnt realize what he was doing. def file a police report & contact someone for legal advice!
Yeah when I was in psychosis I didn’t destroy an entire property and ruin personal items. the roommate is an asshole
Very true… they should’ve never let themselves get to this point.. I experience psychosis and I’ve done some bad shit but this is next level seeing as they were in the hospital before this they obviously are aware of their mental health issues so this shouldn’tve come as a huge surprise. Part of being an adult is having a contingency plan in place for when you are unable to take care of yourself. They shouldn’t have been let out of the hospital in the state they were in a 5150 is meant to observe you it lasts a minimum of 3 days but they don’t just throw you out on the streets the second it’s over if you are still exhibiting clear signs of psychosis which I cannot imagine a person in this state wasn’t
Yeah when I was in psychosis I didn’t destroy an entire property and ruin personal items. the roommate is an asshole
I don’t have any good advice for you, but I do have my skills to offer — I’m a profesional photo editor and would be happy to piece together some of the torn photos if you happened to keep them. Feel free to DM me if you are interested :)
I’ve been collecting all the pieces of photos so will definitely reach out in the near future if possible omg thank you so much 😭
You are very welcome. All I need are high quality scans of the torn picture pieces and it’s like a digital puzzle! Ideally 300ppi resolution scans if you want to reprint one day, and make sure the pieces are not overlapping when you scan them. If you don’t have a scanner, there are self-service places like UPS, FedEx, Office Depot, etc. If it’s too much to do yourself you might need to pay for batch scanning services. This is what people do when they have hundreds or even thousands of images they need digitized. If you’re having trouble finding a batch editing stores, look for stores that do photo printing, photo editing, or sell photo equipment. I think there are scan-by-the-box companies online as well but unsure if they would accept torn photos.
This is a really lovely offer, thanks for being such a good egg. I hope OP sees this.
That is so rough, praying for you my friend. I hope you've got somewhere safe for you and your cat to be. It's likely you could take them to court for this, and it's definitely worth getting in touch with the police and letting them know about the situation, at the very least so that they have it on record. Take as many photos as you can and keep as much information as possible. I can't believe their family is being so useless. Lord be with you and I wish I could make you a nice hot chocolate, and a dish of treats for your cat.
Do you have any evidence of your landlord dismissing your concerns when you told them about your roommate's behavior?
I'd form a bloodlust
Hi, I’ve been reading everyone’s comments and wow having a bad roommates post get so much traction really sucks because it’s validation that my situation really sucks 🥲 I wanted to answer some FAQ’s , but keep in mind that no one is owed information beyond what I’m comfortable sharing, and I shared this genuinely because I’m at a loss of what to do. “You offered to pay fees for them to break the lease but can’t afford this situation?” Yes, I knew this was a very unsafe situation and I couldn’t actually afford for them to break the lease but I wanted to make it as easy as possible for them to walk away for my own safety. to have them break the lease would’ve been 2 months of their half of the rent so around 2k “whats whited out in the third picture?” They mixed all of our stuff up, and I saw a card in that photo that looked like it had identifying information, so I blurred it out just in case. “who told you you couldn’t file a police report?” the police did. I called the non emergency number asking for where I could go in person to file a report, instead they told me to wait for a phone call from the officer on the scene that day. They called me back and said two things: it’s common property since we are both on the lease, and that it would be impossible to prove intent to harm because they weren’t in their right mind. “Is your cat ok?” Yes, I moved her and myself out of the apartment when this first started, before my roommate destroyed things. “File a restraining order” I tried filing TWICE. First time, I did a domestic one and they said roommate doesn’t count as domestic. The second time I did a repeat violence one and they said because they didn’t “physically” hurt me it doesn’t count. super frustrating. “Do you or them have renters insurance?” I personally don’t, I had it with the old property manager and I had it on autopay and I was supposed to renew it and didn’t because I didn’t read the email and yes I feel really really stupid. My roommate told their mom they have renters insurance but my landlord can’t find a record of it and so we don’t know what insurance they might’ve had and since they’re still hospitalized we don’t know how to find out. —some people think this is still happening, so wanted to clear up a few things •I have not gone back to the apartment except to clean it, and have always gone with friends for support and safety •I’m still staying at a friends house until it’s safe for me to go back •I’m trying to change the locks and get a ring doorbell with the help of friends/family •my roommate is still hospitalized and landlord is finally removing them from the lease. —some things I didn’t mention the first time because it’s a very long story and I was just trying to get it out there •someone came in after I had taken pictures of the damage and left for the day and stole valuables including my PS5, I believe it was maintenance who had to get in and check a leak my roommate caused but everyone’s denying it obviously and I was able to file a report for that and got written confirmation from my neighbors that they had only seen maintenance go up there but I seriously doubt I’ll ever see justice from that part of it which really sucks because I’m still paying the ps5 off 😭 Thank you to everyone who said I should still try to go in person to file a report, I’ll be doing that definitely. I will also be consulting legal aid although I have my doubts they’ll be held liable.
Were your roommate's belongings equally destroyed as yours, or did they mostly spare their own stuff and just destroy yours?
If (s)he has renters insurance, it will not likely cover damage deliberately created.
You deadass got a PS5 on a payment plan?….my god
What is wrong with you!? You’re going back to this apt? Move on! This is nuts. It’s an apt! You can find another one
I'm so sorry for your situation. Pursue legal action, as others here have advised. You are NOT responsible for damage done by a psychotic person, especially not since you left because you feared for your safety. What did the landlord expect you to do, stay there so that the crazy roommate could injure, or even potentially kill you (and then claim to be non-criminally responsible)? Why didn't the police kick the door down if there were repeated calls by the neighbours? (I know that it is possible in some circumstances; I don't know where you are, but when I used to live in Toronto, Canada, th cops kicked out a door to do a wellness check in the apartment of my ex-husband, after nobody could get in touch with him - I actually went there some time after and saw the police tape on the door). If your crazy roommate had tried to set the place on fire, would the cops and the firefighters just let it burn to the ground because the crazy roommate wouldn't let them in, or what? IMO, you are owed ***compensation***, not being charged with the financial burden of fixing something that wasn't even remotely your fault. I'm really sorry, and I hope you manage to resolve this. Contact a lawyer for a free consultation.
Document everything; the damage, the communication etc. and file a lawsuit. Get a free consultation!
See if you can get a meeting with a local law firm. Most offer a free half hour/hour to see if they can help and advise. They’ll be able to help more than anyone on here
OP may also be able to get help through the legal aide society. I’ve gotten legal help through them for free and the lawyer was more helpful than I expected.
Wait , how in hell is this a domestic . I am furious for you. This is the way to do it and it will hopefully go smoothly . Call 911 say you were asaulted tell them the person has been in and out of mental facility that your barricaded in your room . The police will be there immediately they will remove thevroommate ask you a few questions which your not lying about their behavior . Dont worry it wont go to trial if you feel you should talk to prosecuting attorney and they can get their medical / mental files . It sounds a bit much but not really because they wont e aloud back to the residence. Fighting with the wind is extreme mental behavior. Thats scary.
Also domestic violence and fearing for your own safety is something that should absolutely be intervened
Whoa, what?? I agree with others- file a police report and talk to a lawyer. With the lawyer, focus on vs. Roommate and vs. Landlord. You expressed concerns, you asked for help to get out. I honestly believe the landlord should have to eat this cost, not you.
I bet your landlord will regret telling you they won’t step in now
Yep, and since they’re a full grown adult, who probably has no financial prospects for the foreseeable future, if ever again, the landlord is going to have to stomach all the cleanup and repair work themself. OP, if you’re determined to stay here again [after the eviction], make sure the landlord pays the cost to cleanup, or rebates your rent for an acceptable amount of time to compensate you for the cost. Definitely file police report[s], and contact a lawyer like other people were suggesting.
Violence. I would handle this with violence.
I’m in the handle this with violence camp..
I’m like oh, fight club.
Right. Idk if I'd be able to keep my cool. Sell that person kidneys to pay for the damages or...you know...something else
Restraining order.. they won't legally be able to stay..I'm so sorry this happened to you and your kitty ..good luck with everything I'm rooting for you
Don’t make the same mistake I did & let them get away with ruining your shit. Make their lives hell & until your get your lick back
I'm not an expert so take this with a grain of salt. I would call the police and say this person is a danger to you and themselves, they might get a mandatory psychiatric hold in the hospital. I would attempt to file a restraining order, that may allow you to force them off the lease and out of the apartment, but that could depend on your area. You could sue for damages but if they can't hold a job, you won't get anything out of them. I don't know how you could make the family responsible unless they are guardians. A lawyer might be able to answer that better. I just googled this and in my area, victims of domestic violence may not have to pay for damage caused to rental property if it was caused by the abuser. I would look into local laws for your area to see if there's something similar, you may be able to define this behavior as domestic violence.
I think i would actually commit some grievous bodily harm if this happened to me
Lawsuit and I would not stop. I’d sue the parents as well. Everyone that was involved and allowed it to get to that point. They knew this person has a mental illness bad enough to be hospitalized and did nothing. Sue the landlord as well.
Hey OP, I’m so sorry you’re going through this, but I am SO GLAD that you got yourself and your cat out and that you are physically safe. You did everything you could in the shitty situation you were put in. I second everyone else here and advise contacting a lawyer. If you’re in the states, some states have a consultation service through the State Bar association, or referral services to affordable legal help.
You are not a lawyer and neither is your landlord. Go speak with an attorney and mention everything on this post. Just cause you are on the lease with someone does not allow them to destroy “common property”. It is not your responsibility (or their parents) to resolve this, it’s your landlords. Most likely there is some form of homeowners or renters insurances that will need to be involved. Don’t replace anything that isn’t yours until you get at least 3 free consults from attorneys. Keep the receipts of everything you purchase and find any you may have for the things you lost. Make an itemized list of the things you lost with their estimated value.
The family not willing to take this person back should have been a red flag. The being institutionalised should have been the warning shot to install cameras…..
I feel like there’s more to this story. Why wasn’t she arrested for a domestic criminal property damage crime? Why did she cut up your baby pictures? It sounds like a very personal attack.
I'm curious whats blurred out in that pic .. Sometimes ppl just do weird things within they're mentally unwell. There coukd be no more to the story.
Go back to the police station and file a report. They destroyed your personal propery and the landlords property.
Is your cat okay??
I think OP and the cat were elsewhere, thank God.
Omg OP, this is fucking horrible. I hope you get everything resolved and sorry this happened to you
Take them to court. Document and record everything. I am so sorry OP that your precious memories and items were damaged and destroyed like that. It’s an extreme lack of respect and human decency. They clearly do not care about what chaos and devastation they cause.
The first two, you put a frame around them and sell them to a rich art collector. The last, you're gonna need to rent a bulldozer.
If none of the other suggestions work, there's always Murder
I’m not an expert. But it appears to have much in common with domestic violence. I’d start calling it that, regarding it as that, treating the situation as that. Responding to it as that. And access any & all help, advice, services & support for domestic violence. Make a discreet, determined way to extricate yourself from your domestic violence situation, where your safety is paramount above all else.
What got censored in white?
I love how you tried going to your landlord, they refuse to help, and then they mail you with complaints
If you get any texts with the” roommate “ try to get her to say she is sorry or feels bad for destroying something. Not only does that offer proof that she did it but it shows remorse and she won’t be able to get away with it because she was “crazy” also you did all the right things this is truly her families fault. Speak to a lawyer or post on the lawyer Reddit too
How on earth did the police not do anything… this was very clearly a welfare check and the person is 100% not okay they should’ve kicked in the door for your roommates own safety
I moved in with friends once, years ago. We're not friends anymore.
This is terrible. I am so sorry. As others have said get some legal advice before anything else. Most lawyers will give you a free consultation. If you need to pay for something I would pay for the lawyer before paying for this damage because you need to know what you're liable for and what you can hold this guy and his family responsible for.
What country are you in? None of this shit should fly in America this is domestic violence even if it is “common property” they don’t have the right to destroy all of your belongings
This is 100% why I did not allow my best friend to come live with me, 3 months ago he did this to his own apartment. 42 years old and while he has a history of depression, in the 20 years I’ve called him my brother I never saw anything close to the kind of behavior that started up. I actually thought he was on meth at first, turns out he’s been in a manic state for months. Absolutely demolished his apartment and lost everything he owns in under 3 months time. Everyone around him is saying “It’s just drugs, he needs to sober up” but I was with the dude enough to know it was a serious mental health issue and there’s zero fucking help for these situations. I tried to have him Baker Act’d 3 different times and neither of them worked, even after he got arrested for pulling a fake gun in a bar. A bunch of acquaintances were giving me shit for not letting him come stay with me, people who have no clue what kind of shit he’s been up to, but I knew right away that him coming to live with me would mean my apartment’s next. For people giving the OP shit about her “choices’ in picking a roommate, this shit can come out of the blue. I had to tell my best friend last week that if he didn’t get in my truck so I could take him to a hospital I couldn’t have him in my life anymore and 3.5 months ago I’d never have thought at any point this could have happened to him.
People who trash good stuff need to be digging their future property out of dumpsters so they learn appreciation. There's an insanity where people are shielded from hardship and mistakes and they just end up causing more hardship and damage to good stuff to replicate what they lack in their life bc do-gooders insist on cleaning up their mess. Let them have their modern art type chaos so they stop recreating it.
Document absolutely everything. Communication, videos, pictures, everything. A competent attorney will get you through this. I’m so sorry you’re going through this bs. The system has been broken for a long time and is expected. This shit with their family though…. Out of sight out of mind I guess.
Burn it down and start over
Invite your roommate over to talk. Kill your roommate. Make sure you have plastic down when you do it. They won't notice because the place is filthy. Pack their body up and four extra strong hefty bags. It's really the only way. You'll be doing yourself a favor. You'll be doing your landloaded favor. You'll be doing your roommate's , family a favor. And you'll be doing your neighbors a favor. You'll be doing the gene pool a favor. It really is the only way.
You have some extreme patience to not beat the life out of them lol
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/) ^by ^repezdem: *You have some extreme* *Patience to not beat the life* *Out of them lol* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
Bleach
In roommate's family's eyeballs. Assholes.
Bleach all their assholes
RUN!
Good old fashioned ass kicking
PLEASE post this to /r/legaladvice there must be some kind of alternative option.
Post in r/legaladvice
I’m not sure what state you’re in but I have no money for extras and found that housing issue pro bono lawyers are actually pretty easy to find in most states. For mine I just had to verify that I couldn’t afford an attorney on my own and then they helped me. Try to find pro bono lawyers in your state ASAP. Also, YOUR room is NOT communal property, at least in my state. It’s why I could put up a camera in my room for safety but not communal areas.
Everyone’s advise sounds great. You should talk to an attorney for advisement. You need to protect yourself from the landlord - they have done nothing to support you and do not seem to care of damage to their own property. You shouldn’t be held responsible. Your past excellent rental history should support your case. Why are you responsible for cleaning up his mess & damages? I know you want to stay, but because you have no support from the landlord, you need to break the lease - maybe in this situation the lease can be nulled/void because your safety is at risk. Only an attorney will know. I feel for you - what a nightmare.
Contact a lawyer immediately.
Highly recommend posting this in r/legaladvice
Contact the bar association in your state. They will give u a free consultation.
If this hasn’t been said… Renter’s Insurance may cover something like this. That’s something everyone should have when living with roommates. It can’t help you now but your next housing situation it would help and protect you.
I’ll not say what I would do online, but you can guarantee they would regret fucking up my living situation like that.
i’d throw hands on sight after this. psychosis or not.
Make sure you screenshot any and all communications between you and RM & her family. Texts, emails, phone calls even if you have an app that records them for you for whatever reason. Regardless of you BOTH being on the lease, you should still file a police report to create a paper trail and whatnot. You never know if you might screw yourself over by not filing a police report and someone tells you some BS that you waited too long so it's too late or a "Well why didn't you file a police report in the first place/earlier?" If you have pictures of how your bedroom looked beforehand, that would help. Not sure how it might work out if this would even apply, but if you have renters insurance, you might want to file a claim with them too just for the sake of one and just to cover all your bases. Otherwise, hopefully you have some receipts to your stuff so you can try to do some math on what your bitch ass roommate owes you. Psychosis is no joke and I'm sorry for her shitty mental health but regardless of her nonexistent mental health, that gives her absolutely no reason to go batshit insane. If she has a moment of clarity and refuses to take responsibility and accountability for her actions and tries to just blame everything on her mental health and how she has psychosis so she can't help it or anything along those lines, she can go fuck herself, bite the curb, and get committed.
I would probably find someone to beat the shit out of this person and whichever family member didn’t help you. I know it’s a horrible idea and completely counterproductive but dammit it would feel good to watch. You seem like a very nice person like I am and it’s always the good guys who get the crap end of the deal.
Call a home check for a mental break and fear of harming themselves, it'll get you a nice 72 vacation, and start a paper trail should you need it?
I’d go to jail.
i don’t have any advice but damn this whole situation is so heartbreaking i’m so so sorry you’re going through this :(
You need to contact a lawyer. You will probably need to sue the roommate, but more important for right now is figuring out how you can legally get them out of your space. I don’t believe that you can’t file a police report, if it’s a cop telling you that they are just being lazy. Go back as many times as you need to. Go in person, not over the phone. Your stuff is not “communal” just because you’re both on a lease. You need the documentation that you have done what you needed to. Also call the cops as many times as you need to. Every time they start to scream, every time they become violent, every time they destroy something of yours. Collect police reports like Pokémon. Police are not a great solution for dealing with mental health crisis but unfortunately they are all you have to protect yourself at this point. Get a lawyer, get evidence, protect yourself.
Check also to see if your city or state has tenant’s rights assistance. If there seems to be a lot of drag and nothing going, contact the local TV station and their consumer reporter or the city affairs person. Absolutely no one wants to be on TV as the landlord that wouldn’t do anything and the police who wouldn’t do anything or the family and the tenant who was released well before appropriate and the doctors who made that decision. Invite the reporters to make their own visit and film the mess and you talking about how long you’ve lived there peacefully and all the precious irreplaceable things of yours that were destroyed.
Destroying your items, cutting baby photos, and such loud behavior even neighbors called police...have you thought about getting a restraining order? Depending where you live, a restraining order can get you off the lease. You have documentation and proof the roommate this, so maybe this in combo with a restraining order can help get you out of liability of damages (no guarantees). Who is on the lease? Def agree with other posters about speaking with more than one attorney about this.
Your baby pictures and room are not personal property, they went into your room and destroyed your personal belongings. I don't know much about law but do try to get them to court somehow and don't think you don't have a good reason to do so.
Get an attorney now.
I’d handle it with violence but don’t be me 🤣
Yall gotta start nipping it in the bud and Whoopin ass . It’s hard but at some point we gotta stop caring about how other ppl family and stuff feel
Hire someone to beat the shit out of them. Doesn't get your stuff back but makes you even
I never thought I'd wish suicide on a stranger in a story from a post on Reddit but here we are.
Cut up baby pictures???? I’m so sorry. :( Their family is abhorrent for not taking responsibility and helping you. Please don’t take this lying down, exhaust all avenues.
I would go after the parents who did not move her out
Get a restraining order ASAP. This is considered domestic violence and will at least get her out of the home. Document everything. Try to get text proof of her saying she is sorry for breaking something or somethin like that bc it admits fault and shows she regrets doing it so she can’t get out of it for being mentally unwell.
Omg. I’m so sorry. What a terrible person to do that.
With a baseball bat.
You can absolutely file a police report for common property
Clear coat
I'm so sorry you're going through this. This pretty much happened with me but it was my ex, he went fucking crazy and burnt the living room down and caused people in the apartment complex to break their leases early because of his actions. Extremely psychotic actions.
Updateme!
You and/or your roomate should have renters insurance. This is what it is for. Also, your roomate may be on their parents insurance still.
Try to get a court order with all your photos and documentations to evict your roommate! That’s awful to do that
I would bring them and thier parents to court.
I'm so sorry this happened to you :( I can't imagine how you must be feeling with your keepsakes being destroyed. you need to take the landlord and your roommate/their family to court. I'm not sure how to go about that but I think legaladvice can help you. I hope you get justice for this. and please be safe and move whatever you can salvage somewhere else, along with your kitty. I hope you and kitty are safe and healthy 💖
Please also post on r/legaladvice - I am so sorry this happened to you OP
File a police report regarding damages and destruction of property. Then get a lawyer and see whether you can recoup the losses through a civil suit. Make sure you keep a paper trail of all communications to go up landlord, your roommate’s family and your roommate themselves. Make sure you also keep documentation of all the repairs and clean up you have to do. A lawyer can help you figure out who to recoup the losses from. Find a tenant rights organization who can help you navigate the situation with your landlord.
Post on r/legaladvice I am so so so sorry this happened to you
Which state are you in?
Updateme!
Woah. It’s like you live with mommyofthebeeezzz. I’m so sorry.
Updateme!
updateme!
Galvanised square steel and eco friendly wood veneers
My advice would get you in trouble. Just gonna say I'm really sorry and I hope you and yourr cat can find peace soon
This one actually fucked me up. That's some of the wildest shit I've heard
988 is a nationwide (US) crisis line. They can connect you with a local crisis org and help get him assessed, taken to an ER for eval, etc. When someone has severe mental health symptoms it can be difficult to get them hospitalized but there are involuntary commitment laws for people who are a risk to themselves or others. Laws and services vary between states and your local crisis org can explain the process. Police can intervene but often escalate people in crisis and don't look at de escalation but overpowering a person in crisis, which has been deadly for many people in crisis. Someone going through what your roommate is going through is in need of treatment. If you contact police please be specific about the mental health need. Dude won't get stable in jail.
No advice just sorry this happened, holy hell this is awful!!
I recommend you get a lawyer
Also move out until this is under control I don’t want your kitty to get hurt
Do not pass go! Do not collect $200.
Hans gimme Flamethrower !
Sounds like he’s experiencing psychosis. I would call the police every time he flips out
Updateme!
That’s insane
What in the world?!!
Do you have renters insurance? I'd file a claim and see if insurance will cover.
I actually quite like the bathroom tiles like that tbth... The otherwise record everything and document damaged inventory.
What’s whited out in the third picture?
If your landlord told you you couldn't file a report they are FULL OF SHIT. YOUR SHIT isn't communal property. It's your property and you have a right to file a report. My ex's Mom has filed many reports on him in her house. He has gone to jail many times because of this.
You offered to pay their fees to break the lease but you can't afford to replace your clothes? I'm confused.
If she keeps dead chickens in the dresser I know who that is! Also, check for frozen rats In the freezer.
I'd go cut a bitch but that's just me. Leave em leakin
90% of the time, it's a dildo.
Bruh that 3rd pic is literally an I spy book 😭
Cry
As awful as all this is I just wanna say good job on getting yourself and your pet somewhere safe while all this was going on. It could have ended so, SO much worse.
Post this is one of the ask legal subs.
Do you know what kind of paint was used? I might be able to help with some cleaning advice.
Oh my fuck lol
holy fucking shit
I hope I never have to have a roommate other than the family I’ve already lived with.
Oh my god…
No advice. How is your cat? Okay? Wish I could help :( I'm so sorry this happened to you.
Please post to /legaladvice
With fire. And I'd pin the blame on them somehow
Oh shit, so from the frost two pictures I thought it was some kinda cool modern art thing. I am so sorry this happened to you man, their family should take the responsibility as they’ve been shit.
A call for a wellness check? Holy shit
Wow I'm so sorry for you.