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Landlord ignoring tenant harassment

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Landlord ignoring tenant harassment

Postby Tenantharassed » Fri Mar 20, 2015 8:40 am

I have an audio recording of my neighbor making harassing comments against my daughter and I on the basis of our race, disability, income and work (or lack thereof). I told my landlord about it multiple times. I sent the recording to her via email. I waited and then told her I'd like to know her thoughts about it. She stated the audio could not be opened. So then, not to be deterred, I sent her a physical cd in the mail with the recording on there. I waited. It had to travel about 7 miles from the post office to her home. I wrote her some days later asking about the recording stating I thought it would be a foregone conclusion that you would have found those statements unacceptable and would have gotten back to me by now. Her response: the letter never arrived. This is now over a week ago.

She is purposefully either not listening to it, or pretending not to. Regardless I have the sent email copy that she received the audio. She is the landlord. I believe it is her responsibility to investigate a racial and disability harassment complaint made by one tenant against another. If she can't open the audio, she should be trying to get someone to get it to work. I told her so and told her I was very upset. Her response, she isn't comfortable discussing this issue anymore. She told me I could feel free to move out in 30 days.

Is there any way to make her listen to this or can she really ignore a tenants complaint of discriminatory harassment? Even if she keeps claiming she can't hear the audio, just the fact that I have written about it to her doesn't matter? It means she has no obligation to do anything? This is a house with 2 apartments in it, not owner occupied, in New Jersey.
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Re: Landlord ignoring tenant harassment

Postby TenantNet » Fri Mar 20, 2015 10:43 am

If a building owner/manager/landlord discriminates against an individual or family for protected reasons (race, creed, sex, sexual orientation, etc.), that could be a violation of the Federal Fair Housing laws.

Usually that's seen when someone applies for housing, but it can also happen if services are withheld on the basis of the above. Eitehr way, it's difficult to prove, but not impossible.

http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src ... _equal_opp

I would also look at local Fair Housing offices and private groups.
http://fairhousingnj.org/ is one example.

Here you have a recording by another tenant, who is not obligated to provide housing or services. I do not know if the actions of another tenant would fall under the Fair Housing guidelines, but you should look into it.

Apparently you are upset because the LL is refusing to do anything, and playing games with the receipt of your letter.

Is it the LL's obligation to investigate the actions of another tenant and take actions in a situation like this? I don't know. If the other tenant was doing something like selling drugs or running a prostitution rings, at least in New York, it is the LL's obligation.

I so suspect that her statement to you that you can "move out" if you don't like it might constitute a violation ... but you will need to ask experts about that, and look at case law.
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