Tenant rights..question

[RockHopper]

I moved into a new apartment at the end of the year. It's a mother-in-law, which doesn't have a separate entrance, so I have to go through the house to enter. Today I was surprised to come home to a balls cold space. My independantly controlled heating was completely turned off, and there was a sign taped to the heater in my living room (politely worded)...requesting that I turn off the heat when I know I'll be gone for protracted periods of time.

I have several problems with this...
First off, I have things I don't want frozen.
I have a freezer for that purpose.

Secondly, I'm not interested in waiting 2 hrs for my personal space to become warm and comforting.

Thirdly, My personal effects are still in great disarray from the move, and there could be literally dozens of valuables missing, and I wouldn't know it until 6 months down the road when I go looking for it

And lastly, I want to do great bodily harm to the individual who raped my privacy, and took advantage of my absence to do so. So ballsy in fact that he left plain evidence of it. I think that takes a special kind of ballsy.

So...questions. In every state I've lived in, there were laws which protect tenants from such an intrusion of privacy. Usually a landlord can only enter under emergency conditions, or with 24 hr notice. Does Oklahoma not have such laws?

 

[Seadog]

I moved into a new apartment at the end of the year. It's a mother-in-law, which doesn't have a separate entrance, so I have to go through the house to enter. Today I was surprised to come home to a balls cold space. My independantly controlled heating was completely turned off, and there was a sign taped to the heater in my living room (politely worded)...requesting that I turn off the heat when I know I'll be gone for protracted periods of time.

I have several problems with this...
First off, I have things I don't want frozen.
I have a freezer for that purpose.

Secondly, I'm not interested in waiting 2 hrs for my personal space to become warm and comforting.

Thirdly, My personal effects are still in great disarray from the move, and there could be literally dozens of valuables missing, and I wouldn't know it until 6 months down the road when I go looking for it

And lastly, I want to do great bodily harm to the individual who raped my privacy, and took advantage of my absence to do so. So ballsy in fact that he left plain evidence of it. I think that takes a special kind of ballsy.

So...questions. In every state I've lived in, there were laws which protect tenants from such an intrusion of privacy. Usually a landlord can only enter under emergency conditions, or with 24 hr notice. Does Oklahoma not have such laws?

I have no idea about rent laws. It sounds like you’re renting a room. Not sure how the heating and cooling is going, but if it’s a space heater, I could see their concern. We all know those are fire hazards. And then you didn’t mention if you’re paying for electricity, separate or not. After just leaving stuff running while you’re gone and running up their electric bill, I could also see their interest in that.

If you want more privacy, it sounds like you need your own apartment.

 

[Aries]

https://law.justia.com/codes/oklahoma/title-41/section-41-128/

https://ipropertymanagement.com/laws/oklahoma-landlord-entry-rights

https://www.okbar.org/freelegalinfo/tenant/
Q: Can the landlord come into my home without permission?
A: The landlord can enter in a reasonable way at reasonable times to inspect, make repairs, supply necessary services, show the building to purchasers, tenants, workmen, etc. Unless there is an emergency or it is impractical to do so, the landlord must give you at least one day’s notice of intent to enter.

IMO, your landlord doesn't seem very reasonable. I pay for my own heating and don't turn the heat off when I leave, for the very reasons you mention. But you should probably talk with him before doing anything else.

 

[Rez Exelon]

Outside emergency conditions they cannot enter your space with valid notice provided 24 hours in advance. How thing might work on the rest could come down to billing electricity but generally speaking I don't think heat can be cutoff either.

 

[CanadianRiverRat]

https://oklahoma.gov/content/dam/ok...ve/Landlord and Tenant Act Update 11-1-19.pdf

 

[TwoShoots]

Agree with Seadog. It sounds like you have a roommate, not a rental house. Do you pay for your own heating and cooling?
If not and he's sure it won't actually get below freezing in there, he's in control.

I think you should break the lease (give 30 days notice) and move to an apartment.

 

[RockHopper]

https://oklahoma.gov/content/dam/ok/en/orec/documents/archive/Landlord and Tenant Act Update 11-1-19.pdf

Thank you for that. So far my Google searches netted nothing but law firm results, and it was the actual laws that I needed to see. The fact that the landlord didn't want to pay to separate the utilities of his house, from the utilities of the apartment is not my concern. I'm reasonable, and would certainly have agreed to a compromise to keep his electric bill down, but I have no intention of arriving home to a outside temperature space. There are safe and efficient means to this end, and I even have these available. It was the landlords decision to insist that I utilize his provided "high efficiency" units.

So as it stands no...he does NOT have the right to enter my apartment without 24 hr notice, unless there is an emergency. His electric bill does not meet any standard of emergency.
I have to give thirty day notice, but I'm unsure of how to secure my place from further intrusion. I guess I'll have to put up cameras, and monitor my apartment remotely while I'm out.

 

[RockHopper]

Agree with Seadog. It sounds like you have a roommate, not a rental house. Do you pay for your own heating and cooling?
If not and he's sure it won't actually get below freezing in there, he's in control.

I think you should break the lease (give 30 days notice) and move to an apartment.

I never said "rental house". I said mother-in-law. That's a private residence attached to, or on the same property as another private residence. It's an apartment with a living room, a bedroom, a kitchen, and a bathroom. The only shared space is the entry from the front door of the house, and the laundry, located just outside my door.

 

[Firpo]

Yup, if it’s a separate building I’d call it a guest house and if attached to the main house I’d say MIL quarters. Either way I can’t see him entering “your residence”, which is what ihe did, without the appropriate 24 hour notice. The thing of it is you’re in a less formal rental property and sounds like your landlord isn’t grasping the legal ramifications of owning a rental property attached to their home. When/if you do leave I’d suggest he install a tenant meter. Given I’d be pretty PO’d if my electric bill doubled from a guy renting a room but that’s still my problem as the landlord. How would I prove who used what?

 

[1shott]

Move. Seriously.

Do you have a lease or some other rental contract, in writing that specifies who pays for what or if splitting a bill what percentage is paid by what party?

Many many years ago I had moved into a rental house. On the day the rent was due, while I was sleeping, the landlord entered the house, and began walking thru the house yelling rents due.
He was met with a pistol in his face as he opened my closed bedroom door as I was opening it.

I told him to leave and come back after he called first.

He got mad, I said leave on your own, in a bag or in cuffs makes me no mind.

He left, came back later that day, I handed him a check, he demanded cash, I said go to the bank, hand them this check after you sign it, they will give you cash.

I also informed him he cannot legally enter the house without notice.

That was the first rent payment after being there a month. He sent his son afterwards, I offered to mail the checks to him but he wanted the money in hand, cash, I said I only pay by check.

After that there were no issues, I stayed about 2 years before moving to another place where I stayed about 6 years before moving into my own place.