This documentation is for LEGAL PURPOSES for the PUBLIC RECORD.
March 31, 2025
I live on a rental property owned by a slumlord, since January, 2014
At 8:30 AM one of the slumlord's workers showed up and knocked on my door. I had just woken up and was not dressed. I had been ill all night and still not recovered.
On my door I have a NOTICE posted:
NO TRESPASSING
NO SOLICITING
SERVICE VISITS BY APPOINTMENT ONLY
I had notified the slumlord years ago that I require, and that I have the right, to a minimum 24 hours notice if a worker needs to come to my home. He is well aware of this policy, but has repeatedly disregarded it, with no respect whatsoever for my rights as a tenant.
I ignored the knocking. The workers were walking around outside my house and then came knocking again. I ignored them.
Don't they speak English? Well...no, unfortunately they don't, and I guess they can't read English either.
I once again had to call the Health Department last week, for yet another issue with the plumbing. The Health Department came, investigated and made a diagnosis regarding the situation.
They made it very clear that there is a major overhaul needed and also cited the slumlord (once again) for the health code violation, which involved a major problem with the sewage and water system.
The Health official told me that he had explained all this in detail to the slumlord. He also told me that there was no need for anyone to come inside my house: the issues were all outside. So, why send his workers to come knocking at my door? Aside from the total lack of respect for my privacy and my rights, there was no good reason to do so.
I am a tenant, not a plumber or contractor. It is not my responsibility to discuss the problems with his hired help (who do not speak English), especially since they do not need access to my house. The slumlord was told exactly what the problem is. If he failed to take action to rectify his violations, that's on him, not me.
But of course, I am the one (as always) who suffers the consequences of his negligence, total lack of respect and callous disregard for his tenants.
Then, there is the fact that I am not on speaking terms with the slumlord. Not since October, 2023, when he staged a horrible disruption and public scene outside my home, when he showed up unannounced, in disregard for my policy, and demanded to be let in, which I did not allow.
He was banging on my door, making threats to evict me-- for which he has no grounds. He was harassing me, making demands to be let in. He was publicly slandering me, so all the neighbors could hear, and making false accusations against me, based only on false complaints by another tenant, one Tracy Krawitt, a criminal offender who had made a false police report in December, 2019, lying to the police that I had “threatened to kill” her.
He also grossly insulted me and impugned my sanity, accusing that there were “mental health issues” because I refused to open my door for an unannounced service call. Absolutely outrageous!
I have lived with substandard conditions for the entire time I have had this rental. Including "health hazards", as cited by the Health Department.
Since that time, I have dealings only with the Health Department. When I have a problem, I call them and they respond promptly. Just as they did last week.
So, instead of following the directives issued by the Health Department to rectify his violations, he sends his non-English speaking workers to appear at my door unannounced, to dig up my yard, talk loudly on a phone outside, making a racket, pounding against the outside walls of the house, and totally disrupting my day. While I am ill, and cannot relax or go back to sleep. Instead, I have to write this report for my own protection. Unbelievable. Really, truly unbelievable.
So I called the Health Department again this morning. I explained the situation, which the officer totally understood, and of course he knows that the slumlord had no right to send his workers unannounced to come to my door. They don't need access to the inside of my house.
He knows that I have done the right thing by reporting the problem to proper authorities and that I am not required to speak to the landlord's workers, nor open the door to them.
I am documenting this for my own protection and will update when necessary.
The damages are mounting, all the extreme stress, emotional distress, pain and suffering, the cost to me is constantly escalating. This is really a never-ending nightmare.
I can't afford to hire a lawyer, but need to find a good lawyer who will take this case on contingency. I have had all I can take of this totally outrageous situation!
Barbara Hartwell
March 31, 2025
UPDATE: 3 PM
The workers were here for over 5 hours. It now appears that they have left. They dug up my backyard and now it is ruined. I had planned to have a hired worker clean up the yard, and set up my lawn furniture so it could be used. Now, it is a mess and the problem is still not rectified. Yet, I am paying an outrageous sum of $1200.00 a month, which is more than my disability check. And I won't be able to even use my own yard unless they first clean up the mess they have made.
The slumlord totally disregarded the directive from the Health Department. He has been cited for violations and directed that he must do the proper procedure to rectify the situation. He has also been reported to the DEC.
He has done nothing, except send his incompetent nonprofessional workers to harass me by knocking on my door.
Then, to add insult to injury, at 2 PM, I got a phone call from the slumlord's office. It was one of the secretaries. I told her that the workers had come with no notice, and that according to the Health Department, they needed NO ACCESS to the inside of my home. She actually tried to argue with me, but I stopped her. I repeated: The Health Department made it clear they needed NO ACCESS. All the work to be done is outside. The slumlord did NOT follow the directive, instead he sent these workers.
She then tried to argue that they needed access inside the house to find out if the problem was rectified. I once again told her NO. They had no right to come and harass me. I explained that I am not responsible for doing anything but reporting the problem, which I had done. She then tried to tell me they wanted to get access for tomorrow.
I said NO. I am not well and they do not need access to do the outside work. I told her that I was not going to engage her in any further discussion and that the landlord needs to follow the citation from the Health Department. Period. When she started to argue, I hung up the phone.
I then called the officer from HD back and told him the latest. He said he would try again to call the landlord and the office worker (who is clearly clueless and incompetent) and make it clear what they must do and that they have no business coming to my door when they DO NOT NEED to get inside.
The officer from HD already did the investigation and KNOWS the problem is NOT inside, which he documented and reported to the landlord.
Maybe part of the problem here is plain old stupidity. The workers are clueless. The office worker is clueless, and apparently no one has been told the truth about what the situation is, and what needs to be done.
But the slumlord DOES know the truth. He was cited by the Health Department. He received a letter. He was issued a directive about what was necessary and what was required to rectify the situation. So I must reasonably conclude that he is doing the same thing he has always done: trying to get away with continuing to violate the codes, any way he can, with cheap and easy non-solutions, and harassing and bullying the tenants, trying to drag them into his self-created problems, maybe hoping he can just drive them out when they can't take anymore substandard conditions, harassment from him and his workers.
That will not work here, not with me. I intend to pursue justice. I will not allow him to drive me out. I can't leave until such time that I am able to find another rental, a safe, peaceful environment where I will be treated with respect, and where my right to the quiet enjoyment to which I am entitled will be honored.
ADDENDUM
I find it necessary to add one more thing which is an important issue. I am a disabled senior citizen, who suffers chronic medical conditions which are exacerbated by any form of stress; in some cases caused by stress. Stress is dangerous for me, so I must do all in my power to avoid it. The landlord was informed of this in writing after he instigated a horrible public scene in 2023, shouting at me, harassing, slandering, falsely accusing and making threats, which caused me to become ill as a result of his abusive behavior.
RELATED REPORTS
SLUMLORD OF RHINEBECK PROPERTY LEAVES TENANTS WITHOUT WATER IN BRUTALLY COLD TEMPERATURES
https://barbarahartwellvscia.blogspot.com/2025/01/slumlord-of-rhinebeck-property-leaves.html
QUIET ENJOYMENT OF RENTAL PROPERTY DENIED & TENANT BARBARA HARTWELL TARGETED FOR HARASSMENT BY GREEDY SLUMLORD
http://barbarahartwellvscia.blogspot.com/2024/03/quiet-enjoyment-of-rental-property.html
INVASIONS OF PRIVACY, HARASSMENT & THREATS AGAINST TENANT BARBARA HARTWELL ON RHINEBECK PROPERTY OWNED BY SLUMLORD
https://barbarahartwellvscia.blogspot.com/2023/10/invasions-of-privacy-harassment-threats.html
Tracy Krawitt (aka SPACEY TRACY), the Neighbor from Hell: FORMAL COMPLAINT TO POLICE & COMMENTARY
https://barbarahartwellvscia.blogspot.com/2020/01/tracy-krawitt-aka-spacey-tracy-neighbor.html
PUBLIC NOTICE &
UPDATES- Latest Offenses of Criminal Perp Tracy Krawitt, the Neighbor
from Hell: Endangering Animals, Pedestrians & Drivers, Violating
Leash Laws
https://barbarahartwellvscia.blogspot.com/2023/11/latest-offenses-of-tracy-krawitt.html
CONTINUED HARASSMENT,
SLANDER, FALSE COMPLAINTS & INVASIONS OF PRIVACY ON RHINEBECK
PROPERTY BY UNSCRUPULOUS TENANT TRACY KRAWITT
https://barbarahartwellvscia.blogspot.com/2023/08/additional-harassment-slander-false.html
MULTIPLE OFFENDER,
HABITUAL LIAR TRACY KRAWITT MAKES ADDITIONAL FALSE ACCUSATIONS,
SLANDERS BARBARA HARTWELL IN REPORT TO LANDLORD ON RENTAL PROPERTY
https://barbarahartwellvscia.blogspot.com/2023/02/multiple-offender-habitual-liar-tracy.html
FORMAL COMPLAINT
AGAINST TENANT TRACY KRAWITT TO LANDLORD OF RHINEBECK PROPERTY
https://barbarahartwellvscia.blogspot.com/2023/02/formal-complaint-against-tenant-tracy.html
HELLISH HOWLING & HARASSMENT: Brought to My Neighborhood by Scofflaw, Liar Tracy Krawitt & Associates
http://barbarahartwellvscia.blogspot.com/2023/02/hellish-howling-harassment-brought-to.html
Tracy Krawitt, Irresponsible Owner of Howling Dog, Causes Constant Noise Disturbance on Rhinebeck Property
http://barbarahartwellvscia.blogspot.com/2022/04/tracy-krawitt-irresponsible-owner-of.html
